Nothing Phone 2 Confirmed to Get Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC: All Details

Nothing Phone 2 is expected to launch soon. Nothing CEO Carl Pei today confirmed the chipset to be used for the phone. According to earlier reports, the successor to Nothing Phone 1 is expected to be released between June and September this year. The first phone from Nothing launched with several unique features including its transparent Corning Gorilla Glass-protected back panel. Enthusiasts are expecting significant upgrades for the second phone from the company. Notably, Pei was the co-founder of OnePlus, who left the firm and set up Nothing in 2020.

In a tweet, Carl Pei confirmed that the Nothing Phone 2 will be powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. In a consecutive thread of tweets, Pei elaborated on why it is "a clear upgrade" from Nothing Phone 1.

According to Pei, initial tests revealed that the app opening speed on the Nothing Phone 2 is twice as fast compared to Phone 1. The upcoming smartphones is said to offer about 80 percent overall performance boost compared to its predecessor.

Nothing Phone 1 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC. In comparison, the Snapdragon 8 series chipset offers other significant enhancements apart from speed, like improved battery life, network connectivity, and camera proficiency.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, Pei says, includes an 18-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP) enabling users to capture over 4,000 times more camera data than the ISP used on Nothing Phone 1. Therefore, the camera on Nothing Phone 2 is expected to offer upgraded features like Raw HDR and 4K recording at 60 fps.

The 4nm TSMC Snapdragon 8 series SoC offers best-in-class power consumption and heat management functionality, Pei adds. Other than justifying the selection of the chipset, Pei also defends the SoC itself. He states that it has completed thorough tests and regular optimisations via several updates since its launch a year back, suggesting that it offers the best experience now than it ever could.

Potentially predicting the question of why not use Qualcomm's latest and fastest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, Pei clarified in one of the tweets preemptively that the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC was chosen above all other options to ensure accessibility for customers, without compromising on significant improvements over the company's last smartphone.

Nothing Phone 1, offered in Black and White colour options, launched at a price of Rs. 32,999 for the 8GB + 128GB. The 8GB + 256GB and the 12GB + 256GB variants were marked at Rs. 35,999 and Rs. 38,999, respectively, at launch.