I’m worried for Samsung and Google when cheap Android phones like this exist

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I won’t bury the lede: Nothing Phone 4a Pro is the company’s most premium-looking phone to date. The device has a strong character and distinct personality that you won’t find on any other sub-$500 phone. If Nothing’s old Glyph lights, a customizable LED strip interface on the back of the device, were too much for you, the Phone 4a Pro consolidates them in a Matrix inside the camera module without losing the fun vibe.

Also: Forget iPhone 17e: Nothing’s Phone 4a Pro costs less and looks a whole lot better

At $499, Nothing’s new Phone 4a Pro competes directly with more well-established players, such as the Google Pixel 10a and Samsung Galaxy A56 5G. The phone offers a solid package, but can it take on the industry heavyweights to grab a spot in your pocket? I used it for a few days to find out.

A design I quickly fell in love with

The Nothing Phone 4a Pro is a departure from last year’s maximalist approach, and for good reason. You now get a metal build that feels more premium in the hand. In comparison, the Galaxy A56 looks basic, while the Pixel 10a pops in red and has an “affordable phone” feel.

I love the new subtle pink color on the Phone 4a Pro. It is perhaps my favorite phone color this year. I like that brands are choosing to offer more shades than boring blacks and whites, and Nothing’s execution is perfect. You can also buy the device in silver or black.

Also: How to turn your old Android phone or iPhone into a security camera – in 4 easy steps

Nothing borrowed its Glyph Matrix from the more expensive Phone 3 and put the feature inside a translucent camera module on the Phone 4a Pro. The Matrix is placed adjacent to the cameras and works as before, notifying you about the apps of your choice or showing you the time and battery level. The feature is open to developers for creating new tools.

However, Phone 4a Pro’s Matrix display isn’t touch-sensitive and lacks a dedicated Glyph Button. The feature has a more subdued, less functional approach to Phone 3’s more practical interface. You can’t swipe or press a button to switch between different functions, which makes the Matrix redundant. 

I haven’t used the feature much because I don’t want to be bothered by notifications when my screen is off. Also, I can see the time on my watch. Maybe the feature will improve as it gains more functionality.

Both Nothing Phone 4a and 4a Pro are IP65-rated for dust and splash-resistance. This capability means they won’t survive prolonged submersion in water, like IP68-rated phones. In comparison, the Pixel 10a and Galaxy A56 5G are better — they have IP68 and IP67 ratings, respectively.

One of my favorite Android skins

On the front, you get a brighter and slightly larger screen than before. The Phone 4a Pro has a 6.83-inch AMOLED display that supports a 144Hz refresh rate (down to 30Hz) and 5,000 nits of peak brightness for HDR content, which is about 66% brighter than its predecessor. 

The screen is comfortably legible outdoors for the price. Like other $500 phones, the device’s screen can struggle in harsh sunlight due to high reflectivity. But, other than that, there’s not much to fault. The screen is a vibrant panel that offers an enjoyable content-consumption experience.

The Nothing Phone 4a Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, depending on the storage variant. In my five-day period, the phone was fast, responsive, and easy to use. The apps loaded quickly, jumping between social media was swift, and adding thoughts to my Essential Space was intuitive.

Also: I was a phone addict: These 7 tricks stopped me scrolling and curbed my screen time – fast

Essential Space is Nothing’s AI productivity app that launched last year. The feature serves as a common space for storing screenshots and voice notes, aiming to make sense of your random thoughts. I find Essential Space useful because I’m always looking for pitch ideas, and they arrive at the most random moments in my testing periods. The feature lets me quickly capture my thoughts with the press of a button. I like it.

You can access the Essential Space with a physical button on the side of the phone. Using the feature is pretty straightforward: a press-and-hold takes a screenshot of whatever you’re looking at, and you can then add a voice note to it.

Nothing is shipping its new phone with Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16. I like the monochrome look of its custom skin. While the skin can be confusing at times if you struggle to recognize app icons, I especially love this UI for its widgets.

I like having quick shortcuts in the form of widgets on my homescreen, and (disappointingly) not many Android skins implement them as well as Nothing or Samsung. Nothing OS allows you to install these widgets on both the homescreen and the lockscreen for a more personalized experience. You also get a Private Space, which hides sensitive apps and photos behind a password.

Also: I saw the Nothing Phone 4a in multiple colors at MWC – and these two got the most love

The Phone 4a Pro is promised to get three years of Android updates and six years of security updates. The update policy isn’t as good as the Pixel 10a’s 7-year update cycle. However, the long-term security update support is a great addition, since that protection directly relates to a phone’s lifespan. You can expect to keep using this phone for another five years.

The device packs a 5,080mAh battery and supports 50W fast charging. The charge in my review sample has comfortably lasted an entire day with moderate usage. You can expect the phone to get you through the day with ease.

Versatile cameras for a $499 phone

On the back of the device are three cameras. There’s a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and the same 50MP telephoto sensor (with 3.5x optical zoom) as the flagship Phone 3. I haven’t put the phone head-to-head against the Pixel 10a, but the new 12-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP) is promising. However, the camera UI was sluggish at times.

The Phone 4a Pro captures decent colors with good detail. The phone truly shines in the sun when there’s plenty of light. I like the contrast and certain aspects of Camera Presets. Urban adds a nice vignette effect and warmer tone, while Soft Focus gives your portraits a dreamy look.

These Presets can be accessed by swiping up in the viewfinder, with each one showing a sample shot set as an example. It would be good if Nothing could show the color tuning in the viewfinder itself with an info icon for more information. More often than not, I want to see a preview of how the scene might look, rather than selecting a filter, waiting for the shot to process, and checking it out in my initial few photos.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The Nothing Phone 4a Pro is a good Android option at a good price. It’s the most premium-feeling phone I’ve tested in its price bracket. Nothing isn’t afraid to be bold, and I’m glad it retained the Glyph lights, despite opting for a metal build. 

Sure, this function isn’t as functional as I’d like, but I love the phone’s non-generic, distinct design language — something much needed in a landscape where larger manufacturers are branding old parts as new.