Trending
Nothing Levels Up With Phone (2a) Plus

During its Press Event in Berlin, Nothing unveiled its highly anticipated new smartphone, Phone (2a) Plus, and a close-up visual of an upcoming product the company will be launching soon via social channels.
The new mid-range smartphone is an upgrade of the successful Phone (2a) in terms of performance, camera, and design, offering an all-around improved smartphone experience. Powered by a world-exclusive processor, the MediaTek 7350 Pro 5G, for an even smoother and faster user experience. Additionally, a new 50 MP front camera sensor has been implemented for superstar selfies, and new metallic colorways have been developed to reflect superior specifications. GCC customers can get their hands on the new device from September, 12.
“Following the success of Phone (2a), which was a breath of fresh air in its market segment and became our best-selling smartphone, we’re thrilled to introduce Phone (2a) Plus. This upgraded variant features a world-exclusive processor, an improved front camera, and a new metallic design. With Phone (3) launching in 2025, Phone (2a) Plus is for those who are excited about Phone (2a) but are seeking even higher performance,” said Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing.
Design
Phone (2a) Plus introduces two new colors for Nothing smartphones: metallic Grey and an updated Black. Reminiscent of machinery, the metallic finish offers a new premium expression of Nothing’s design language, while highlighting the cutting-edge upgrades of Phone (2a) Plus.
An inherited design story from Phone (2a), Phone (2a) Plus has been crafted at the intersection of engineering and artistry. By integrating components into the phone’s exterior, we created an anthropomorphic appearance whereby the cameras inside the NFC coil represent two eyes sitting in front of a brain-like hub of intelligence and communication. The circular grid system design centralises the camera, ensuring a coherent and endearing appearance that makes Phone (2a) Plus another instant icon.
Performance
The MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro 5G processor, a world exclusive to Nothing, powers the Phone (2a) Plus. This chipset, designed with an emphasis on entertainment, makes the device ideal for gamers. It uses advanced TSMC 4 nm Gen 2 technology, with 8 cores running up to 3.0 GHz – nearly 10% faster CPU than Phone (2a), and is supported by an ARM Mali-G610 MC4 GPU clocking at 1.3 GHz, 30% faster when gaming than Phone (2a). The high performance is maintained by Nothing’s Smart Clean Technology, which clears unused system files, NTFS optimizations for fast file transfers, and RAM Booster providing up to 20 GB of effective RAM.
Camera
Take photography to the next level with a Nothing debut: the triple 50 MP camera system. Phone (2a) Plus’ selfie camera now captures sublime 4K video at 30 FPS, a hardware upgrade from Phone (2a)’s 32 MP sensor.
Boasting a large light-absorbing 50 MP main sensor with a f/1.88 lens, an ultra-wide 50 MP sensor with a 114º field of view, and now, a 50 MP front camera for superstar selfies and better quality video calling. All three sensors support direct 50 MP photo output, HDR photo capture, and 4K video recording. The main camera comes alive in low-light conditions with night shots appearing just as detailed and vibrant as in the day. Record stunning 4K video with the main camera, supported by Optical Image Stabilisation as well as Electric Image Stabilisation and Action Mode for smooth footage when people can’t stand still.
To ensure Phone (2a) Plus is the full picture, Nothing combines elite hardware with state-of-the-art software. Our TrueLens Engine with AI Vivid Mode consists of advanced algorithms to produce life-like photos, bursting with colour and detail. The Ultra XDR feature, co-developed with Google, enhances lighting in challenging conditions by adjusting pixel brightness up to 5 times, ensuring true-to-life images every time you press the button.
Nothing OS / AI
With Nothing OS 2.6, Nothing has expanded its library with even more functional widgets for mindful interactions on your home and lock screens. Complete with swipeable views and animations for more levels of information.
Following on from its ChatGPT integrations earlier in the year, Nothing has developed the News Reporter Widget. A daily digest that leverages AI technology to aggregate daily news in a simple and intuitive format and read aloud by Nothing CFO Tim Holbrow. It is available on all Nothing smartphones through the Nothing Widgets app on the Google Play Store.
The widget provides curated news from eight selectable genres, including: business, entertainment, general, health, science, sports and technology. The AI system then summarises news articles from English language news sources based on category and converts them to audio. Each story summary lasts 1 minute with a total of 8 stories per day. Every morning (local time relative), the widget will automatically refresh with a new bank of stories.
Unlike the majority of the devices in this category, Phone (2a) Plus comes with Android 14 out of the box, and an impressive three years of software updates and four years of security updates.
Battery and Charging
The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus comes with rapid50W Fast Charging, which means it can be charged to one day’s power in under 20 minutes, nearly 10% faster than Phone (2a).
Phone (2a) Plus remains fitted with Nothing’s biggest smartphone battery to date, a powerful 5,000 mAH unit. It can deliver up to two days of use on a full charge and retains over 90% of its full capacity, even after 1,000 charging cycles.
Display
Phone (2a) Plus has a flexible FHD+ 6.7” AMOLED display that can deliver stunningly accurate colour reproduction of 1.07 billion colours. Boasting a peak brightness of 1300 nits, it ensures superb visibility, even when the sun is shining at its brightest.
Phone (2a) Plus retains the thinnest bezels in Nothing’s smartphone line-up, measuring just 2.1 mm symmetrically on all four sides of the screen. This achievement results in an impressive screen-to-body ratio of 91.65%, made possible through the combination of a flexible panel with structural engineering. The display also boasts a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.
Glyph Interface
On the back of the phone, Phone (2a) Plus retains the iconic Glyph Interface. A new way to interact with a smartphone that encourages people to put their screens down and refer to light and sound patterns for key information. The focused Glyph Interface holds on to all the capabilities of Phone (2a), including the Glyph Timer and Glyph Progress that utilises third party integrations, whilst illuminating the distinct new metallic aesthetic of Phone (2a) Plus.
Sustainability
Phone (2a) Plus continues Nothing’s commitment to sustainability, with a carbon footprint of 53.34 kg CO²e. Contributing to its sustainable credentials are the use of recycled materials.
Phone (2a) Plus contains:
- ● 100% recycled aluminum used in the mid-frame
- ● 100% recycled tin on 5 circuit boards
- ● 100% recycled copper foil on the main circuit board
- ● Recycled steel on 24 steel stamping parts
- ● Over 50% of the plastic parts are sustainably sourced
- ● Plastic waste from the Ear (2) production line is repurposed into Phone (2a) Plus
Tech News
Global Tech Leaders Unite to Propel Emerging Future-Critical Sectors at GITEX GLOBAL 2025

With capabilities of AI advancing every year, its potential to address challenges once thought unsolvable is rapidly expanding, from the possibility of curing genetic diseases to transforming urban mobility or enabling green data centres. With the global AI market set to reach $4.8 trillion by 2033 (UNCTAD), the race to deploy AI for critical sectors has never been more urgent. Against this backdrop, GITEX GLOBAL 2025 convenes as the world’s largest tech and AI event, with this year’s edition highlighting significant developments in biotech, physical AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and data centres.
From 13-17 October at Dubai World Trade Centre, the show unites over 6,800 tech enterprises and 2,000 startups, with participation from 180 countries, bringing together the companies leading the world’s most ambitious AI infrastructure expansion. Global tech enterprises including Alibaba Cloud, AMD, AWS, Dell, e&, G42, Google, HPE, Huawei, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, Siemens, and Snowflake anchor the showcase, with new incoming innovations from Cerebras, Datadog, Mitsubishi, Qualcomm, Rital, ServiceNow, Tata Electronics, Telecom Italia, and Tenstorrent.
Running in parallel is GITEX’s startup showcase, Expand North Star, from 12-15 October at Dubai Harbour, hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy. Celebrating its 10th edition, the show connects 2,000 of the world’s most promising startups, with the highest percentage of growth & late-stage startups anywhere, with over 1,200 investors managing US$1.1 trillion assets.
Trixie LohMirmand, EVP of DWTC, the organiser of GITEX globally, shared, “Future-critical sectors including data centres, biotech, quantum, and robotics are where AI ingenuity is converging with humanity’s most pressing challenges. GITEX GLOBAL 2025 gives new impetus to these transformative technologies, while continuing to being the harbinger of innovation-led progress across industries and global economies.”
Record Participation from Fast-Emerging Tech Economies – Brazil, Serbia, Chile
The show marks a record year for international participation, with Brazil joining as Country Partner with its largest-ever tech delegation, alongside the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Tech Destination Pakistan as key partners. New pavilions debut from Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, and Türkiye, in addition to expanded representation from Europe, Central Asia, LATAM, Africa, and the Levant.
Tatiana Riera, COO, ApexBrasil, shared: “ApexBrasil is excited to be at GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star with over 50 incredible startups and innovation hubs. It’s a great opportunity to show how Brazil is driving innovation and creating tech solutions for global challenges.”
Marko Čadež, President, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, added: “In the age of ubiquitous AI solutions, Serbian startups at this year’s edition demonstrate practical examples of AI applications across diverse fields: from well-being and energy to sentiment diagnostics on social media, showcasing the full depth and breadth of Serbian tech.”
Super Data Centres – The AI Factories of the Future
With global data centre investments set to exceed $500 billion in 2025 (BofA Research), GITEX GLOBAL welcomes one of the biggest global investors in this sector, O’Leary Ventures, building the world’s largest AI data centre industrial park in Canada. Paul Palandjian, CEO & Co-General Partner, O’Leary Ventures, commented: “The UAE has become the crossroads and a world leader in the development of technology and AI. No other place has the leadership vision, resources and commitment to attract a world-class cohort across every industry.”
Adding a regional perspective, Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO of Khazna, MENA’s largest hyperscale data centre provider and a G42 company, leads the discussions on whether infrastructure, energy and policy can scale fast enough to keep pace with giga AI factories.
GITEX Digi Health & Biotech – The Next Frontiers of Medicine
Breakthroughs in gene editing, mRNA vaccines and AI-led drug discoveries are driving biotech spending towards $1.7 trillion in 2025 – setting the backdrop for the fastest AI deployment in this sector. At GITEX GLOBAL, Trevor Martin, CEO of Mammoth Biosciences, presents how CRISPR, their Nobel winning gene-editing technology, is using AI to potentially cure genetic diseases.
Matt Angle, CEO of Paradromics, the company behind the world’s first successful computer-brain implant, dives into decoding thought with AI and neurotech. Adding to this momentum, South Korean startup HurayPositive unveils AI-powered SaaS to deliver precision medicine for one million patients with chronic conditions.
Physical AI in Motion
At GITEX GLOBAL, Tensor unveils the world’s first personal robocar – globally applauded as “agentic AI on wheels”. Whilst K2 introduces new humanoids and a concept vehicle designed to extend robotics into industrial environments. With the robotics AI market projected to quadruple to $94 billion by 2031, these innovations illustrate how Physical AI is becoming an essential pillar of industry productivity and business edge.
GITEX Quantum Expo (GQX) – Advancing Quantum Readiness
On the show floor, IBM unveils Quantum System Two, a major step towards large-scale fault-tolerant systems capable of solving computing scale challenges. Shukri Eid, VP and General Manager of IBM Gulf, Levant, and Pakistan, shared “GITEX GLOBAL is a global stage, but more importantly, it is a platform for action. It brings together the ecosystems that matter: policymakers, business leaders, and innovators driving AI forward.”
Prof. Mark Thompson, Co-Founder of PsiQuantum, a $6 billion unicorn, outlines the path towards quantum sovereignty. Among the headline exhibitors is also IONQ, the world’s first public pure-play quantum computing company trading at the New York Stock Exchange.
Ai Semicon – The Chips Behind Sovereign AI
Global leader in high-performance processors, AMD presents its Instinct™ GPUs and EPYC™ CPUs, built to handle the most demanding AI workloads and energy-efficient data centre deployments. Jim Keller, CEO of Tenstorrent, the $2.6bn AI chipmaker on the Forbes AI50 List, expands on this theme with his talk on “Taking Control of Your Sovereign AI Future,” as semiconductors become a geopolitical lever.
Startups, Scaleups & Unicorns Lead in AI Supercomputing
Expand North Star features more than 40 unicorns this year, reinforcing the UAE’s position as a hub for global scale-ups. Among them, Cerebras presents the world’s largest AI supercomputer (built in partnership with G42), Fluidstack unveils the world’s first 1GW decarbonised AI supercomputer, and Xpanceo introduces five prototypes of AI-powered smart contact lenses -advancing AR, healthcare, and consumer hardware simultaneously.
For more information, visit: www.gitex.com.
Automotive
VOYAH Free Brings Premium Luxury EREV Design to the Emirates

VOYAH has entered the UAE with a clear ambition: to redefine modern mobility for the Emirates. Distributed exclusively by Performance Plus Motors, a homegrown mobility enabler founded in 2021, the brand brings together premium design, advanced technology and sustainable performance. More than a new automotive marque, VOYAH UAE positions itself as both a luxury EV player and a sustainability partner, aligning closely with the UAE’s vision for smart, technology-driven progress.
The brand’s design philosophy is shaped by cultural heritage and harmony with nature. At its heart lies the Kunpeng, a mythical creature from Daoist tradition that symbolises limitless ambition and the pursuit of greatness. This inspiration is reflected in VOYAH’s winged logo and in the flowing light signatures across its vehicles. The result is a design language that blends elegance, balance and innovation, uniting craftsmanship with advanced technology to create a holistic identity for the UAE market.

Leading the charge is the VOYAH Free, an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) that embodies the promise of sustainable luxury. With a pure electric range tailored for daily commutes, the Free engages a compact petrol engine only when needed to recharge the battery on longer journeys. Drivers, therefore, enjoy the benefits of electric mobility without being restricted by charging availability, a particularly relevant solution in the Emirates, where infrastructure is developing. By delivering electric-first performance with the reassurance of extended range, the Free removes barriers to adoption and supports the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy, including the national target for half of all vehicles on the road to be hybrid or electric by mid-century.
Inside, the Free offers a distinctly premium experience. Its cabin features sustainable materials and a tri-screen digital cockpit that pairs next-generation technology with refined design. The spacious layout creates first-class comfort, ensuring that every journey feels both immersive and elegant. Ownership is enhanced with complimentary 1-year car insurance, registration, tinting, and a home wall box charger with installation. Confidence continues long term through 5 years or 100,000 km vehicle warranty, 8 years or 150,000 km battery warranty and 3 years or 60,000 km service contract. Combined with expert after-sales care and customer education, these measures provide an ownership experience that is seamless and reassuring.

VOYAH UAE also seeks to inspire a wider shift towards sustainability in everyday life. Each Free model contributes to reducing transport-related emissions and encourages greener choices among consumers. Intelligent battery management, AI-enabled mobility, advanced safety systems and seamless connectivity all demonstrate how innovation, luxury and responsibility can progress together.
Through the Free model, VOYAH UAE and Performance Plus Motors are introducing more than a car to the Emirates – they are setting new standards for premium mobility. By combining cultural inspiration, extended-range electric innovation and uncompromising craftsmanship, VOYAH presents a vision that is both practical for today and transformative for the journeys of tomorrow.
Tech Interviews
How Unifonic Intelligence is Transforming Customer Experience in Saudi Arabia

Exclusive Interview with Ayman Hamdan, Co-founder of Unifonic

- How does E3 Customer Experience Conference showcase innovation and advance Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation goals?
The E3 Customer Experience (E3CX) Conference plays a crucial role in advancing Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation by serving as a dynamic marketplace where innovation, policy, and technology converge. For Saudi organisations, the event offers the opportunity to explore real-world solutions, moving beyond abstract concepts to evaluate validated use cases and production-ready technologies. It brings together key stakeholders, including vendors, system integrators, government agencies, and enterprise buyers to collaborate on critical issues such as compliance, integration, and security.
Crucially, the conference supports Saudi Vision 2030’s emphasis on secure, locally governed digital services and a growing domestic software as a service (SaaS) ecosystem. It enables partnerships between platform providers, local cloud operators, telcos, and system integrators that address national priorities like data residency. For policymakers and regulators, E3CX provides a neutral, insight-rich platform to observe market capabilities, refine regulatory frameworks, and accelerate public-sector procurement. Sessions focus on operational readiness and business impact, including service-level agreements (SLAs), security, pilot-to-production timelines, and demonstrable return on investment (ROI).
By bringing together technical teams, buyers, and regulators under one roof, the conference shortens procurement cycles, fosters collaborative problem solving, and ensures that digital initiatives deliver measurable economic and social outcomes. Ultimately, E3CX is where Vision 2030’s digital ambitions are translated into scalable, impactful services for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
- Where do you see CX in MENA in three years?
Over the next three years, customer experience (CX) in the MENA region will shift from being a set of separate channels to a smooth, ongoing conversation that follows customers wherever they are. Mobile messaging and voice will become the primary means of engagement across discovery, purchase, and support. Companies that treat these conversational journeys as a key part of their revenue strategy, rather than just support tools, will be the ones that succeed. AI will move beyond small tests to full-scale use, helping personalise interactions in real time while also meeting local regulations. This will result in faster responses, fewer false positives, and more localised customer experiences.
At the same time, Arabic-first design will become essential. Businesses that focus on dialect accuracy and culturally relevant design will see better engagement and conversion. Moreover, CX success will be measured by more than just satisfaction scores; business leaders will look closely at how chat and messaging contribute to revenue, customer retention, and cost efficiency. Data residency and local regulations will also play a bigger role in how companies choose their technology partners as governments and large enterprises will prioritise vendors that can demonstrate local hosting, audit logs, and clear data governance. While automation will handle routine tasks, skilled human agents will still be needed for complex or emotional conversations. Finally, CX will increasingly become tailored by industry, with sectors like banking, aviation, and government developing domain-led playbooks for conversational automation, featuring specialised models, compliance patterns and measurement frameworks. Thus, early adopters are poised to win procurement and set an example for others to follow.
- With Vision 2030 shaping the SaaS market, how is Unifonic enabling better CX for Saudi businesses and public sector buyers?
With Vision 2030 driving the transformation of the software as a service (SaaS) market in Saudi Arabia, Unifonic is uniquely positioned to enable better customer experience (CX) for both Saudi businesses and public sector buyers. The growing demand for SaaS solutions in the MENA region is fuelled by the rise of new digital models, and Vision 2030 has further accelerated this by emphasising the need for secure, locally compliant, and scalable digital services.
Unifonic meets these demands by offering a unified conversational platform designed for production from day one. Our technology prioritises Arabic-first experiences, ensuring conversational journeys resonate across different dialects and feel natural to users. This focus on language and cultural relevance reduces friction, increases engagement, and drives higher conversion rates across customer acquisition and support workflows. For the public sector and large enterprises, we have adopted a collaborative go-to-market approach that includes joint pilot design, clear key performance indicators (KPIs), and quick iteration cycles. This enables stakeholders to validate the platform’s impact before committing to scale.
On the ecosystem front, Unifonic works closely with local cloud operators, telecommunications companies, and system integrators to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure and accelerate deployment. We also invest in developer programs, training initiatives, and accelerator partnerships to nurture local talent, directly supporting Saudi Vision 2030’s objective of job creation.
Unifonic operates at the intersection of language, compliance, and production readiness. We empower Saudi organisations to move their conversational projects beyond experimentation into scalable, measurable services that improve both citizen and customer experiences, fully aligned with the Kingdom’s digital transformation, economic growth, and workforce development goals.
- What is Unifonic Intelligence?
Unifonic Intelligence is the AI engine that powers the Unifonic customer engagement platform. It brings together four key modules: the AI control centre for governance and oversight, AI chatbot for customer-fa cing virtual agents, agent copilot to assist human agents in real time, and a content creator with marketing recommendations to automate and personalise campaign messaging. Together, these components empower businesses to deliver faster, smarter, and more personalised customer experiences.
What sets the platform apart is its underlying AI framework, which uses a retrieval-augmented generation approach to ensure responses are grounded in the customer’s real data and up-to-date enterprise knowledge. We carefully evaluate and select leading open-source large language models (LLMs), optimising them for Arabic dialects and region-specific intents. This results in conversational AI that not only understands local nuances but also delivers factually accurate interactions. Early adopters can expect enhanced engagement, improved customer satisfaction and better business decisions through data-driven insights.
- How does the partnership with Humain and Groq enable this platform and what does it mean for customers?
Our partnership with Humain and Groq is both a technical and commercial enabler that strengthens the Unifonic AI Powered Customer Engagement Platform with unmatched performance, security, and scalability. Groq provides industry-leading inference hardware and performance engineering, focused specifically on inference execution, which is the critical backbone of live conversational systems. This means significantly faster model execution, lower latency, and scalable throughput, all of which are essential for delivering high-quality customer experiences. At the same time, Humain ensures that these capabilities are deployed locally, with full integration into regional compliance frameworks, and enterprise-grade operational controls across Saudi Arabia and the wider MENA region.
Groq and Humain led the development of the inference architecture, performance tuning and deployment playbooks. While Groq tuned serving layers for peak low-latency performance, Humain implemented the local hosting, networking and operational controls required by enterprise customers. This joint approach allows us to push new model variants from testing to production in days rather than months, all while maintaining full audit trails and governance that regulated enterprises require. For customers, the benefits are measurable: inference and model serving are hosted in Saudi-based environments, preserving data residency; response times are faster, improving user satisfaction and reducing drop-off; and Arabic language support is significantly enhanced because of regionally-tuned models and dialect validation.
Ultimately, this partnership gives Unifonic the infrastructure and operational foundation to deliver Arabic-first, compliant AI for enterprises across the region. At the upcoming E3 Customer Experience (E3CX) Conference 2025, we will be showcasing these engineering achievements and inviting customers to join our early adopter program to start delivering measurable business outcomes.
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