Nothing Phone 2: An Upgrade to the Phone 1 or Will the Two Coexist?

Nothing Phone 2 was recently announced by the Carl Pei-led smartphone maker Nothing. The UK startup announced two new products, including the company’s second-generation .smartphone. The new handset builds on the design language and features of the Nothing Phone 1, which set the tone and expectations for smartphones from the brand. Given that the Nothing Phone 2 closely follows the same formula, it seems like an obvious upgrade for those who seek better raw performance from their smartphone or find their existing Nothing Phone 1 lacking in some ways.

On this week’s episode of the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, Reviews Editor Roydon Cerejo, who spent a few days with the Nothing Phone 2 smartphone, talks to guest host and Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto — that’s me — about the new phone from Nothing. While our first impressions of the device can be found on the Gadgets 360 website, our comprehensive review will be out soon. Until then, we discuss every new feature and talk about the immediate competition from other smartphone brands. As it has been with the Nothing Phone 1, the second-generation Nothing phone also sees competition from smartphones below and above the segment.

It hasn’t been very long since the Nothing’s Phone 1 was launched, and we certainly liked and disliked some things about that smartphone in our review. Its design is still as unique as when we first laid our eyes on it and its gimmicky Glyph lighting system is gradually maturing into something sensible. That  phone also offered premium features like wireless charging, and an IP rating, that are still hard to find in the sub Rs. 30,000 segment.

Moving to the new Nothing Phone 2, there are very subtle improvements, but these do make the phone feel very different from the sharper and edgier design of the Phone 1. Other changes also include a dash instead of a dot for the red camera recording indicator.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of changes to Nothing OS as well. From new wallpapers to new widgets and beyond, there’s a new minimalist design theme on the Nothing Phone 2. Thankfully, Nothing will not be leaving Phone 1 owners out in the cold as the newer software will be coming to the older device as well. There’s also newer ways to track orders with a timer-like indicator using the Glyph lighting interface as well. 

Will the Nothing Phone 2 replace the Nothing Phone 1 entirely? This is a pertinent question because both smartphones were launched at different price points. The Nothing Phone 1 was launched from Rs. 32,999, while the Nothing Phone 2 will go on sale from Rs. 44,999. The Phone 2 also includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 SoC commonly found in devices which are priced from Rs. 38,000 onwards. Nothing has yet to confirm if both smartphones will remain on sale at different price points or whether the Phone 1 will be discontinued.

We also discuss the competition, since the Nothing Phone 2 also competes with smartphones above and below its price point.

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