Nothing has unveiled a glow-in-the-dark version of its latest smartphone, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus, designed in collaboration with competition-winning fans.
The Nothing Phone 2a Plus Community Edition features green-tinted phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark decorations – that’s the kind that “charges” with light and requires no power.
The Community Edition, as the name suggests, was designed with input from the public as part of a project that attracted 900 entries from Nothing fans from 47 countries.
As we previously reported, five winners were selected to help develop the final design of the phone, with their ideas influencing multiple phases 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 backgrounds; Ian Henry Simmonds designed the packaging using glow-in-the-dark and reflective materials; and Sonya Palma collaborated with Nothing on the marketing campaign and produced related video and digital materials.
The Nothing Phone 2a Plus was originally released in August and is essentially a slightly more powerful version of the Nothing Phone 2a, which hit shelves in March. Both phones are in turn slimmed 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 we tested the phone for our Nothing Phone 2a Plus review.
The phone also features dual 50MP wide and ultra-wide rear cameras, an exclusive MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro chipset, and a 5,000mAh battery; quite an impressive spec sheet for the 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 just 1,000 limited edition units available on November 12 from Nothing’s official website and select retailers. Nothing’s flagship 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 been given for this region yet. We’re waiting to hear back from Nothing on whether the Community Edition will launch properly in the US.
Nothing calls this launch the “first major pilot to co-create hardware, software and content with the community,” suggesting that more community involvement could be on the cards for the company in the future.
If you’re interested in entering the next Nothing competition, or just want to keep up with the latest updates, be sure to check out our Nothing phone coverage and more general Android coverage.