Nothing Phone 2a rumors: Release date, price, specs, and more

Nothing phone (2)
(Image credit: Future)

Nothing Phones are simplistic, with all the important features you'd want and a unique aesthetic, inside and out. Since Nothing was founded in 2020, the company has released a few audio products and two phones, called the Phone (1) and Phone (2). 

Now, it appears Nothing might be working on a budget-friendly, lower-spec Phone (2a) before the Phone (3) inevitably releases next year. There isn't much definitive information to go off of right now, but here's everything we know so far about the rumored Nothing Phone (2a).

Latest Nothing Phone 2a news

Release date

On X, Nothing updated its bio to read "something is coming this week," which led news sites and fans to believe the Nothing Phone (2a) could be arriving sooner than anticipated. Shortly after the bio update, Nothing announced an apparel line and updated its bio to feature details about the Nothing Apparel launch.

nothing x (twitter) bio

(Image credit: Nothing)

While there's no definitive news on the Nothing Phone (2a) release date, tipster Abhishek Yadav on X (@yabhishekhd) shared a few screenshots of a new phone from Nothing listed on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) website. The Nothing Phone (2a) model number is believed to be AIN142, according to Sanju Choudhary (@saaaanjjjuuu), and the phone model shown in Yadav's screenshots is A142, so it's likely this phone is the (2a) model.

If the Phone (2a) is hitting the BIS certification website, chances are it's getting pretty close to launch. Reliable tipster Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) seems to think so as well, as he tweeted "Nothing Phone (2a) launch is not too far..." on December 4, 2023.

Price

According to tech tipster Sanju Choudhary on X (@saaaanjjjuuu), the Nothing Phone (2a) "could be around 30-35k [rupees]." Converted, this would be roughly $360 to $420, making this a more affordable option in lieu of the Nothing Phone (2) or the anticipated Nothing Phone (3).

Rumored specs

There's no information yet on what processor the Nothing Phone (2a) might use, or which RAM and storage configurations, if any, we can expect. Considering the Nothing Phone (2) was equipped with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and a minimum of 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM in its lowest configuration, we can gather that the Nothing Phone (2a) will feature lower specs than this to account for the estimated $200 price drop.

While we might not know the more intriguing specs of Nothing's Phone (2a) just yet, we do have a few rumored specs on the phone's display, battery capacity, and cameras, thanks to Sanju Choudhary on X (@saaaanjjjuuu).

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Nothing Phone 2a Specs
Model NumberAIN142 / A142
Operating SystemNothing OS 2.5 (on Android 14)
Display6.7-inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate
CamerasDual 50MP rear cameras with OIS (optical image stabilization), 16MP selfie camera
Battery4,920mAh

Design

All we've seen of the Nothing Phone (2a) so far has been blurry, so we don't have much to go on when it comes to the phone's potential design features. That said, the Phone (2a) seems to resemble the Phone (1) and its Glyph Lighting array, especially in the About Phone settings screenshot. The display, however, looks more like the Phone (2), with a center-aligned, punch-hole selfie camera.

In these leaked images of the Nothing Phone (2a) from Sanju Choudhary (@saaaanjjjuuu), you can also catch a quick glimpse of the phone's back design. The seamless top curve on the light below the cameras and the light around the cameras resembles the Phone (1). We're basing this off blurry leaked photos, so take it with a grain of salt, but it looks like the Nothing Phone (2a) will sport a look closer to the Phone (1) than the Phone (2).

While we wait for more information about the Nothing Phone (2a), be sure to check out our Nothing Phone (1) review and our Nothing Phone (2) review to see what we loved about each phone and what we think could've been better.

Sarah Chaney
Contributing Writer

Sarah Chaney is a freelance tech writer with five years of experience across multiple outlets, including Mashable, How-To Geek, MakeUseOf, Tom’s Guide, and of course, Laptop Mag. She loves reviewing the latest gadgets, from inventive robot vacuums to new laptops, wearables, and anything PC-related. When she's not writing, she's probably playing a video game, exploring the outdoors, or listening to her current favorite song or album on repeat.