There’s nothing wrong with Nothing Phone (2)’s ‘boring’ specs

Nothing will unveil the Nothing Phone (2) on July 11th, but we already know a lot about the upcoming smartphone. After a hands-on video a few days ago showed us the Phone (2) design and Nothing’s big upgrade to the LED glyphs on the back, a few more key specs details have leaked. We now know camera and display information, so we know that they’re minor upgrades over last year’s handset.

Some might conclude that the Phone (2) will be a boring upgrade compared to the Nothing Phone (1). But that’s the wrong take. The upcoming phone should be a flagship device, and it’ll be a big upgrade over last year’s model.

As a longtime iPhone user, I’ve had to dispel the notion that a new iPhone is boring because it doesn’t look different from the previous generation. Or because the camera experience isn’t better on the newer model.

I’ll do the same thing with the Nothing Phone (2) and every other Android vendor that doesn’t deliver spectacular upgrades every year. We’re in a place where we don’t need design breakthroughs every year. And they’re not even possible.

We’ve reached peak smartphone design within the confines of currently-available technology. There’s not much else that can be done right now. Instead, vendors just reuse the same overall design with small refinements. And they won’t have to incur additional manufacturing costs with each new generation.

Phone (2) looks a lot like Phone (1), which, in turn, looks a lot like an iPhone 12. Admittedly, the Phone (2) will feature a design upgrade, and I’m not talking solely about the gimmicky glyphs. The phone will have curved edges on the back, so it might be more comfortable to hold.

As for the display, the only thing that changes is the placement of the selfie camera. It’s now centered instead of being on the side.

Leaker Kamila Wojciechowska found display specs for the Phone (2). We’re looking at a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen from Visionox with 2412 x 1080 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. That refresh scales down to 1Hz, supporting 10Hz, 24Hz, and 30Hz low-power modes.

But overall, the display is in line with last year’s model.

The same leaker dropped camera specs for the Phone (2) on Twitter. Some things are changing for the better; others stay in place. The primary camera will get a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 camera with optical image stabilization ad in-sensor zoom. It’s the same camera as the OnePlus 11.

The Phone (2) selfie camera is another upgrade. We’re looking at a 32-megapixel Sony IMX615 with electronic image stabilization (EIS). Nothing used a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 16-megapixel selfie lens for the Phone (1) model.

The ultra-wide lens on the back is the same as the Phone (1)’s. We’re looking at a 50-megapixel shooter JN1 shooter from Samsung. It also supports EIS.

The leaker also said that revamped processing will power the cameras, which is something we would have assumed. After all, Nothing will want to improve the phone’s software. And remember that the Phone (2) will rock Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip which should bring improved camera performance.

While we wait for Nothing to unveil the phone, you can already check out Phone (2) camera samples, some of which come directly from Carl Pei, the head of the company.

Considering all that, I don’t think the Phone (2) will be boring. If anything, I appreciate this startup’s efforts to deliver the best possible flagship phone it can manufacture. The thing I don’t like about the Phone (X) series is the glyphs on the back, but that’s another story.