It’s official, the Nothing Phone (2) will be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Nothing CEO Carl Pei confirmed it on Twitter, adding that the upcoming device will bring a “clear upgrade” over the first-gen model. The Phone (1) launched in July last year with the Snapdragon 778G+ mid-range chipset under the hood.
The Nothing Phone (2) will get the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset
Nothing has been teasing its second-gen smartphone for a while now. It revealed that the Phone (2) will upgrade to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series flagship chipset, but didn’t name the chip. Meanwhile, leaks and rumors pointed to last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from 2021. However, a Geekbench entry for the phone earlier this week showed it with the latter processor. This led to some obvious confusion that Pei has now cleared.
In a series of tweets, the Nothing CEO said that the plan with the Phone (2) is to offer a more premium experience than the Phone (1). The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is notably more powerful than the Snapdragon 778G+ and early tests have shown promising results. According to Pei, the Phone (2) is twice as fast as its predecessor in opening apps with the pre-release software. He says the new device brings an overall performance improvement of about 80 percent, which is pretty huge.
Additionally, the 18-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP) of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 captures over 4,000 times more camera data than the 14-bit ISP of the Snapdragon 778G+. This enables the Phone (2) to offer advanced camera features like Raw HDR and 4K recording at 60 fps. Since the new chip is based on TSMC’s 4nm process node as opposed to a 6nm process node that the older solution used, it is more efficient as well. The Phone (2)’s processor also offers better thermal management.
“Opting for a Snapdragon 8 Series rather than 7 Series brings significant improvements across the board including battery life, network connectivity, and camera capabilities, among others. It’s not just about speed – it’s about the complete package,” Pei said. “The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 has been thoroughly tested and continuously optimized through numerous updates since its introduction a year ago. We prioritize user experience over being first in the specs race,” he added.
These improvements may come at a cost
As Carl Pei pointed out, the latest technology costs more. This is probably why Nothing is opting for a generation older Qualcomm chip instead of the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the Phone (2), even though Pei may be trying to justify that using words like “optimized” and “user experience”. He said that choosing the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 allows the company to make the Phone (2) affordable “while delivering a significantly improved experience”.
However, unless Nothing takes a profit cut, the upcoming device may end up costing more than the Phone (1). The latter cost £399 (the equivalent of about $500 today) for the base version in the UK at launch. It belatedly arrives in the US, but through a special beta program that offered limited coverage and carrier support. Nothing will probably release the Phone (2) in the US alongside most other global markets, though. We will let you know once we have confirmation about its launch date.
2023-05-19 15:12:14