The Nothing Phone 2a is a good idea and a solid move by the company behind it. It isn’t a novel love, though. In releasing a budget model, Nothing Technology is only following in the footsteps of Apple and Google. It is a proven model. It works fine.
Personally, I’d be using the Nothing Phone 2a as my current smartphone if only it didn’t fail in a few areas that are important to me. It has a decent processor (though I wish it was a more powerful one – something in the Dimensity 8000 series). But the processor is not a deal breaker for me.
Some are disappointed that the back cover design is not as detailed as those of the more expensive models. The Glyph interface here is dumbed down. I can understand why. This is a budget version, after all. And personally, I am not a huge fan of Glyph. It is cool and all, but it isn’t going to swing the vote either way for me. I love the design as it is.
Let’s look at some of the things that I wish were different about this mid-ranger.
Too Big
A lot of people will likely disagree, but this is about me and my preferences for a phone that I’d like to use. With a 6.7-inch display, the Nothing Phone 2a is simply too big. A 6.0 to 6.4 inches display would be perfect for me, all other things being equal.
I also do not like how think it is. 8.6mm thickness is a lot. I am most comfortable with smartphones that are 7.6 to 8.0 mm thick. Those feel much better in the hand.
Unimpressive Cameras
Review after review point out the unimpressive performance of the cameras of the Nothing Phone 2a. If you are going to be following the playbooks of Apple and Google, you better make those cameras solid. If I am spending $420 on a smartphone, I am not expecting premium flagship grade photography and video capture, but I am expecting decent, consistent performance that is solid. Impress me with those photos and videos. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. Photography and video recording with the Nothing Phone 2a is nothing close to what exists with the Google Pixel 8a or 7a, or even the iPhone SE 2022. And the SE 2022 costs less and has flagship grade processor and performance.
The size and camera issues are deal breakers for me. Using a big phone everyday is often a painful experience for me. Give me a compact size similar to the Samsung S23 and S24, or even something as diminutive as the iPhone SE 2022 and I am in phone comfort heaven. These phones are compact, slim, and lightweight. Sadly, Google is moving away from slim. At a thickness of 8.9mm, the new Pixel 8a is so chunky it could almost pass for a power bank. And then, there is the periennial problem with optimisation. Oh, well.
Somebody needs to invest in budget smartphones that score well on all of the following: size, weight, thickness, decent performance, good battery life, and camera performance. We have some models that score well in some of them and then drop the ball in others. It cannot be that hard to pull off.
I am hoping that the Apple iPhone SE 4th Generation will tick all points when it is finally officially announced. I don’t see any other brand doing it, to be honest. Only Apple. And that sucks, because I am an Android person and would rather have an Android smartphone in my pocket or in my hand than an iPhone. Too bad the Nothing Phone 2a is unable to change that. It really is a solid product and a breath of fresh air in the crowded marketplace.
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