Nothing Phone 2a vs Phone 2a Plus: Know what has changed

The Nothing Phone 2a, launched earlier this year, impressed many with its unique design, clean Nothing OS, and affordable price. But Nothing was not satisfied with its achievements. The company launched the CMF Phone 1, a budget-friendly phone with a different look, no glyphs, and fewer features. Then came the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, an improved version of the original.

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus starts at ₹27,999, which is about ₹4,000 more than the base Nothing Phone 2a. It has a new processor, more storage, and a new colour option. Here are all the key differences between the Nothing Phone 2a and the Phone 2a Plus, so you can know if it’s worth spending a little more.

Here is a brief description comparison:

It is available in brand new colour

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus comes in two colours: Grey and Black. The new Grey colour has a grey and silver dual-tone finish, with the disc inside also having a metallic finish. It looks quite fresh compared to the Black, White and Blue options of the Phone 2a.

Still, I like the special edition colour of the Phone 2a, which looks attractive with its red, yellow and blue colours. Unfortunately, this colour is not available on the Phone 2a Plus.

Apart from the colour options, there is no difference in the design of the two phones. Their dimensions, weight, port placement, and bezels are the same.

Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus features the new MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro 5G chipset, which is built on TSMC’s 4nm Generation 2 fabrication process. This new chipset has 8 cores that reach speeds of up to 3.0GHz, which represents a 10% performance uplift on paper compared to the Nothing Phone 2a’s Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset. The GPU on the 7350 Pro gets a 30% clock speed bump.

I didn’t notice any significant difference between the Nothing Phone 2a and 2a Plus, be it app launch time, overall responsiveness or gaming performance. You can play BGMI at 60fps on both phones. I didn’t expect much difference, as both processors are the same.

I ran the AnTuTu benchmark on both devices, and the difference in the final results was less than 5%. The Nothing Phone 2a scored 721,236 points, while the Nothing Phone 2a Plus scored slightly higher by getting 743,654 points. The main performance difference came from the GPU results.

I also ran Geekbench 6. The Nothing Phone 2a scored 1118 points in single-core and 2547 points in multi-core tests. Whereas, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus got 1207 points in single-core and 2657 points in multi-core tests. Again, very marginal differences.

Note that the Phone 2a Plus supports 50W wired charging, which is slightly better than the 45W charging of the Phone 2a.

Double storage on base variant

The Nothing Phone 2a base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. In contrast, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus doubles the base storage to 256GB while retaining the same 8GB of RAM.

Earlier rumors suggested that the Phone 2a Plus might feature UFS 3.1 storage. To my surprise, these rumors were false. Storage speed tests on both phones yielded identical results, confirming that the 2a Plus uses UFS 2.2 storage just like the older model.

The front camera has been upgraded

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus has the same cameras as its siblings – a 50-megapixel main shooter and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide. However, the front camera gets a significant upgrade at 50-megapixels compared to the 32-megapixel unit on the regular 2a.

This upgraded selfie camera not only takes slightly better photos, but can also shoot stunning 4K videos at 30fps. Also, the rear camera now does 120fps slo-mo at 1080p.

But keep your patience before getting too excited. While these camera upgrades are nice, they don’t make much of a difference in everyday use. We took a lot of photos, and honestly, the main camera performance on both phones is pretty similar. At the end of the day, both phones have decent cameras.

Overall, here is a brief overview of the changes in the Nothing Phone 2a Plus:

• Processor: Upgraded from Dimensity 7200 Pro to MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro.
• storage: The base storage capacity increased from 128GB to 256GB.
• front camera: Upgraded from 32MP to 50MP, with support for 4K 30fps recording.
• rear camera: Now supports 120fps slow-motion video in 1080p.
• Charging: Slightly faster 50W wired charging (compared to 45W on 2a).
• Color Options: New grey colour option with metallic finish.

What to buy – Nothing Phone 2a or Phone 2a Plus?

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus offers some improvements over the 2a, such as a better front camera and double the base storage. The new processor is fine, but it doesn’t feel like a game-changer for everyday use. Perhaps a slightly more powerful processor or faster UFS 3.1 storage would have made this upgrade more worthwhile.

Well, I am not complaining too much. There isn’t much of a difference in pricing, especially when comparing the 8GB/256GB variants – the Nothing Phone 2a is priced at ₹25,999, while the Phone 2a Plus costs ₹27,999.

So, which phone should you buy? It all depends on your preferences and budget. If saving money is your top priority, stick to the base Nothing Phone 2a. It’s still a great option for the price, offering a unique design, clean software, and decent performance.

If you were already considering the 256GB Nothing Phone 2a, The 2a Plus might be worth the slight premium. You get a better selfie camera, a newer processor, and slightly faster charging without spending more money. The 2a Plus is the better phone, albeit with slight differences.