Nothing much changes on the Nothing Phone (2)… that’s good

Nothing is clearly going to use the second iteration to drive home the slickness of its design, stylishness of its UI and usability of its unique Glyph interface. And frankly, it is unlikely many of those who have bought the first phone will be moving to a second one so soon.

That said, Nothing has certainly found some opportunity to refine the design. The Nothing Phone (2) certainly looks and feels slimmer. And while the see-through back panel is pretty much the same, it now gets a “pillowed glass” which is softer to the touch with smoother edges. Even the ‘motherboardish’ back panel has evolved with the components moving a bit and coming closer. The side profile of the phone is as iPhone-ish as before.

The other evolution on the phone is with Nothing’s trademark Glyph interface (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

The pillow glass, while great to hold, presents a new problem. On some surfaces, especially fabric, this makes the phone slide about with every ring or vibration. This will be the sort of phone that disappears into the crevices of the sofa as you immerse yourself in a Netflix show on the telly.

Nothing has used the new phone to release the second version of its operating system too. Nothing OS 2.0 offers UI customisations that sync with the rest of Nothing’s very unique identity. For instance, the monochrome launcher is certainly one of its kind in the smartphone space and one that gels well with the phone’s hardware, especially the darker version that I got for review. This is an extension of the Nothing design language released with the first phone.

Nothing OS 2.0 offers UI customisations that sync with the rest of Nothing’s very unique identity (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Now, you have a lot of widgets with monochrome styling that goes with app icons that too follow this design ethos. Nothing believes this is a better approach than letting all the distracting app colours come onto your Home Screen and app tray. I like the design, but from a practical aspect, I need to train my eyes to find the apps I am looking for. And since there is no quick recognition of the Facebook blue or the WhatsApp green, this is certainly going to take some time to get used to. But then this is not the only launcher option and you can opt for a more familiar feel.

The other evolution on the phone is with Nothing’s trademark Glyph interface. You can now customise this set of LEDs at the back even more and assign patterns to specific callers if you want. Plus, some third-party apps are now allowed to make use of this, like to show the time taken to deliver your next Swiggy order. It even shows volume adjustments on the back and signals you if the phone is charging. The younger users will have more options to show off now.

Phone (2) ships with a unique Type-C charging cable (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

I was impressed by the performance of the phone, now powered by the Snapdragon 8 + Gen 1 chipset. This phone is a cool customer in every sense and handles all tasks well. In fact, Nothing is pushing its video game with this phone and it was good to see the phone record 4K HDR at 60 fps for long durations without any warmth on the device.

The Nothing Phone (2) camera is now better with two 50MP cameras at the back assisted by a better sensor. The images are really sharp and the colours are vibrant. A shot I took inside a dimly-lit Delhi restaurant underlines the capability of this camera showcasing how well it handles low light as well as colours. Also, in portrait mode, this camera is maybe among the best around, thanks to the strong textures on the subject and natural bokeh.

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 2 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 3 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 4 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 5 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 6 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) camera sample 7 (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)

However, I was not as impressed by the front camera and the images lacked a bit of detail when shot in low light. The expert mode offers a lot more settings, including the ability to shoot in RAW.

The battery life of the phone is pretty decent and the 4700 mAh battery lasted me around two days with light use on a 5G network. The USB-C charger cable is something the company has put a lot of work into, giving it also the transparent look synonymous with the brand. This is a small detail but helps with brand recall in a big way.

Nothing Phone (2) has managed to push the selling price of the device a bit with minimal changes as such (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/ The Indian Express)

Nothing Phone (2) review: Should you buy?

Starting at Rs 44,999, the Nothing Phone (2) has managed to push the selling price of the device a bit with minimal changes as such. But this is still a good value-for-money device at this price point, one that will appeal to those who want to stand out in a crowd. For the same reason, I would not recommend this phone to those who don’t like things that stand out too much. Still, I recommend the Nothing Phone (2) because it is a slight refresh on the most refreshing take on Android in years.