You get a lot of intent in the smartphone space. Brands with marketing campaigns that signal that intent. But not all brands walk that talk. Nothing is a rare exception. Design has remained the calling card for this London-based consumer electronics company that has followed intent with execution. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro — one of the brand’s most ambitious smartphones in it’s five-year plus run, is part of this design vision. It’s tough to sell a smartphone in any market, especially India, purely on its design proposition. Does the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro have more than just standout design going for it? We certainly think so:

Design

The OnePlus Nord 4 with its all-metal design remains one of my favourite smartphones from the 2020s. It’s the same reason I am enamoured by the 4a Pro’s love for metal. It marks a departure of sorts for Nothing and it’s trademark transparent design but it’s a detour we approve. This device opts for an aircraft-grade aluminium unibody chassis, it comes in three gorgeous finishes including our favourite — the Silver. Nothing tells us that at 7.95 mm, it’s also the thinnest full-metal phone out there. It weighs just above 200 gm, yet doesn’t feel clunky in your hand. This is a device you’re likely to place face down in a meeting room or a café to make an impression.

‘Camera plateau’ might be an appropriate description for the real estate on the top rear corner of the device. It combines a unique rear camera arrangement with the newest iteration of Nothing’s distinct glyph interface. The fun, new Glyph Matrix might remind you of the version on the brand’s flagship Nothing Phone (3) from 2025. The 4a Pro version brings 137 mini-LEDs together. You can use it for notifications or lean on a long list of Glyph Toys that add to the device’s overall design-led experience. Like most Nothing smartphones before it, the 4a Pro’s design might evoke a strong sense of love or loathe; we’re in the love camp. Nothing 4.1 OS is one of our favourite versions of Android with a user interface that complements Nothing’s predilection for industrial design. There are brands that offer more customisation options with their spins on Android but Nothing scores with its minimalist UI. Nothing only offers three years of Android OS updates (aside from six years of security updates) that is a dampener.

Display

There are spec sheets and then there’s actual display performance, especially when your smartphone is under direct sunlight. The display on the 4a Pro is one of the ‘visible’ improvements over its predecessor and it’s less expensive sibling — the Nothing Phone (4a). The 6.83-inch AMOLED display (1260 x 2800 pixels / 440 PPI) features a 1.5K resolution and a 144 Hz refresh rate. Visibility is excellent under harsh light outdoors where the display hits a peak brightness of 1600 nits, the overall peak brightness is at 5000 nits. The display offers HDR support for YouTube; I didn’t miss the lack of HDR support on Netflix while I watched ‘Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere’ on that platform. Visuals were smooth and sharp with vibrant colours. Nothing keeps bezels to a bare minimum with a 93.4 per cent screen-to-body ratio, adding to its immersive appeal.

Camera

100x zoom on a smartphone camera is akin to a long range missile you hope you never need because you’re unsure about it’s true range and accuracy. The 4a Pro stretches this even further with a 140x zoom. Most smartphones rely heavily on AI tools once the zoom cam goes beyond ‘short range’ capabilities. We found the 4a Pro delivered decent results up to 10x zoom. Aside from its zoom capabilities, we think the 4a Pro is one of the most versatile and balanced mobile shooters under 40K.

Lowlight images are quite impressive, the rear cam set up combines a 50MP (f/1.88 aperture) primary lens with a 50MP periscope telephoto (with 3.5x optical zoom) and a 8MP ultra-wide lens. Selfie duties are handled by a 32MP front cam. Nothing offers a range of pre-sets that allow you to create your own distinctive look. It’s a great add-on that makes the camera experience more engaging. Overall, we think that the images and the videos shot on the 4a Pro make the cut for your social media feed.

Performance

From the POCO X8 Pro Max to the upcoming OnePlus Nord 6, there’s a whole bunch of options if you’re a heavy duty user or extreme gamer. The 4a Pro is not gunning for that audience. What you get is a hardware spec sheet that is ready for everyday tasks, a spot of gaming and multi-tasking. At its heart is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. We tested the 12GB/256GB variant, the device also comes in 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB options.

The 4a Pro performed well in our tests with scores above 3900 in our Geekbench (multi-core) benchmark tests. It’s certainly not in the top-tier but it’s no slouch either. Battery performance is quite solid too. The 5400 mAh battery comfortably lasted over a day with moderate to heavy use. It offers support for up to 50W of wired charging, but there’s no charging brick in the box. There’s no wireless charging, a feature we would like to see in the future.

Verdict

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a great option for buyers seeking an escape from bland smartphone experiences. Nothing leverages on its design philosophy with a great blend of industrial design and a user interface that’s easy on the eye. The device also scores on the key features that matter for most users making it easy to recommend for anyone in the market for a mid-range smartphone.

Snapshot

Price: ₹39,999 onwards

Pros: Pros Design and metal build, camera experience, vibrant display

Cons: Only 3 years of OS updates, no wireless charging

Published on April 1, 2026