The Nothing Phone 4a has built on what worked with the 3a series in terms of software and hardware, with new options and colours for those who need a bit of colour in their phone choices.
Any other questions about the device from my testing? Post a comment or DM.
I’ve been testing the Nothing Phone 4a for the past month and these are my thoughts after 30 days using and testing the Phone 4a with my take as a long term 3a user, with experience in Phone 1, 2 and 3/3a.
I was sent the 12GB RAM, 256gb variant in BLUE to test and provide feedback to nothing as part of the community Review program, thanks once again for letting me get involved.
👀 Looks and design:
The 4a has a similar layout and feel to the Phone 3a which has been my daily use phone for the past year. The 4a retains the clear elements on the back of the phone with Nothing uses know and love with a new take on the visible internal elements and an upgraded glyph bar which runs down the upper side of the phone to the right of the camera module, which as Glyph concepts go, I prefer compared to the curved lights seen on 1, 2 and 3/3a series.
I think a bar is a maturer take on the Glyph interface, and appears more tool-like by nature. This can be used for notifications, countdowns, ringtones and fill lights. I’m more than happy with a bar. Really for glyphs, I use them for priority notifications from my girlfriend and sometimes as a different lighting option for filing/photos in the dark so this still works and I like the uniform/linear design of the bar.
Dimensions are practically the same with the exception of a more rounded corner on 4a compared to the 3a making it feel at least of being slightly narrower and from my experience easier and more comfortable to hold.
The physical buttons on the 4a have had a shuffle and the essential key is on the left hand, top side of the phone to avoid accidental presses. The power buttons and volume keys have been shifted upwards compared to the 3a, again, avoiding accidental activations. I like the new layout of buttons, power and volume, I think it makes sense based on user feedback from 3a while I don’t mind either, ergonomically, it makes sense.
I think the design of the 4a is a clear step forward, while retaining known and liked aspects of the 3a series which I think most users loved the look of. Maturity is again the word I think best explaining the overall design of the 4a. Oh and this blue colour option is a great shade. I’v’e loved the black and white of Nothings’' designs but this blue is pure FIRE.
Screen resolution and brightness has also been updated and this really makes a noticeable difference in using/watching video and for editing photos in the Nothing gallery and for browsing media.
😎 OS and updates:
The 4a doesn’t have too much different under the hood (compared to 3a) other than running out of the box on Nothing OS 4.1 which is still building on the ever developing operating system. There are a lot of little tweaks with regards to tutorials with the camera app and Nothing essental apps, including the Essential Space, guiding those new to nothing how to get the most out of their applications. The Essential search helps you find whatever you need from device within apps from your home screen or app drawer and very effective.
Essential Space I use daily and helps me keep track of reminders, recording quick voice notes to turn automatically into reminds, to do lists of calendar events. I’m looking forward to seeing this progress, Nothing is onto a winner with this one….
Throughout use, there’s been no really issues or jitters, smooth and clean animations and navigation, excellent battery life. Can’t wait to see what else Nothing develops and builds on with future updates. During testing I did have an issue installing an update but this has been resolved with some help from support, nothing major and resolved no one else really seemed to have this issue.
📸 Camera and sound:
While on paper the camera updates from 3a and 4a might sound minimal, the impact is extremely noticeable and for the better. The combination of a slightly larger Sony Sensor, a periscope lense telephoto which enable up to 70 x zoom gives a really good versatility to the camera. The ongoing software development to the camera app increasing options to tweak the photos being taken at source, with OS4.1 adding live photo turning and filters. The nothing gallery has also included further image tuning and AI additions including glare/reflection removal, object and person removal being completed on device, which is very capable from my testing. Front facing camera has a slightly wider FOV compared to the 3a. Sound, much like 3a, can lose definition at highest volume, but who does that, the bottom speaker packs a punch and the earpiece speaker helps to pump out goos stereo sound from my usage. No problems here.
🖼 PHOTO EXAMPLES FROM 4a
🤔 Overall, is it worth it?
The 4a is a refined update on top of the 3a series. The Phone 4a as a whole is a subtle update and, I believe a clear and progressive refinement of the (a) series of phones. With upgrades across the areas that matter, improvement in ergonomics of the shape of the phone, improved performance with the upgraded processor, software, slight battery size increase and camera hardware makes the phone a pleasure to use and to look at in equal measure.
I’ve had no issues with performance or lag in any scenarios, and hadn’t with the 3a prior to this. The updated storage speed with UFS 3.1 storage, making read/writing speeds faster is a welcome update and although you may not immediate see it from 3a to 4a, will make a difference with overall phone efficiency. If you’re on the hunt for a new, capable and affordable phone with a great camera and software experience, this will work well for you, especially if you are looking to switch from Apple to Android.
The Phone 4a his is a really effective option. 3a is available for £379 from Nothing directly for the 12gb 256gb version and 4a £399. If you need a new phone the 4a is worth the extra £20. Will I upgrade? I personally take a lot of photos so I am likely to upgrade within the next year just for the camera upgrades as this is something I value immensely.
HUGE thank you to Nothing again for letting me take part in the review program and helping to shape current and future Nothing Tech!
On the fence?
Get it, it won’t let you down.
4a Pro review to follow. 4a review video to follow.
