"Ex nihilo nihil fit." ("Nothing comes from nothing.") - Parmenides
That's the immutable law of nature, that you cannot make something out of nothing. But what if it started with an idea?
If we have to begin somewhere, it has to be with Carl Pei, who left OnePlus (a company he co-founded) and wanted to make technology "fun again". It was a need founded through what Pei considered was a "lack of innovation and originality" in the smartphone market.
In a bid to cut the fat, Pei removed any extraneous features to leave behind a phone with its essentials. A blank slate. Nothing. In a glut of smartphones, the first Nothing Phone (1) released caught people's eye with its unique design: a transparent back and the "Glyph Interface", a rear-lighting system that featured LED strips that provide notifications, and other visual aids.
To date, the Nothing Phone (3) remains as the best flagship phone; one that is affordable and has a killer OS and camera system. With the release of the Phone (4a) Series, will that remain true?
The Phone (4a) Pro now arrives in a precision-crafted metal unibody. It's the thinnest phone that Nothing has made (7.95mm), and the Pro comes in silver, black, and a metallic pink. Meanwhile, the standard Phone (4a) has the option for a transparent blue or a soft pink colourway.
Fronting the Phone (4a) Pro's screen is a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with 1.5K resolution; the regular Phone (4a) gets a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel. Corning Gorilla Glass 7i adorns both models' displays.
Featuring a Sony LYT700c optical image-stabilised main camera, the Phone (4a) Pro is accompanied by a 50MP 3.5x telephoto periscope lens capable of up to 140x zoom, which is the longest zoom that is fitted into a Nothing handset. With an added ultra-wide lens and 32MP selfie camera, your photo-taking needs have been met.
For the Nothing Phone (4a), it has a 50MP periscope telephoto, 50MP main sensor, Sony ultra-wide, and 32MP front camera.
Photo-taking on both models operates on the new TrueLens Engine 4, which uses Nothing’s proprietary computational photography platform to enhance your images and zhng your photos.
Nothing’s Phone (4a) introduces a new Glyph Bar (located at the rear, next to the cameras) that has 63 mini-LEDs spread across seven illuminated squares. You can see alerts, charging progress, and calls without having to wake the display. The Phone (4a) Pro has a Glyph Matrix that's made up of 137 mini-LEDs, which covers a larger area and delivers sharper visual cues.
Built on Android 16, Nothing's OS 4.1 introduces redesigned icons, a refreshed lock screen, floating apps for multitasking, resizable quick settings, and a deeper dark mode. A 5080mAh battery with 50W fast charging, can last over a day of moderate use.
From a germ of an idea of shaking up the smartphone industry, Nothing has moved from being a "new niche challenger" to a major player. With the Nothing (4a) Series, the brand has something to show for and is nonplussed about rushing into the next big thing. Instead, it's confident in what they have now. Nothing is a serious contender that's swimming with the bigger fishes.
The Nothing (4a) and (4a) Pro retail for SGD599 and SGD749, respectively.
