Nothing Phone 4a Hands-on: A More Technically Accomplished Entry-level Smartphone

Nothing is backmost pinch 2 caller smartphones, nan entry-level Phone 4a and nan mid-range Phone 4a Pro. With nan guidelines 4a successful particular, there’s nary shortage of important hardware upgrades since nan 3a, moreover if nan creation doesn’t rather guidelines retired arsenic much. This year, that’s apparently nan domiciled of nan Nothing Phone 4a Pro. That said, nan guidelines 4a’s 2 caller colour options (blue and pink) are gorgeous additions to nan accustomed monochrome duo of achromatic and black.

There person been galore upgrades since 2025’s Phone 3a. It comes pinch IP64 particulate and h2o resistance, and is besides physically tougher: Nothing says it has accrued crook guidance by 34 percent, but I ever considered each of nan company’s phones beautiful solid. The show besides gets Gorilla Glass 7i, thing I’ve wanted to spot Nothing amended connected its cheapest phones. My Phone 2a’s surface sewage beautiful messed up erstwhile I tussled pinch my keys a fewer years ago. The 6.78-inch show is besides 23 percent brighter than its predecessor, reaching 1,600 nits during outdoor viewing.

The main upgrades are centered astir nan cameras, marking a awesome betterment complete what nan Phone 3a past year. A caller tetraprism periscope telephoto camera extends to up to 3.5x optical zoom, further than nan guidelines Phone 3a.

Nothing says nan main camera, pinch a caller Samsung GN9 50-megapixel sensor, captures up to 64 percent much ray than likewise sized camera sensors. The institution has besides upgraded its computational photography and reside mapping, which thief it present connected a caller 70x ultra zoom mode, which beefs up your images pinch AI smarts. While it’s improbable to beryllium a regular characteristic for me, it’s still an option. It useful good pinch consecutive lines and architecture, but don’t expect faces and nuanced item astatine 70x zoom. But hey, sometimes you want that up-close image of an iconic landmark. Fortunately, you’ll get up to a 7x lossless zoom by combining nan 3.5x optical zoom pinch sensor cropping, which useful well.

I’ve been testing nan Phone 4a for a fewer days – because I can’t get capable phones – and noticed that photograph image value is noticeably amended compared to nan Phone 3a. Images person little sound and much detail, pinch nan Phone 4a being acold much tin successful mediocre lighting conditions.

The Phone 4a has a 1.5K (1,224 × 2,720) display, up from nan afloat HD show (1,920 × 1,080) connected past generation’s phone. It supports up to 120Hz refresh rates and has a highest brightness of 4,500 nits for HDR content. That solution boost intends Nothing’s meticulously designed UI and icons look sharper and everything is easier to spot erstwhile utilizing nan 4a successful nan agleam outpouring sunlight.

Nothing says nan caller Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor offers 10 percent amended powerfulness efficiency, but what will make nan Phone 4a spell nan region is much apt nan 5,080mAh artillery – nan biggest yet successful Nothing’s midrange phones. Even nan retention has been upgraded, pinch 47 percent faster publication and 380 percent faster constitute speeds. I almost instantly clocked nan betterment while attempting immoderate ray video editing and installing a fewer games.

This year’s Glyph strategy has turned into a Glyph Bar. It’s made up of 63 mini-LEDs successful 7 quadrate lights successful a row. These apical retired astatine 3500 nits, which is 40 percent brighter than nan Phone 3a’s Glyph Interface. Over nan years, I spell done waves of loving Nothing’s return connected notifications done to forgetting they’re there. Nothing is gradually adding much inferior each year, and it’ll double arsenic a notification locator for a fewer prime apps, for illustration Uber, indicating really acold distant your thrust is. The Glyph Bar tin apparently double up arsenic a capable light, though I couldn’t get that to activity connected my pre-release sample. I’ll update this communicative erstwhile I tin trial it out. Likewise, Nothing’s Playground of fan-made widgets and mini-apps isn’t wholly compatible pinch nan 4a — astatine slightest not yet.

The Nothing Phone 4a is an upgrade complete its predecessor successful each measurement – and nan improvements are tangible, and I noticed them almost instantly – thing that tin beryllium challenging pinch different telephone refreshes. The show is crisper, arsenic are nan photos and video it tin capture.

Like erstwhile Nothing phones, contempt nan “global launch,” this telephone won’t beryllium headed to nan US. However, successful nan UK, starting astatine £349 (roughly $467), it’s only marginally much costly than its predecessor and you get a batch much bang for your buck. It’s besides a bully chunk of alteration cheaper than nan $500 Pixel 10a. For those looking for an eye-catching, tin telephone astatine a akin price, nan Phone 4a’s biggest title whitethorn beryllium its bigger brother, nan $499 Phone 4a Pro. Expect our hands-on for Nothing’s different telephone very soon. The Phone 4a is unfastened for preorders now astatine nothing.tech, going connected waste starting March 13 adjacent week.