Budget Phones Get Stylish: Meet the Nothing Phone (2a)
For many, the compromises on the (2a) will be more than worth the savings. In fact, I’m considering buying one for my mother.
“If you care about mobile photography then, you should not buy the Phone (2a). To get to this budget, manufacturers have to compromise somewhere, and for Nothing, that was the camera; and if mobile photography really matters to you, Google’s Pixel 7a is damn close to the mainline Pixel line — and therefore the best phone cameras on the market — for $499. It feels plastic-y and a bit boring, has mediocre battery life, an OK screen, and misses out on many of the best Pixel features; but it’s a great camera phone for a great price.
But if you only open the camera app to scan a document or capture an important moment, the Phone (2a) will be completely fine for your purposes, and shouldn’t put you off from purchasing, if you’re in the market. Despite my complaints about the processor speed when opening the camera, this is otherwise a fast, responsive, chic, premium-feeling phone. The battery life is great, the screen is amazing, and it comes with features only recently reserved for flagship phones, like the under-screen fingerprint scanner and 45W fast charging. “
Out now in The New York Sun: my review of the Nothing Phone (2a), the best budget phone ever made. Read it now!