Mar 07, 2026
3 min read
No one has changed its range by focusing on sleek design, cameras with periscopic zoom and intelligent computing.The goal is always to bring some high-end features to affordable devices
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The Nothing Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro are the new smartphones behind the transparent back of the “grandfather” of OnePlus.
Focusing on a transparent design, cameras with periscopic zoom and software functions based on artificial intelligence, nothing renews its range.The aim is to bring some high-end features to affordable devices.
In the panorama of modern smartphones (here's our guide to the best of the moment) it's increasingly rare to find a brand that really tries to stand out.Nunda, the London-based company founded by Carl Pei (one of the fathers of OnePlus), continues to follow a different path.With the new Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro - accompanied by Headphone (a) - the company tries to consolidate a vision that mixes recognizable design, increasingly ambitious hardware and software that focuses on personalization.
The idea of this new generation of devices is to bring some high end functions to smartphones at a more affordable price.All this does not provide an element that has helped more than anything else to create the identity of the brand: transparent case and Glyph light interface, a system of rear LED light that turns the display and information into a visual point.
Along with the two smartphones comes a new audio product.(a) The headphones are designed to offer long battery life and intuitive physical controls, with sound quality designed to please a wider audience than the first generation.The result is an ecosystem that seeks to strengthen Nothing's presence in the global consumer electronics market.
No Phone (4a) feature
Let's start with the phone (4a). The transparent glass back shows part of the internal structure and has a new lighting system called Glyph Bar.This light bar consists of 63 mini-LEDs organized in different independent places. The purpose is not only aesthetic. The system allows you to connect the series of lights to notifications, calls or requests, which allows the user to recognize important information without turning on the screen.
From a construction perspective, the smartphone remains a sturdy frame with metal fasteners and IP64 certification for dust and water resistance.The build is about eight millimeters thick and weighs 204 grams, a price similar to other devices in the category.Nothing is offered in four different colors: black, white, light blue and pink.
The screen is a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel. The adjustable refresh rate goes up to 120 hertz, while the brightness in HDR content can reach up to 4,500 nits. The touch sampling rate goes up to 2,500 Hz, a feature that makes interactions very fast.Especially when playing video games.
Powering the device is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor.The chip promises improved performance over the previous generation, but most importantly, greater energy efficiency and more advanced features based on artificial intelligence-based processing.
The photographic sector is one of the aspects that Nic focused on the most during the development of the series.The phone (4a) uses an optically stabilized 50-megapixel main sensor, flanked by a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom.In this price range, this is a rather unusual solution, as the periscope system allows you to photograph distant objects with a higher level of detail than traditional digital zoom.The system is complemented by an ultra-wide-angle camera and a 32-megapixel front camera for selfies and video calls.Overall, the configuration covers a zoom range from 0.6x to about 70x.
The Phone (4a) runs Nothing OS 4.1, a new version of the company's operating system based on Android 16. The interface retains the brand's signature minimalist style, but introduces new customization options.Floating apps let you multitask, while widgets have been redesigned to fit better on the home screen.One of the most interesting innovations is the AI Dashboard, a panel that combines the intelligent functions of the system.These include Essential Search, an internal search engine that lets you search for information across apps, files and content by entering simple keywords.
The battery capacity is 5080 mAh and supports 50W fast charging.The company estimates it can guarantee up to 17 hours of mixed use between streaming, messaging and browsing.Nothing has been done for durability either: the battery should retain more than 90 percent of its original capacity after approximately 1,200 charge cycles.8 GB of RAM And the price starts at 369 euros for a configuration with 128 gigabytes of internal memory.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Phone (4a) Pro tries to go one step further.The goal is to be close to the standard features of a high-end model while keeping the price lower than the premium models on the market.
The design maintains the same transparent philosophy but introduces a better structure.The body uses a metal unibody frame and is less than eight millimeters thick, the thinnest ever made by the company.The device weighs 210 grams and is IP65 certified against dust and water.
On the back is the new Glyph Matrix, a light matrix of 137 mini-LEDs.Unlike the band of the standard model, this solution covers a larger area and allows for more detailed animations.The system can display notifications, battery indicators, or small gadgets called Glyph Toys, such as timers, digital clocks, and other quick information.Here, too, the idea is to show the back of the phone.Switching to a secondary interface reduces the need to constantly check the screen.
The display is slightly larger than the base model.It is 6.83-inch Amoled with a resolution of 1.5K and a refresh rate of up to 144 Hertz.The panel reaches a high brightness level of 5000 nits in HDR content, a particularly high value that improves visibility under direct light.Under the Gorilla Glass 7i we find the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor.
The graphics section has also received some improvements.The main sensor is a Sony LYT-700C optical stabilizer, surrounded by a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom.Thanks to the combination of optical zoom and digital processing algorithms, the system can zoom up to 140x.The camera software supports 4K video recording with Ultra XDR technology, which increases the dynamic quality of images.The goal is to achieve balanced scenes in difficult lighting conditions, and better preservation of detail in highlights and shadows.
Here are some images taken with (4a) Pro:
Other equipment remains similar to the Phone (4a).Here too we find a 5080mAh battery with 50W fast charging and guaranteed software support for three years of Android updates and six years of security patches.
The starting price of the Phone (4a) Pro is 499 euros for the version with 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of internal memory, while the 12 gigabyte and 256 gigabyte configuration reaches 569 euros.
No Headphones (a)
In addition to the new smartphones, Xejn also launched Headphone (a), a headset (here's our guide to the best Bluetooth headphones) that expands the company's audio line with a product designed to offer very high autonomy and simple controls.
It retains the brand's usual minimalist design but offers brighter colors than before.The headphones come in white, black and pink, with a limited edition yellow version expected to arrive in the weeks following launch.It weighs 310 grams and has an IP52 certified construction against dust and splashes.
The most obvious element is the focus on comfort.The headphones use breathable memory foam cushions for better pressure distribution during longer listening sessions.
From a technical point of view, the Headphone (a) uses a 40 mm driver with a titanium coating.The frequency response reaches up to 40 kHz, and support for Wireless Audio codecs and High Resolution LDAC allows you to send high-quality audio via Bluetooth 5.4.
The noise reduction system is adaptive and can achieve a reduction of up to 40 decibels.The ANC function is available with three intensity levels and combines with a transparency mode that allows ambient sounds to pass through when necessary.The algorithm uses internal and external microphones to analyze ambient noise and automatically adjusts the damping intensity.
The same technology is used during calls.Having learned from millions of voice scenarios, the artificial intelligence system analyzes the signal coming from the microphone and isolates the user's voice by reducing background noise.One of the most interesting features is autonomy.The 1060mAh battery provides up to 135 hours of listening with noise cancellation turned off and approximately 75 hours with ANC enabled.It takes two hours to fully charge, but it only takes a few minutes to get up and running.
Nothing decided to keep physical controls instead of touch controls.The headphones are equipped with a volume roller, a play button and a multi-function button.The latter can be configured to quickly switch between favorite applications and functions or to remotely control the smartphone camera.The eight-band equalizer allows you to customize your sound profile through the Nothing X app, with the ability to preset and share with other community users.(a) will sell for 159 euros.
