Nothing Phone 4a Review: Periscope Camera, New Glyph Bar & Big Battery – Worth Buying?
The new Nothing Phone 4a is finally here, and it looks like Nothing is taking the mid-range smartphone market much more seriously this time.
Earlier Nothing phones focused heavily on flashy design and the iconic Glyph lights. But with the Phone 4a, the company seems to be shifting towards a more balanced approach — better cameras, improved performance, and a larger battery.
So the big question is: Is the Nothing Phone 4a actually worth buying in 2026? Let’s find out in this detailed review.
Nothing Phone 4a Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 |
| RAM | 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Rear Camera | 50MP Main + 50MP Periscope Telephoto (3.5x) + 8MP Ultra-wide |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
| Battery | 5400mAh |
| Charging | 50W Fast Charging |
| OS | Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16) |
| Price in India | ₹31,999 (around ₹28K with offers) |
Design: The New Glyph Bar
The design of the Nothing Phone 4a still follows the brand’s transparent aesthetic, but there is a big change this year.
The traditional glyph lights are gone. Instead, the phone now features a new Glyph Bar made of 63 mini LEDs arranged across seven small squares.
This bar lights up for:
- Incoming calls
- Important notifications
- App progress indicators
- Recording indicator
The phone also comes in multiple colors including black, white, blue, and a unique pink variant that really stands out.
The phone weighs around 203g and comes with an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance.
Display: Sharper and Brighter
The Nothing Phone 4a now features a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display, which is an upgrade over the Full HD panel on the previous model.
Highlights of the display:
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Peak brightness up to 4500 nits
- HDR support on YouTube
- Better outdoor visibility
Watching movies and videos on this screen feels sharp and vibrant, although Netflix HDR support is still missing.
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Performance: Snapdragon 7S Gen 4
Powering the device is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor paired with UFS 3.1 storage.
This upgrade makes the phone noticeably faster in everyday tasks like:
- Multitasking
- Social media usage
- Video calls
- Streaming
Benchmark scores reach around 1.15 million on AnTuTu, which is solid for a phone in this price range.
In gaming, BGMI supports up to 120FPS, and during testing the phone maintained smooth performance with an average of around 100 FPS.
Battery Life
The battery has also been upgraded this year.
The Nothing Phone 4a packs a 5400mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day with mixed usage.
Screen-on time during testing reached around 7–8 hours.
Charging is handled by 50W fast charging, which takes roughly one hour to fully charge the phone.
Camera: The Biggest Upgrade
The biggest highlight of the Nothing Phone 4a is the new camera system.
The phone features:
- 50MP main camera
- 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto camera
- 8MP ultra-wide camera
The new periscope lens significantly improves zoom photography.
Zoom shots up to 7x remain sharp, and even 30x digital zoom is usable in good lighting.
The main camera captures:
- Natural skin tones
- Balanced HDR
- Good detail
Portrait mode also performs well thanks to improved depth detection.
Video recording supports:
- 4K 30FPS (rear camera)
- 1080p 60FPS (front camera)
Nothing OS 4.1 (Android 16)
One of the biggest advantages of Nothing phones is the software experience.
The Phone 4a runs Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16, offering:
- Clean interface
- No ads
- Smooth animations
- Dot-matrix design language
Some new features include:
- Essential Search
- Essential Space AI tool
- Custom widget creator (Playground)
- Private Space
The phone will receive 3 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches.
Nothing Phone 4a Pros and Cons
Pros
- Unique transparent design
- New glyph bar
- Sharp 1.5K AMOLED display
- Excellent periscope zoom camera
- Clean software experience
Cons
- Thick display bezels
- No charger in the box
- No HDR on Netflix
- Front camera limited to 1080p video
Price in India
The Nothing Phone 4a starts at around ₹31,999 in India.
With bank discounts and launch offers, the price drops to approximately ₹28,000.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy It?
The Nothing Phone 4a is easily one of the most interesting phones under ₹30,000.
It offers a unique design, a versatile camera system with a periscope lens, a sharp display, and a clean Android experience.
If you want something different from the usual smartphones while still getting solid performance and cameras, the Nothing Phone 4a is definitely worth considering.