Of course, I was going to get the phone that was launched on my birthday. Nothing Phone 2 Launch Edition included a free Ear (Stick), 45W adapter, and a case. Nothing Phone 2's glyph lights was not the reason why I got my hands on this phone. Having changed multiple phones in the last 10 years (and rather unconventional ones too), I was looking to perhaps finally, stick to one phone for a longer period. The non-negotiable factors for me were a clean operating system (OS) like Nothing OS, a smooth user experience, no bloatware, no lag, and a dependable battery. Nothing Phone 2 met these requirements impressively. It has consistently delivered software updates, although I encountered a few minor bugs, which I'll mention below.

The Nothing Phone 2 also checked several boxes I was looking for: fast charging (none of that 25W nonsense), an AMOLED display, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Nothing claims that the Nothing Phone 2 can be fully charged in just 55 minutes, and my experience with the UGreen 65W GaN charger has validated this claim over the last few months. A pleasant surprise was the enjoyable haptic feedback. While Nothing Phone 2 supports 5G, its usage is limited by telco coverage, depending on whether 5G is available in your area and provided by your telco.

Much has been said about Carl Pei's latest venture, Nothing, and the devoted community that supports his philosophies. As someone who was never a OnePlus fan, I must admit that there are a few features I miss from my previous Moto Edge 30.

  • The chop gesture to turn on the flashlight, which was incredibly handy.
  • Three fingers to touch and hold the screen for taking screenshots. Happy to know that Nothing is already working on this feature for the next huge update!
  • Swipe to split-screen.
  • The list goes on.
Perhaps the biggest criticism levelled at Nothing Phone 2 is the price, hardware, and overall value. In Malaysia, the cheapest variant is priced at around ~RM3,000. At this price point, you could get a device with a superior camera (although that doesn't concern me personally, as I already own a Sony A7c) and one of the latest processors on the market. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset on the Nothing Phone 2, which replaced last year's Snapdragon 778G Plus, isn't lacking, but it could have been equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip instead.

Issues with Nothing Phone 2

  • High/Low Audio bug: There are inconsistencies with audio, including a loud notification bug, low volume in games, and ringtone volume lower than notification.
  • Speaker popping issue: A problem where the phone's speaker pops, especially when switching from silent/vibrate mode to sound mode. However, this seems to have been resolved by a software update.
  • WiFi and/or data disconnection: I encountered this issue only once so far. It required me to restart my phone as I couldn't reconnect to any network.

Overall verdict of Nothing Phone 2

After weeks of daily use (and I only use one phone at a time), I find that it's good enough for my usage. It better be since the price point is higher than a lot of your midrange phones from Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and the likes. Of course, there are trade-offs for each brands and models, but I think I would have rated the Nothing Phone 2 much higher if it was priced in the sub ~RM2,500 range. There are a couple of bugs here and there and if you can live with it, I'd recommend getting this phone for its superb software experience.