Nothing's first limited edition smartphone is 'a story of colour'

This is the Nothing Phone (2a) Special Edition, a bold addition to the London-based tech firm’s stable of smartphones. When we traced the Phone (2a)’s design journey back at the start of the year, it was clear that the Nothing team felt this product was truly representative of their idiosyncratic aesthetic. 

Not only did the Phone (2a)’s uprated cameras and revised software deliver a more rounded experienced than the first two Nothing phones, the striking hardware design was a much representation of the ‘inside out’ philosophy that has characterised the brand from the outset.

Described as a ‘story of colour,’ the Special Edition is a celebration of primary colour, building on the dots of red that have peppered Nothing products from the outset, before flowering into the bold yellow of the recently launched (and highly recommended) Nothing Ear earbuds. The Special Edition throws in a splash of blue to transform the Phone (2a) into a Mondrian-esque celebration of primary simplicity.

It might feel like Nothing is making a mountain out of the molehill of small dashes of primary colours, but if truth be told, the smartphone market has stayed resolutely monochrome for far too long. Even Google’s tasteful shades and the occasional pop of colour from Apple can’t make up for the millions upon millions of black and white devices foisted on us over the decade.

We are very happy to unveil Phone (2a) Special Edition,’ says Adam Bates, Nothing’s Design Director. ‘This is the first product to explore our primary colour palette. Its overall aesthetic references some of our design heroes from the past, whilst creating a new expression for a smartphone.’ 

Those design heroes almost certainly include Piet Mondrian himself, with perhaps a dash of Gerrit Rietveld, but also Massimo Vignelli's 1972 New York subway map, an acknowledged inspiration for the way in which Nothing’s ‘naked’ casing revealed the snaking ribbons of connectors and circuits. 

The Special Edition shares the same spec as the stock Phone (2a) – a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, 5,000 mAh battery, 6.7” flexible AMOLED display, 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, as well as dual 50 MP rear cameras. Nothing point out that the (2a) has received no less than 13 updates since it was launched, each one improving and adding new functions and abilities to Nothing’s OS. The most recent included ChatGPT integration (when paired with one of Nothing or CMF by Nothing’s audio products), bringing AI-driven conversational queries to your device.

Nothing Phone (2a) Special Edition, £349 GBP,  available only from nothing.tech and the Nothing Store Soho, London