More Nothing Phone 2a rumors turn its camera sideways with a new design

What you need to know

• Rumors on X suggest the Nothing Phone 2a will receive a design shakeup for its rear panel.
• Instead of mirroring the Phone 1, the Phone 2a seemingly has its dual camera array turned horizontally on its rear panel with much less Glyph lighting.
• Internally, Nothing may package MediaTek's 2023 launch of the Dimensity 7200 SoC with 200MP camera potential into the device.
• The Phone 2a could launch during MWC 2024.

Some new information about the supposed Nothing Phone 2a has leaked, and it's turning what we've previously seen on its head.

The latest round stems from Dylan Roussel on X, who posted that the device goes by model number A142 and codenames Pacman/Aero internally. A quick provided video also shows some interesting design changes for the Phone 2a.

Nothing's rumored mid-range follow-up may sport a horizontally mounted dual-camera array on its rear panel, giving Galaxy S10 vibes. Moreover, the leak purports that the company will revamp its Glyph lighting on the Phone 2a once more and drop most of it as a result.

Roussel adds that the Glyph lighting system on the Phone 2a may only consist of three segments positioned around a circular container housing the horizontal camera array.

Internally, it looks like Nothing is moving away from Qualcomm in favor of the 2023 Dimensity 7200 SoC from MediaTek for mid-range devices.

The latest MediaTek chip is said to bring 200MP camera capabilities to midranges. Its release detailed its ability to capture 4K recorded videos and improved AI tasks and AI-fusion processing.

Roussel concludes by suggesting that Nothing could launch the device during MWC 2024 in February.

Rumors spread about the Phone 2a at the end of November, but its currently rumored design goes against what was said prior. Based on recent speculation, the device may not bear too much similarity to the rear panel of the Phone 1 or the Phone 2, 

However, the phone may likely feature plenty of design cues from its predecessors. Known tipster Yogesh Brar on X has allegedly seen a "working prototype" of the Phone 2a that features a center-mounted hole-punch selfie camera on the display. More importantly, he's doubled down on Roussel's design while going a bit deeper to say the device "borrows elements from the Phone 1 and Phone 2."

We know of the Dimensity 7200 SoC's imaging capability; however, it was rumored that the Phone 2a may feature a 50MP primary lens with OIS (optical image stabilization). The second lens is unknown, but Nothing could opt to continue featuring an ultra-wide lens to complement it. A 4,950mAh battery with a 6.7-inch display was also rumored.

Nothing OS 2.5, based on Android 14, is expected to be featured on the device, which just arrived in its stable form on the Nothing Phone 2.