Less than a year since the release of the Nothing Phone (2) in July 2023, Nothing has once again expanded its smartphone line-up, this time with the Phone (2a).

The Phone (2a) is no successor to the Phone (2). Instead, it’s marketed as the toned-down version of the Phone (2), or, as co-founder Akis Evangelidis puts it, a phone that leverages the most-loved features of the Phone (2) “while ensuring it delivers on a clear upgrade compared to Phone (1) on every single front.”

Samsung users will be familiar with such a concept, as it’s pretty much like the Fan Edition (FE) models the brand has been known to release.

If you’re on the fence between the two, here’s a comparative look at the Nothing Phone (2) and the Phone (2a).

Nothing Phone (2) vs Nothing Phone (2a): Spec comparison

The Nothing Phone (2a) marks the brand’s third smartphone release since its inception in 2021. To their credit, Nothing has done a great job in keeping the brand’s ethos alive by maintaining the Glyph Interface and transparent design in all their smartphones.

As is the same with the Phone (2a), although you can tell right form the start that there are marked differences between the two. Clear and obvious are the design choices. The Phone (2a) cameras are horizontally aligned and centred, resembling a pair of eyes, where as the Phone (2) keeps to a more mainstream vertical arrangement at the top left of the rear panels.

On that note, the Phone (2) and Phone (2a) cameras both sport a 50MP main camera with OIS, and a 50MP ultra-wide. However, the Phone (2)’s main camera has the advantage of the Sony IMX890 sensor for improved photo quality. The same goes for the 32MP front cameras as well, with the Phone (2) backed by the Sony IMX615 sensor.

Performance wise, the Phone (2) utilizes the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor released in 2022. When the Phone (2) debuted in 2023, the ultimate Qualcomm flagship processor at that time was the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But Nothing opted for the 8+ Gen 1 instead, possibly as a way to hike down the price and make it more appealing. Nevertheless, as we’ve discovered in our review of the Nothing Phone (2), the decision to use an older Snapdragon processor proved to be a sound decision, as the Phone (2) performed tremendously well regardless.

With the Phone (2a), you’ll be getting the new Dimensity 7200 Pro, but again, it’s not the ultimate flagship processor from MediaTek, as that honour goes to the Dimensity 9300.

For batteries, the Phone (2a) fits the larger 5,000mAh battery supporting 45W wired charging. On the other hand, the Phone (2) batteries are smaller at 4,700mAh, but maintains the 45W wired charging with the additional option of 15W wireless charging.

If you’re all about the Glyph Interface, we’ll have to give it to the Phone (2). It comes with 33 LED zones that are just more interactive and flashier. While the Phone (2a) comes with Glyph Interface too, it’s limited to the 3 strips surrounding the camera module. It still supports tons of functions though, including notifications, volume indicators and timer countdowns.

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