From the beginning, Nothing has made it clear that it won’t start releasing lots of phones every year, as is the case with some Chinese companies.

Instead, it would rather release new phones only occasionally, but make sure each is the best it can be.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Phone (3) will be the only Nothing phone released in 2024. Rumours suggest there could also be a new, more affordable model, potentially known as the Phone 2a.

When will the Nothing Phone 2a be released?

We don’t even know if the Nothing Phone 2a exists, let alone its release date. But for context, here’s when the previous Nothing phones were released:

If Nothing continues with this schedule, the Phone (3) is likely to arrive around July 2024. And according to leaker Sanju Choudhary, Nothing is also working on a different new phone.

Will it be released in 2024, and potentially alongside the Phone (3)?

That remains to be seen, though Mashable India says there’ll be a new launch event in January 2024. A successor to the Nothing Ear (2) is expected, but it could be joined by an “undisclosed device” – potentially the Phone 2a.

How much will the Nothing Phone 2a cost?

If it launches in 2024, the Nothing Phone 2a is expected to be a more affordable alternative to the main phone. Therefore, it’s likely to be cheaper than both versions of the Nothing Phone that have been released so far:

After two mid-range phones, it could be time for nothing to expand its lineup to include a budget handset. Our criteria for the latter is around £250/$250 or less, so hopefully it’s not more expensive than that.

Given both Samsung and Google have A series phones which are cheaper than the main ones, it’d be a big surprise to see Nothing take a different approach.

What specs and features will the Nothing Phone 2a have?

According to Sanju Choudhary, this new Nothing Phone will blend elements from both the Phone (1) and the Phone (2). Specifically, Nothing is expected to incorporate a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, probably with 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. However, the device’s rear design may be almost identical to the original.

A subsequent Sanju Choudhary post, suggests the selfie camera will be centrally positioned, mirroring the setup in the Phone (2). It’s worth noting that, although the smartphone is expected to strongly evoke the second model of the brand, there may be some minor difference.

There’s an ongoing discussion in the comments of this post regarding potential specs. Of particular interest is the processor, with a high likelihood that it might be the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 or newer Gen 3, as suggested by some users in the thread.

Changes to the cameras are unlikely; it’ll probably stick with the Phone (2)’s 50Mp main lens, though there may be changes to the current 32Mp ultrawide or the removal of that sensor altogether. As for the front camera, according to the leak, it might be a 16Mp lens.

In terms of software, the Phone 2a is expected to run on Nothing’s upcoming OS 2.5 over Android 14 out of the box. As for the battery, it is expected to be a 4920mAh cell. This would be more than both the Phone (1)’s 4500mAh battery and Phone (2)’s 4700mAh capacity.

It is important to remember that all this information is just rumours, and only from a couple of source. We do not know if Nothing is actually working on such a model.

The Nothing Phone (3) is much more likely to arrive in 2024, though even that isn’t guaranteed.

We will update this article if anything more is revealed. In the meantime, take a look at our picks of the current best Android phones, best mid-range phones and best budget phones to see what else is out there.