Home
News
You are here

Nothing Phone 2a: The most eye-catching affordable phone of 2024 - destined to flop?

Published: Dec 29, 2023, 8:00 AM

9comments

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Nothing Phone 2a: The most eye-catching affordable phone of 2024 - destined to flop?

Here’s a confession… I like mid-range phones, and if I didn’t have access to flagships like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Pixel 8 Pro, and iPhone 13 mini, I’d probably consider a mid-range phone as my “daily driver”.

Compared to flagships, which cost 2-3 times as much, $400-500 phones give you amazing value. At the same time, mid-rangers feel much more premium and last longer than a $200 budget phone. And last but not least, for someone like me who’s the go-to smartphone nerd in any room, they are super easy to recommend to the average Joe and Joanne.

That being said, recommending a single mid-range phone has become trickier in the past few years, and that’s because almost all of them have gotten really good, which is great for us, but not so great for smaller phone-makres trying to compete with the big players in the business. One of these companies is called Nothing.

Carl Pei’s post-OnePlus love has so far released two phones - the Nothing Phone 1, which wasn’t officially released in the US (launched for the equivalent of $400 in Europe), and the Nothing Phone 2, which is available in the US at a starting price of $600 - or roughly $200 more than the Phone 1.

Now, judging by leaks, rumors, and photographic evidence, Nothing is ready for some backpedalling. The result? We expect this one to be called the “Nothing Phone 2a” - a trimmed-down, mid-range version of the flagship Nothing Phone 2, allegedly priced at around $400.

I don’t know about you but when I first saw the news I thought… “Exciting! A budget-friendly Nothing Phone, which is easier to recommend to more people!”

But then I thought of the other mid-range phones coming out in 2024, and I… changed my mind.

Nothing Phone 2a: Carl Pei is giving mid-range phones another try, but the Galaxy A55, Pixel 7a, and iPhone SE 4 suggest 2024 might be the wrong time to do that

Leaked Nothing Phone 2a render with three Glyph lights around the dual camera.

For starters, here’s the specs list of Nothing Phone 2a... I’m sure some of you have their own opinion on what looks good/bad here - if you do, you can leave a comment.

120Hz OLED display
MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC
50MP dual camera setup
128GB of storage, 8GB RAM
Nothing OS 2.5 (based on Android 14) with 3 years of OS upgrades
Revamped back design with only three Glyph lights
Expected price of around $400
Launch at MWC

Now, if you want my take on this spec sheet, what stands out might be the choice of SoC. And to put the Dimensity 7200 in context, I can tell you that one of MediaTek’s most affordable chips is comparable to the likes of the A12 Bionic (iPhone XS), and the new Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 from Qualcomm.

To get even more concrete, as far as the Nothing Phone 2a’s direct competitors are concerned, the Dimensity 7200 is slower than the:

Exynos 1480 expected to power the upcoming Galaxy A55 (20% slower CPU - according to leaked Geekbench 6 scores)
Tensor G2 powering the Pixel 7a (25% slower CPU, 50% slower in GPU)
Dimensity 9000 powering the OnePlus Nord 3 (45% slower CPU, 90% slower GPU)
A16 Bionic expected to power the iPhone SE 4 (130% slower in CPU, 130% slower in GPU)

Leaked hands-on images of a seriously encased Nothing Phone 2a hint at a different design than that of the Nothing Phone 2.

While there’s nothing wrong with having a lower tier mid-range chip in your phone, you can see why the Nothing Phone 2a’s Dimensity 7200 SoC doesn’t quite stand out when seen in context - at least on paper. That being said, I’m not surprised by Nothing’s cost-cutting decisions.

Remember, the Nothing Phone 1 launched with an old Snapdragon 778+ SoC, and the “flagship” Nothing Phone 2 swapped Qualcomm’s 2023 flagship SoC for the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. So, there’s definitely a trend to Carl Pei’s SoC selection, which is why the newer Dimensity 8200 is making way for the nearly year-old 7200.

Even if the Dimensity 7200 powering the Nothing Phone 2a is shaping up to be the weakest chip amongst the top contenders for best mid-range phone of 2024, Nothing’s smooth and minimalistic Nothing OS (based on Android 14) should help with making the Phone 2a run just fine. On the other hand, this means the bigger concern about the performance of the Nothing Phone 2a might be related to longevity, as well as heavier tasks like gaming and constant multitasking.

Carl Pei loves the idea of stealing Apple’s loyal users but the Nothing Phone 2a will need iMessage and a miracle to compete with the rumored iPhone SE 4

More or less what the iPhone SE 4 is expected to look like.

It’s no secret that as a young company run by a master visionary and marketeer like Carl Pei, Nothing’s short and long-term goal is to steal customers from the big players out there - especially Apple, with the most glaring example for that being Nothing’s (failed) attempt to port iMessage onto the Nothing Phone 2.

However, if that’s part of the reason the Nothing Phone 2a exists (and I’m not saying it is), 2024 might just be the wrong year to challenge Apple with a mid-range Android phone running on a low-tier chip, and that’s because (according to reports) Apple’s biannual iPhone SE is set to launch in the spring - right around the time the Phone 2a is expected to debut.

Without getting into a detailed discussion, and given the leaks/rumors I’ve come across, it’s very safe to assume that the only two (obvious) advantages the Nothing Phone 2a might have over the (heavily redesigned) iPhone SE 4 are the 120Hz display and the extra ultra-wide camera it has.

Apart from that, (as usual) Apple’s new SE model is expected to bring a flagship-grade package at around $500, and even if that’s $100 more than the Nothing Phone 2a, I think you’d agree that most people will be willing to pay the premium for Apple’s unparalleled brand promise, and the flagship-grade hardware in the iPhone SE.

In all fairness, despite being called the “iPhone Special Edition”, the iPhone SE 4 isn’t exactly shaping up to be anything “special”. The SE 4 is expected to be an iPhone 14 with a single rear camera, and it just so happens that the iPhone 14 is one of Apple’s most forgettable flagships ever. But then you think of the price, and that’s when the SE starts looking like a deal few (if any) Android phones might be able to match in 2024.

Nothing Phone 2a might be an essential but forgettable addition to Nothing’s catalogue - is the unique design enough to challenge Samsung, Google, and Apple?

Would the flashy, standout design of the Nothing Phone 2a be enough to give it a chance against the iPhone SE 4, Galaxy A55, and Pixel 7a?

There are several question marks about the Nothing Phone 2a like if the phone will be dust/water resistant, and whether it’ll support wireless charging. Of course, if both turn out to be present on the Phone 2a, then the value proposition immediately goes up. But if they aren’t… you know… the opposite happens.

So, where is Nothing going with this then? Well… I see the Nothing Phone 2a as a way of reminding people Nothing exists before the launch of the Nothing Phone 3 in the second half of 2024.

Moreover, Nothing is a young brand, which doesn’t have many dishes on its menu, and an offering like the Nothing Phone 2a would be a nice starter to the heftier main course, which is the Nothing Phone 2.

That being said, I maintain my position from the beginning, which is that the Nothing Phone 2a might be a bit late to the mid-range party.

While I’m certainly glad it exists (or rather will exist) as an option, and I admire Nothing’s ingenuity in betting on phones with a unique design langue (I’m sure the Phone 2a will look cool), I don’t see how it can compete with the likes of the Pixel 7a, Galaxy A55 and even an older mid-range phone like the OnePlus Nord 3.

For example, I’m not sure the Nothing Phone 2a will be a worse phone than the Galaxy A55 - it might even be a better one in some regards. However, Samsung’s loyal fanbase would disagree. The Galaxy A54 is far from the best mid-range phone of 2023, yet it’s one of the more popular mid-range phones outside of China.

Furthermore, considering the fact that even the “flagship” Nothing Phone 2 isn’t a clear (value) winner when compared to something like a Pixel 7a or OnePlus Nord 3, this isn’t exactly shocking. But enough about my take on the Phone 2a (for now).

Do you agree with the above? Do you disagree? I’d love to get a different perspective from you in the comments.

View Full Bio

Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.