Nothing Phone 2: A more refined and faster phone but at double the price

It is extremely difficult for a new phone manufacturer to be noticed in a fiercely competitive and overly saturated market. But that’s exactly what Nothing did with the Phone 1 last year, choosing a good balance of design, features and pricing. Can the company do it again with the Nothing Phone 2 that is being released in the UAE?

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Nothing Phone 2 has a tweaked design which is fine as the company has established a unique design language that needs to continue over a few refreshes. The biggest change comes in the form of performance and camera with Nothing Phone 2 shifting gears from a more mainstream device to a high-end phone.

That change also means that you now need to pay a lot more for the new model, which has an MSRP of over a thousand Dirhams more. Realistically speaking, the Nothing Phone 1 can be picked up at half the price of the Nothing Phone 2, which will definitely make it harder sell.

Nothing Phone 2 UAE Pricing and Availability

Nothing Phone 2 will be available across the Middle East in two capacities- 256GB and 512GB. Both of these variants come with 12GB of RAM. Nothing has priced the 256GB model at AED 2,499 which is about AED 1,000 more than the previous model. The 512GB model retails for AED 2,799 pushing it in the region of flagship phones from manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple.

Here is how much the Nothing Phone 2 is priced in different countries in the Middle East.

	12GB/256GB	12GB/512GB
Nothing Phone 2 Price in UAE	AED 2,499	AED 2,799
Nothing Phone 2 Price in KSA	SAR 2,799	SAR 3,099
Nothing Phone 2 Price in Qatar	QAR 2,499	QAR 2,799
Nothing Phone 2 Price in Kuwait	KWD 209	KWD 239
Nothing Phone 2 Price in Bahrain	BHD 269	BHD 299

You can purchase Nothing Phone 2 is two colours which are white and dark grey. The unit will be available for purchase by July 21st in the UAE and across the rest of the countries in the Middle East.

Nothing Phone 2 Specifications

Size:	162.1 x 76.4 x 8.6 mm
Weight:	201 g
IP Rating:	IP54 Water and Dust resistant
Colours:	Dark Grey, White
Screen Size:	6.7 inches LTPO OLED
Resolution:	1080 x 2412 pixels
Refresh Rate:	120 Hz
Peek Brightness:	1600 nits
Processor:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
RAM / Storage:	12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB
Cellular:	5G, Dual SIM
Primary Camera:	50 MP f/1.9
Ultrawide:	50 MP f/2.2
Selfie:	32 MP f/2.5
Video:	4K @ 60fps
Battery:	Li-Po 5,700 mAh
Wired Charging:	45W – 100% in 55 min
Wireless Charging:	15W

Design and Display

The Nothing Phone 2 looks similar to the first phone, and more than a few people asked me if it was an iPhone. The flat sides and rounded corners definitely make the Nothing Phone 2 look like the best-selling phone in the world, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The highlighting feature is the glyph lighting system which now has three individually addressable zones and a Glyph torch. If you haven’t seen a Nothing phone before, these white LED strips light up to notify you of different actions. One might argue that an always-on-display can show you notifications more flexibly, and you’ll be right, but the coolness factor that comes with glyphs is hard to ignore and one not found on other Android phones. The downside is that you need to keep your phone face down for it to be useful.

From a colour perspective, the Nothing Phone 2 is releasing in white and dark grey, which are more on the minimalistic side. I would like Nothing to release bolder colours- even in limited capacities.

The screen on the Nothing Phone 2 is an LTPO OLED display that’s 6.7 inches in size and 1080p in resolution. Refresh rates can go as high as 120Hz and peak brightness at 1,400 nits which makes the screen visible even under the bright Dubai sun.

Features and performance

Where the Phone 1 came with a 7 series processor, Nothing has equipped with Phone 2 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. While these are;t the newest processors, they are plenty fast for almost all tasks. In the UAE, Nothing is only launching a 12GB RAM variant with 256GB or 512GB storage capacities.

Also new is Nothing OS 2.0, which will also be available on the latest Phone 1. It’s a super light UI for Android, and you’re given a choice when you first set the phone up to use either a Stock Android skin or the one from Nothing. I like the fonts and widgets that Nothing has used for their UI.

Cameras

The primary camera has also been improved on Nothing Phone 2 which uses the Sony IMX890 sensor. While it’s still 50MP in resolution, night time photography is much better and you get some great low-light shots.

The Ultrawide camera is the same as lats year which is a 50 MP Samsung JN1 sensor. The selfie camera is also changed with the new one featuring a 32 MP Sony IMX615 sensor.

The front camera is capable of recording video at 1080p/60 fps while the primary camera can do 4K recording at 60 fps. You get most of the recording modes you’d expect from a flagship camera such as Slo-mo (480fps), Night Mode, Action Mode and Time Lapse (4K).

Battery & Charging

The Nothing Phone 2 has a slightly larger battery compared to its predecessor. Rated at 4,700 mAh and with a faster charging rate of 45W, Nothing Phone 2 should last longer and charge quicker. Wireless charging is also supported at 15W which isn’t the fasest compared to other phones but gets the job done.

With OS optimizations, Nothing Phone 2 was very easily able to last for the day in my limited time with the phone. Most people should get that and then some.

Alternatives to Nothing Phone 2 – How does it stack up against competitors?

The Nothing Phone 2 has crept up in price to reach close to iPhone levels and while the iPhone is still a bit more expensive, you can find them at slightly discounted levels. It’s hard to compete against an iPhone- those who want one, only want an iPhone and the market share for Apple’s phones keeps going up eating into Android space.

With Phone 2, Nothing is gunning for the higher-end Android market and the biggest player in this space is Samsung. The Galaxy S23+ can now be picked up under AED 3,000 and offers a newer and faster chipset as well as flagship level cameras and display tech. Nothing has that cool factor going for itself as well as a more minimal Android experience which some people prefer.

Nothing Phone 2 reviews

MKBHD thinks that Nothing Phone 2 offers a unique and enjoyable user experience with its premium design, improved software features, and better battery life, despite some shortcomings in the camera and haptic department.

Mrwhosetheboss compares Nothing Phone 2 to the iPhone and thinks that the Nothing Phone 2 is a budget Android phone that offers a good display and aesthetic upgrade compared to the iPhone, but falls slightly short of being a true flagship.

Dave2D believes Nothing Phone 2 has new features and a unique design, but its higher price point and improved camera system have caused disappointment for some.