Nothing’s glow-in-the-dark Phone 2a has arrived – but getting one will be tricky
Nothing has revealed a glow-in-the-dark version of its most recent smartphone, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, designed in collaboration with contest-winning fans.
The Nothing Phone 2a Plus Community Edition comes replete with green-tinted phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark decorations – that’s the kind that “charges” with light and doesn’t require power.
The Community Edition was, as the name suggests, designed with input from the public as part of a project that garnered 900 entries from Nothing fans in 47 countries.
As we previously reported, five winners were selected to help develop the final design of the phone, with their ideas influencing multiple stages of production from concept to completion.
Astrid Vanhuyse and Kenta Akasaki worked with Nothing on the phosphorescence design concept; Andrés Mateos used AI tools and digital design to produce six wallpapers; Ian Henry Simmonds designed the packaging using glow-in-the-dark and reflective materials; and Sonya Palma worked with Nothing on the marketing campaign, producing related video and digital assets.
The Nothing Phone 2a Plus was originally released in August, and is effectively a slightly more powerful version of the Nothing Phone 2a, which hit shelves back in March. Both phones are in turn pared-down versions of the flagship Nothing Phone 2.
The Community Edition comes equipped with the same 6.7-inch AMOLED display, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage that impressed us when testing the phone for our Nothing Phone 2a Plus review.
The phone also boasts dual 50MP wide and ultra-wide rear cameras, an exclusive MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset, and a 5000mAh battery; a rather impressive spec sheet for its lower-mid-range price tag.
The Nothing Phone 2a Plus Community Edition starts at £399 – the same as the regular 2a Plus – with the first of only 1,000 limited-edition units available on November 12 from Nothing’s official website and select retailers. The flagship Nothing store in London will also stock the phone from November 16.
Nothing phones are only available in the US through the company’s US Beta program, and as such, no pricing has yet been given for this region. We’re waiting to hear back from Nothing regarding whether the Community Edition will receive a proper launch in the US.
Nothing is calling this launch the “first major pilot to co-create hardware, software, and content with its community,” suggesting more community involvement could be on the cards for the company in the future.
If you’re interested in entering the next Nothing contest, or just want to keep up with the latest updates, be sure to check out our Nothing phones coverage and more general Android coverage.