Nothing Phone 2 Leak Shows Off Subtle Design Changes Ahead Of July Launch

Earlier this year, Nothing — the consumer electronics brand owned by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei — confirmed that the Nothing Phone (2) would make its official debut before the end of "summer 2023". Given that its predecessor — the Nothing Phone (1), launched in July 2022, we were likely looking at a possible July launch for the device. Now, ahead of the official announcement, noted leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer — in collaboration with Indian tech blog SmartPrix — gives us our first glimpse of the phone.

Thanks to a series of official teasers, we already knew that the Nothing Phone (2) would inherit many of its design cues from the Nothing Phone (1) — the most obvious carryover is the Glyph interface. However, now that the leaked renders of the phone are out, we can say with some degree of conviction that the Nothing Phone (2) has several subtle design changes over the first-generation device.

So #FutureSquad... Here comes your very first look at the much anticipated #NothingPhone2 through stunning 5K renders!... You're welcome...😏

On behalf of @Smartprix 👉🏻 https://t.co/ho14Y8QMls pic.twitter.com/Nnhhum9L9Z

— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) June 5, 2023

To begin with, the Nothing Phone (2) looks a lot "rounder" than the first-gen model. The company seems to have ditched the flat, iPhone-like flat edges of the Nothing Phone (1) in favor of a curved metal frame. So, while the Nothing Phone (2) might look identical to its predecessor up front, things change once you look at it from an angle. As for the Glyph interface, while it largely looks similar, it now gets a revised design for the LED strip around the camera module. The renders also seem to indicate that the phone has a 2.5D display that slightly curves towards the edges — quite unlike the cinder-block design seen on the Nothing Phone (1)

Besides the redesigned LED strip surrounding the rear camera module, the Nothing Phone (2) also appears to have a new design for the LED strips that light up when the phone is wirelessly charged. While the Nothing Phone (1) used a single LED strip here, the updated model uses four different LED strips, presumably giving users more control over how they intend to customize it. Also evident from the image is the likelihood of the Nothing Phone (2) getting a dual LED flash setup for the camera — an upgrade over the single LED setup on the Phone (1).

While Nothing has already indicated that the Nothing Phone (2) will be positioned as a high-end device, the company stopped short of revealing the official specs of the phone. However, we have come across reports indicating that Phone (2) will feature a slightly larger display than Phone (1). While yet to be confirmed, there is also talk about the device using the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip from Qualcomm. As for the camera hardware, Nothing has done a great job of keeping the details hidden. Interestingly, initial rumors indicated the possibility of a triple camera setup for the device. However, the latest renders suggest that might not be the case after all. Nothing is also likely to equip the Phone (2) with a 4700 mAh battery, with consumers getting the option to get the device in an 8GB +256GB configuration.

It remains to be seen if Nothing can stick to its promised "summer 2023" launch of the Phone (2). It will also be interesting to see if the final version of the Nothing Phone (2) will, indeed, look like the phone showcased in the renders above.