The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus déjà vu: a glitch in the Matrix… or a proper player?

The original Phone (2a) is capable enough for a mid-ranger, and then some! | Image credit – PhoneArena

But, back to the “gamers in mind” point by Nothing. In my humble opinion, those who take gaming extremely seriously, just won’t pay attention to the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus.

The Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset features 8 cores running at speeds up to 3.0 GHz, making it nearly 10% faster than the previous model. It also includes an ARM Mali-G610 MC4 GPU, which operates at 1.3 GHz and offers a 30% improvement in gaming performance compared to the Phone (2a).

That may sound impressive when compared to the Phone (2a), but those who game hardcore today need Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, for example.

If we’re to talk about dedicated gaming phones, Nubia announced that its Red Magic 9S Pro will be launched internationally at the end of August.

This one (12GB RAM and 256GB storage) costs $650 and it features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chipset (an overclocked variant of the US-based company’s top tier chipset), a huge 6,500 mAh battery with 80W wired charging, and an advanced ICE 13.5 Cooling System that has a built-in 22,000 RPM Turbo Fan and cooling materials. This is what you need for long gaming sessions: a state-of-the-art chipset, enough RAM, large-capacity battery, and some cooling. And a glorious display, of course!

A new selfie camera: great (but in vain)

Overall, Nothing offers impressive cameras. | Image credit – Nothing

Are gamers obsessed with selfies? Maybe I’m wrong, and you have the correct data, but in my book, gamers would rather ditch the selfie camera entirely, if they could.

It’s not just that gamers (in general) don’t share the same values as your everyday Instagram star, it’s that the selfie camera comes as a distraction in the form of a punch hole on the screen. Okay, I’m probably exaggerating things a bit and mobile gamers in 2024 are used to the selfie snapper cutout, but I’m positive many would ditch that, if they had the chance to do so.

However, the Phone (2a) Plus camera system has been upgraded with a new 50MP selfie cam. As a bonus, Nothing’s portrait algorithms have received a face lift specifically for Phone (2a) Plus. Facial details including eyes, facial hair and nearby textures are enhanced for extra clear detail and precision: this is nice, but I’m wondering if it’s the wrong audience that it’s being promoted to.

Please, don’t turn this into a trend

So, the Plus variant of the Phone (2a) came with some minor touch-ups after alleged “feedback from Nothing’s audiences”. All it took was a new chipset for the gamers, an upgraded 50MP selfie camera, a new color option and several weeks in production.

Hey, don’t you dare turn this into a trend: releasing phones with minor updates three times a year. I’m sure you can gather feedback and user opinions without the need of releasing a phone in the Spring, and then upgrade it in mid-Summer. Use polls instead.

One more thing.

Phone naming in recent years has been confusing enough – as an owner of something called Oppo Find X7 Ultra, I can confirm that. That’s a topic for another day, but, for crying out loud, don’t let me catch you teasing something called Nothing Phone (2a) Plus XL Pro Ultra IV Magic!