grepGander Let us look at the actual reality here when it comes to hardware value, software support, and update frequencies.
The bigger picture here is the price to performance reality. A ₹35,000 phone is a mid range device in India, not a budget phone in today’s scenario. When we pay that kind of money, we expect the hardware and the software lifecycle to match the price tag.
While Nothing provides a bimonthly update schedule and a 3 years OS lifecycle, competitors are stepping up with monthly update deliveries for their mid tier devices and much longer overall software support (5-7 years). For example, Samsung explicitly provides a monthly update cadence for their mid range models like the Galaxy A55 and A57 5G.
Just look at what the direct competition is offering right now in terms of specs and software longevity:
Redmi Turbo 5: For the exact same price of ₹35,000, you get a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra processor, 7540 mAh silicon carbon battery with 100W fast charging, IP66/68/69/69K water resistance, faster LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, and 1.5K, 120 FPS amoled display with 3500 nits peak brightness and dolby vision.
Samsung Galaxy M47 5G: This one is priced way lower starting at ₹22,999, yet it offers a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip, ultra fast LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, 6000 mAh battery with 45W charging, bypass charging for gaming, and 6 generations of OS updates delivered on a reliable schedule.
Samsung Galaxy A27 5G: Starting at just ₹28,999, it is not only cheaper but offers a 6.7 inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display protected by Gorilla Glass Victus Plus. It is powered by Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, features an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance, and packs a 5000 mAh battery. Most impressively, Samsung guarantees 6 generations of OS upgrades and 6 years of software updates for this model.
I really want Nothing to succeed and I love the brand, but we have to be honest. You cannot put a ₹35k price tag on the Phone 4b, give it a plastic body, thick bezels, and slow 33W charging, and then use the budget phone excuse to justify those extreme compromises. Holding brands accountable is the only way we get better products as consumers.