Nothing Phone 4a review: A complete package at Rs 31,999

Pros:

Cons:

Price: Rs 31,999

Rating: 4.2/5

Nothing Technology has built a reputation for doing things a little differently in the crowded smartphone market. While many brands compete on sheer specifications, Nothing has focused on design, clean software and small but thoughtful features that stand out in everyday use.

Earlier this year, CEO Carl Pei made it clear that the company would not be launching a flagship phone in 2026. Instead, Nothing is doubling down on its mid-range strategy with the latest addition to its ‘a’ series, the Nothing Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro.

Launched earlier this month as the successor to the Nothing Phone 3a, the new device brings several upgrades, including a bigger battery, updated chipset and tweaks to the signature Glyph interface.

Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, the Nothing Phone 4a packs a 6.78-inch display, a 5,400mAh battery and a 50MP primary camera. I have been using the phone as my primary device for over a week, and here is how it performs in everyday use.

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Design: Similar yet different

Nothing has built its brand around distinctive design, and the Phone 4a continues that tradition. At first glance, the device looks similar to the Phone 3a, but there are subtle tweaks that give it a fresh identity.

The rear panel maintains the brand’s signature transparent design, offering a glimpse of the internal hardware layout. On the back, the phone features a pill-shaped camera island that houses the triple-camera setup.

However, the biggest design change this year lies in the Glyph interface.

Instead of the circular Glyph lighting seen in earlier models, the Phone 4a introduces a new Glyph bar pattern on the corner. The bar can be customised according to your preferences. For instance, you can assign the Glyph indicator to show volume levels, incoming notifications or ringtone alerts.

A particularly useful addition is the ability to mark “essential notifications”. These are specific alerts that trigger the Glyph lighting pattern. For example, I set up a rule where the Glyph lights up whenever a particular person messages me on WhatsApp. You can create multiple such rules, making the feature surprisingly practical.

The phone is not the slimmest device around, especially compared to its sibling the Phone 4a Pro, but at 8.5mm it still feels solid and well balanced in the hand. I have been using the white variant with silver accents, and it looks striking without feeling flashy.

The button placement is slightly unconventional. On the right edge, you get the volume controls along with the Essential Key that was introduced last year. The power button sits on the left side.

The first two are volume controls and right below sits the Essential Key.

Another welcome change this year is the colour palette. Alongside the classic white and black variants, the Phone 4a is also available in pink and blue, giving users more personality-driven choices.

Display: Big, bright and beautiful

The Nothing Phone 4a sports a large 6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

In everyday use, the display feels perfectly sized. Whether reading articles, watching movies, browsing social media or playing games, the screen offers a comfortable viewing experience. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and animations.

The fingerprint sensor is as smooth as a liquid. You can also customise the text below the fingerprint sensor to make it feel more personalised.

I also played a few rounds of Asphalt, and the display kept up without any stutters or frame drops.

Brightness levels are adequate as well. Even under direct sunlight, I could easily distinguish between darker tones and greys without struggling to read text.

The bezels are slightly thicker than some competing phones, but they are uniform on all sides, which helps maintain a visually balanced look.

Overall, the display on the Phone 4a is sharp, vibrant and immersive, making it well suited for entertainment as well as everyday tasks.

Performance: A smooth operator

Under the hood, the Phone 4a is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor and runs on Android 16. The phone is available in two storage options: 128GB and 256GB.

In daily use, the device proved to be quick and responsive. Whether I was scrolling through Instagram, watching videos on YouTube or switching between multiple apps, the phone handled everything without noticeable lag.

Multitasking is particularly smooth. I frequently jumped between WhatsApp chats, email apps and social media, and the device never struggled to keep up.

While I was not able to play much on the device, games like Asphalt ran quites smoothly on the phone. To put it out in numbers, the phone was put through benmark tests. And this was the result.

In the Geekbench test, the Nothing Phone 4a scores 1286 in single-core and 3331 in multi-core. For the game streaming, the Wild Life Stress test shows the phone has 98.7 per cent stability.

Another interesting aspect of the Phone 4a is the Essential AI tools.

The Essential Key works alongside Essential Space, which acts almost like a smart digital notebook. I found myself using it similar to a visual bookmarking tool. Whenever I came across something interesting, I simply pressed the Essential Key to capture it.

The system automatically records the source of the screenshot and organises it within the Essential Space. Nothing describes it as a “secondary memory”, and the description fits.

Essential Space

Essential Space allows users to capture ideas, screenshots, photos or voice notes. The AI processing then generates summaries, extracts key information and even creates reminders for upcoming events.

Over time, Essential Space is expected to sync across devices such as phones, laptops and desktops, ensuring that saved information remains accessible everywhere.

The phone runs Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16. The interface remains clean, visually consistent and largely free of bloatware.

Nothing OS

In fact, software is arguably where Nothing stands out the most. While the company often emphasises design, the OS experience deserves equal praise. Nothing OS offers extensive customisation through widgets, shortcuts and personalised controls that make the interface feel unique compared to most Android skins.

Battery: A marathon runner

The Nothing Phone (4a) packs a 5,400mAh battery, and the best way I ended up testing it was not in a lab, but at a two-day wedding in Rishikesh. The phone itself was already a bit of a conversation starter thanks to its design, but what impressed me more was how effortlessly it kept going through the day.

The Nothing Phone 4a supports Type-C port. Out of the box, Nothing only offers the Type-C to Type-C cable, and no adapter.

Coincidentally, the pre-wedding festivities fell on the same evening as the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final. And let’s be honest, that is not a match you skip, even for a wedding.

Here is how the day unfolded. I charged the phone to 100 per cent at 6 AM before leaving. The journey to Rishikesh took roughly six hours. During that time, the phone was constantly in use. Sometimes I was scrolling through Instagram, other times replying to messages on WhatsApp, occasionally taking photos, and occasionally just letting the screen rest while I dozed off.

By the time we reached the venue, the celebrations had already begun. Between greeting people and attending the first function, I continued clicking photos and checking messages. Later in the evening, while getting ready for the cocktail event, the phone doubled up as my music player as I listened to Spotify.

Then came the main event of the evening, at least for the cricket fans in the room. I switched to the match and ended up watching it for nearly three straight hours. By the time the final overs wrapped up, the phone was still going strong.

That is why I call the Nothing Phone 4a a marathon runner. It is the kind of phone you charge once in the morning and simply stop thinking about for the rest of the day. Even after heavy usage, there is still enough battery left at night for a bit of late-night scrolling in bed.

Another pleasant surprise was how cool the phone stayed. Despite streaming the match and constant use throughout the day, it never felt noticeably warm in the hand. It just kept running smoothly, almost effortlessly.

Camera: Clear and crisp rear camera

The Nothing Phone 4a features a triple-camera setup consisting of a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP periscope camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera.

In well-lit conditions, the camera captures detailed and sharp images. Colours appear natural and the dynamic range is fairly balanced.

However, this is also where the phone’s biggest compromise becomes visible.

At times, the camera struggles with focus, resulting in hazy images. The Phone 4a may occasionally fall behind competitors when it comes to fine texture reproduction and HDR processing in complex scenes.

Low-light photography is decent thanks to Night Mode, which improves brightness and clarity. That said, the processing does take a little longer compared to some rivals.

On the other hand, the front camera performs impressively. The 32MP selfie camera captures vivid images with good skin tones.

Portrait mode also works well, offering reliable edge detection and pleasing background blur.

Nothing Phone 4a review: Is it worth it?

After using the Nothing Phone 4a as my primary device for more than a week, it is clear that the phone succeeds in delivering a well-rounded experience.

At Rs 31,999, the device offers a combination that is difficult to ignore. The design remains distinctive, the display is vibrant, performance is reliable and the battery life is excellent. On top of that, the clean and customisable software experience makes the phone feel refreshingly different from many Android competitors.

The Essential Key and Essential Space features also add an interesting layer of productivity that could become more useful over time as the ecosystem evolves.

The only area where the phone feels slightly inconsistent is the camera, particularly when it comes to focus and processing in challenging lighting conditions.

Even with that limitation, the overall package remains strong. For users looking for a stylish mid-range phone with dependable performance and standout battery life, the Nothing Phone 4a proves to be a compelling choice.