I gave final 12 months’s Nothing Phone 3A Pro a coveted CNET Editors’ Selection Award, so the Nothing Telephone 4A Professional had some actually massive footwear to fill. It makes some dramatic adjustments to the design, however the brand new cellphone packs in a hell of loads to take care of its predecessor’s fame. From its strong efficiency to its well-rounded digital camera setup, it ticks all of the bins you’d need from an on a regular basis Android cellphone — and sprinkles in some enjoyable extras like its quirky Glyph Matrix show on the again.
However the Nothing Telephone 4A Professional has an even bigger ace up its sleeve: the value.
8.0
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional
Like
Reasonably priced worth
Engaging design
Nice digital camera efficiency
Don’t love
Fewer years of software program help than rivals
Battery life may very well be higher
At $499 in the US and £499 in the UK, the Telephone 4A Professional is definitely inexpensive, coming in at the very same worth as its predominant competitor, the Google Pixel 10A. Whereas the Pixel has some factors in its favor, I largely most well-liked the Nothing’s digital camera efficiency and I feel it is a way more attention-grabbing cellphone to have a look at — particularly with that rear show. Whereas the Pixel 10A is a protected mid-ranger, Nothing’s cellphone feels a bit extra like a wildcard. It actually has extra persona, and for those who like the thought of getting one thing that stands out from the group, it is undoubtedly the one to go for.
Here is what you must learn about this inexpensive Android cellphone.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional: Pink design with Glyph Matrix
I will be trustworthy: One in all my favourite issues concerning the cellphone is its pink coloration. Sure, that makes me extraordinarily shallow, however I am actually tremendous with that. I like pink devices. I managed to turn my cosmic orange iPhone 17 Pro pink with chemicals, and I had a custom pink wrap placed on my costly Leica Q3 43. It is a refined pink, somewhat than hot pink like the old Motorola Razr V3, nevertheless it’s a enjoyable coloration that does not take itself too significantly — and that is refreshing. Would I wish to see the subsequent mannequin go eye-meltingly magenta? Completely.
So lots of at present’s telephones are available dreary shades of black, silver or grey, so I genuinely admire when a model injects a bit extra persona into the combination. That mentioned, Nothing has made some important design adjustments right here over its predecessor. The corporate is thought for its see-through plastic-back telephones that present among the parts beneath, together with its “Glyph” LED gentle patterns. I cherished that look on the 3A Professional and the Nothing Phone 1 and a couple of earlier than it.
The Glyph Matrix is arguably a little bit of a gimmick.
There may be nonetheless a component of that right here, nevertheless it’s been gathered up and squashed into the digital camera bar, with roughly 70% of the cellphone now being a plain expanse of aluminum. The aluminum feels premium to carry, particularly contemplating the value, however cowl up the digital camera bar and you possibly can be principally another cellphone. The bar itself appears attention-grabbing, with seen screw heads serving to to take care of that industrial really feel. It is also the place you may discover the three digital camera lenses and the Glyph Matrix launched on final 12 months’s higher-priced $799 Nothing Phone 3.
The Matrix is basically a round dot-matrix show that may show data such because the time, battery stage or incoming notifications. However Nothing has opened the Glyph as much as enable builders or customers to create their very own instruments, resembling a countdown timer for an arriving Uber automobile. The Telephone 3’s Glyph Matrix was contact delicate, permitting it to make use of what Nothing referred to as “Glyph toys,” resembling spin the bottle, whereas the 4A Professional’s is just a show.
I discovered these options considerably gimmicky, and the brand new Glyph Matrix — used as a show somewhat than an interactive toy — loses little when it comes to performance whereas providing a greater general expertise. I do not assume it is a killer characteristic by any means, however with the ability to shortly look on the clock or a timer has been fairly helpful all through my testing of the system. And if nothing else, it actually units the cellphone other than any others, particularly from the Pixel 10A’s easy digital camera cutout, which I feel appears exceptionally uninteresting by comparability.
Nearly all of the cellphone is simply an expanse of pink metallic. I undoubtedly assume Nothing may have finished extra right here.
The cellphone is IP65-rated, defending it from spills or taking calls within the rain. That doubtless makes it as dust-resistant as most different telephones, although it might not survive extended submersion in water like gadgets with an IP68 score. Nothing says the corporate makes use of recycled plastics, metal, aluminum and tin within the system’s development, giving it the bottom carbon footprint of any of its telephones.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional: Processor and software program
Powering the cellphone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip together with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. I reviewed the 12GB mannequin and located it satisfyingly swift in on a regular basis use. Navigating across the Android interface was stutter-free, apps opened shortly and the graphically demanding sport Genshin Influence performed easily sufficient for informal players, even at high-quality settings.
Benchmark testing places it barely under the Pixel 10A, however hardly by a lot. It is not probably the most highly effective cellphone available on the market, nevertheless it’s bought greater than sufficient grunt for all of your every day wants.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional efficiency in contrast
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional 1,322 4,115 2,105Pixel 10A 1,664 3,984 2,579
- Geekbench 6 (single core)
- Geekbench 6 (multi-core)
- 3DMark Wildlife Excessive
It runs Android 16 with Nothing’s customized pores and skin on prime, which transforms a lot of the interface right into a stark, monochrome expertise. I do not adore it, largely as a result of the shortage of coloration cues makes it more durable for me to tell apart between app icons — a difficulty I additionally encountered with the Leica UI on the Xiaomi Leitzphone.
Nonetheless, you possibly can change the theme to a extra typical interface for those who additionally want extra coloration, and I do like the assorted Nothing widgets you possibly can set up and the Personal Area that means that you can cover delicate apps and pictures behind a password.
Nothing’s interface turns the icons black and white, making them a bit more durable to tell apart at a look.
You may discover Nothing’s Important Area onboard, a productiveness app the corporate launched on its telephones final 12 months. It is principally a repository for screenshots and voice notes that can assist you make sense of your stream of consciousness all through the day. It makes use of a devoted {hardware} button on the facet of the cellphone. Press and maintain it to take a screenshot of no matter you are viewing, then report a voice observe to recollect why it mattered — whether or not that is saving essential data or reminding your self to purchase one thing later.
I like Important Area. It is genuinely helpful, particularly for individuals who consider random duties all through the day however overlook them by the point they’re really in a position to do one thing about them. I really set the Motion button on my iPhone 16 Pro to report a voice observe for these moments. However the voice memos on my iPhone are simply saved in a generic listing, whereas Nothing’s Important Area actively tries to make sense of your recordings and screenshots for you by transcribing them and making them simply searchable. It is certainly not the rationale to decide on a Nothing cellphone over one other system, nevertheless it’s a helpful further to play with.
Nothing is promising three years of Android updates and a complete of six years of safety updates for the Telephone 4A Professional, that means it ought to nonetheless be protected to make use of in 2032. I might wish to see extra beneficiant software program updates (the Pixel 10A will get each software program and safety updates for seven years), however the safety help is the principle factor right here, as that instantly pertains to the cellphone’s lifespan.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional: Cameras
On the again is a trio of cameras, together with a 50-megapixel predominant digital camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto digital camera with 3.5x optical zoom and an 8-megapixel ultrawide digital camera. That is a fairly strong lineup of lenses for a budget-focused cellphone, and I have been pleasantly shocked at their efficiency, too.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, predominant digital camera.
Taken with the principle digital camera, this shot is vivid and vibrant. There’s loads of element, too. It is a formidable picture, notably for a price range cellphone.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, ultrawide digital camera.
There is a noticeable coloration shift when switching to the ultrawide lens. The blue sky is much less vibrant and the inexperienced grass appears way more muted within the wider model. It is a disgrace to see such important variations between the 2 focal lengths, however that is widespread on cheaper telephones.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, predominant digital camera
It is the identical right here, too: vibrant blues and wealthy greens when taken with the principle digital camera.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, ultrawide digital camera
The themes of the picture are trying a bit extra muted when the ultrawide involves play. It is not a foul picture by any means, and the variations are nicely inside what I might anticipate, nevertheless it’s value protecting in thoughts for those who completely crave hyper-vibrant ultrawide pictures if you’re out in your travels.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, 3.5x zoom.
I took this from the identical standing place as the photographs above, however switched to the three.5x optical zoom. It is an incredible shot, with clear particulars and well-balanced publicity.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, 7x zoom.
At 7x mixed optical and digital zoom among the finer particulars change into a bit extra mushy, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a superbly good snap for sharing with your loved ones and associates over WhatsApp or Instagram.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, predominant digital camera.
Pixel 10A, predominant digital camera.
I took some comparisons with the Pixel 10A and this shot actually stood out to me. The Nothing’s picture is noticeable brighter and extra vivid, particularly relating to the vivid pink of the pizza store’s awning. The Pixel’s shot is arguably extra pure and balanced, which may make it a greater base for additional modifying, however I am undecided that is particularly essential on price range telephones like these. I am extra eager to see punchy pictures which can be able to share straight out of digital camera — and the Nothing takes the win right here.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, predominant digital camera.
Pixel 10A, predominant digital camera
It is the identical story right here, with the Nothing Telephone 4A Professional producing a way more vibrant shot than the Pixel’s.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional, predominant digital camera.
Pixel 10A, predominant digital camera.
I do want the Pixel’s effort on this scene, nevertheless. The inexperienced ivy appears way more pure and emerald in its shot, whereas the Nothing’s hotter tones have made the leaves extra of a yellowy-green. It actually comes down to private desire although: If you’d like massive, punchy colours, then go along with Nothing. Should you want pure tones with sensible saturation, the Pixel is for you.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional: Battery and charging
The cellphone packs a 5,080-mAh battery, which the corporate claims gives you 17 hours of blended use. That’ll actually rely upon how demanding you’re of your cellphone. On our streaming rundown check, it dropped nearly 10% after its first hour and was right down to solely 73% after the third hour. That is nicely under common — and under what the Pixel 10A achieved throughout the identical check.
It’s a very intense check, nevertheless, and not likely consultant of the way you’d use your cellphone all through a mean day. Hold issues extra smart and also you should not battle an excessive amount of to get a day trip of it. Conserving the display screen brightness down will assist, and you may in all probability need to keep away from streaming hours of YouTube movies except you are inside dashing distance of an influence outlet. It has 50-watt wired charging to get the ability again in shortly, although you may want to supply your individual appropriate quick charger.
The digital camera bar with the Glyph stands out a little bit.
Nothing Telephone 4A Professional: Do you have to purchase it?
The Nothing Telephone 4A is a uncommon instance of a cellphone that comes with an inexpensive worth and does not demand you make too many sacrifices because of this. Certain, it is not probably the most highly effective cellphone round, nevertheless it’ll cope admirably with nearly any of your every day necessities, whereas its cameras put in an incredible present, delivering vibrant, sharp pictures from all of its rear lenses.
I even just like the quirky design — particularly that pink coloration — and the seven years of safety help is a welcome contact at this worth. It does not fairly match the Pixel 10A’s processing energy and battery life, nevertheless it’s not far off, and I feel it exceeds Google’s cellphone in digital camera high quality and design. Neither cellphone has the most effective cameras round; you may have to look towards the Xiaomi Leitzphone for that nevertheless it’ll actually value you a minimum of thrice as a lot.
For its worth, the Nothing Telephone 4A Professional packs in all the pieces you’d anticipate from an on a regular basis cellphone and is nicely value contemplating if you need a brand new Android handset that will not break the financial institution.
