One of the hottest Android smartphones supposed to launch in the coming weeks isn’t a flagship. It’s a mid-range device that wants to be the best mid-range phone on the market. It’s the Nothing Phone 2a, which the company started teasing a few days ago.
In typical fashion, Nothing hinted at an affordable price a few days ago when it announced the March 5th launch event. Nothing also teased the design.
The Nothing Phone 2a price has leaked since then, and unsurprisingly, we have a new leak that shows off the Phone 2a’s design as well. Considering the source, it’s likely that the Phone 2a in the renders is close to the real thing, if not identical.
Nothing established a few clear design principles with the Phone 1 and Phone 2 models. The devices look relatively similar and remind us of the design Apple has used since the iPhone 12. The unique design elements can be found on the rear of the handset. The back is transparent, and Nothing uses Glyphys that light up as you use the smartphone.
If you’ve seen a Nothing Phone, you know what to expect from it. And, indeed, Nothing teased that Glyphys and transparency will be part of the Nothing Phone 2a design in a video teaser where it also shared some schematics with the world. However, the company did not show off the phone’s final design.
Fast-forward to this week, and well-known leaker OnLeaks partnered with SmartPrix to share the purported design of the Phone 2a.
As you can see in the renders, the handset should feature transparency and Glyphs. But we only have three lighting areas on the back, rather than the complex Glyph system of the Pixel 2.
What’s remarkably different is the dual-lens camera placement. Rather than a vertical orientation in the phone’s corner, we get a circular camera module surrounded by the three Glyphs.
As for the transparency aspect, the Phone 2a isn’t as transparent as its predecessor. The design can’t be confirmed until March 5th, of course. But I’ll draw your attention to the following schematics that OnePlus featured on YouTube during its teaser a few days ago. Check out the horizontal camera placement and the curvy component. They look similar to the renders above.
The report also mentions the phone’s specs. The Nothing Phone 2a will apparently feature a 6.7-inch Full HD OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, Dimensity 7200 Pro chip, 8/12GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage, two Samsung 50-megapixel Isocell cameras on the back, 32-megapixel selfie camera, 5,000 mAh battery, and 45W wired charging speeds.
The Phone 2a should also feature an IP54 water and dust resistance rating and run Nothing OS 2.5.2 based on Android 14.
While these specs make sense for a mid-range device, they can’t be confirmed. But Nothing did reveal earlier this week that the Phone 2a will run on a unique Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro chip.
Finally, the report says the handset will cost Rs. 23,999 in India, or about $289. A Nothing Price 2a price leak from Europe said the cheapest model would start at €349 ($375) in the region. Both figures are below the Phone 1’s original price, which sold for under $500.
