Changing the appearance of a phone in this day and age is a pretty difficult task. On the other hand, Nothing has been going about exactly that with the phones that it has released up until this point. This unconventional approach to design is taken to an entirely new level by the Nothing (2a), which reconceives the camera module as something that contributes to the phone’s individuality and makes it stand out from other smartphones. This is not the end of it.
After the initial shock, I concluded that the concept of positioning the camera module in the top center of the phone rather than in the corner is not only creative but also useful.
The phone takes on a very unique persona as a result of this, with the appearance of a robot staring at you. While this is going on, it also makes the phone far more stable when it is maintained flat in comparison to any other smartphone.
A slim chassis, a camera module that looks like it was taken from Wall-E, and of course, the Glyph interface, which is a little bit abbreviated on this budget phone, all contribute to the overall impression that the Nothing (2a) has of being a young and refreshing device.
With its matte edges and despite having a glossy back, the phone has an excellent hold on it. I received the black version for the sake of this review; nevertheless, the white version is the one that jumps out more in terms of its design. However, during my life, I have concluded that white is not a color that is appropriate for Indian conditions.
As soon as you turn on the phone, the distinctiveness of the device becomes immediately apparent, as Nothing’s own dot matrix-inspired user interface and typeface begin to play from the start screen. On the other hand, if you are older like me, you will have to fight muscle memory for a while to figure out what is what and where it is located. If you are in college, you will adore this interface, which will set you apart from the rest of the Android club.
However, the user interface is still really appealing, particularly for someone like me who is a fan of anything black. Furthermore, nothing has progressed beyond this point, and it now also provides wallpapers that are generated by artificial intelligence.
The 6.7-inch always-on display is quite brilliant even when you are using colors, and it shines through when you use the fingerprint scanner, which is another feature that sets the phone apart from other similar devices.
The speaker on the phone is also very loud and clear, which is a nice accompaniment to the display. A further aspect that contributes to the overall experience of using the phone is the haptics that it possesses.
The Nothing (2a) is aided by MediaTek’s Dimensity 7200 Pro and is capable of performing the majority of activities to a satisfactory level. It does not become hot even when you are using the camera continuously or if you are multitasking.
Because I believed that a trip to New York would provide me with an excellent opportunity to test out the camera, I brought the phone along with me. Even though the camera performs admirably in the majority of situations, I had the impression that it was somewhat overexposing photographs even when the settings were not altered.
With that being said, it was able to handle bright reds and pinks fairly well when I stopped for some photographs at a flower in the downtown area. When I was close to Wall Street, I was able to utilize the two-fold zoom to take pictures of the American Indian Museum building, which was rather impressive. On top of that, the camera has a respectable bokeh.