Nothing let actual fans design the Phone 2a Plus Community Edition, and the results are glowing

Key Takeaways

• London-based Nothing launches a special edition Phone 2a Plus with a glow-in-the-dark rear design.
• The device is the culmination of several months worth of collaboration with Nothing fans, on aspects like hardware, wallpaper, packaging, and marketing.
• Limited to just 1,000 units, the Phone 2a Plus Community Edition will be available for purchase on November 12. US availability is currently uncertain.

After starting work on it back in March, Nothing's Community Edition Phone 2a is now finally official!

The mid-range device is on a roll, and the London-based manufacturer seems to favor it over its flagship Nothing Phone 2. Phone 2a launched in March this year, and since then, we've seen it in a limited edition blue, and a special black and white edition. The mid-ranger was also the first in line to receive the Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.0, with the flagship Nothing Phone 2 slated to gain the update later in November — and now Phone 2a fans are getting a third special edition to add to the collection.

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A major glow-up, literally

In a move that takes community engagement and involvement to the next level, Nothing today unveiled the Phone 2a Plus Community Edition glow in the dark device. As we've reported in the past, the new device isn't just a new edition with a dab of new paint. It is the result of a collaborative project between Nothing and some of its most passionate fans. It's worth noting that from the inside, the Community Edition device is identical to the regular Nothing Phone 2a Plus

In the project's initial phase, Nothing received over 900 fan entries from 47 countries, all striving to put their own twist on the Community Edition device. Out of the bulk submissions, fan voting and Nothing's consideration, Astrid Vanhuyse, Kenta Akasaki, Andrés Mateos, Ian Henry Simmonds, and Sonya Palma's concepts were chosen as the winners, all later refined in collaboration with Nothing's team.

Source: Nothing

The Community Edition device's development consisted of four main stages, namely hardware design, wallpaper design, packaging design, and the device's marketing campaign. Astrid Vanhuyse & Kenta Akasaki's Phosphorescence concept made up the device's rear hardware, featuring a green-tinted phosphorescent material that glows in the dark. Nothing has made it clear that the rear is purely analogue, and it doesn't draw any power from the device's battery.

Source: Nothing

Andrés Mateos' Connected Collection makes up the Community Edition's default wallpaper collection, complete with six different options to choose from, all highlighting "cables, pipes, microchips and components that form random routes" in different shades of turquoise, black, and white.

Source: Nothing

Ian Henry Simmonds and their Less is More concept are responsible for the Community Edition device's sleek-looking packaging design, highlighting the device's macro lens with the green-tinted phosphorescent material enveloping it. According to Nothing, "The final packaging includes reflective elements which glow in dark environments to complement the winning hardware design."

Source: Nothing

Lastly, Sonya Palma's Find your light. Capture your light marketing campaign brings all the device's elements together, with Nothing alluding that the campaign echoes the company's very first product launch. "Sonya worked with Nothing’s Creative Team to develop a suite of elevated assets, including a film campaign and digital assets that supported the launch of the product," wrote Nothing.

Those looking to get their hands on the culmination of all the concepts will likely need a fast internet connection, a quick reaction time, and likely some luck. Nothing has indicated that it is making "just 1,000 units of [the] Phone 2a Plus Community Edition" which go on sale starting November 12 on the company's website. Although it did say that the "Community Edition Project phone [will be] available across all markets," it didn't mention its price in US Dollars. According to the device's foreign pricing, it will cost £399 / €449 / ₹29,999 / ¥55,800, which is roughly between $356 and $517.

For reference, the regular Nothing Phone 2a is available in the US, but only through the company's developer program, making the Community Edition device's availability not entirely clear. We have reached out to Nothing regarding US availability, and this article will be updated as soon as we hear back.

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