Previous-gen hardware = lower price?
CEO Carl Pei of Nothing garnered a significant audience at Mobile World Congress 2023 with his announcement on stage that the company’s upcoming phone, the Nothing Phone 2, will be equipped with a high-end Snapdragon 8 series chipset.
To be honest, the revelation wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. The real attraction of the show was to get a sneak peek of the phone itself. Furthermore, recent information indicates that Pei’s announcement may hold even less importance than initially presumed.
The initial discovery was made by 91Mobiles (opens in new tab), indicating that Alex Katouzian, a Qualcomm executive, may have inadvertently disclosed in a LinkedIn post (opens in new tab) that the Nothing Phone 2 will feature the first iteration of the Snapdragon 8 chipset, rather than the cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, the post has since been edited.
The upcoming phone will utilize the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which made its debut in late 2022 on exceptional performers such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and OnePlus 10T.
On the other hand, it should be noted that the Nothing Phone 2 may not feature a processor that can compete with the top-of-the-line Android phones of 2023, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 (you can refer to our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 for more information on these devices).
The Nothing Phone 1 uses a Snapdragon 778G Plus chipset
However, in terms of performance, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset is expected to offer a significant upgrade compared to the Snapdragon 778G Plus featured in the Nothing Phone 1. In fact, many top-tier smartphones are making the most of Qualcomm’s 2022 hardware and delivering excellent results.
In practical usage, the Nothing Phone 2 is expected to deliver an equally robust performance as the top Samsung phones of 2022, while offering significantly improved imaging capabilities and overall performance compared to its previous version.
Additionally, the adoption of Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 instead of Gen 2 in the Nothing Phone 2 is advantageous in terms of pricing. This decision enables Nothing to reduce component costs, potentially allowing the company to offer its first true high-end phone at a more competitive price than its leading competitors.
Although the Nothing Phone 2’s price is expected to exceed its predecessor’s £399 / €469 / AU$749 equivalent, it’ll be fascinating to witness the capabilities that Carl Pei and his team can produce with the added power under the hood. It’s important to note that this enhanced power may not compare to the newest and most advanced devices of 2023.