Nothing
Nothing Phone (1) Receives Massive Boost in Performance and Battery Life After Nothing OS 2.6 Update
Last week, Nothing OS 2.6 update was released for Nothing Phone (1) and users were waiting for this one with quite some enthusiasm. This update does seem to bring not only performance improvements but also better battery life, so this should make it a worthy upgrade for the device.
The latest benchmarks, after the update, posted that the performance scores were better or, in this case, the Geekbench CPU single-core score increased from 992 to 1026, and the multi-core score from 2833 to 2972. Nearly the same GPU scores, which is actually a good thing, show that graphical performance has been very stable. The real change comes in with the way the battery will be managed on the device and more efficiency overall.
Antutu Benchmark Score: 602310
CPU Throttling Test: CPU throttled to 83% of its max performance
Battery lives do particularly vary, but screen-on time has certainly seen an upswing. Before the update, users were reporting an average of 5-6 hours of screen-on time. Else, some are even clocking as much as six hours and nineteen minutes—with major usage going toward media playback, and usage of hotspot services.
Although with the improvements, there still are some discrepancies in the performance and life of the batteries amongst users, the operating system seems quite stable and efficient after the update, irradiating the result of Nothing OS 2.6 as a movement in the right direction toward consistency in user experience.
All in all, this update could be taken as a sort of a shot in the arm for the performance credentials of the Nothing Phone (1). One, however, shall be able to judge the real difference the update can make only when shared users’ experiences actually start adding up. The update seems to promise handling with more efficiency and without a superfast battery drain, specifically in scenarios like gaming, browsing, and streaming.
I tested Nothing’s Essential Space on the Nothing Phone (3) and OnePlus Mind Space on the OnePlus 11. Both look similar on the surface, but the way they work feels very different. Let’s break it down.
Nothing Essential Space has a dedicated Essential Key button. Just double press, and the app opens instantly. From there, you can create summaries, reminders, or even voice notes. Everything is simple and fast.
OnePlus Mind Space works with a three-finger swipe gesture. It opens smoothly and also creates summaries and reminders, but you need to do more manual steps compared to Nothing.
The big win for Essential Space is that it syncs directly with Google Calendar. Add a reminder once, and it’s already there. You can even record voice notes or use the camera app to analyze photos and auto-generate descriptions.
Mind Space, on the other hand, shines with app-wise sorting. For example, it can organize summaries by WhatsApp, Chrome, or Twitter, which is quite useful. But adding reminders is manual, and sharing options are limited.
Nothing also adds cool exclusive features like Flip-to-Record, where you just flip the phone, hold the key, and it records with Glyph animations. Later, the AI auto-summarizes your entire meeting or talk into English text. Super handy!
Sharing is also easier on Nothing. You can export your notes as an image, PDF, or Markdown and send them anywhere. On OnePlus, you only get the delete option, which feels basic.
Overall, Nothing Essential Space feels more polished and feature-rich, while OnePlus Mind Space is still catching up. The app-wise sorting on OnePlus is neat, but Nothing’s extra features make it the better option for now.
Also did a video for this. You can give it a watch on YouTube:
The CMF Phone 1 has started receiving the August Nothing OS 3.2 update. This update comes with version V3.2-250723-1800 and is sized at 252 MB. It brings new widget features, bug fixes, and several performance improvements.
One of the main highlights is the improvement to widgets. Shared widgets now support more sticker types, making them more fun and customisable. The Countdown widget has received a new Recurring option along with additional shape choices. This means you can set countdowns to repeat automatically. The Pedometer and Screentime widgets can now also be shared, adding more ways to interact and share information.
In the general improvements section, Nothing has added the option to set the Nothing Gallery as the default for previewing photos in Camera settings. The camera itself has also received stability enhancements for a smoother experience. Bluetooth call issues in Telegram, which affected some watches and earbuds, have been fixed.
The update also resolves font display issues in apps like Instagram, Subito, and a few others. On the security side, the August 2025 security patch has been included, ensuring better device protection. Finally, overall system stability has been improved, and performance has been optimised for a smoother user experience.
The August Nothing OS 3.2 update is rolling out gradually, so CMF Phone 1 users may receive it at different times depending on their region.
Nothing has released the August update for the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, bringing Nothing OS 3.2 with several new improvements and fixes. The update is 259 MB in size and comes with the build number V3.2-250731-1640. It focuses on enhancing the camera experience, fixing bugs, and improving system stability, along with the latest Android security patch.
One of the major changes in this update is in the Camera app. Users can now choose a default album for preview images in the settings, making photo organization more convenient. The update also improves overall camera stability, ensuring smoother performance when taking pictures and recording videos.
Apart from camera enhancements, the update also addresses some important issues. It fixes a problem that caused rapid battery drain when certain smartwatches were connected to the phone. Additionally, it resolves Bluetooth call issues in Telegram when paired with some watches and earbuds.
There are also fixes for text display problems in apps like Instagram, Subito, and others when using the Inter font. Lastly, the update includes the August 2025 Android security patch, which improves the phone’s security and protects it against the latest threats.
With these improvements, the Nothing OS 3.2 August update aims to deliver a smoother and more reliable experience for Nothing Phone (2a) Plus users.