Verdict on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro stands out as a distinctive mid-range smartphone with a strong focus on design, solid everyday performance, and some surprising premium features. Particularly noteworthy are the high-quality aluminum unibody, the characteristic glyph back, and modern extras such as Wi-Fi 6E and eSIM support.
In everyday use, the smartphone impresses with a bright OLED display, very good battery life, and stable performance thanks to the Snapdragon SoC. The camera features also set it apart from many of its competitors: the periscope zoom, in particular, delivers strong results in the mid-range and provides a unique selling point.
However, there is also some criticism: the device is not completely waterproof despite its high-quality finish, the ultra-wide-angle camera is not of the same quality, and the video functions fall short of upper-class models. In addition, only three major Android updates are planned, which is somewhat disappointing considering the price.
All in all, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a real insider tip for anyone looking for an eye-catching smartphone with good features, strong battery life, and a solid camera - especially for users who have had enough of the typical one-size-fits-all design of other manufacturers.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
- $551.08Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Cell Phone 2026 New, Unlocked Android 16 Smartphone, Triple-Lens Camera, AI Photo Edits, 6.83" 144Hz AMOLED Display, 5080mAh Battery, Dual-SIM Glyph Matrix (Black, 12+256GB)
- $521.13Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Cell Phone 2026 New, Unlocked Android 16 Smartphone, Triple-Lens Camera, AI Photo Edits, 6.83" 144Hz AMOLED Display, 5080mAh Battery, Dual-SIM Glyph Matrix (Pink, 12+256GB)
- $446.09Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Cell Phone 2026 New, Unlocked Android 16 Smartphone, Triple-Lens Camera, AI Photo Edits, 6.83" 144Hz AMOLED Display, 5080mAh Battery, Dual-SIM Glyph Matrix (Black, 8+128GB)
Table of Contents
- Verdict on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- Specifications: Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- Case and features - Phone (4a) Pro is not waterproof
- Communication and operation - Nothing smartphone with Wi-Fi 6E and eSIM support
- Software and sustainability - Six years of updates for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- Camera - Periscope zoom in the mid-range
- Display - Bright OLED with high-frequency PWM
- Performance, emissions and battery life - Phone (4a) Pro with Snapdragon SoC
- Notebookcheck overall rating
- Possible alternatives in comparison
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is the successor to the Phone (3a) Pro and has been completely transformed, especially visually, but has also received a small upgrade to the camera setup and a new SoC. Find out everything in our review.
Specifications: Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Case and features - Phone (4a) Pro is not waterproof
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has an aluminum unibody, which gives the smartphone a high-quality look and rounds out its unusual design. The workmanship is also impressive in other respects, with even gaps and high torsional rigidity. Unfortunately, the (4a) Pro is not completely waterproof, but only protected against water jets in accordance with IP65. However, Nothing claims to have successfully tested the phone's water resistance up to a depth of 25 cm for 20 minutes.
The rest of the features are typical for the class, without any real highlights, apart from the glyph matrix on the back. It can display important notifications, can be configured extensively, and works in a similar way to the Nothing Phone (3) but has fewer LEDs.
Communication and operation - Nothing smartphone with Wi-Fi 6E and eSIM support
Like its predecessor, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has a pleasant surprise: tri-band Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 6E) support, rather than just Wi-Fi 6, as stated. The data rates are correspondingly high when the fast 6 GHz network is available.
The voice quality of the smartphone is good when held to the ear, but the suppression of ambient noise reaches its limits when there is a lot of noise. Functions such as WLAN calls, VoLTE, and Vo5G are supported. Two nano-SIM slots are available, and an eSIM can also be integrated. Dual SIM is possible with two physical SIMs or in mixed mode.
An optical fingerprint sensor is integrated into the display for biometric security, which unlocks the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro quickly and reliably. Face recognition via the front camera is also possible. The linear vibration motor offers crisp feedback and can be adjusted in the settings.
The AI button is now located on the left-hand side and can therefore no longer be easily confused with the power button. The so-called Essential Key can be customized in the settings, but is primarily used to keep an AI-supported notebook using screenshots and voice memos.
| Networking | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average Wi-Fi 6E | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average of class Smartphone | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Software and sustainability - Six years of updates for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Nothing is exemplary, but it does provide some information on sustainability: the packaging is plastic-free, and the smartphone uses 100% recycled aluminum and tin. However, there is no complete sustainability report.
Security patches are distributed for six years, but only three major updates are planned.
Camera - Periscope zoom in the mid-range
The front camera of the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro does a good job and delivers coherent photos in daylight. In low light, however, it quickly becomes noisy and the shutter lag increases.
There are two 50MP sensors on the back: the main sensor and the periscope zoom are both equipped with an OIS and deliver really good results for the mid-range. The latter can even use a digital magnification of 140x, which is not even found in the premium segment in this form, even if the quality is no longer good. The ultra-wide angle delivers only mediocre results. You can find more impressions of the cameras in this article.
Videos are only possible in 4K at 30 FPS with the rear setup, although the zoom can also be used, including a 20x digital zoom. If you are content with Full HD, you can also use 60 FPS and the ultra-wide angle. On the front, only 1080p with up to 60 FPS is possible.
Image comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraUltra wide-angle5x ZoomLow-Light
Display - Bright OLED with high-frequency PWM
The display of the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has grown slightly and now measures 6.83 inches (17.35 cm). Nothing claims a brightness of 1,600 cd/m² outdoors and a peak brightness of up to 5,000 cd/m². We can confirm the former, but we cannot get anywhere near 5,000 cd/m² from the smartphone.
The display has a fairly low basic flicker of 90 Hz, which is supposed to be compensated for by a high-frequency PWM dimming of nominally 2,160 Hz. We can confirm the high frequency, but the low-level basic flicker means that complaints from sensitive users cannot be ruled out.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 1604 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE ColorChecker Calman: 1.9 | ∀{0.5-29.43 Ø4.73}
ΔE Greyscale Calman: 2.9 | ∀{0.09-98 Ø4.98}
98.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.27
CCT: 7083 K
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro AMOLED, 2800x1260, 6.8" | Samsung Galaxy S25 FE AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi 15T AMOLED, 2772x1280, 6.8" | Fairphone 6 pOLED, 2484x1116, 6.3" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -25% | -4% | -14% | |
| Brightness middle (cd/m²) | 1604 | 1136 -29% | 1070 -33% | 737 -54% |
| Brightness (cd/m²) | 1585 | 1132 -29% | 1079 -32% | 736 -54% |
| Brightness Distribution (%) | 95 | 98 3% | 94 -1% | 97 2% |
| Black Level * (cd/m²) | ||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.9 | 3.5 -84% | 1.5 21% | 1.6 16% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.3 | 5.5 -28% | 3.9 9% | 3.9 9% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.9 | 2.4 17% | 2.5 14% | 3 -3% |
| Gamma | 2.27 97% | 2.02 109% | 2.24 98% | 2.24 98% |
| CCT | 7083 92% | 6322 103% | 6648 98% | 6706 97% |
* ... smaller is better
| Display / APL18 Peak Brightness | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
| Display / HDR Peak Brightness | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 90 Hz Amplitude: 13.58 % Secondary Frequency: 2173 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 90 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 90 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use. In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 7819 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurement series with fixed zoom level and different brightness settings (The amplitude curve at minimum brightness looks flat, but this is due to the scaling. The info box shows the enlarged version of the amplitude at minimum brightness)
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 0.84 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.418 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.4175 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 3 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (19.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 0.64 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.307 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.3305 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 2 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (31.1 ms). | ||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Phone (4a) Pro with Snapdragon SoC
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 with 8 or 12 GB LPDDR5x RAM, which can deliver full performance even under constant load. Although the resulting surface temperatures can be high, they remain within acceptable limits.
The speakers deliver usable sound but are not outstanding. The battery life, on the other hand, is very good. Wired fast charging with up to 50 watts is also supported. With a suitable power supply unit, a full charge takes 67 minutes in the test (50%: 22 min., 80%: 38 min.).
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | Xiaomi 15T | Fairphone 6 | Average 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 15% | -27% | -2% | -28% | -9% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB (MB/s) | 1977.37 | 3756.44 90% | 1954.45 -1% | 1973.22 0% | 1767 ? -11% | 2253 ? 14% |
| Sequential Write 256KB (MB/s) | 1738.18 | 2450.19 41% | 1879.62 8% | 2006.71 15% | 1224 ? -30% | 1928 ? 11% |
| Random Read 4KB (MB/s) | 409.28 | 382.44 -7% | 278.9 -32% | 358.89 -12% | 289 ? -29% | 309 ? -25% |
| Random Write 4KB (MB/s) | 547.62 | 198.68 -64% | 89.68 -84% | 487.48 -11% | 325 ? -41% | 361 ? -34% |
(-) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 48.2 °C / 119 F, compared to the average of 35.3 °C / 96 F, ranging from 21.9 to 247 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 45.3 °C / 114 F, compared to the average of 34 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 30.7 °C / 87 F, compared to the device average of 32.9 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Stress Tests
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| Steel Nomad Light Stress Test Stability | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 7.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 24% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 67% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 34%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 45% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi 15T audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (92.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 25.2% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 6.1% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (15.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 91% worse
» The best had a delta of 11%, average was 34%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 25% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
| Battery runtime - WiFi v1.3 | |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy S25 FE | |
| Xiaomi 15T | |
| Fairphone 6 | |
Notebookcheck overall rating
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro impresses as a stylish mid-range smartphone with a strong battery, good performance and unusually strong periscope zoom, but weakens in terms of water protection and update supply.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- 05/07/2026 v8
Daniel Schmidt
Total Sustainability Score: Possible alternatives in comparison
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. 82.5%  | Nothing Phone (4a) Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SM7750-AB ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 722 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 3.1 | Amazon: List Price: 549€ | 210 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.83" 2800x1260 450 PPI AMOLED |
2. 85.6%  | Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Samsung Exynos 2400 ⎘ Samsung Xclipse 940 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 4.x | Amazon: List Price: 809€ | 190 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.70" 2340x1080 382 PPI AMOLED |
3. 84.8%  | Xiaomi 15T MediaTek Dimensity 8400 ⎘ ARM Mali-G720 MP7 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB UFS 4.x | Amazon: List Price: 650€ | 194 g | 512 GB UFS 4.1 Flash | 6.83" 2772x1280 447 PPI AMOLED |
4. 79.2%  | Fairphone 6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 810 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB UFS 3.1 | Amazon: List Price: 599€ | 191.4 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.31" 2484x1116 432 PPI pOLED |
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
This is how Notebookcheck is testing
Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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