Nothing Phone (2a): Idea behind the design, plans for new colors and more revealed


In the latest video, the team behind the Nothing Phone (2a) has revealed details behind the design of the phone ahead of next week’s launch.

Lead Industrial Designer Chris Weightman said that moving the camera from the left corner in the Phone (1) and (2) to centre in the Phone (2a) was a big decision. The company has added white pigment to the transparent back cover for a diffused effect. Chris says that this design was created even before Phone (1) came out.

He has also confirmed that the phone will feature a plastic back, compared to glass in the first two models. “In the Phone (1), the transparent back, stops at the edge, but because we have used plastic, the transparency starts to wrap around the edge so when you look at the phone from the side you even see some of the internal parts through that transparent section,”  Chris added.

Lucy, CMF Designer at Nothing, said that they wanted to evolve the design language that they had already developed and take it in a new kind of direction, and the black and white identity is quite important. She confirmed that Nothing is developing new colors for the Phone (2a) which will join the Black and White colours.

Lucy also revealed that the phone has a glossy finish on the back that reflects light, a textured finish on the sides for a better grip, and the buttons on the sides feature an anodized aluminium finish.

Max, Experience Design Lead at Nothing, revealed that the reason for 3 segments of LEDs in the Phone (2a) compared to 11 in the Phone (2) to make it affordable for more people. This offers a similar glyph effect with fewer LEDs, which took a lot of work, he added. He said the company is not planning to add new colors for the glyph LEDs.

We should know more details such as camera, battery and display specs officially in the coming days.


Author: Srivatsan Sridhar

Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram