Nothing has just announced the Phone 2a Plus, a minor update of the previous model

None recently announced a surprise hardware update for its Phone 2a smartphone. The Phone 2a Plus is a modest upgrade, but still significant, just like how the original 2a was released in March.

Most notably, the 2a Plus has a faster chip than the OG 2a. The original Mediatek Dimensity 7200 Pro came out with a clock speed of 2.8GHz. The 2a Plus sports a Mediatek Dimensity 7350 Pro clocked at 3.0GHz. Besides, the new model features faster wired charging speed, at 50W instead of 45W.

That’s about it. All other features are almost identical to 2a. It has the same camera system, same battery, same display and same aesthetics. This is not a bad thing. We liked the Phone 2a in our official review, calling it “a budget phone packed with personality.”

Now about the bad news. This phone will technically be available to US customers through the company’s beta program, though there are some scratches. American customers can only buy the gray version and not the black one. More importantly, the 2a Plus does not offer true 5G connectivity with most major US carriers. This includes both AT&T and Verizon.

The Nothing Phone 2a Plus costs $400 and that gets you 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Beta members will be able to pre-order the phone on August 3. UK residents can pick it up directly from the company on that day. It goes without saying that we will have to wait until September to get more details about land availability.

The company also released a few tidbits about the upcoming Nothing OS 2.6. There will be an updated game dashboard with new features and the ability to block third-party app notifications.

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