Recent leaks have revealed for the first time the appearance of what is believed to be the Nothing Phone (2a). The images shared on X by Yogesh Bar, known for his leaks, give a good impression of what we can expect from the future release of Nothing.

The shared image appears to be a Production Validation Test (PVT) unit, the final stage of prototyping before mass production. This indicates that the shared specifications are as close to the retail model as possible.

The Nothing Phone (2a) appears to have a 120Hz OLED panel and runs on a Dimensity 7200 processor, an interesting transition for the Nothing brand as the Nothing 2 was launched with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Perhaps Nothing is turning away from the majority of Android-powered phones that use some form of Snapdragon chipset; the Galaxy S24 could ship next year with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Dimensity 7200 is not weak and cheap, but it is inferior to the Snapdragon series in most areas except battery life. It could also be a cost-cutting measure to make the phone more affordable. It is also possible that this is pure speculation on Yogesh's part, as the two pictures do not include any information about the processor.

One of the major changes seen in the images is the position of the rear cameras: in the Nothing 2, both cameras were aligned vertically, but in the Nothing Phone (2a) they are apparently aligned vertically. According to the posting, both rear cameras output 50MP, the same as the camera on the Nothing 2. However, the front camera appears to be dropped to 16 MP.

One thing that is not clear from the images is whether Nothing's famous glyph interface will return on the back. The posted phone has a privacy cover on the back. However, a closer look suggests that the Nothing Phone (2a) may utilize the same curved edges and narrow bezels as the previous model.

Reviews of the Nothing Phone 2 cite the camera as one of the phone's weak points. It is therefore surprising that there is little improvement in this regard. It is also interesting to note that the battery of the Nothing Phone (2a) is listed at 1,000 mAh, a significant downgrade from the 4,700 mAh of the previous model.

This information should be taken with a grain of salt due to a general lack of information. Some of the detailed specs are convincing, for example, the 120 Hz screen, but the chip specs still seem odd. Therefore, we will have to wait for the reveal and release of the Nothing Phone (2a), which is rumored to be during February at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in 2024