Why the Nothing Phone 2 is NOT what I expected!

In my Nothing Phone (2) review, I reveal everything you need to know. What’s the camera like? Is Nothing OS 2.0 any good? Is the Glyph Interface a gimmick? Is it better than the previous version? Is the £180 price hike worth it? Is it still knocking on the door of the iPhone? Let’s find out!
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:15 - Price and specs
03:09 - Design
04:48 - Performance and OS
07:01 - Camera
09:55 - Is it worth it?

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Has Nothing done enough to make the Nothing Phone (2) worth it?

[@ErgLeuk]

I just went off my 2 year Android hiatus - having used iPhones for that time - but I've had enough of Apple's anti-consumer behaviour (anti-repair, soldered on everything, faking they care about privacy, etc.) I don't want to be negative about my iPhone 13 Pro Max (because it's a great phone) but the move to the Nothing Phone 2 has been more than positive. I really love this phone.

[@Al3xDk]

i got mine last week to have beside my iPhone and initially i planned to change my 12 pro Max this year for the 15 pro max ( ultra ? ) and i seriously start to ask myself if i really need or want to change after these few days using this Nothing phone ! Last year it was so hard to resist to not buy the first one but i wanted to wait the second model to avoid the first problems and i'm really happy with it, the Nothing OS is probably one of the best layout i tried ! everything is smooth and well thought.

[@alberto_leong]

Hey Mark! Love the video. Just wanted to point out that Nothing has an icon pack you can download and it will make absolutely all apps get the "Nothing" look!

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Nice! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@manuelreichardt7084]

Awesome dude, downloadet it for my phone 2, looks so much better❤ Thank you

[@DanielEvansMusic]

Here in europe same price as a Pixel 7 - thats a tough choice and the price puts them in with some very good competition too. Would love to see how this performs with GCAM.

[@shreyasgamer414]

Just a small correction - its snapdragon 8+ gen 1 not 8 gen 1

[@Imran_]

Would love to see you review the latest Zenfone 10, almost as if the 13 Mini and Pixel had a child which I know are both fond devices in your past.

[@iAfroTech]

NP1 + 13 Pro owner here. I think NP2 is overall good but Cameras features can't come now, it's too soon. Maybe NP4 will be better. Another issue is pricing because of Pixel 7. In France 🇨🇵, today 30th, Pixel 7 256Gb at 749€ (699€ with special offers) vs 749€ for NP2 12+256Gb. I hope people will buy this NP2. Nothing OS is something different on the market, Google is doing bad job with Pixel and we'll have less and less BBK phones in future, in Europe. I keep my NP1, great experience since last Christmas.👍🏿

[@elger4675]

Some people claim the Nothing Phone (1) Has poor audio quality through both Wired and Bluetooth headphones and speakers, is that true? Not many people talk about that, but some others bring the topic to the table when they compare the Phone (1) with the Phone (2)

[@iAfroTech]

@@elger4675 NP1 sounds like others mid-range phones: neither great nor amazing but ok. Lack of bass. Absolutely no issues at all with connectivity whatever with my Bose headphone or my Samsung sound bar.

[@Kouzakii]

Was going to upgrade my iphone 11 pro max to the iphone 15 when it releases. But found out it only has a 60hz refresh rate and is over 1.2k AUD. This is such a better phone! Thanks for the review!

[@abhinavshukla5395]

To be honest , I am planning to buy the nothing phone 2 just for the Nothing OS 2. I fell in love with it 😅

[@MarkEllisReviews]

You’ll love it!

[@revelate8385]

all those upgrades to camera, battery, software and design don't come for free. i think Nothing does reasonable pricing according to the specs, unlike other brand that make you charge 500 just for the brand name. im also curious what they come up with next. surely when they want to go more flagship it would start to make sense to introduce a budget version. but then you have to consider that it's still a start up company with a relative small team. i feel like it would make more sense for them to just continue by creating device after device and not splitting too many resources in different projects as that also takes a lot of money you need to invest in advance at different places.

[@ItisJG]

The way you un boxed the phone really grinded my gears

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Mission achieved.

[@ItisJG]

@@MarkEllisReviews 🙃

[@Apticx]

First Android since 2018 for me and honestly. I kinda dont want go back. While its not the best in any of the things it offers its certainly good enough to not fall behind in any way. Especially for its price its a really nice breath of fresh air in the constantly climbing phone market (price wise).

[@zubairalam2795]

2018??

[@arbitrarycnx2095]

I can't entirely agree with the statement that the Glyphs are a gimmick. I use the Glyph timer and flip to Glyph very often. I just put my phone face down and I still know what is happening without sound interruptions. 10:42 I would say this was overpriced because the software lacks several features which other brands offer, like spatial audio, video portrait, Dolby Atmos, HDR on OTT platforms etc.

[@eslamabozakaria4307]

My only problem is the screen quality It's not even 1.5 k Is it like OnePlus 11r screen for example or it's lower in quality?

[@marksouthwell4490]

I think if they kept the price similar to the Nothing 1( maybe slightly more) this phone would be a steal !

[@arbitrarycnx2095]

9:03 more than 4K what matters to me is 60FPS which not all Android brands offer

[@crow1989]

Just want to point out that the phone doesnt have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 it has the Snapdragon 8 PLUS Gen 1. And it makes a big difference when it comes to thermal performance vs the normal Snapdragon 8 Gen1. It also comes in a 512 varient. This probably varies by region though.

[@johnfricano2591]

Hello. You didn't mention the software update commitment from Nothing. That would be a determining factor for people interested in trying this device, in my opinion. As always this is a very informative and interesting review!

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Thanks for noting it!

[@DanielEvansMusic]

@@MarkEllisReviews how long? important question especially at the new price point.

[@DanielEvansMusic]

@@MarkEllisReviews looks like 3 years...

[@TheWannabeGeek]

Awesome video Mark. I agree, Nothing could end up going to the One Plus avenue… Price themselves out too the market

[@onana34]

I liked your The Prodigy shirt

[@mexicanlucky]

Tech reviews for normal people.. You're damn right there's no normal people reviewing phones.

[@huntersplayground]

Hi, loved your review...help me in choosing between white and the grey colour,will the glyph light look dull on the white variant as compared to the the dark grey one?

[@stillwaters4097]

Seems nice but I dont see this outshining the upcoming Pixel 8. Good try though by Nothing Phone

[@Jsztke]

i don’t think the second phone from a start up is gonna beat google or apple but they definitely have created an identity. now get there own emojis and own UIs and it’s something.

[@tseniki]

Hey! I'm currently using a Galaxy Note 10 Plus. What do you think, will the Nothing Phone 2 feel like an upgrade from Note 10 Plus?

[@markasplinhq]

I think I may stick with the Phone 1 a bit longer :)

[@Meirele]

I think that this device would kill the other players in the market, if it had a better camera and stabilization. It comes down to it. All the rest has reached a level that is very pleasing.

[@victorralph8457]

The soc is the 8+Gen1 not the base Gen 1 very important distinction as the non plus version is fabbed by samsung and is known for overheating and poor battery life vs the tsmc fabbed 8+gen1

[@MarkEllisReviews]

Yep. And, as noted in the video, this is a very performant smartphone.

[@christiandenton2304]

The camera quality on this video is amazing 👌

[@drm42]

Hey Mark! Thanks for the video. Some reviewers have said that after updating the phone, there was not a single app icon that wouldn't have been converted to monochrome. Apparently they're auto generated if a monochrome icon doesn't yet exist. Can you please check on that? Was this with the most recent software for you?

[@arjunm1246]

Yes its same on all devices

[@drm42]

@@arjunm1246 Just got Nothing OS 2.0.2 on my Phone 1. I had to install the official Nothing Icon Pack from the Play Store and that took care of all the missing icons. Not sure why it isn't part of Nothing OS by default but oh well.

[@andrewmaple9863]

Can't believe I'm saying this but I like the 2a better might get one

[@trindadecr7221]

8+ Gen 1 👍

[@Schaems_du_disch_nisch]

Its a good Phone! Its my daily phone, got the 512gb 12gb. Camera is not bad!!! Only thing is the price, maybe they should sell it for 100$ less! 256gb 12gb for 590$ 512gb 12gb for 650$

[@murtazachaudhary3339]

Nice video

[@mikesnowleopard]

Id buy if its smaller like a pixel 6a or s22.

[@xMel21x]

I really wished it has a x3 optical zoom. Maybe for the (3)

[@varuchcoria558]

Rest assured that you will have it in (3)

[@chalithadhananjana]

Since their UI is already polished, It'd be way more progressive if Nothing ditch the Glyph interface and put one fully customisable LED indicator (maybe a short stripe) on the front.

[@arturr3187]

Like for the Prodigy t-shirt 🚨

[@plbs76]

How about reviewing the Nothing Ear (2)? They offer incredible design and value for money compared to the top end rivals at twice the price.

[@jerrylai794]

They are good earbuds, however the only bad thing is the noise cancelation doesn't works quiet well

[@plbs76]

@@jerrylai794 I agree. They are not as good as Bose QCII or AirPod Pro 2. However I think they offer exceptional value for money.

[@jerrylai794]

Do you think i should wait and buy iphone 15 or nothing phone 2?

[@user-uk6ih3mo8r]

you must buy all

[@jerrylai794]

@@user-uk6ih3mo8r bruh 😂😂

[@arjunm1246]

Nothing can beat iphone only by battery life I think coz the rest of the features Iphone provides are top quality. Correct me if I am wrong

[@jerrylai794]

@@arjunm1246 okay !

[@mattlamb15]

8 plus gen 1. Not the 8 gen 1. Reviewers are getting lazy

[@MarkEllisReviews]

We're busy, mate. Thanks for watching 👍

[@andrewdhome]

@@MarkEllisReviewscalling you lazy was uncalled for. But getting the specs right is quite important!

[@vasile4186]

Nothing but keith flint👍👍

[@MarkEllisReviews]

💙

[@FantasticalMrFox]

Remind us why we spend so much money on iPhones again 😂 Just over £800 for this and their earbuds is a steal by the sounds of it.

[@MarkEllisReviews]

The Apple ecosystem 😉 Which remains unbeatable if you’re a Mac user.

[@FantasticalMrFox]

Defo an issue as they all work so well together. Many times I've wanted to try Android again but when you have a Mac, iPad Pro, Ultra and iPhone it'd defo be struggle to make it work.

[@katinasoutherland7693]

Nothing lost my confidence with only being able to BUY the WHITE one if im willing to pay 700 bucks feels like a darn scammer move in my book.

[@hottube135]

Nothing to get excited about this overpriced gimmick phone