- Periscope lens with 3.5x zoom
- Long battery life
- Excellent value
- Longer software support would be nice
- Average low-light photography
Remember when phones used to be fun? From the Nokia lipstick phone to the OG Motorola Razr, our phones used to be a fashion statement. Now, we all have the same boring slab, with the only personality coming from whatever case we throw on it. Fortunately, a few brands are bucking that trend, and the Nothing Phone 4a is the perfect example.
With its transparent design, flashy glyph bar, and slick, minimalist interface, the Nothing Phone 4a is proof that, yes, even in 2026, phones can still be fun.
What we like about the Nothing Phone 4a
Oh-so-cool design. Once again, Nothing has leaned into the retro-futuristic aesthetic for the Phone 4a, with a transparent glass back revealing screws and components aplenty, available in white, black, pink and blue. The glyph matrix found on the Nothing Phone 3a has been swapped out for a sleek glyph bar, which functions mostly in the same way, allowing you to set timers and receive notifications with your phone faced down. As a bonus, Nothing has thrown in a clear case to keep the phone safe while still displaying what makes it so unique.
The front of the Nothing Phone 4a has also had an update, with a slightly larger 6.78-inch display that's 50% brighter than its predecessor and now protected by Gorilla Glass. The same IP64 water and dust resistance remains, which isn't the best on the market, but it still managed to survive several trips to the beach. The Essential Key (used to access Nothing's AI-powered Essential Space) has also been thoughtfully relocated to the other side of the phone. It's a welcome change given how often I accidentally pressed it on the Phone 3a.
Excellent battery life. During my testing of the Nothing Phone 4a, I took it with me on holiday. It came with me to the beach for long, gratuitous photoshoots of my dog, spent hours playing Marvel Snap and Potion Permit, and logged far too much time on TikTok and Instagram. Even with up to eight hours of screen time, I'd often find myself at 50% battery before bed. At that rate, who even needs a portable charger?
New periscope lens. 3.5x optical zoom is practically unheard of in a phone under $600, but thanks to the Nothing Phone 4a's addition of a 50MP periscope lens to the existing 50MP main lens and 8MP ultrawide lens from last year, that's exactly what it can do. In fact, it managed to retain detail up to about 15x zoom, in my testing. You can push that zoom all the way to 70x, but I'd advise against it, unless you're going for that blurry, garbled look.
Nothing Phone 4a camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Nothing Phone 4a. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
Fantastic performance for the price. The Nothing Phone 4a is not a flagship phone, but its Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 is more than qualified enough to power you through everything from day-to-day tasks like emails and messaging to keeping you on top of that Fortnite leaderboard. It also helps that the Phone 4a runs on the lightweight NothingOS, which is pretty close to stock Android, with the added benefit of features like the aforementioned Essential Space. The Singapore model comes with a generous 12GB RAM (4 more than international variants) and 256GB of storage for $599.
What we dislike about the Nothing Phone 4a
Shorter software update commitment. If you're someone who likes to use their phone until it dies, the Nothing Phone 4a may do so sooner than you'd like, with just three years of software updates and five years of security updates. That's not terrible, but it's still behind the six years on offer for both software and security for Samsung's cheaper A36 phone.
Low-light photography woes. One of my biggest gripes about last year's Nothing Phone 3a was its average low-light photography performance, and unfortunately, the Phone 4a hasn't made much of an improvement. If you can manage to get your subject (and your hands) perfectly still and at the right distance, you might be able to capture something decent. Otherwise, the result is a bit of a muddy mess.
No wireless charging. This isn't personally a dealbreaker, and it's not necessarily a guaranteed feature on mid-range phones, but it's important to keep in mind that, if you already have a bunch of wireless chargers, the Nothing Phone 4a will not work with them. Fortunately, the 50W wired charging can fully charge the device in around an hour.
Nothing Phone 4a - Final thoughts
The Nothing Phone 4a is what happens when smartphone manufacturers start having fun again. The internals are what you'd expect for this price range, but it's the design and overall vibe that elevate the Phone 4a above its competition. That, and the addition of the new, surprisingly capable periscope lens (capable of 3.5x zoom) and a battery that can power you through today and tomorrow, make this the phone to beat under $600.
