DailyMail.com reviews the transparent Nothing Phone (2) which lights up with LEDs inside it

Transparent gadgets are having a moment this year – and the Nothing Phone 2 takes it to the next level.

The smartphone — whose predecessor was labeled a potential iPhone killer by many reviewers when it came out last year — features a “minimalist design,” a frame made from recycled aluminum and transparent glass on the back with patterned LED strips, and a transparent USB cable on the back. the route.

Nothing Phone (2) is the first Nothing handset to go on sale in the US, but it’s the latest in a line of distinct gadgets, including earbuds and the first Nothing phone, which has sold 1.5 million units to date shifted.

It is the brainchild of Carl Pei, who founded smartphone upstart OnePlus and hopes to upset the mobile phone industry giants with clear plastic and some ideas out there. So is Nothing Phone (2) worth buying, or a lot of ado about nothing?

The LEDs are intense but cool (they should mainly work when you hold the phone face down, but I’m turning them on here for show) (Photo: Rob Waugh)

Pei is deadly serious about turning the industry upside down.

“We target people who are really interested in technology and really interested in design — that’s our tribe,” said Pei.

Pei is backed by serious investors, including Tony Fadell – a former Apple exec known as the “father of the iPod” and co-founder of Nest, the connected thermostat company.

In a world where every smartphone looks more and more identical (except for the exact number of cameras on the back), Nothing Phone (2) impresses.

Not only can you look through the back to see components, the LEDs built into the panel flash in hieroglyphic patterns when you answer calls, have notifications or set timers.

It’s a really cool effect and totally unique, and if you’re the kind of person who lives in the area right now, people are like, ‘Ooh, what’s that?’ this certainly draws attention.

You might be less than thrilled if you’re the kind of person who might be a little mortified if your phone starts flashing like a mobile disco while you’re in a dimly lit bar.

Flip it over and Cinderella’s fairytale carriage turns back into a pumpkin and you’re looking at a large, well-made, but fairly normal Android phone (albeit with a decent Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and a sharp 6.7- inch OLED screen).

The good thing is that, like Google’s Pixel phones, this runs a fairly ‘clean’ version of Android, with no unnecessary apps and bloatware, a formula that’s hard to come by at this price point.

There are a few nice extras that extend the look to the bland side of the phone – here’s the Weather app (Photo Rob Waugh)

There are also some nice extras, including snazzy widgets that take over the monochromatic aesthetic of the rear, featuring a stylized, minimalist weather app and clocks.

But OnePlus very much hopes that you hold the phone with the screen down.

They describe the lights on the back as the “Glyph interface” (hey, it wouldn’t be a smartphone launch without a few buzzwords) and hope you’ll use it to cut down on some screen time.

I always find it bizarre when tech companies pitch features to reduce your screen time, because the easiest way to reduce people’s screen time is to stop selling phones altogether.

But there’s no denying that Glyph looks pretty cool: you can set up alerts so that important notifications constantly light up the top-right LED strip on the back of your phone.

The idea is that (in theory) you don’t look at your phone when Clash of Clans reminds you to buy some crystals or whatever, but you can respond quickly to work emails or messages from friends (you decide which notifications.

This is what it looks like when it rings (you can mute it and still see the ringtone) (Photo Rob Waugh)

It obligingly lights up for notifications when placed face down (Photo: Rob Waugh)

I always have fond memories of an old BlackBerry with an LED that used to change different colors for different notifications when facing down – this resumes a bit of that.

You can also customize the ‘ringtones’ (flashing patterns) for different contacts, plus add sounds from a palette of loud and beeping sounds created by the Swedish House Mafia.

The flashing lights are fun: you can use them as a countdown timer with the Uber app, showing how long it will take for your driver to arrive, or as a kitchen timer.

Are they changing the game? Probably not, but they’re fun, very recognizable, and at least they’re something new in a market where most phones are deadly boring.

Users hungry for novelty can also turn all app icons on the phone to monochrome for some reason, which looks pretty cool for about four seconds before you switch it back.

The hardware here is impressive: the panel offers dynamic 120Hz and an always-on screen (including a bit of quirky, pixelated design, of course, just to remind you that this is indeed the ‘cool’ smartphone).

The SnapDragon 8 Gen 1 is responsive and fast, although it’s not quite as blazingly fast as the second-generation chipset in the top phones from Samsung and Sony.

In use the battery is very solid, with the 4,700mAh easily lasting a day of moderate use (and making my usual Pixel 7 look light) – and the 45W fast-charge is extremely fast, taking the phone from nothing to full goes in less than an hour.

This camera has received a serious upgrade over its predecessor, with a 50-megapixel Sony sensor that offers advanced HDR and AI gadgets to track moving objects in real time, plus a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera.

Even in low light it’s a serious performer, but lacks the AI ​​pizza of Google’s Pixel and the endless adjustability of cameras from Sony, Samsung and Apple.

It has the look and feel of down pat (Photo Rob Waugh). Users hungry for novelty can also make all app icons on the phone monochrome for some reason, which looks pretty cool for about four seconds before you switch it back

The fingerprint reader is embedded under the screen and works quickly and well (although it is a little more insistent that your finger is in the ‘right’ place than rivals).

The only real fly in the ointment is that it doesn’t waterproof properly – which is a problem for me as I have a young son who is prone to dropping electronics in the toilet.

It’s IP54 rated, meaning it’s dustproof and resistant to water splashes, but if you drop it in water, it could give up the ghost.

But at this price point – $599 – you’re missing out when you get this much bang for your buck.

You usually have to spend flagship phone money to get even a vaguely interesting feature, and here you’re paying a little more than mid-range price for a very unique device.

In terms of price, it leaves the Nothing (2) in a slightly weird position: you can get incredible phones like the Pixel 7a for less.

But in a world of clone phones, it plows its own crew – and if you want to get noticed, it’s hard to fault this quirky handset.