Nothing Phone (4a) Series Launched: Metal Builds, Better Zoom, and New Glyphs
TL;DR: Nothing has launched the Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro, which will arrive in Malaysia in April. The Pro model features a metal unibody, a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip, and a circular Glyph Matrix. Both phones sport a 50MP periscope zoom lens, 5,080mAh batteries, and up to 50W charging.
Nothing has officially launched its highly anticipated mid-range successors, the Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro. Showcasing bold design evolutions and significant internal upgrades, the new series shakes up the company’s established formula and is set to officially release in Malaysia this April.
While last year’s (3a) models were largely differentiated by their cameras, Nothing has widened the gap this generation. The new Pro model stands out with a premium build, a faster processor, and a significantly larger display, while the standard model inherits flagship-level zoom capabilities at a more accessible price point.
The Premium Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro drops the plastic frame of its predecessor in favour of a sleek metal unibody design. Despite the switch to metal, the device maintains its weight while slimming down to just 7.95mm. It also boasts an IP65 rating for water and dust resistance.
Under the hood, the Pro is powered by the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, promising a 27 per cent increase in CPU performance and a massive 65 per cent jump in AI capabilities compared to the previous generation. To sustain this power, Nothing has equipped the phone with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, faster UFS 3.1 storage, and a large 5,300mm² vapour chamber for cooling.
Visuals are handled by a 6.83-inch 144Hz OLED display that peaks at a blinding 5,000 nits of brightness, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.
For photography, the Pro features a 50MP Sony Lytia 700c main sensor capable of 4K Ultra XDR video recording. It is paired with a highly capable 50MP periscope lens offering 3.5x optical zoom, alongside an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 32MP selfie camera.
Replacing the traditional free-form LED layout, the back of the Pro features a new “Glyph Matrix.” This circular dot matrix display consists of 137 LEDs that can reach up to 3,000 nits of brightness.
The Standard Nothing Phone (4a)
The vanilla Nothing Phone (4a) retains the thicker 8.55mm plastic body of previous generations but receives a massive camera upgrade. It inherits the exact same 50MP periscope zoom lens as the Pro model, a major step up from the shorter telephoto lens on last year’s standard device. The main camera uses a 50MP Samsung GN9 sensor.
It is powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset and features a 6.78-inch 120Hz OLED display. While it misses out on the vapour chamber cooling and metal frame, it introduces a new “Glyph Bar” on the rear. This setup features six LED segments and a red recording light, arranged in a clean line capable of producing 3,500 nits of illumination.
Battery and Software Support
Both devices pack 5,080mAh batteries and support 50W wired fast charging. Nothing claims the batteries are engineered to retain at least 90 per cent of their original capacity after 1,200 charge cycles, ensuring excellent long-term battery health.
The Nothing Phone (4a) series runs on Nothing OS 4.1, based on Android 16. The company is promising excellent software longevity, committing to three major OS updates and six years of security patches.
Local pricing details are expected to be announced closer to the official Malaysian launch in April.
