Skip to main content

Is the Nothing Phone 2 waterproof?

The Nothing Phone 2's camera module with the lights lit up.
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Nothing may be a newcomer to the smartphone scene, but it really made an impact with the Nothing Phone 1. Debuting last year, the Phone 1 brought a unique design, good specs, an affordable price, and of course, the Glyph lighting system. Now, the Nothing Phone 2 is here, complete with the Glyph lighting system and some extra new tricks to tempt you into Nothing’s bustling ecosystem.

But the Nothing Phone 2 has more going for it than just a fancy lighting system, and those looking for a strong specs sheet won’t be disappointed. Nothing’s new phone has an adaptive refresh rate that peaks at 120Hz, up to 512GB of storage, 12GB of RAM, and the powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor. But how durable is it? Water resistance has become a feature we really want in smartphones, as it means phones are better insulated against the damage caused by accidental slips into baths, pools, and even toilets. So, is the Nothing Phone 2 waterproof?

Recommended Videos

The Nothing Phone 2 has an IP54 water resistance rating

The back of the Nothing Phone 2.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Yes, the Nothing Phone 2 has an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, which means it’s protected against water ingress — to some degree. While an IP54 rating falls short of the more common (and effective) IP68 rating, the IP54 rating still means the Nothing Phone 2 has a degree of resistance to water.

But the important bit to note is the word “resistant” rather than “proof”. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a truly waterproof phone, as water will always find its way in eventually. However, the various IP ratings do offer varying degrees of resistance to that eventual ingress, and it’s important to know exactly what the limitations of your device are.

What the IP54 rating really means

Apple iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max hero shot soaked it water | Apple September 2019 Event Keynote
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

An IP rating is less complicated than you might think. Taken down to basics, “IP” stands for “ingress protection”, and the first and second digits represent the level of protection against dust and water, respectively. The first digit, the 5, is rated on a scale from 0 to 6, so a 5 scores quite highly. As such, the Nothing Phone 2 is rated as “dust-protected” and offers complete protection against contact with dust and some protection against airborne dust.

The second digit, the 4, is the most important rating for the purposes of this article. Water resistance is rated on a scale up to 9, so at first glance, 4 seems rather low. And it is, but it’s still a respectable rating. According to the official IP-rating charts, a 4 is “protected against splashing water”, which means water being splashed at the phone from any direction will have no effect on the device’s ability to function.

That means your Nothing Phone 2 is fully rainproof and will resist splashes coming at it from bodies of water — but it certainly isn’t waterproof enough to be fully immersed in water and come out unscathed. A rating of 7 is the lowest you can expect for protection from full immersion, and the Nothing Phone 2’s IP54 rating simply isn’t protective enough for that.

So, while your Nothing Phone 2 is water-resistant, make sure you don’t purposefully immerse it in water, and make sure to keep it away from situations where it might accidentally drop in, or you might have to start shopping for a new phone.

Mark Jansen
Former Mobile Evergreen Editor
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
Nothing’s CEO just told us when to expect the Nothing Phone 3
Nothing Phone 3a

There has been a lot of speculation around the Nothing Phone 3, but in an Ask Me Anything thread on X, Nothing's CEO just confirmed its launch window: quarter three of 2025. Considering today is not April Fool's Day and Carl Pei runs the company, we can't think of a more reliable source for information on this. The launch window also lines up with previous releases; the Nothing Phone and Phone 2 both launched in July, and it looks like the third in the series is likely to follow.

The Nothing Phone 3 will be the company's third release this year, following the Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro. Nothing also revealed images of the CMF Phone 2 Pro with a new, redesigned look, and more information on the handset will be shown on April 28 at its global launch event.

Read more
New Nothing phone arrives on April 28, but not the one you expect
The back of the CMF Phone 1.

Nothing has announced the launch of its next smartphone, but anyone expecting it to be the Nothing Phone 3 will have to be patient for a while longer, as its next phone falls under the CMF by Nothing brand. It’s the CMF Phone 2 Pro, and it’s coming at the end of April with a collection of new earbuds too.

On April 28, 2025 Nothing will announce the CMF Phone 2 Pro, its second smartphone, along with the CMF Buds 2, CMF Buds 2a, and CMF Buds 2 Plus. In case CMF by Nothing is new to you, it’s Nothing’s value-focused line, made to bring great design and fun hardware to more people. It can be all-too easy to ignore this type of brand when flashier devices catch our eye, but that would be a mistake with CMF by Nothing’s current range. For example, we really liked the CMF Phone 1 when we used it, along with Nothing’s excellent CMF Watch Pro 2 too.

Read more
A $2,300 iPhone? The recent tariffs make that a possibility
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's charging port.

Apple's iPhone might see a serious price hike in response to the recent tariffs, according to a report from Rosenblatt Securities. Analysts suggest the tariffs could result in a price increase of anywhere from 30% to 40%, if Apple chooses to pass the increased costs on to consumers. Neil Shah, an analyst from Counterpoint Research, suggests Apple would need to increase prices by 30% on average, while Rosenblatt analysts say the number is closer to 43%.

To illustrate what that might look like, take a look at the current $799 price point for the iPhone 16. If its price increases by 43%, it would come out to around $1,142. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro Max — currently priced at $1,599 for its base model — could jump to just under $2,300 ($2,286.57, to be exact.)

Read more