Nothing Phone 4a, the first 10 days…
First of all, a huge thank you to Nothing for the opportunity to try out a device before its release. I was very surprised when I received the email.
The delivery to Germany was slightly delayed, so I kept checking Slack to see who had already received a device and, most importantly, which color.
The day of delivery arrived, and I have to admit I was hoping it wasn’t the black model.
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…And what can I say, it even came in my desired color.
The color was already a real eye-catcher in the first pictures, but after unpacking it and seeing it in person for the first time, it’s even better.
It’s not a typical “women’s color”; it’s a statement. The transparent back, Nothing’s trademark since day one, combined with a subtle yet striking pink, is a defiant challenge to the boring mid-range smartphones.
Setting it up was quick and easy, as my data was transferred from my Nothing Phone 3. The build quality is solid and perfect, as you’d expect from Nothing. Glass on the front and back, and an aluminum frame coated with plastic.
The button layout is new, as in the past, some users had inexplicably pressed the Essential Button instead of the Power Button by mistake. I didn’t have any issues with the buttons on my Nothing Phone 3. And I found the layout practical, as I prefer the volume buttons opposite the power button. There’s a reason for this. Anyone who takes screenshots using the buttons or wants to restart the device uses the volume and power button combination, which is more convenient when they’re opposite each other.
So be it, I don’t really like the new layout.
After setting it up, I went through the settings/menus and apps… How smoothly does the system run with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4? Yes, as expected, Nothing OS runs buttery smooth on the Phone 4a. You don’t notice much of a difference in everyday performance compared to the
Nothing Phone 3.
I spent the first few days using the device a lot for social media and taking various photos.
The undisputed highlight is the camera. At least when it comes to the main sensor and the telephoto camera. The ultrawide is more like standard fare for the mid-range, but Nothing already proved with the 2a, which had a 50MP sensor, that it can be done better.
Be that as it may, the periscope camera is more important, and the price has to stay within reason.
I don’t want to give a final verdict just yet; that will come later. But spoiler alert: The camera is a very good tool for social media and creatives. It performs well, and the camera and gallery apps have been further improved with even more features.
In addition to the new frames distributed via the gallery app in the update, AI features have also been added. These include the ability to remove reflections and people from photos.
A few quick photo impressions…
It’s simply a lot of fun to take the device out and rediscover the world through the lenses of the 4a. Aside from the camera, what else did I discover about the Nothing Phone 4a? The Glyph Bar on the back, with 63 mini LEDs arranged in 7 squares, boasts a brightness of up to 3500 nits. However, where there’s light, there’s also shadow… you can adjust the brightness of the Glyph Bar to three different levels, but there’s no automatic brightness adjustment as there’s no sensor. Otherwise, notifications can be displayed via the Glyph Bar, just like with the old glyphs. While I used the glyphs on my old Nothing Phone 3a Pro to illuminate the camera when taking photos, it’s not quite as convenient with the Glyph Bar. It’s still bright enough, though. The stereo speakers are loud and have good sound for a mid-range phone. Since I mainly use them for listening to voice messages and prefer my Nothing Headphone 1 for music, I can’t say much more about them. Another notable feature is its relative lightness for its size. The battery life is solid, though often shorter than the battery capacity would suggest. Did I still manage to get through the day? Yes, and if things got a little tight, thankfully you can quickly recharge it. Overall, I got along very well with the device for the first 10 days, thanks in no small part to Nothing’s generally excellent work. I’m curious about the last 15 days or so of my testing period and whether it will ultimately be completely convincing and for whom the device would be worthwhile. …it remains to be seen…
