London-based smartphone maker Nothing has launched two new mid-range smartphones: the Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro, along with a new pair of headphones, as the company continues its push to stand out in what it calls an increasingly “boring” smartphone market.

Speaking to Reuters, CEO Carl Pei said the company wants to bring personality back to consumer technology. “We started Nothing to break that monotony and make tech more fun,” Pei told Reuters, noting that most smartphones today only see small upgrades in batteries, screens, and cameras.

New colours and design push

The new Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro introduce brighter colour options such as pink and blue alongside traditional black and white models.

According to Reuters, the move is aimed at younger users who want devices that feel more expressive rather than purely functional.

Nothing’s signature transparent design remains, along with the Glyph lighting system on the back that lights up for notifications. The company says the lighting interface has also been upgraded.

The standard Phone (4a) uses a redesigned Glyph Bar, a rectangular strip containing 63 mini-LEDs arranged in seven segments. Nothing claims the lights are up to 40% brighter, reaching around 3,500 nits, while preventing light leakage and colour distortion.

The Phone (4a) Pro goes further with the Glyph Matrix, a notification system with 137 mini-LEDs. Despite using fewer lights than earlier models, it covers a 57% larger area and can reach around 3,000 nits brightness, offering sharper visual alerts.

Display, performance and software

Both phones bring noticeable upgrades to the display and hardware.

The Phone (4a) features a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 4,500 nits. It runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor with up to 12GB RAM, alongside improved vapour-chamber cooling.

The Phone (4a) Pro steps up with a 6.83-inch AMOLED display that supports a 144Hz refresh rate and reaches 5,000 nits peak brightness. It is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset paired with LPDDR5X RAM and a 5,300 mm² vapour chamber cooling system, which the company says helps maintain stable performance during gaming.

Both phones ship with Android 16 and Nothing OS 4.1. Nothing has promised three Android updates and six years of security patches, matching the company’s earlier models.

The phones also retain the Essential Key, a dedicated hardware button linked to the company’s Essential Space feature for quick actions and AI-powered tools.

Camera upgrades

Camera improvements are another focus this year. The Phone (4a) keeps its 50MP main camera with Samsung GN9 sensor and optical image stabilisation, paired with an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 32MP front camera.

A major upgrade is the addition of a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with 3.5x optical zoom, replacing the 2x zoom seen in the previous model.

The Phone (4a) Pro offers a similar setup but with a Sony LYT700c sensor for the main camera and a more powerful telephoto system that supports up to 140x zoom, which Nothing says is among the longest zoom capabilities in its category.

Build and durability

Both devices continue the brand’s transparent design language but with refinements.

The Phone (4a) features a redesigned pill-shaped aluminium camera bar and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. Nothing says the phone is 34% more resistant to bending than the previous generation and carries an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance.

The Phone (4a) Pro uses a full aluminium frame, measures 7.95mm thick, and comes with IP65 protection, offering slightly stronger resistance to dust and water splashes.

Battery and charging

The two models also bring larger batteries. For the Indian market, both phones include a 5,400mAh battery, while global versions ship with 5,080mAh capacity.

They support 50W fast charging, allowing the Phone (4a) to reach 50% in around 22 minutes and 100% in about 56 minutes. The Phone (4a) Pro can charge to 60% in roughly 30 minutes.

Neither phone supports wireless charging.

Nothing claims the battery can maintain over 90% of its original capacity after 1,200 charging cycles, which the company says translates to more than three years of daily charging.

Pricing and future plans

According to Reuters, the Phone (4a) will start at £349 (€349), while the Phone (4a) Pro will retail from £499 (€479).

Nothing also launched Headphone (a) alongside the phones. The over-ear headphones offer up to five days of battery life and feature physical controls on the ear cups.

Pei told Reuters that the company is now preparing for its next phase of growth. Nothing raised $200 million at a $1.3 billion valuation last year, and the CEO said the company aims to become IPO-ready by 2028.

However, he added that any listing would depend on market conditions. “It’s more like an internal call to arms to get our structures ready,” Pei told Reuters.