Nothing is quite like this Android phone and | Tech News

UK-based tech firm Nothing has made a title for itself with daring and brashly designed smartphones, earbuds and headphones, and the new Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is no totally different – other than the actual fact it practically totally ditches the firm’s clear aesthetic for stark aluminium.

It’s on sale from March 27 however out there to pre-order now. I’ve had my SIM stashed within the (4a) Pro for 2 weeks to see if it’s an Android phone you need to think about spending your money on.

One strategy to review the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro can be to take its £499 price and evaluate it to the £499 Google Pixel 10a and the £599 iPhone 17e. I’d let you know that in comparison with these two telephones – from two industry-dominating titans – the (4a) Pro lacks full waterproofing and wi-fi charging, and it is going to solely get three years of Android model updates.

But shopping for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a choice of the guts, not the pinnacle. It’s a far more fascinating and thrilling buy than the tasteless Pixel and iPhone, and is a reminder that personal tech could be thoughtfully designed moderately than conform to expectation. That a startup is difficult the established order in this method is a trigger for celebration.

Your phone doesn’t need to be boring anymore.

The (4a) Pro launched alongside the cheaper Phone (4a), which has Nothing’s anticipated see-through back plate. The Pro has an totally new look with a small clear digital camera part throughout the highest on the back (to permit passthrough for NFC for contactless funds), with triple cameras and a distinctive round screen referred to as the ‘Glyph Matrix’ that has 137 LED lights.

This can be utilized when the phone is face down, programmable to show you incoming calls and messages from sure contacts, or warn you to no matter you need. You can set up no matter you like, although the low decision does imply it’s a little restricted in performance. I set it to show when my spouse has messaged or if I’ve a missed call, which went a surprisingly long strategy to stopping my phone distracting me during the work day.

The relaxation of the phone is a cool-to-the-touch aluminium, a breath of recent air in 2026. It is available in black, delicate pink or silver. It jogs my memory of the iPhone 6 or the HTC One M8 – Nothing cleverly capturing straight for the guts of this nostalgic millennial, whereas additionally interesting to Gen Z with its fashion-first social media presence.

Around the entrance is a large 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with up to 144Hz refresh price, spectacular at this price level. I want it was a smidge smaller, however this is additionally Nothing’s slimmest phone but at 7.95mm. IP65 water proofing means it could not survive a dunk within the pool, however for rain and splashes you’ll be high quality. For what it’s price, Nothing claims it’ll “handle full submersion in up to 25 cm of water for up to 20 minutes.” So shallow puddles solely, please!

These design tweaks make for a more premium-feeling phone than the £349 Phone (4a). But does spending £150 more make this phone “Pro”? I’m not so sure, given the triple cameras listed below are close to an identical to the cheaper model.

The solely distinction is that Nothing has used a sooner Sony sensor on the (4a) Pro, which I discovered was higher at autofocus, although when tapping to crop into a 2x digital zoom it typically didn’t re-focus, so I ended up with a number of blurry pictures. This is a very digital camera system with sharp, crisp pictures, however you do need to faucet to focus typically.

I’ll concede the Pixel 10a has a higher essential lens general, however the (4a) Pro encourages you to be more inventive with images because of pre-made and consumer created presets, that are primarily filters.

The telephoto lens gives 3.5 optical zoom, although it is a smaller sensor than on the Phone (3a) Pro from final yr. Despite that, you’re getting a succesful lens right here when the Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e don’t offer a telephoto in any respect. That mentioned, the 140x digital zoom is horrible.

The much less mentioned concerning the 8MP ultra-wide lens the higher – it’s not great. But at £499, you possibly can’t have the whole lot, together with a top-tier chipset. The phone makes use of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, although I discovered this more than enough energy given I’m not a cellular gamer. Spec hunters will complain, however this phone feels extremely responsive, although which may be down to Nothing’s secret weapon, which is its wonderful software program.

Nothing OS is fingers down my favorite phone software program, a very thought of tackle Android 16. It’s a disgrace you’ll solely get three years of platform updates to Android 19 in 2029, however Nothing will help the phone with six years of security patches to take you to 2032.

You can flip all app icons monochrome, which in darkish mode seems great, giving a minimalist look whereas taking away the attract of your distracting app icon colors. Widgets for media playback and climate are well-designed, and Nothing will quickly offer its Playground service that lets customers create their own.

Battery life is additionally great. I simply received two days on a charge, and though there’s no brick within the box, you possibly can refill from useless in an hour at 50W speeds with the right charger. On the opposite hand, the haptics (that is, the vibrations while you kind on the keyboard and different faucets) aren’t great, with an audible buzz in a quiet room. A nitpick, however a reminder of the cheaper parts.

Two weeks with the Phone (4a) Pro has been a welcome palate cleanser away from the homogenous trio of iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel. Nothing has pared back its design by utilizing steel, however this gadget nonetheless has baggage more persona than something Apple, Samsung or Google is offering.

You’ll compromise on a few issues reminiscent of digital camera consistency, waterproofing and wi-fi charging, but it surely’s a trade-off price making to get an Android phone that’s making an attempt to push the envelope moderately than look and really feel like its rivals.

Buy the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro