Nothing Phone (4a) review - a great Google Pixel alternative that packs a punch

Verdict

The Nothing Phone (4a) carries over the retro-futuristic style of its predecessor, offers smooth everyday performance, and handles mobile gaming decently. With a bright, sharp display, all-day battery, and standout touches like the revamped Glyph system, it delivers more than just specs. Stylish, capable, and wallet-friendly, the (4a) hits the sweet spot.

Pros

• Retains Nothing's unique aesthetic
• Solid gaming performance
• Excellent battery life
• Great display for the price

Cons

• Chipset could be better
• Hard to find outside of the UK
• Essential Space still isn't worthwhile

The gap between costly phones and budget alternatives is getting closer. Since the launch of its (a) handset range, Nothing's steadfast commitment to making mobile phones exciting refuses to slow down. As the London tech company is skipping over the chance to launch another flagship this year, its focus is entirely on elevating its affordable options with the release of the Nothing Phone (4a). While it may be around $150 cheaper than its big brother, the (4a) Pro, it certainly isn't lacking any worthwhile features.

I said the same in my Nothing Phone (3a) Pro review, and it rings true this time around. You see, these phones are in quite an odd space. The changes between this and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro aren't too obvious, nor are they incredibly huge. But they're present where it matters the most, especially if you're leaping from Nothing's last wave of handsets. Retaining that unique, retro-futurism aesthetic from previous models, the (4a) sets itself apart from its competitors in a few nifty ways, but let's talk price first.

Price and availability

The Nothing Phone (4a) is currently available in the United Kingdom, retailing for up to £399. Since there are three configurations, you'll pay more depending on how much RAM and storage you want. At the lower end of the scale, the base (4a) comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, priced at £349. Your chosen colorway doesn't affect the cost, though. In the middle, you can jump up to £379 for 8GB of RAM and increased storage up to 256GB. If that still isn't beefy enough for you, then the top-tier variant comes equipped with 12GB of RAM instead. All of these versions can be purchased directly from Nothing's website.

On the high street, retailers such as Argos and Curry's are carrying Nothing stock. A wider rollout to networks such as O2 and EE is expected down the road. In other regions, the (4a) is harder to come by. Right now, Nothing isn't supplying customers in the United States with the (4a), opting to purely focus on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. It's unclear whether Nothing will change this release strategy, but for now, you'll have to wait, as importing it is a pricey endeavor.

Comparatively, the Nothing Phone (4a) sits in the same price range as one of the best Google Pixel phones, the Google Pixel 9a, and Xiaomi alternatives such as the Poco F7. While it may match its rivals on paper in some aspects, the (4a) proves itself as an underdog among the best gaming phones on the market.

Specs

Here are the Nothing Phone (4a) specifications:

Performance and gaming

Moving up from the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, Nothing's leap to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 is identical between the (4a) and (4a) Pro. With that bump in raw processing power, you won't be too surprised to learn that gaming on the go is exceptionally sturdy on the (4a). The caveat with Nothing's handsets, though, is that you won't be pushing fidelity too hard. If you're looking for the highest graphics settings and resolutions, then you probably should consider expanding your budget to include something like the REDMAGIC 11 Air.

If elite performance doesn't bother you too much, then the good news is that grinding free mobile games is still a great time on the (4a). Where the (4a) excels is in sustained playthroughs, as it can truck along with barely any hitches for a decent amount of time. Under the hood, it lacks the GPU gains that rivals may have, but the Snapdragon chipset proves to be a stability beast under pressure. That's because chipsets like the Tensor G4 or the Samsung Exynos favor onboard AI tools, rather than securing raw performance. Because Nothing devices are quite lightweight in that area, you can get consistent framerates.

That proves to be the case in Call of Duty: Mobile and Rainbow Six Mobile, with the latter looking especially great. Like the (4a) Pro, it struggles with games like Destiny Rising graphically but maintains 30fps. Think of it like a Steam Deck. It's a great all-rounder for playing your favorite titles on the go, with a few caveats. I'm impressed by how well the (4a) handles heat buildup, too. It can get slightly toasty while charging, but it's hardly simmering during prolonged COD matches.

In your day-to-day usage, I've got no complaints with performance here. From surfing the web and watching YouTube videos at top resolution to handling light work tasks on tools like Asana and Google Workspace, there's nothing to scoff at here. I even paired it with my Logitech Pebble Keys K380s keyboard, just to see if heavier work tasks could be done on it. Spoilers: It handles well. In fact, this sentence is a result of that test.

For those of you pairing the (4a) with decent earbuds or the Nothing Headphone (1), for example, Nothing's support of high-resolution codecs extends across both (4a) models. It isn't quite on the audiophile scale, but because we've got Snapdragon here, you can expect aptX Adaptive from the (4a).

Although LDAC compatibility is offered in the Nothing X app for its earbuds and over-ear wearables, it won't be a true one-to-one experience. I don't typically tend to listen through phone speakers, but the (4a) is decent but not great in this aspect. They're loud and clear, but it isn't something to brag about.

Features and software

When you boot up the Nothing Phone (4a), it greets you with Nothing 4.0. There's an update to take that up to 4.1, which includes a few stability improvements. As with all Nothing devices, keeping things minimalist and low-drama is the main intention here. I wouldn't say that Nothing OS is quite as sophisticated as other Android skins out there, but it's certainly a snappy and reliable experience. Recent additions like Depth Blur are clearly meant to catch up to Apple's level of customization, but you'll find Nothing OS's best strengths in its widgets.

You can scroll through a suite of presets for your favorite apps, but there's a fantastic selection of options from the Nothing community. Officially endorsed by the brand, you can find anything from sports news trackers, keeping tabs on the length of your current relationship with a loved one, to fun mini-games. There's a lot of fun to be had here, both in practical and entertainment value. Should you feel the need to get a bit more granular, the Google Play Store has plenty of free and paid icon skins, themes, and Glyph tools to play with.

The Glyph system gets a redesign on (4a). Instead of light strips, it now uses six LED squares near the camera. You can customize these for notifications. It's not as advanced as the (4a) Pro's Glyph Matrix, but it still helps the phone stand out. A small red LED below indicates when you're recording video.

Essential Space returns, though it feels less essential. It acts as a productivity tool where you can save screenshots, notes, and voice memos, and extract information from images. For example, you can turn a concert announcement into a calendar reminder. It's useful, but not something everyone will use often. The dedicated button placement now makes accidental presses less likely.

Design

The biggest difference between the (4a) and (4a) Pro is the chassis. The (4a) is an all-metal unibody design that evokes the feeling of interacting with a MacBook Pro. It isn't as flashy to look at, but it's great to the touch and provides a flagship-level experience that's very rare for the price point.

It'd be unfair to say the (4a) Pro is keeping things cheaper, though. It sticks with the striking transparent rear cover, which reveals screws, metal covers, and intersecting patterns. It's unlike anything else out there and a real conversation starter.

I think it looks gorgeous in the blue colorway, and I'm admittedly jealous, as someone with the silver version. It's slightly lighter than the (4a) Pro at 205g, but with an increased thickness of 8.5mm. I do think the (4a) Pro feels better in my hand. The (4a) doesn't feel bad by any means, but this is one area where the reduced price begins to show. Either way, Nothing continues to keep phone design exciting, with aesthetic choices its rivals aren't daring enough to experiment with.

Display

Accompanied by Gorilla Glass 7i, a 2720×1224 1.5K resolution panel, and up to 4,500 nits of brightness, the display is a clear step up from the (3a) lineup. I'm a little disappointed that Nothing couldn't extend 140Hz to both models, though. Nevertheless, the (4a) display follows in the tracks of its predecessors, with a silky smooth 120Hz screen. At 6.78", there's plenty of real estate to watch videos, game, and browse social media.

It isn't the biggest screen out there, and that's okay, as we've got a happy medium on our hands here. HDR support keeps things crisp with superb contrast and notably vibrant visuals. The higher resolution is especially appreciated, as we leave the (3a) Pro's 1,080 x 2,392 pixels screen behind. It isn't quite as bright as the (4a) Pro, but it still holds its own if you need a boost. In direct sunlight, which is rare in the UK right now, I find it easy to see what's on the display.

However, I do wish Nothing would push the envelope a bit further in its IP rating choices. There's no chance here, as the (3a) and (4a) both come with an IP64 panel. Dust protection is tight, but it's hardly worthwhile against water. Light rain and splashes won't bother the (4a), but if you're used to IP67 or IP68 screens, this is a downgrade. That's one where Google phones continue to reign.

Cameras

The (4a) offers up to 70x zoom, compared to the (4a) Pro's 140x. It supports focal lengths from 15mm to 160mm. Wide-angle photography remains a weak point, with results that don't quite impress. Outside of that, the camera performs well. Nothing's camera app offers plenty of tools and filters, making it easy to experiment. Even without advanced skills, you can capture great photos.

At higher zoom levels, AI upscaling can be inconsistent. The best results come from mid-range focal lengths. Portrait mode works well but can be slightly aggressive with background blur. RAW shooting is available, though limited to a 4:3 aspect ratio at 50MP.

Low-light performance stands out. With improved light capture, images retain good detail even at night or indoors. Color accuracy is solid and not overly exaggerated. Video recording reaches 4K at 30fps, while the front camera supports 1080p at 60fps with its 32MP sensor.

Battery

Nothing always kills it when it comes to battery life. The (4a) is another phone that I can confidently use all day casually without worrying about consuming too much juice. At night, I've been happy enough to leave it uncharged on my bedside dresser, with at least 40 to 45% of battery left when I wake up in the morning. That's from normal use, which consists of light social media usage, checking emails, and messaging friends on WhatsApp. If I'm watching TikToks and YouTube content heavily, then I normally run it down to the 25 to 30% mark at nighttime.

Either way, it's all gravy because the (4a) is equipped for 50W fast charging. In around 20 minutes, I juiced the battery from 23% up to 50%. A full charge typically takes just over an hour, which isn't too shabby at all. Nothing estimates that (4a) can last for around 17-18, depending on how you use it, and in my experience, I reckon that's spot on. Both (4a) models offer battery health settings too, from adaptive charging to general quality-of-life tricks. There's still no wireless charging, though, which I'd like to see in future models.

Should you buy the Nothing Phone (4a)?

The Nothing Phone (4a) proves that budget doesn't mean boring. It keeps the retro-futuristic design flair of its predecessor, delivers smooth day-to-day performance, and handles gaming surprisingly well for its class. The display is sharp and bright, the battery lasts all day, and features like the redesigned Glyph system are beyond the specs sheet. The camera mostly impresses for the price, though wide-angle shots and AI upscaling aren't perfect. For anyone looking for a stylish, capable phone without breaking the bank, the (4a) hits a sweet spot.

Alternatives

If you're still on the fence about the Nothing Phone (4a), here are some other alternatives in the Nothing range that might be more suited to your needs.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

If you want to stretch your budget a little further, I highly recommend going the extra mile for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. Sleeker with an all-metal unibody, a rarity these days, the (4a) Pro is already giving the iPhone 17e a rival to think about. It's got a few upgrades for the (4a) in the right places, like the great Glyph Matrix.

Nothing (3a) Pro

While it's a step back to the last lineup, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is still excellent. I should know, before I used it for a full year as my primary phone. You'll get a Snapdragon 7 series chipset, Nothing OS 4.0 in the future, and a great design that stands out. It's sturdy for gaming and houses a reliable camera onboard. However, it is difficult to source outside of the UK.