A little bit about me: I’ve been a fan of vanilla Android for as long as I can remember. My first experience flashing a ROM was on the Samsung Galaxy Y back in 2011, where I tried Hyperion ROM.
I became an instant fan of OnePlus when they launched the OnePlus One with CyanogenMod as its main OS, and later found my way to Nothing. I’ve used phones from Samsung, ASUS, Motorola, Sony, and Xiaomi over the years, mostly exploring the idea of a clean Android experience rather than actively modding devices.
I couldn’t afford a OnePlus back then, so when I finally got a better-paying job, I went with Nothing instead 😂.
My Nothing Phone (2) even ended up being part of my wedding day!
I picked this up on June 26, 2023. It was my first real “expensive” investment, and honestly, it is the phone that has lasted me the longest.
What sold me before buying: Nothing OS, the battery efficiency of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and, to a lesser extent, the camera. My priority order when upgrading is usually:
- OS/skin, unlockable bootloader, active modding community
- Battery-efficient chipset
- Battery life
- Cameras
Nothing OS
I genuinely love Nothing OS. It is simple, close to vanilla, smooth, and clean. Bootloader unlocking was painless too (more on that later). I have been on Niagara Launcher since day one, and app/RAM management has been solid. With 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, it just feels right.
My cons: the home gesture sometimes glitches, especially when the phone is lying flat. I have reported it, and I have seen others mention it too. Changing the smallest width setting used to mess up quick tiles (fixed in NOS 4.1), though you still cannot resize the quick settings panel. Still, this is the first phone where most of the quirks eventually got ironed out and stayed consistent.
The Chipset
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is genuinely battery efficient, which is probably what I love most about this phone. I am not a heavy gamer, just casual stuff here and there, and it handles heat well for my use case.
Design & Accessories
I am still a fan of the design and build after all this time. I keep it cased most days (Ringke Fusion X and Nillkin Frosted Shield), but every now and then I take the case off just to admire it bare. When I got the Nothing Phone (2), I also got the Soundpeats Air 4 Pro to match my phone 😂.
Battery
This is the best part. At 4700mAh, it is the most battery-efficient phone I have owned. The first one before this that came close was the Zenfone Max with the Snapdragon 410. I consistently get 8 to 10 hours of screen-on time. I don’t use the battery charging limit since it is too restrictive for daily use, and I stick to 60Hz with RAM booster off; I am just a battery-conscious user in general 😂. Even three years in, the battery still holds up well.
Cameras
I am a fan of the cameras too. Stabilization is great, and the shutter delay issue from launch got fixed via updates. That said, I still notice some exposure hunting and occasional overexposure even with Ultra XDR off. The selfie camera corrupted a file once, though that has only happened to me a single time (scared me, ngl) 😂. Overall, I am still happy with what these cameras can do.
The Glyph Light
It is a fun conversation starter, but the novelty wears off. At this point, I mostly use it as a flashlight when I head to the restroom at night so I do not blind anyone sleeping nearby 😂, and for essential notifications only.
Second Life
I think the Nothing Phone (2) has hit end-of-life support at this point, and ironically, it is the longest I have gone without installing a custom ROM on day one. I have not flashed one yet mostly because of banking apps, though depending on how the whole Google vs. Android modding cat-and-mouse situation plays out, I might eventually. My usual go-tos have been LineageOS, Evolution X, DerpFest, and crDroid. The modding community around this device is still pretty active. For now, though, I am sticking with Nothing OS since this is my main phone for work, finances, and everyday productivity.
Overall
This phone still has a lot of life left in it. It runs apps smoothly, and the cameras genuinely hold their own against newer releases. As an admin of the PH community, I have seen that most Phone (2) users report only minor issues overall.
I am looking forward to the Nothing Phone (4) and whatever else comes out of the Nothing ecosystem next. The lowest price I have seen for this (brand new) was around ₱19,999 or $329, if I recall correctly. Many of our members in the community are still asking about the Nothing Phone (2), but their main concern and what is stopping them from getting it is the end of support.
TL;DR: For me, 3 years in and still going strong. Nothing OS is clean, the battery is a tank, the cameras still hold up.
Anyone here still holding on to their Phone (2)? Did I miss something?
