Nothing
Nothing Brings iMessage to its Phone (2)
Starting Friday, owners of the Nothing Phone (2) will be able to download a new app that will let them access Apple's iMessage platform. The Nothing Chats app is based on the Sunbird service, an app that currently has a 150,000-person waitlist. Nothing's deal with Sunbird lets Nothing Phone (2) users cut the line. According to Sunbird CEO Danny Mizrahi, "for the next few months the only way to get Sunbird is to have a Nothing Phone (2)." The app is a beta version, and indeed the Washington Post found several limitations, such as no message editing, limited Tapbacks and group chat support, and occasionally unreliable message sending. Still, the effort marks the first time an Android phone maker has attempted to support Apple's proprietary messaging platform.
Nothing Phone (2) Sports Upgraded Specs, More Useful Glyphs
Nothing has unveiled its Phone (2), which will be Nothing's first phone officially available in the US. The phone has good support for most of the sub-6 5G and 4G bands used by T-Mobile and AT&T. Like the Phone (1), it has a distinctive transparent back with a pattern of functional, customizable lights called "Glyphs". The Glyph interface gains many new features and third-party integrations, such as a shrinking bar that visually shows how far away your Uber driver is. The back now uses 3D glass for a curved-edge design that helps the Phone (2) feel thinner. Both the front and back are Gorilla Glass, with a 100% recycled aluminum frame between. The OLED display is larger at 6.7 inches and sports thinner bezels. It's also brighter and adds LPTO technology enabling 1–120 Hz refresh and always-on capability. The processor has been upgraded to Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and the battery is larger at 4,700 mAh. The Phone (2) supports fast charging up to 45 watts, 15-watt wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging. The rear cameras are still 50 megapixel main + 50 megapixel wide, but the main has been upgraded to a higher-quality Sony IMX890 sensor capable of 8-frame HDR. The front camera is also improved with a 30% larger sensor and 32 megapixel resolution. It's available with 8 or 12 GB of RAM and 128 – 512 GB storage. Other features include NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6, and an in-display fingerprint reader. The phone comes with Nothing's OS 2.0 software, which has more distinctive theming of the icons and widgets. Nothing promises three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates (every two months). The Nothing Phone (2) will ship July 17th starting at $599 in dark grey, or in white (with more RAM/storage) starting at $699 ($649 via pre-order).
Nothing Phone (2) Will Come to US
Nothing CEO Carl Pei has confirmed that the company's next phone will officially be available for the US market. "We decided to make the U.S. our No. 1 priority in terms of markets," Pei says. The company's first phone, the Nothing Phone (1), has a distinctive pattern of functional light-up elements on the back, but was only sold in Europe and Asia. Even imported, it did not have good support for the frequency bands used by US networks. The Phone (2) will not only support US networks, but be certified by US carriers. The new phone will be "more premium" and launch in late 2023.
