- 21 hours ago
Nothing Phone (2) gets a full first-impressions breakdown after nearly a week of use, and the biggest takeaway is simple: this phone really makes tech fun again. From the refined transparent design and brighter 6.7-inch OLED display to the upgraded Glyph Interface, Nothing OS 2.0, and Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 performance, there’s a lot more going on here than the original Phone 1 had to offer.
The review covers the higher launch price, the curved back glass, centered selfie camera, improved fingerprint reader, bigger 4,700 mAh battery, and camera upgrades including the Sony IMX890 main sensor and 32MP front camera. It also digs into the new Glyph features like progress tracking, custom ringtones, app notifications, lock screen widgets, and the monochrome home screen theme that gives Nothing OS its signature look.
If you’re searching for a Nothing Phone 2 review, first impressions, Android phone review, transparent smartphone, or Nothing OS 2.0 walkthrough, this breakdown covers design, performance, cameras, battery life, and the unique Glyph lighting system in one place. It’s ideal for anyone comparing mid-range Android phones, exploring smartphone customization, or looking for a detailed tech review with real daily-use impressions.
The review covers the higher launch price, the curved back glass, centered selfie camera, improved fingerprint reader, bigger 4,700 mAh battery, and camera upgrades including the Sony IMX890 main sensor and 32MP front camera. It also digs into the new Glyph features like progress tracking, custom ringtones, app notifications, lock screen widgets, and the monochrome home screen theme that gives Nothing OS its signature look.
If you’re searching for a Nothing Phone 2 review, first impressions, Android phone review, transparent smartphone, or Nothing OS 2.0 walkthrough, this breakdown covers design, performance, cameras, battery life, and the unique Glyph lighting system in one place. It’s ideal for anyone comparing mid-range Android phones, exploring smartphone customization, or looking for a detailed tech review with real daily-use impressions.
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TechTranscript
00:00Let's talk about the Nothing Phone 2. I've been using it for nearly a week, and here are my first
00:04impressions.
00:05Obviously, it's one of the most anticipated phones of the year, at least in the tech space, and it's primarily
00:10because of that crazy design that the Phone 1 had.
00:13Something about a see-through body on your smartphone just really catches the eye.
00:18As a matter of fact, pretty much any see-through tech looks really satisfying.
00:22I'm beginning to see this trend all over the place now.
00:24But when you also throw in flashing lights and cool little sound effects, things start to get real interesting.
00:30It's definitely a great icebreaker when you're out in public.
00:33And besides the light show on the back, everything else that nothing packs into their phones just makes me want
00:38them even more.
00:39With their Phone 1, they included software that kept Android's core functions, but made it even better with their own
00:45refreshing design elements.
00:47They also threw in a solid spec sheet, all slapped under a price tag of around $300 to $400, depending
00:53on where you get it from.
00:54Not a bad deal.
00:56It's some pretty big shoes for the Nothing Phone 2 to fill in, so let's see if it did.
01:00First off, the price tag has increased quite a bit.
01:03It varies between countries, but in the U.S., it's now starting at around $600 for 8GB of RAM and
01:09128GB of storage.
01:11If you want to upgrade the RAM to 12GB and double the storage, it'll cost you an extra $100.
01:18So, I wouldn't say we're in the budget tier anymore, it's definitely reaching the higher-end spectrum of a mid
01:23-tier price tag.
01:25Now, at first glance, you may not think much has changed besides it having a lighter shade of grey, but
01:30when you take a closer look, you'll see that it's gotten a ton of new refinements, especially within the software,
01:35which I'll get into in a minute.
01:37Still, this similar-looking design is fine by me.
01:40For one, I already liked how it looked before, but secondly, I understand that you can't keep changing your product
01:46too much if you're trying to build an image for yourself, especially if you're an early company.
01:50But, of course, you can improve things, and they did just that.
01:54This time, the phone 2 is a tad bit taller and wider, slightly thicker and heavier too, most likely because
02:00it has a bigger battery capacity now, and the screen is bigger now at 6.7 inches, which is great
02:06for watching movies or playing video games.
02:08Not so much for one-handed use, but it's honestly not that bad because the phone has been narrower than
02:14almost every other phone that I've used this past year, so it's not that bad.
02:18The glass on the back is also now curved, making it easier for my hands to maneuver around the phone
02:24since it doesn't cause as much friction and provides a more comfortable hold since those sharp edges are no longer
02:30jabbing at my fingertips.
02:32They also kept the flat display on the front, which I love.
02:34Not for any particular reason, I'm just team flat displays all the way.
02:38I'm also happy with the front cutout that it's been moved to the center now.
02:42An excellent move, because before, when they had the camera cutout positioned in the corner, it almost looked like the
02:48system icons were combining with the app notifications in the status bar, a complete mess whenever you filled it up.
02:54Now, everything gets adequately separated.
02:56I also love that the phone too has a much brightest screen, a peak brightness of 1600 nits to be
03:02exact, incredibly phenomenal for outdoor usage.
03:06And it still carries an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz.
03:10It's still OLED and it still has a max resolution of 1080p, which I wish they would have upgraded to
03:16Quad HD, especially with this bump in price, but it still works just fine with everyday use.
03:22As for the build quality, it still has an aluminum frame.
03:25The volume rocker and power button are still in the same spot, which is at the perfect reach for my
03:29fingers.
03:30They're very tactile and clicky, but still a bit too flat when I use them.
03:35Sometimes I need to double check if my finger is even on the right spot.
03:39And since I'm already whining, I do feel like the under-display fingerprint sensor is a bit too low.
03:45They should definitely consider moving it up a little higher in the next release for an easier reach.
03:49Still, it unlocks really fast and recognizes my fingerprints really well.
03:53And I can use Face Unlock as an alternative, which also works really well.
03:59Flipping to the back, if you look closely underneath that transparent screen, you may not see it at first.
04:05But there are now new shapes, fewer gaps, and more consistent coloring.
04:09Makes the phone look a bit more refined and uniform.
04:12I definitely like this direction on more simplicity, and with the Glyph interface, it's still in the same exact position,
04:18but it's also gotten a bit of an upgrade.
04:21Before, it had five LED lights, but now you get 11.
04:25The arc around the camera is now split into two strips, and the big one in the middle is divided
04:30into six.
04:31They're still the same color, shining bright white whenever you receive a notification or a call.
04:36The only light that isn't white is a tiny one in the top right corner that blinks red whenever you
04:41record a video.
04:42I kind of like that.
04:43But it would have been nice for all the lights to be multicolored.
04:47That way we could have color-coded light notifications for any of our apps.
04:51Like, if you receive a Snapchat, it would be cool if the back could start shining yellow.
04:55Or if you get a DM on Twitter, then the lights can start shining blue.
04:59Either way, I'm still cool with this newer design because nothing also did a few extra things within the software
05:05that are pretty neat.
05:06For example, you see that long strip at the top?
05:09Yeah, it actually behaves as a progress tracker.
05:12Like, it can show you what your volume level is at even when you begin to change it.
05:17You can also set a timer and visually watch the countdown.
05:21It even connects to third-party apps like Uber to let you see how far your ride is.
05:25It's a really great feature and it works really well.
05:28I'm sure they're going to also support a lot more apps in the future.
05:31What I would like to see is the progress for anything you download.
05:35Or when you're listening to a song or podcast, you can see the length of it.
05:39That would be pretty cool.
05:40Still, it's a pretty great start.
05:42What's also new is that you can now create your own ringtone with a new feature called Composer.
05:47It's basically like a digital soundboard that lets you tap on each pad to trigger different lights and sound effects.
05:53And then you can start recording your unique pattern by tapping that red dot.
05:58That way, you can create unique ringtones for specific contacts.
06:02You can also set the rightmost light strip as a dedicated notifier whenever you receive a notification for specific apps.
06:08For example, if I select a Gmail for my Glyph notification, then this light strip will stay on whenever I
06:14receive an email.
06:15And it will only go away when I open or dismiss that email notification.
06:20It's really helped me to stay on top of important notifications.
06:23And I can even send multiple apps to trigger that light strip.
06:26Not just one.
06:27On top of that, there are a ton of awesome minor changes.
06:30Like there's now an auto brightness toggle for the lights.
06:33So you no longer have to worry about it shining too bright within a low lit room.
06:38There are also 10 new ringtones that let you take advantage of those extra light strips.
06:43And then 10 new notification sounds.
06:45Some of them are a bit over the top, but you can still find more subtle ones or create your
06:50own patterns.
06:51And for those wondering, you still get all the older ringtones found within the Phone 1.
06:55And you still have all the older cool features like the charging meter to see how much battery you have
07:00left whenever you plug in the phone.
07:02Google Assistant feedback, etc.
07:04Now when we zoom out and look at the entire software, it's pretty obvious that this is the second biggest
07:09thing they spent their time improving.
07:11The Phone 2 now comes with Nothing OS 2.0 which is running Android 13 and it's brought some major
07:17improvements, especially to the home screen.
07:19The Nothing launcher now supports a new monochrome theme, making all the widgets and icons white or black, including every
07:27app in your app drawer.
07:28Not a single one gets left out.
07:30I think it looks great.
07:32I just wish this monochrome theme could be supported on the system level to make everything match.
07:37Nothing also provided a whole new range of widgets, including different clocks, weathers, a new headphones widget, which unfortunately only
07:45works with their Nothing earbuds, and even a quick settings widget.
07:48I really like this one because it lets me take any tile from the quick settings panel and put it
07:53straight on my home screen.
07:54So I can have one for the flashlight, another to quickly toggle do not disturb mode, wifi, or even any
08:01custom tile created by a third party app.
08:03Now that's genuinely thinking outside the box.
08:06You can also still enlarge icons and folders, but you can take things even further by customizing the look of
08:12the folder.
08:13That's right, you can change the folders into different shapes, or even just put a cover on it with a
08:18pixelated icon or any emoji.
08:21You can really get creative with it.
08:23Plus, these look phenomenal with the Nothing inspired wallpapers that we created on our Patreon.
08:28Really keeps it simple enough to see the widgets on the home screen while still adding some of that Nothing
08:32design element feel.
08:33And we even created these Nothing inspired widgets so that you can rock this style on any Android, only found
08:39on my Patreon linked down below.
08:41Now the only thing that Nothing missed out on is theming the search bar on the home screen.
08:45It feels out of place whenever you switch to the monochrome theme, so I ended up removing it within the
08:51home screen settings.
08:52It also sucks that the majority of Nothing's widgets aren't resizable.
08:56Maybe one or two are, but the majority aren't.
08:59It's even more annoying when you switch to a bigger app grid like 5x5 because the widgets look way too
09:04small.
09:07As for the rest of the OS, there are also a handful of changes.
09:11The biggest one is that you can now include those same Nothing widgets onto the lock screen and they look
09:16phenomenal.
09:16It's similar to iOS where you can only choose a certain amount of widgets to be added.
09:22But honestly, I think that's a great move because otherwise it could be a bit too crowded.
09:27Plus, I like that the widgets even transgress to the always-on display, which looks great.
09:33Within the system settings, there's also a new experimental feature that lets you enhance the touch response.
09:38Could come in handy if you're wearing gloves.
09:40And they also change a few things throughout the UI like the look of some of the sliders.
09:44Within the system settings, the internet and connected devices menus are enlarged into giant squares,
09:50basically matching the look of the quick settings.
09:52Overall, I'm really happy with the direction that Nothing is taking their software.
09:56If you're switching from any phone, besides an iPhone, you won't have a hard time getting used to this Nothing
10:02OS
10:02because its fundamentals are extremely similar to that of stock Android.
10:07They just added a unique skin on top, which makes it feel refreshing and looks great in my opinion.
10:12I also wanted to mention that the Phone 1 was a great device for rooting and flashing custom ROMs.
10:17It has a huge rooting community behind it, and I'm sure the Phone 2 will also get that same treatment.
10:23So if you're big on modding, this could be a great choice.
10:27And as for their update commitment, Nothing promises three years of Android updates
10:31and four years of security patches released every two months, which is pretty decent.
10:36Regarding the performance, the Phone 2 still feels smooth and quick.
10:39Even opening apps and doing certain tasks a lot quicker than the Phone 1.
10:43And this is because they upgraded the chipset to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1.
10:48Still, it's definitely not the fastest phone out there or the greatest option for gaming,
10:52but it still provided a phenomenal experience for basic everyday use.
10:57I rarely ever found the phone to lack.
10:59Having a simple AOSP software with not too many bells and whistles has definitely played well with the overall performance.
11:06That's not to say that things could change in the future, but my Phone 1 has held up just fine,
11:11and if history repeats itself, then I think everything will be okay.
11:15Now for the cameras, I'm not going to dive too deep since I haven't had enough time to really test
11:20them out,
11:20but I will show off some shots that I got with the phone, and I'll also explain all the spec
11:25upgrades.
11:25Most of the hardware changes are with the primary lens on the back and the selfie in the front,
11:31not so much with the ultrawide.
11:33The main lens on the back has been upgraded to the newer Sony IMX 890 sensor,
11:38which has a larger pixel size and enhances low light sensitivity.
11:42It's still 50 megapixels though, with an aperture of f1.88.
11:47The ultrawide still uses the Samsung JN1, packed with 50 megapixels and a decent field of view of 114 degrees.
11:55And then the front camera has been upgraded to the Sony IMX 615 sensor,
12:00with double the megapixel count at 32 instead of 16.
12:04There are also a few updates within the camera software, like the cameras now support advanced HDR,
12:10which means that whenever you snap a photo, it captures eight frames within different levels of exposure
12:15to determine the most accurate results possible.
12:18There are also a few more software improvements, like the front camera supports portrait mode.
12:23You can record at 4K with up to 60 FPS now.
12:26There's a motion capture 2.0 method, which does a better job of accurately detecting a moving object or subject,
12:33in the viewfinder to ensure that all the correct details are in focus.
12:38And for even clearer shots at a distance, they developed 2x super res zoom.
12:43Again, I'll do a deeper analysis of the cameras when I drop my long-term review.
12:47From now, these are most of the major changes and some of the shots that I took while carrying this
12:51phone around.
12:52It's also still a bit too early to say how well the battery performs,
12:55but it now has a slightly larger battery capacity at 4,700 mAh,
13:00so I'm optimistic that it should last an hour or two longer.
13:04You can still get a 15-watt key wireless charger with reverse wireless charging supported.
13:10You also don't get a charging brick in the box, but you do get this pretty cool-looking transparent charging
13:15cable.
13:16It's definitely the best-looking USB-C cable that I've ever owned.
13:19Anyways, that's a quick rundown of what's new with the Nothing Phone 2 and how it's been treating me this
13:24past week.
13:24Of course, there's still a lot more testing that I need to do to really get my final thoughts on
13:29whether or not you should get this phone.
13:31Definitely get subscribed to be one of the first to see my full detailed review when it drops.
13:35As of right now though, from this early on experience, I give it a thumbs up.
13:40It's definitely an eye-catcher, not just from the outside, but even from the inside now with those new-looking
13:45widgets and icons.
13:47The design team over at Nothing definitely deserves a raise.
13:50Either way, I'll include a link right below the like button so that you can pre-order the Nothing Phone
13:542 if it really caught your attention.
13:56Let me know your thoughts as well in the comments so that way I can see if you like it
14:00or not.
14:00I'd love to hear your thoughts.
14:02Either way, thanks for watching to the end and I'll catch you guys in the next one.
14:06Kapow!