Photo: Nothing
Nothing is revamping its unique Glyph interface for the upcoming Phone 2 smartphone. The phone is set to debut on July 11. YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) has shared an early hands-on video with the new smartphone that showcases the light interface embedded in the back of the phone, and the enhancements Nothing has made to it since last year’s Phone 1.
The Glyph interface has a similar pattern. But it now features more zones of LED lighting, which should enable it to offer more refined control of the phone’s lighting effects. The Phone 2 has almost triple the number of zones, with 33 zones compared to 12 on the Phone 1.
More zones mean the phone can display its volume level, or the progress of a timer, within the curved strip of light on the upper right side of the phone’s back. There are also plans to let third-party apps use this light strip as a progress bar, with Uber and restaurant app Zomato on board to support it. The strips themselves are also split into more sections, though they have a similar layout as before.
Another new feature is the option to choose an “essential app” and have its notifications light up the top right light strip on the back of the phone. So if you want the Phone 2 to glow for WhatsApp notifications, but not Gmail or Instagram, that should now be feasible.
The Phone 2 keeps the same core design language as the Phone 1, with a few tweaks. The non-white variant is now grayer than black. Brownlee noted in his video that its back is slightly more curved this time.