BUDGET PHONES USUALLY don’t perform all that well. They have poor cameras, they look boring and feel plasticky, and they miss out on several luxuries found in flagships. Well, Nothing’s latest smartphone—the Phone (2a)—doesn’t adhere to any of these trademark flaws.

I’ve been using this $349 Android smartphone for the past two weeks, and even used it as my primary phone in Barcelona as I was covering the Mobile World Congress 2024 trade show. These kinds of conventions are demanding, so I need my device to be reliable and snappy when typing notes while asking questions, responding to critical notifications, and taking pictures. It also needs to last long enough that I’m not hunting for an outlet instead of doing my work. The Nothing Phone (2a) did all that without losing any charm or style.

There are comparable phones for folks outside the US who want speed at an affordable price—just look at the Poco X6 Pro—but options are slim stateside. Nothing’s Phone (2a) is a rare blend; one that’s cheap but pretty, fast but also has a slick software interface, with decently long software support. In short: Its compromises are easily overshadowed by its merits.

You can get the Nothing Phone (2a) in the US, but you have to jump through some hoops to bag one.

 PHOTOGRAPH: NOTHING

First, it’s worth noting that Nothing is still a small smartphone manufacturer, and this launch isn’t super straightforward. The Phone (2a) is available in several countries, but in the US, it’s only being sold through a developer program. You don’t need to be a developer to buy it though—just sign up and once you’re accepted, you’ll get a link to purchase the device. The US is only getting the 12-GB RAM and 256-GB storage model for $349; everywhere else, there’s a base 8-GB RAM and 128-GB version, which starts at £319 or €329.

You’ll likely run into some issues using the device on Verizon. T-Mobile subscribers will have the best experience as the Phone (2a) supports the carrier’s 5G bands. I’ve been using it on AT&T and initially had trouble connecting to 5G networks and was relegated to 4G LTE, but that has recently changed. Since then, I’ve been on 5G and I’ve had no issues with calls and texts.

So much of this phone reminds me of the original Google Pixel 3A, which neatly packed the important parts of a handset in a $400 package back in 2019, except Nothing manages to impress much more on the hardware specs in its attempt to craft a value-friendly phone.

Take the 6.7-inch AMOLED display to start. It has a 120-Hz screen refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,300 nits. Its 2K resolution is sharp; it feels responsive, and I didn’t have many issues reading the screen in the Barcelona sun.

Nothing has also stuffed a 5,000-mAh battery cell inside the Phone (2a), and during the busy days of the MWC trade show, I routinely ended with around 30 to 20 percent power by bedtime. And these were heavy usage days. On average and light days, I ended with around 50 percent, giving me enough to see the phone through to a portion of a second day’s use on a single charge.

Most impressive is performance. I have hardly noticed a single stutter while operating this phone. That’s while juggling multiple apps, and even while playing games like Pako Forever and Alto’s Odyssey. The MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro chipset inside is a powerhouse. In my benchmark tests, it matched similarly to last year’s Samsung Galaxy A54 5G. However, I dealt with multiple stutters on that phone, and none on the Nothing.

The 5,000-mAh battery cell inside the Phone (2a) means you get more than a full day of power.

 PHOTOGRAPH: JULIAN CHOKKATTU

That brings me to the software. It’s the optimization of the hardware and software that makes Nothing devices shine. Yes, it runs Android 14, but Nothing’s design language makes for an interface that looks pleasant and feels distinctive. It feels futuristic, with elegant minimalist widgets to choose from. (I love the compass widget you can add on the lock screen to quickly find your bearing.) This level of personality seeps into the fun ringtones and notification alerts included in the handset, plus the ones you can craft yourself with Nothing’s Glyph Composer app.

Let’s not forget the Glyph interface. This is the LED lighting system on the back that was first introduced on the Nothing Phone (1). There are fewer LEDs on the Phone (2a)—just three zones around the cameras—but they can light up when notifications arrive, when a timer is running to visualize it winding down, when adjusting the volume, or even when music is playing. After two generations of Nothing phones, I’ll admit this feature is still gimmicky. But it’s fun and different, and has potential. I like seeing people’s surprised expressions when the phone back flashes, and I especially like flipping the device upside down and ignoring the screen until a light illuminates.

PHOTOGRAPH: JULIAN CHOKKATTU

If you haven’t seen what most cheap phones look like, take a gander at my buying guide. Outside of the Pixel phones, most handsets under $400 are bland, whereas the Phone (2a) has a lot of character. The camera layout makes it look like a cute little robot phone, and the pop of red is a nice touch. This back material is plastic, but Nothing does a good job of making it feel like glass. It just has a bad habit of picking up a lot of dust.

The eyes of the robot are the two cameras, a 50-MP main camera joined by a 50-MP ultrawide. I took several photos alongside the $499 Google Pixel 7A, and Google’s phone usually picked up more detail and performed better in low light and challenging light conditions (it also has a far superior selfie camera). The Phone (2a) has a weaker camera system, but it still had a strong showing—it’s not as aggressive as the Pixel in its white balance, offering some true-to-life colors in select scenes. It’s more than satisfactory for its price.