When Apple and Samsung add the “Plus” suffix to their popular products, it usually means three things: a larger display, a bigger battery, and an inflated price. But for Nothing, the Plus suffix means much more. A typical example of this is the new Nothing Phone (2a) Plus.

The Phone (2a) Plus was released quietly as an expanded member of the Phone (2a) range and aims to add value to the tried and tested formula. Rather than being a larger variant of the standard model, this is all about getting more performance and value for a little more money. Doesn’t seem like a bad deal, does it?

But the standard phone (2a) is still a great deal for someone looking for a new phone in the budget segment. Despite its lower-spec chipset and some downgrades, it continues to lure us in with its tempting price. It even looks mostly the same as its cousin named Plus.

So which one should you choose as your next smartphone? An answer to this dilemma can only be found with a detailed comparison between Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and Nothing Phone (2a).

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus vs. Nothing Phone (2a): The technical data

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is essentially a more powerful variant of the Phone (2a) and as such both devices share many parts. However, there are also some improvements.

Let’s start with the similarities.

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Both the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus and the Nothing Phone (2a) feature the same 6.7-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The peak brightness is 1,300 nits and the panel can display up to 1 billion colors.

Rear view cameras

For amateur photographers, the Phone (2a) and Phone (2a) Plus come with an identical setup consisting of a 50-megapixel main camera and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, so both phones will likely perform similarly in terms of basic image and video capture in different lighting conditions.

battery

Despite the improved chipset, the Phone (2a) Plus uses the same 5,000mAh capacity battery as the standard Phone (2a), so you should be able to get up to two days of standby time from a full charge with either variant.

design

To the less tech-savvy, both phones may look identical. The basic design has not been kept unchanged, including the eye-shaped dual cameras on the back and the intestine-like pattern on the back. The Phone (2a) comes in solid white, black and blue, while the Phone (2a) Plus gets a two-tone white and black “metallic” finish.

But before you worry, both handsets feature Nothing’s iconic Glyph user interface.

Now let’s examine the differences.

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus vs Nothing Phone (2a): A look at the differences

Chipset

In early 2024, Nothing released the Phone (2a) with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset – a pure mid-range chipset that offers respectable performance for general tasks and casual gaming.

Nothing offers a custom Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset with the Phone (2a) Plus. On paper, this is just an overclocked version of the Dimensity 7200 Pro chip, promising a 10 percent performance increase for the CPU and 30 percent improvements for the GPU. In theory, this chipset should enable better gaming performance.

While both phones offer the Nothing OS 2.6 experience, the newer Phone (2a) Plus offers a new ChatGPT-based feature out of the box. The new News Reporter widget reads headlines in the voice of Nothing CFO Tim Holbrow. However, Phone (2a) and Phone (2) users can also get the feature by updating the Nothing Widgets app from Google Play.

Front camera

The Phone (2a) Plus does away with the 32-megapixel selfie camera of the Phone (2a) and instead uses a new 50-megapixel selfie camera. There is no indication that the new sensor not only enables sharper images, but also 4K video recording at 30 fps.

Loading capacity

Nothing has also improved the fast charging feature on the Phone (2a) Plus. Instead of a 45W wired system like the Phone (2a), the Phone (2a) Plus has 50W wired charging. Nothing claims that with the compatible Nothing charging adapter, it can recharge a day’s worth of power in under 20 minutes.

Price

The retail price of the phone (2a) remains at $349 (THB 12,337) for the top 256GB variant.

The Phone (2a) Plus is a bit expensive at $399 (THB 14,104) for the top-end variant with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus vs Nothing Phone (2a): Our verdict

Design: Tie

Advertisement: Tie

Processor: Telephone (2a) Plus

Cameras: Telephone (2a) Plus

Battery and charging: Telephone (2a) Plus

Price: Telephone (2a)

With its superior specs, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus takes the win in this comparison despite its higher price. The more powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chip should enable more demanding tasks and a better gaming experience, while the 50-megapixel front camera should make selfie lovers happy.

However, the Phone (2a) range is all about value for money, and if that’s the only factor in your decision, the Phone (2a) is the better choice overall with its lower price.

Overall winner: Nothing Phone (2a) Plus

(Hero and featured image credit: Courtesy of Nothing)