The Nothing Phone (4a) series is now official as the company’s latest mid-range lineup. I spent a few days with the standard Phone (4a) to understand who it’s meant for and what it gets right, and what it doesn’t. This article summarises those impressions by highlighting the key strengths and shortcomings of the Nothing Phone (4a), which starts at Rs 31,999 in India. For a deeper look and to see how it stacks up against the competition, check out our full Nothing Phone (4a) review.
Table of Contents
Reasons to buy the Nothing Phone (4a)
Distinctive transparent design with new Glyph Bar
The Nothing Phone (4a) continues the brand’s signature semi-transparent aesthetic, which still stands out in a sea of similar-looking smartphones. The OEM has also redesigned the elements to give a more minimalistic look to the smartphone, while the new Glyph Bar adds a fresh visual identity. The bar may not be as dynamic as previous Glyph implementations, but it still provides practical notification cues, progress indicators, and visual alerts.
Bright AMOLED display with good multimedia experience
The smartphone features a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits. Colours appear punchy in the default ‘Alive’ profile, while the ‘Standard’ mode offers a more natural tone. Combined with reasonably loud stereo speakers, the device provides a satisfying viewing experience for videos, gaming, and everyday browsing.
Useful 3.5x periscope telephoto camera
A major highlight of the Phone (4a) is its 50MP tetra-prism periscope telephoto camera. With 3.5x optical zoom (around 80mm equivalent), it delivers strong portrait shots with accurate skin tones, good subject separation, and natural-looking bokeh. Periscope lenses are still uncommon in this price segment, making this a valuable addition for users who enjoy portrait photography.
Clean and fluid software experience
Nothing OS 4.1, based on Android 16, offers a clean and uncluttered interface with minimal pre-installed apps. The monochrome UI theme gives the system a distinctive look, while thoughtful additions like the Smart App Drawer and Essential Space provide extra functionality without overwhelming the user.
Reliable everyday performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset with up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and an upgraded 256GB storage, the Phone (4a) handles everyday tasks comfortably. Multitasking, social media, streaming, and casual gaming run smoothly, making it a dependable device for most users.
Reasons to avoid
Average primary, ultrawide, and selfie cameras
While the telephoto lens performs well, the rest of the camera system is less impressive. The handset sports a 50MP primary camera, which delivers natural colours but lacks fine detail and dynamic range in challenging lighting. Other than that, its 8MP ultrawide sensor shows noticeable softness, and the 32MP selfie camera struggles with accurate skin tones and detail retention.
Not ideal for heavy gamers
Although the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 provides solid everyday performance, it is not the most powerful chipset in its segment. Extended gaming sessions can cause the phone to warm up, and performance may not match rivals aimed at gaming enthusiasts. The similarly priced OnePlus Nord 5 (review) excels in this department, with a more promising chipset and battery capacity.
Glossy back panel attracts smudges
The transparent back looks visually appealing but tends to pick up fingerprints easily, particularly on darker colour variants. While a case is included in the box, it feels fairly basic and slightly detracts from the phone’s otherwise premium feel. The phone also comes with a slightly inferior IP64 water and dust resistance rating. You have smartphones within the segment that now come with IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings.
Some missing features
The absence of NFC for contactless payments may be disappointing for some users. Additionally, the in-display fingerprint sensor sits quite low on the display, which can make it slightly awkward to reach.
The Nothing Phone (4a) sale in India starts online via Flipkart from March 13th onwards. The phone comes in four colour options: Black, White, Blue, and Pink.
