Nothing Phone 2a Plus gets upgraded power, style and selfies. We try it out!

Nothing has just refreshed its lineup of smartphones with the Phone (2a) Plus, a spec-boosted update to the Nothing Phone (2a) , which we tested and liked for the price. While Plus usually means a bigger screen on Apple and Samsung phones, Nothing is doing things a little differently, keeping the same dimensions and physical elements: a 6.7-inch screen, plastic body that weighs 190g, and glyph lights in the top half.

So what's so plus about the Phone (2a) Plus? The selfie camera has been boosted to a 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor, the chipset is a newer MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro, it's now available in a grey colour adding PS One vibes to the design, it charges slightly faster, and there's a new AI widget that reads out the news.

There's no getting around the fact the Phone (2a) Plus's spec bumps are minor, but when we tested the original, our main gripe was its photo processing lag. That means a chipset boost could be just enough to make the camera experience clinch a win over the lower-cost, original Phone (2a) despite the familiar hardware.

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus price and availability

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is available in the UK and Europe from August 8 2024, and in the US as part of what it calls a Beta program, suggesting limited volumes.

You can pick up the phone in one memory configuration – 256GB storage and 12GB RAM – costing $399 or £399 (roughly AU$780).

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus cameras

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus's camera setup consists of a dual 50MP mix around the back, with a 14mm lens (0.6x zoom), a 24mm lens (1x zoom), and a new 50MP front camera.

14mm wide camera

The Phone (2a)'s ultra-wide camera gets a 1/2.76-inch sensor matched with an f/2.2 lens, which has an equivalent 114º field of view.

24mm telephoto camera

The Phone (2a) Plus's primary camera has a 50MP Samsung sensor. This is the same 1/1.56-inch size as the IMX 890 of the Nothing Phone (2). Packing OIS and EIS, as well as an f/1.88 aperture, the hardware has plenty going for it on paper.

Front camera

Nothing has upgraded the selfie camera for the Plus, switching from a 32MP resolution of the (2a)'s selfie camera to a 50MP resolution sensor. While the sensor itself is slightly smaller – 1/2.74-inch versus 1/2.76-inch – this size difference is negligible, and the fact it's the same JN1 sensor found in the ultra-wide camera should add consistency in the picture quality across the front and back.

This switch also adds 4K video recording to the front camera – missing on the original – so the (2a) Plus shoots video at up to 30fps 4K resolution and 60fps 1080p across all its cameras.

After a bit of early testing, photos from the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus do look slightly richer in detail. The inclusion of a Natural and Vivid photo mode is welcome, and photo processing is slightly swifter, putting some of our complaints about the original to bed.

Nothing still leans towards the HDR effect in high-contrast scenes, occasionally boosting shadows too much, but as a package, the Phone (2a) Plus is competitive at the price, with competition like the OnePlus Nord 4 losing out with a weaker ultra-wide camera.

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus features

The new Dimensity 7350 chipset in the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus boosts computing performance by 10 percent and graphics performance by 30 percent. This translates to slightly nippier swiping and typing, and a welcome bump up for gaming.

Benchmarks reflect this spec switch-out, though there are more powerful phones than the (2a) Plus at its price. Specifically, the Poco F6, though you'll take a hit on style, user interface polish, and cameras.

Nothing has also boosted the Phone (2a) Plus's charging speed to a competitive 50W, outdoing the Pixel 8a to give you a full charge in under an hour. The 5000mAh battery is big enough to comfortably last all day, though we did experience slightly faster drain than the original 2a, so there's every chance the original might be the stamina champ thanks to its underpowered internals.

Another new feature for the (2a) Plus is Nothing's News Reporter widget. This uses AI to read news stories in the voice of Tim Holbrow, Nothing's CFO, complete with deadpan humor, quips every time a story is skipped, and finance-related sarcasm here and there. This won't convince anyone to buy the Phone (2a) Plus, and it's hit or miss with pronunciation – it couldn't manage "Sinead O'Connor" – but it is fun, and further  helps Nothing stand out when it comes to experience.

Early verdict

Costing $50 or £50 more than the 12GB 256GB Nothing Phone (2a), the new Phone (2a) Plus goes up against new competition, most notably, the OnePlus Nord 4. Even with the price bump, the Plus has plenty of appeal, its style, interface experience and screen are all standout. But when you drill down into specifics like performance, battery life, charging speed, and photo processing, some competition does edge ahead.

There is an argument to be made that the Phone (2a) Plus doesn't need to exist. It doesn't add a huge amount to Nothing's portfolio, and could simply confuse potential customers. Nevertheless, in isolation, it's a quality phone and likely one of the best budget camera phones of 2024, especially for style-conscious buyers who want to vlog in 4K.