Nothing Phone (2a) Blue Edition Is Here: The BEST Color Option?

In March 2024, the Nothing Phone (2a) launched in India in White and Black color options. Back when I was reviewing the Phone 2a, I had stated how I liked the White variant more because of the accentuated transparent design and overall look. Now, the brand has launched a new Blue colorway in India, and I got my hands on it.

This is the first time the brand has expanded outside the usual Black and White phones. The audio department only recently got a playful new ‘Yellow’ color with the Nothing Ear (a).

Circling back to the new Blue Nothing Phone 2a, everything remains the same on the hardware side and software side of things. So, is it good enough to change my bias towards the White color option, or is it the best Phone 2a color option right now? Well, since I have all three color options with me, I took the time to inspect them better. Here’s what I think.

Nothing Phone 2a Blue Edition:

As you can see in the photos, the new Blue Edition is a combination of a dark indigo color and a light tone of blue (ash blue, to be precise). Nothing’s iconic Glyph Interface is present, of course, sitting cozily in its three-striped glory in the new blue shade.

The plastic frame is brushed in the same blue shade but Nothing has retained the black volume buttons and black power button. They don’t stand out as they do on the white variant or look the most appealing alongside the blue frame.

However, Nothing’s attention to detail is to be praised here. The branding along with the obligatory CE marking on the Phone 2a’s back is in ash blue (whitish) color. In fact, the screws on the back also carry the ash blue tone and are not simply silver.

If you take a look at the other two color variants, they stay true to their respective themes as well. What I like a lot about the Blue variant is that, although it is a darker shade, it’s not too dark such that it’d suppress the details of the connecting ribbons and other internal coverings, as the Black variant does. Then again, the Phone 2a in White does it a bit better, and the Nothing design really stands out.

When compared to the Black and White color options, the Blue Edition strikes a good balance and sits in the middle. For a company that’s breaking out of the shackles of its duotone ways, the color choice seems to be a bit unimpressive. Personally, if I had to pick out of the three options, I would still go with White. Blue would be my second favorite color to pick.

While everything is supposed to be similar on the hardware front, there were a couple of things I had to put to the test. These tests were rather fruitful and here are my findings.

Better Display Tuning?

Firstly, somehow, the display tuning is better on the Nothing Phone 2a Blue Edition. It is slightly on the cooler side, which I noticed when viewing the white background in the phone’s settings app.

I triple-checked the display settings on all color variants and while they were the same, they didn’t look that way. The Blue Edition’s display tones were more natural, while the other two devices were boosting the warm tones a tad too much. Take a look:

The Blue variant had the best default display tuning of the lot. Even the Whites were more pronounced and looked better on it. I don’t know what sorcery is at play here, but this level of discrepancy in three color variants of the same device is absurd.

Minor Software Downside (For Now)

On the software side, the Blue variant is at a bit of a disadvantage (at least for now). While the other two colorways are up-to-date on the Nothing OS 2.5.5, the Blue variant I am using runs on the older Nothing OS 2.5.4.b version out of the box.

At the time of writing, I haven’t received an update. Going by Nothing’s track record though, I don’t think the newest color will be deprived of the latest update for long. Users will receive it right out of the box. For now, it misses out on the new ChatGPT integration, Camera optimizations, and a few other things that arrive with the Nothing OS 2.5.5 update.

When it comes to color options, I can’t go out of my way to give the crown to one particular variant. This is very subjective, and while the White color option appeals to me more, the Blue may do it for you. Overall, the Blue variant is a good addition to the list of Nothing Phone 2a color options.

Moreover, it goes to show that Nothing is coming out of its monotone shell and embracing unique color options, with the yellow Ear (a) and now this. Given that Nothing’s sub-brand CMF is rather colorful, it is good to see a more vibrant palette make it to the parent company. Maybe we will see more colors from CMF’s rumored first smartphone.

Not to mention that the Blue variant goes on sale in India for Rs. 19,999 (one-day launch offer) from May 2 at 12:00 PM via Flipkart. So, if you are someone who likes the Blue variant and has also been planning on getting the Nothing Phone 2a, this is a great offer you can avail of.

Do you like the new Nothing Phone 2a Blue Edition? Let me know in the comments down below!