Nothing Phone 2a 256GB

In case you're unaware, the Glyph Interface is the company's unique proposition to attract users. The interface consists of LED modules at the back panel that light up for notifications, calls, visual countdown, and progress indicator. The Phone (2a) gets a slightly simplified interface in comparison to its elder sibling Nothing Phone 2. There are fewer LED modules, just three in total this time - two positioned in arcs on the left side of the camera module, while the third is placed vertically on the right side.The core purpose of the Glyph Interface is to provide a unique look to the device and make sure you don't miss out on any notifications even when the phone is face down and on silent mode. Additionally, it lets you have some fun by composing your own ringtones and making the LEDs dance to the music playing on the phone, among other things.It is definitely enticing, but can't be the sole reason to buy this smartphone.

The Nothing Phone (2a) boasts the same camera setup as the more expensive Phone (2). The handset features dual rear cameras, comprising a 50MP main sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide lens. Up front, it touts a 32MP snapper for selfies and video calling. The rear cameras utilise pixel-binning technology to output 12.5MP images by default. I was mighty pleased with the results at least in broad daylight where images looked quite appealing. There is plenty of detailing, a good dynamic range, high contrast, and commendable sharpness. While the colours may not appear entirely natural, they add a punchy and vibrant quality to the images.The ultra-wide lens also captures some decent shots in well-lit areas. The dynamic range, contrast ratio, and details look good, but not as impressive as the primary camera. Additionally, there is a shift in colours when switching to the 50MP ultra-wide, with the images leaning towards warmer tones.In low light, the cameras switch to night mode automatically to click those long exposure shots. There is an option to turn it off, but if you are looking for crisp, sharp, and vibrant images with excellent exposure and minimal noise, we would recommend not turning off the feature. Images taken without the night mode may appear slightly hazy, grainy, and less lively. While the phone also provides the option to utilise the Glyph Interface to throw in some light in dimly lit areas, it still does not match the effectiveness of the night mode. The 32MP front camera performance may not be as good as the other cameras of the smartphone indoors or when the sun goes down. However, in daylight, the camera captures some stunning selfies with excellent exposure and accurate skin tones.

Performance-wise, the Nothing Phone (2a) is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset. It is a new chipset that the company has worked with chipmaker MediaTek for the smartphone. While the chipset is not as powerful as the Dimensity 7200 Ultra introduced with iQOO Z7 Pro (review), it does seem to have an edge over the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. This superiority is evident on the benchmarking tests, where the Phone (2a) consistently achieves higher Geekbench and AnTuTu scores than the Snadragon-powered counterpart Realme 12 Pro+.The handset also performs admirably under intense load. In the CPU Throttle test, the phone returned with 92 percent of its peak performance while running 50 threads for half an hour. This should mean the handset should handle gaming and multi-tasking with ease. Speaking of gaming, the Phone (2a) is capable of managing graphically demanding games such as BGMI and Call of Duty with moderate settings. However, despite the 3,200mm square large vapour chamber cooling system, there is a noticeable spike in the phone's temperature during gaming, which may lead to decreased performance and battery life over time.The Nothing Phone (2a) comes in three RAM and storage configurations: 8GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB, and 12GB+256GB. The storage is not user-expandable so calculate your storage requirements wisely before investing in the smartphone.Moving on, the smartphone runs Android 14-based Nothing OS 2.5 out of the box. It delivers the same user experience as the previous iteration of the software. You have the option to select Nothing's monochromatic icon pack while setting up the device, which still isn't optimised for all apps out there yet. Then there are new widgets for the home screen, with swipeable views and animations for more information, now compatible with the camera and media player. Additionally, the animations and transitions have been refined to further enhance the overall experience.More importantly, the software is bereft of any third-party apps, aka bloatware, resulting in a clean and streamlined UI. The company has committed to providing three years of major software upgrades and four years of security updates for the smartphone.

On the battery front, the Nothing Phone (2a) houses a standard 5,000mAh cell, which appears to be well-optimised to deliver more than a day's backup between charges. With my fairly active usage, I was hitting the bed with 40 percent battery life still left in the tank. Slightly heavier usage might reduce that percentage by the end of the day, but rest assured you won't be scrambling for a charger.As for charging, the handset comes with a 45W wired charging solution, although the charger needs to be purchased separately. When using a third-party 45W Type-C charger, the handset takes roughly 70 minutes to achieve a full charge from 0-100 percent.