I’ve been a big fan of Nothing, especially Nothing OS. I previously owned the Phone (1), and when it was time to upgrade, I compared different options and decided to go with the 4a Pro.
After using it for about a week, here are some negatives I’ve noticed. Most of these feel like things that could be improved with software updates.
Progress Bar
I think the progress bar could be more minimal. The arrow feels unnecessary and doesn’t look great, especially given the limited pixel space.
It would be nice to have customization options, or for Nothing to refine the design themselves. A cleaner look would also improve readability.
Glyph Matrix
It feels like Nothing changes its “gimmick” every year without giving the community enough time to fully embrace and develop features.
For example, introducing the Glyph Matrix on Phone (3), then doing something similar on the 4a Pro but in a more limited way—and not making Glyph Toys universal—feels counterintuitive.
Glyph Customization
The Glyph Matrix still feels a bit unfinished. There should be more customization options, like the ability to create or “draw” your own symbols.
The photo-to-glyph feature also needs improvement. Right now, the results are often unusable, and since you can’t edit them afterward, it limits their usefulness even more.
Essential Key
I like the new placement of the Essential Key—it feels much better on the 4a Pro.
However, when it comes to functionality, it feels like a missed opportunity that the key isn’t remappable. I understand Nothing is pushing Essential Space, but for many users (probably the majority), it’s not very useful—so the button ends up being underutilized.
Giving users the option to remap it (like some other brands do) would be a great addition and could even be a deciding factor when buying the phone.
More importantly, I feel like this directly affects the potential of the Glyph features. The 4a Pro could have functionality closer to Phone (3)’s Glyph system if the Essential Key could be remapped to interact with Glyph Toys.
For example, being able to use the Essential Key to trigger or control Glyph Toys would make the feature feel much more complete and connected. Right now, the hardware and software feel a bit disconnected, and keeping the Essential Key locked to Essential Space makes it feel like a missed opportunity—or even a bit forced.
Speaker Balance
The speaker balance feels off. The bottom speaker is much louder and overpowers the top speaker (earpiece), which makes audio feel unbalanced.
Camera Quality
The camera is a bit disappointing, especially the processing speed.
In low-light situations, the photo often looks good in the viewfinder and right when you press the shutter—but after processing, the final image can look completely different. For example, a dark, contrasty shot may turn overly bright and blown out, and moving subjects (like a pet) can look worse.
Video quality is also lacking. Stabilization feels jittery and not very smooth.
Additionally, I’ve had multiple instances where the camera app warns about dust or dirt on the lens—even when the lens is clean.
Battery Life
Compared to my Phone (1), the battery life isn’t a big improvement. It feels like it could benefit from better optimization, especially since other devices with similar battery sizes last longer.
Build Quality
This is a minor detail, but something I noticed: the LED diffusers in the Glyph Matrix seem slightly misaligned, which makes the lights look a bit uneven up close.
The matrix also doesn’t appear perfectly centered. It’s not a huge issue, but it’s noticeable if you look closely.
Power Button
This isn’t fixable via software, but I think the power/lock button should have a different texture than the volume buttons.
I’ve accidentally pressed it a few times when trying to adjust the volume, which can be frustrating.
Final Thoughts
I still really like the phone and Nothing OS, but these are the main areas where I think the experience could be improved—especially through software updates.
