The Nothing Phone 2a might be missing a very important feature

More rumors have emerged of a new Nothing smartphone, and unlike its predecessors, it’s missing a big part of what made Nothing notable. According to leaks released by Steve McFly (with SmartPrix), the new Nothing Phone 2a will not use the company’s innovative Glyph lighting system, eschewing it in favor of … well, a plain back panel.

The claimed official renders show the back panel of Nothing’s upcoming midrange smartphone. It’s clad in white, with two vertically arranged camera lenses in the top-left corner, reminiscent of Nothing’s past phones. The Nothing Phone 2a still has the see-through-style design, where internal components are left on display through the back panel, though at this time, it’s unclear whether the phone has a true clear back or whether the components are just an image printed beneath the panel.

Notable in its absence is the Glyph lighting system. A unique feature for Nothing’s phones, the Glyph is a series of lights beneath the phone’s back panel that light up in a number of different ways to indicate notifications and battery charge and can also be used as a camera flash or torch. The Nothing Phone 2a is supposed to be a mid-range phone, so it makes sense there would have to be cutbacks somewhere; it’s just a shame those cuts had to come in the shape of Nothing’s most obvious calling card. This render comes in contrast to previous leaks, which had indicated the Nothing Phone 2a would still have Glyph lights but in a smaller number.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of the Nothing Phone 2a, either. Previous leaks have suggested the phone will start at $400, undercutting notable midrange phones like the iPhone SE and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. Specs-wise, the leaks have been generous, with the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 processor expected to power the device and 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM included. Interestingly, lots of rumors have indicated the phone will have a 120Hz 6.7-inch AMOLED display, an impressive inclusion for a $400 phone.

Nothing has confirmed it’s holding an event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) on February 27, so it’s expected the Nothing Phone 2a will be announced there. According to previous leaks, it will be available in four regions, including Europe, India, and Japan.