I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Nothing, at its heart, is a community-driven brand. A testament to this very fact is the Nothing Community Edition Project that was announced back in March. The idea? To come up with a phone that’s designed, packaged, and marketed by the community. Now, “six months, four stages, one phone” later, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus gets its Community Edition, and I have got my hands on it.
Thanks to Nothing, I already had a good idea about what the Phone 2a Plus (review) Community Edition would look like. The Phone 2a Plus originally launched in the Grey and Black color options. The Community Edition sees it coated in green everywhere, but…
There’s a Wacky Twist to It!
Much like we saw with the Nothing Phone 2a’s Blue Edition’s dark indigo embracing an ash blue tone, we see a delicate baby green merging into white. Sitting on top is the glyph interface, divided into three strips and coated in the new color scheme. And, get this, the green sheet running at the back panel from top to bottom glows in the dark!
Yep, just like those ceiling stickers of stars you were so fond of as a kid. Well, I still am, and this wacky addition got me all kinds of nostalgic. Not to mention that it actually looks cool without coming off as corny. Add the glyph interface to the mix, and it creates a pretty darn amazing combination of light show.
As always, there’s also some attention to detail. Nothing has enveloped components like the screw on the top-right of the module in green as well, it doesn’t glow in the dark, though. However, those four blotches in the back panel where the sheet is exposed also glow in the dark. You will spot them at the top left of the rear panel.
I directly placed it against a strong light source for a while and the green phosphorescent lighting came to life. However, it went from this glow stick-like illuminating green to a dying-out shade rather quickly, post which it was only visible in a super dark room. Solid Ben 10 vibes, nevertheless!
Apart from that, there’s the usual Nothing branding running vertically at the bottom left on the back panel alongside the unavoidable CE marking on the other side, all in a black dot-matrix font.
The frame is white, though, with the faint green border meeting it at the back. This border doesn’t glow in the dark, though. Also, instead of shiny silver screws, this time around, we see black screws, and I’m not particularly fond of it. It doesn’t mix well, if you ask me, and ends up looking like small bullet holes at the light-colored back. Silver screws would have complimented the overall color scheme pretty well.
But, I think I get why it’s been designed this way, as the volume rocker and power buttons are coated in black too, and wouldn’t have stood out on the white frame. There are also six new wallpapers to go well with the new color option, ranging from a mixture of green and transparent white to gray and black. Quite a nice aesthetic addition, actually.
It’s Not Just the Phone Going Green
However, the new color scheme doesn’t simply apply to the device itself and bleeds outside, into the box as well. Most importantly, the box is glow in the dark too, with the “(2a) Plus”, “Community Edition”, and other lettering emitting that cool green light. Way to be the life of the party, Nothing!
Apart from that, the green on the box is quite lush, giving off a very eco-friendly vibe. As you open the box, the wordings, “A manifestation of collaboration. A device built for and by the community,” greet you wholeheartedly.
Right underneath, we also see the due credits for Hardware Concept, Device Wallpapers, Packaging Design, and Marketing Campaign given to the respective designers. Honestly, I’m glad to see that the phone is not as green as its box.
Nothing beats the Phone 2a Plus’ Grey variant, in my humble opinion, and it’d have to be my favorite shade. I’d probably pick the Green Community Edition as my second favorite, with Black being the least.
However, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus Community Edition makes it look a little too much like the regular Nothing Phone 2a since the glyph sheet does not have that natural metallic shine to it, minus the glow-in-the-dark properties.
That was the only thing that would let me tell the two apart in terms of design. Now, it’s all the same unless you take it into a very dark room. Not to mention that on the specifications front as well, there are no changes.
Phone 2a Plus Community Edition is a Stand-Out Initiative
The good thing is that Nothing doesn’t price it higher, and at Rs 29,999, it costs the same as the regular Phone 2a Plus’ 12GB/256GB variant. However, only 1000 units of this Community Edition will be sold globally. So, if this variant appeals to you, I’d ask you to hurry and register yours here. Sales open starting November 12!
But, I’d actually like to see brands collaborating with their respective communities to give us such special edition phones that reflect the choices of these very communities. Not only does it let us enjoy more such unique designs, but it also deepens the bond between a brand and it’s users. Well, who’s next?
With that said, which is your favorite Nothing Phone 2a Plus color? Drop your thoughts in the comments down below!
Abubakar Mohammed
