Nothing (2a) to take a leaf out of Google's Pixel playbook

A new smartphone from Nothing has been spotted moving through a certification process, but this isn’t the Nothing Phone (3) - rather, it looks like it’ll be the Nothing Phone (2a) which takes inspiration from Google.

Google’s ‘A’ series of Pixel phones offer the same design and some of the flagship features of its main handsets, but in a more affordable package, allowing more consumers the opportunity to try out what the Pixel family has to offer.

It’s not the only smartphone manufacturer to do this, many have offered similar toned-down versions of their flagships at a lower price point, but Google is the only one - for now - to consistently use the ‘a’ moniker to denote the more affordable devices.

First, the Nothing Phone (2a) was rumoured by tipster Sanju Chaudhary on X who claimed the handset had the model number AIN142 and would apparently feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, hole-punch display (where the selfie camera is incorporated into the screen), and Nothing’s eye-catching glyph interface with light-up elements on the rear of the phone.

A few days later Chaudhary followed up his initial tweet with screenshots of a device with the model number AIN142 passing through the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification site.

Devices tend to pass through certification websites as they near launch, which would suggest the Nothing Phone (2a) reveal may not be too far off. 

Nothing Phone (2a) could be priced to move

The rumoured handset will borrow many of its features from the Nothing Phone (2), and while it may have used Google’s A-series as naming inspiration, Nothing could well undercut the Pixel series when it comes to cost.

The Phone (2) is already available at a discounted price of £549 (from an original price of £629), and Nothing will want to keep enough daylight between the two handsets in terms of cost to attract new buyers.

If we look at Google, it’s still selling 2022’s Pixel 7 for £599 while the Pixel 7a (which launched mid-way through 2023) is £449 at time of writing - a difference of £150.

So the Nothing Phone (2a) price could be around £400, which would be tempting for those looking to try out the start-up’s tech offering, but it would be the same RRP as the firm’s first handset, the Phone (1) (now available a the discounted price of £279).

Nothing may be tempted to introduce the Phone (2a) under £400, which could make it a particularly appealing purchase.

That said, there have been no hints from Nothing that a more affordable phone is on the way soon, so it’s worth taking this latest leak with a pinch of salt.