Nothing might launch a mid-range phone to take on the Google Pixel 8a

Nothing Phone 2 review back angled table - white balanced

The Nothing Phone 2 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Nothing now has two flagship smartphones under its belt (see our Nothing Phone 2 review for details), but we're hearing rumors that the next handset from the company – run by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei – could be aimed at the mid-range market.

This comes from tipster Sanju Choudhary (via Android Authority), who says that a Nothing Phone 2a is in the works, and that it comes with a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, as well as a punch hole cut out at the top of the display, in the center.

We don't get any more information beyond that, but there is a fuzzy picture attached. Meanwhile another source, Abhishek Yadav (via Notebookcheck) has reported that a Nothing phone has been registered at regulators in India – and if that's the case, a launch shouldn't be too far off now.

Exactly how mid-range this phone is going to be remains to be seen, but the Nothing Phone 2 retails for $599 / £579 / AU$1,049, so you would expect any Nothing Phone 2a to undercut that price – putting it pretty low indeed.

{Exclusive}A new Nothing Phone (Not the Phone 3) is in work 🔥✅Model Number :- AIN142 ✅Name :- Nothing Phone 2aSome known information i got :-✅6.7 inch AMOLED screen✅Centre alligned punch Hole display ✅Back panel of the device looks like the photo given#Nothing… pic.twitter.com/peJTz6CtItNovember 27, 2023

Strong competition

Depending on the pricing, we might be looking at a direct competitor to the Google Pixel 8a, which is expected to break cover sometime in the middle of next year (the Pixel 7a was launched in May 2023, for reference).

Nothing is certainly no stranger to cut-price hardware, having created the CMF branding to sell a cheap pair of earbuds and a cheap smartwatch. However, it doesn't seem as though the Nothing Phone 2a will have the CMF label attached.

The company that Carl Pei left has experience in this area too, as our OnePlus Nord 2 review will tell you. A number of very affordable smartphones have been put out under the Nord name, designed to appeal to those who are after value for money.

And of course just about every smartphone maker out there has its top-end phones and its mid-range phones – even Apple has the iPhone SE series. It now looks likely that Nothing is planning to join the club.

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.