Nothing shifts gear with a more grown-up Phone (4a) Pro – and I love it

Nothing has unveiled the Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro during an event livestreamed from Central Saint Martins, London’s renowned collage of art and design. With design a core ethos of what Nothing offers, it was a fitting setting for the reveal, with a relaxed vibe that reflected Nothing’s position as a tech disrupter.

Alongside a roaming Elton John lookalike, founder Carl Pei casually chatted in the crowd and checked his Phone (4a) Pro. Matching the launch of the Phone (3a) models in 2025, the new pair drops into the mid-range segment challenging the likes of the Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e.

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro marks the biggest change from previous phones, with a unibody design that steps away from the transparency that’s dominated designs of the past. That’s saved for the top section, where the Glyph Matrix (like the Phone (3)) and camera are housed, with a passing resemblance to the iPhone 17 Pro.

The (4a) Pro is still a mid-range device, powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, but elsewhere it punches home with competitive specs for the segment. There’s a 6.78-inch display with 144Hz refresh, with 5,000 nits of brightness to make those highlights pop. It looks great and feels great – it has a feeling of maturity to it.

The (4a) Pro camera swings in with a trio of cameras, boasting up to 140x zoom from the 3.5x optical lens, which isn’t something you always get at this price. Exactly how well those long zoom photos will come out remains to be seen.

The Nothing Phone (4a) was heavily teased before the event, so the design will be familiar, sporting the transparent glass back. It looks like the phone you expect, with Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, a 6.78-inch display and camera that again has a 3.5x optical telephoto, again, less common on a £399 phone.

The addition of colours – pink and blue – to the selection makes for a refreshing change for those tired of the black or white options of the past, while that unibody on the Phone (4a) Pro makes for a more grown up feeling.

Prior to the announcement, Carl Pei had said that he wanted to close the gap with the flagship Phone (3) and that’s certainly happened here. The previous Phone (3a) and Phone (3a) Pro felt a little confusing, but the Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro look different enough to make that distinction clearer.

That added differentiation makes navigating Nothing’s growing selection of phones easier. With a flood of new devices available in the coming weeks, Nothing continues to feel exciting and refreshing.

The Nothing Phone (4a) will be available from £349 in black, white, blue and pink, while the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro will be £499 in black, silver and pink (a very subtle pink).

Pre-orders for the Nothing Phone (4a) are open, with the (4a) Pro orders opening in 13 March.