Nothing Phone (4a) Pro review: Better cameras, a massive display and a brand new look

I spent a week putting the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro through its paces ahead of the device’s UK launch - (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

In just a few short years, phone manufacturer Nothing has done an incredible job of making cheap and mid-range phones fun again. The brand’s appreciation for a good-looking device is exactly what has put Nothing Phones on the map, and that very much remains the case with the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro.

Announced alongside the cheaper but no less stylish Nothing Phone (4a) (£349, Nothing.tech), the (4a) Pro is the mid-range option of the two, boasting a better chipset, a larger battery and, for the first time on a Nothing Phone, an all-metal body. Given that far too many phones around this £499 price point stick to using plastic, this is a big deal for consumer value.

The phone has also borrowed a key feature from the flagship-level Nothing Phone (3), so there’s a lot to be interested in for this 2026 upgrade, but is it any good? After spending a week with the device, here’s my full review and verdict.

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How I tested

I swapped my trusty iPhone for Nothing’s new device, to find out how well it performs (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

For an entire week, I used the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro as my main smartphone, which involved removing the sim from my trusty iPhone 16 and putting the Apple handset in a drawer. Over that period, I relied on the Nothing phone for hotspotting at cafes, taking pictures during a family gathering and endlessly scrolling through social media. For the purpose of this review, the following criteria were put to the test:

• Durability and design: Whether a phone can withstand the elements is crucial, given that these devices are considerable investments, even at the lower end.
• Performance: The chipset onboard needed to be competent enough to handle everyday tasks with ease, and competitive on the mid-range market.
• Cameras: With an upgraded main sensor, I wanted to see if the (4a) Pro could take noticeably better pictures than the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.
• Battery: The (4a) Pro has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor, so I wanted to find out how long it could last over the course of a typical day.

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Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Rating: 4/5

Display: 6.83in

CPU: Snapdragon 7 Gen 4

Storage: 128GB, 256GB

Size: 163.7mm x 76.6mm x 8mm

Weight: 210g

Main camera: 50MP

Periscope camera: 50MP

Ultra-wide camera: 8MP

Selfie camera: 32MP

Why we love it

• Stunning design
• Nothing OS is very clean
• Battery and cameras are solid

Take note

• Low-light photography isn’t the best
• Only three years of software updates

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Design and display

Even though the company is known for its design language, Nothing rarely carries over the same look from one phone to another, and that remains the case with the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. Gone is the see-through aesthetic of yesteryear, replaced by an all-metal build – a first for the brand.

While some may prefer the look of the Nothing Phone (4a), which certainly has more going on, I really like what the (4a) Pro has achieved. It’s just a more mature take on Nothing’s iconic design, feeling smooth in the hand while keeping the brand’s space-age style contained to the (fairly large) camera island.

Nothing die-hards will immediately spot that the Glyph lighting system of the (3a) range is gone, with this phone instead adopting the Glyph Matrix system from the pricier Nothing Phone (3). This tiny, circular screen is an ingenious bit of tech, as it enables you to place the phone face down, so you’re not distracted, but still be informed if you have any incoming calls or notifications that are important. In terms of promoting more measured smartphone use (and not constant doomscrolling), I’m a big fan.

The display reaches a seriously bright 5,000 nits (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

The revised design isn’t just for show, however, as it now makes for a durable phone overall. The (4a) Pro now has an official IP65 rating, which enables it to be more water-resistant than before. While that’s great news, I did notice a handful of scratches appear on the display during my time with the phone, and I’m quite a careful person in how I handle my devices. At the very least, the phone shipped with a pre-applied screen protector.

Still, you’re unlikely to notice any scratches once the display is turned on, as it reaches a seriously bright 5,000 nits. What this translates to is a colourful screen that’s very easy to use outdoors, and I never had to squint when trying to take a photo on a particularly sunny day.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Cameras

When it came to photography, the (3a) Pro was no slouch but Nothing has seen fit to tweak things for the better in this 2026 refresh. While the 8MP ultra-wide is the same as before, there’s a new Sony 50MP 1/1.56 main sensor, which can take in more light and detail than before, alongside an upgraded pericope telephoto lens.

On a sunny day, the (4a) Pro can take some truly vibrant shots – exactly the type that you’d want to share on social media there and then. Even when the sky was a bit cloudier, I was impressed to see just how much colour the phone could extract from a scene, and the same goes for the ultra-wide.

While the 8MP ultra-wide setup is the same as before, there’s a new Sony 50MP 1/1.56 main sensor (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

If you’re a bit too far away from the subject of your photo, you can lean on the telephoto lens and its 3.5x optical zoom. When taking photos along a canal, I was able to capture some pretty detailed shots of the scene a fair way from where I was standing, which is great to have on a phone at this price point. Not even the iPhone 17 can match that.

Nothing has been keen to tout that the phone can zoom in 140x but I’m a bit more sceptical about its ability here. The mode uses AI to interpret and upscale the picture that you’ve taken, and while it can be fun to see what it comes up with, it does struggle quite a bit with text, often hallucinating letters that aren’t actually there, as I discovered.

I tested the Nothing Phone’s camera for close-up and distance shots (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

Still, the 32MP front-facing camera is handy in a pinch, and detailed enough to see the newborn-caused bags under my eyes with impressive clarity. Low-light performance from the main sensor is quite impressive, but when zooming in I spotted a bit more blurriness than I’m comfortable with, and in this instance you’re better off with the similarly priced Pixel 10a, which excels after dark.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro: Performance and battery life

Running the show is the faster Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, which does a decent job with everyday tasks. Scrolling through social media and moving through the phone’s menus works just fine, and I could have a picture-in-picture Disney+ stream of Avengers: Infinity War running in the corner without issue. I did notice a bit of slowdown on occasion, mostly when booting up certain apps, but it wasn’t enough of a problem to give me pause.

Diving in for a quick round of Call of Duty Mobile, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro did a good job of handling the action onscreen, but I won’t be using the device to play more demanding titles such as Honkai: Star Rail anytime soon. Still, gaming at this end probably isn’t going to be a priority for most users, and what plays more of a role here is the brilliant Nothing OS.

I cannot fault the battery life of Nothing Phone (4a) Pro (Thomas Deehan/The Independent)

Just like the design philosophy that the company applies to its devices, the onboard software is similarly tied to a minimalist aesthetic, where the apps and widgets on the homescreen can adhere to the same colour palette. It all looks great, and it’s right up there with the clean take on Android that you get with Google Pixel phones. It’s also wonderfully free of bloatware, which isn’t always a given at this end of the market.

One area that does feel a bit misplaced, however, is Nothing’s Essential Space. Originally added to the Nothing Phone (3a) range, Essential Space is the brand’s take on AI, letting you collate images and screenshots, which are then processed into actionable tasks and to-do lists. From the time I spent trying to use Essential Space, the whole thing feels a bit clunky and not particularly obvious in how to make the most of it – I much prefer using Google Gemini, which can be summoned quickly with just your voice.

One thing I cannot fault is the battery life. With the slightly larger 5,080mAh battery in tow, I was able to get through a full day from about 9am to midnight and still have about 60 per cent left in the tank. Admittedly, this was a day of conservative use, racking up an hour and half of screen time and a lot of Spotify use in the background, but the phone never gave me cause for concern on busier days either.

Buy now £499, Nothing.tech

Is the Nothing Phone 4a Pro worth it?

If you’re shopping for a mid-range upgrade and you have about £500 burning a hole in your pocket then the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is an easy phone to recommend. The style is unmatched in its price range, and the same goes for its metal body, which instantly makes it feel like you’re getting a lot more bang for your buck. The massive display is a joy to use and the higher level of brightness really goes a long way towards showing off Nothing OS in its best light. However, even though there’s a promised six years of security patches, there are only three major Android updates promised for the (4a) Pro, which massively lags behind the six- and seven-year promises of the Samsung Galaxy A56 and Pixel 10a, respectively. Still, if you don’t mind upgrading again in a few years’ time, you’ll no doubt enjoy every minute with the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro.

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IndyBest is the dedicated shopping and consumer advice section of The Independent, where our team of experts test out the latest tech, homeware and more so that you can make the right buying decision every time. Our reviews are unbiased and you will never see a lacklustre product recommended here, so you can always shop with confidence when reading IndyBest.

Having worked as a tech journalist for nearly a decade, Thomas Deehan has tested everything from smartwatches to smartphones, action cameras and even the occasional games console. Serving as the Deputy Editor at Trusted Reviews before freelancing for some of the UK’s biggest publications, Tom is always up to date with the latest events and launches in the tech industry, and his expertise have been put to use in IndyBest’s roundups of the best noise-cancelling headphones and the best smartphone cameras.

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