The Nothing Phone (2) will launch later this year, but it might disappoint some potential buyers who were hoping for cutting-edge hardware.
At the MWC 2023 in Barcelona, Nothing announced that its next phone will ship with a Snapdragon 8 series processor from Qualcomm. The company did not specify the exact chip, but its identity was seemingly confirmed recently when Qualcomm’s SVP and GM of Mobile, Compute, and XR business unit, Alex Katouzian, posted a message on LinkedIN, congratulating Carl Pei and the Nothing team on the impending launch of the Phone (2).
Nothing Phone (2) May Not Be A Full-Fledged Flagship
If the Nothing Phone (2) does ship with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, it could be a disappointment to some potential buyers who would have hoped that the device would pack the latest and greatest chipset the market has to offer. It’s especially disappointing in this case, as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 is expected to be announced in the coming months, meaning the chosen chip will already be two generations old by the time the Nothing Phone (2) launches.
That said, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is still a powerful chip in its own right, and should make for a very capable smartphone even in late 2023. The older chipset could also allow Nothing to price its next phone competitively, meaning it could be positioned as a premium mid-ranger rather than an out-and-out flagship. If that happens, it could still be an attractive proposition in 2023, despite its outdated processor. Either way, all this is conjecture at this point, so it will be interesting to see if the Nothing Phone (2) will be a worthy successor to the Phone (1).