Nothing has confirmed it’s working on a Phone 2a, but according to the information it has provided via a community update, the phone may not be a full flagship.
Nothing's latest community update video featured a roundup of Nothing news but the highlight was co-founder Akis Evangelidis teasing the Nothing Phone 2a and confirming the name.
The project is codenamed Aerodactyl after the Gen 1 Pokémon which resembles a pterosaur. Co-founder Carl Pei teased the name in a post on X last week, which led many to speculate if Nothing was releasing a collab phone with Pokémon.
🔜 https://t.co/udHKxkwJx6 pic.twitter.com/LtjiznuLU0January 24, 2024
While not going into details about specs Evangelidis did state the Nothing Phone 2a will focus more on what he called “core user needs” like camera and performance, and would deliver a clear upgrade to Nothing Phone 1. Interestingly, he didn’t refer to it as an upgrade to Nothing Phone 2, which suggests the Phone 2a could sit between Phone 1 and Phone 2 offering midrange specs behind the already ageing flagship Phone 2.
The Phone 2a potentially being a midrange device and not a replacement for the Phone 2 would also match with a recent post on X from reliable leaker Roland Quandt who stated the Phone 2a would feature two models 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage as well as 12GB RAM with 256GB storage claiming it will cost around $432 / £340 / AUS$660.
Nothing Phone (2a)8/128GB 12/256GBWhite or BlackSub 400 Euro price for base model.December 28, 2023
This could affect how well the Phone 2a can compete in the Android market as flagships like the OnePlus 12 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have adopted the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip while Nothing’s flagship is using the older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 that launched back in 2022 putting it several steps behind.
No visuals or teaser images were shared showing the Phone 2a’s design. But given the similarities between Phone 1 and Phone 2, it’s likely to feature Nothing’s signature design which incorporates the Glyph system on the back like previous models.
Evangelidis also talked about the two sides of Nothing’s community, with one half being very tech savvy and others being more focused on the core smartphone functionality, which could be another hint to the Phone 2a’s paired-down specs.
Joseph Horton, a technologist at Nothing also announced the release of the Glyph developer kit for Nothing’s Glyph lighting interface on the back of both Phone and Phone 2, allowing users to develop apps and functions using the lighting system.
In short, it would appear that the next steps for Nothing’s smartphones seem to be more centered on two segments of its community, which could hint at more customizable phones for some and more practical and affordable handsets for others.
