With the Phone (2a) Plus, Nothing releases a slightly better version of its budget smartphone, but the changes are very small. Read more in this brief review.
Dit is de Nothing Phone (2a) Plus review
Earlier this year, Nothing introduced its cheapest smartphone yet: the Phone (2a). It was well received, because in the review we even called the device a ‘top phone for a low price’ and rated it with an 8.
Since last month, the British brand has also been selling the Phone (2a) Plus. As the Plus name already reveals, the phone is an improved version of the 2a. But is that really the case? At 429 euros, it is a bit more expensive than the 2a, which currently costs € 311. In this review you can read why we have some doubts about this.
The review model of the Phone (2a) Plus was made available by Nothing.
Typisch Nothing-design
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus looks – as you would expect – very similar to the Phone (2a) from earlier this year. Particularly characteristic is the Glyph interface on the back, which has a number of lights that light up when you receive a notification. You can also use the feature with a timer. Nice in itself, but it doesn’t necessarily add much.
The back is transparent, so it seems as if you can see the parts. The two cameras look a bit like eyes and that is a nice detail. The phone is completely made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel like it – and that’s quite clever from Nothing. The Phone (2a) Plus does not look cheap. It is a shame that the back is sensitive to fingerprints and grease stains.
The power button is on the right side, while the left side accommodates the volume buttons. At the bottom we see the USB-C port and the spot for the SIM card. Furthermore, the Phone (2a) Plus has stereo speakers and they sound great, even if you turn up the volume considerably. A headphone jack is missing.
We see no changes on the screen. The display is again 6.7 inches in size, has a resolution of 2412 by 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. The image is sharp, animations look smooth and the maximum brightness of 1100 nits means you won’t have trouble reading the screen. It is also nice that the edge around the display is thin and symmetrical. This makes the Phone (2a) Plus look more luxurious than it actually is.
A little faster
An important difference between the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and the regular Phone (2a) is under the hood. The Plus has a MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chip, which, according to Nothing, is 10 percent faster than the MediaTek processor in the Phone (2a). While gaming, performance is said to be 30 percent better.
Now that is difficult to test, but during daily use you will usually notice little of the speed difference. That doesn’t matter much, because the Phone (2a) Plus is simply easy to use. Apps start quickly and multitasking is no problem. For a device costing just over 400 euros, the performance is excellent.
This also applies to the fingerprint scanner, which does its job well. The scanner is fairly smooth and accurate, but occasionally requires several attempts to scan your finger properly. It is also located quite low in the housing, which may take some getting used to.
Software en updates
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus runs on Android 14 with the Nothing OS shell. The software is basically similar to the standard version of Android, but looks very different. You can especially see this in the colors used: icons are mainly black and white, with an occasional red accent.
Naturally, there are all kinds of extra options available, most of which have to do with the Glyph interface. The so-called ‘Flip to Glyph’ is useful, for example. If you place the Phone (2a) Plus with the screen facing down, it automatically switches to silent mode and you will only see a light when a notification arrives.
We are satisfied with Nothing’s update policy for the Phone (2a) Plus. The smartphone will receive three major Android upgrades and four years of security patches in the future. Samsung is doing better with the most recent Galaxy A phones, but Nothing’s support is certainly not bad.
Cameras and battery life
For taking photos, the Nothing phone has three cameras. Just like with the Phone (2a), both the main camera and wide-angle lens have a resolution of 50 megapixels. However, the 2a’s 32 megapixel selfie camera has been upgraded to 50 megapixels. The cameras take 12.5 megapixel snapshots as standard.
The camera performance is comparable to that of the Phone (2a) from earlier this year. In general, the photos that the Plus takes are fine, although the snapshots do not always look consistent. You will also see that the wide-angle lens shoots slightly less sharp pictures, and some colors are also duller.
Fortunately, the differences are not too great. It is also nice that post-processing is much faster. In our Nothing Phone (2a) review we wrote that the phone sometimes needed ten seconds to process photos. The Plus does this more quickly, so you don’t have to wait as long for your photo – and that’s nice. So you will notice something of the faster processor here.
We can be brief about the battery life of the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus: it is perfectly fine. The 5000 mAh battery can easily last a whole day, even if you are an intensive user and regularly play games.
The Phone (2a) Plus can charge slightly faster than its smaller brother. The phone reaches a maximum speed of 50 watts instead of 45 watts, so charging takes slightly less time. The difference is not big, because it still takes about an hour.
Please note that you have to provide your own charger; The package only contains a USB-C cable. You can of course use it with other chargers, but then the Phone (2a) Plus may charge slower. Wireless charging is not possible, although we do not often see this feature in this price range.
Conclusie Nothing Phone (2a) Plus review
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is a tiny upgrade compared to the Phone (2a). The smartphone is slightly faster, takes slightly better photos and charges slightly faster than its brother. And then you’re pretty much there: otherwise the device is identical to its predecessor.
We therefore wonder why Nothing sells both the Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus, because most users will notice little to none of the differences. Moreover, the ‘normal’ 2a is currently considerably cheaper and therefore the better choice. That does not mean that the Phone (2a) Plus is a bad phone, but one with little reason to exist.
Nothing Phone (2a) Plus kopen
Does the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus seem like an interesting smartphone to you and are you considering purchasing it? The phone has a suggested retail price of 429 eurobut is of course also available in combination with a subscription. You can check the best deals via the price comparator below.
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Source: www.androidplanet.nl
