Nothing has built its identity around making smartphones that look different from everything else on the shelf. With the new Nothing Phone (4b), however, the company seems less interested in simply making a statement and more focused on getting the fundamentals right.
Priced at S$499 in Singapore for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model, the Phone (4b) is now Nothing’s more affordable entry into its latest smartphone generation. It sits below the Phone (4a), which we reviewed earlier this year at S$599, but it does not feel like a phone that has simply had features stripped away to reach a lower price. Instead, Nothing has made some deliberate choices about where to spend and where to save.
The first thing that caught our attention is the design.
Nothing has taken a slightly different direction with the Phone (4b). Instead of the more elaborate transparent rear design found on the Phone (4a), the new phone uses a cleaner unibody look while retaining some of Nothing’s industrial design language. It feels less busy and more understated, which may actually appeal to people who like Nothing’s aesthetic but do not necessarily want a phone that screams for attention.
The matte rear is also practical for everyday use. It does not attract fingerprints as readily as glossy finishes, while the rounded edges and straight sides make the phone comfortable to hold.
The Blue version which we got our hands on, adds some colour for those who do not want another black or white smartphone.
The phone also carries an IP64 rating for dust and splash resistance. That means it is protected against dust and can handle splashes, but this is not waterproofing for swimming or extended exposure to water.
Then there is the Glyph Bar.
Nothing’s signature rear lighting system has been significantly simplified on the Phone (4b). Instead of the more elaborate lighting arrangements found on some of its previous phones, the 4(b) uses 45 individually controlled mini LEDs housed around the camera module. They can provide notification alerts, indicate charging progress and display certain customised information.
After several generations of increasingly elaborate Glyph implementations, this approach feels more restrained. The lights are still distinctly Nothing, but they are less of a visual spectacle and more of an ambient notification tool.
The 6.77 inch AMOLED display is another area where Nothing has not tried to make the phone feel cheap. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, making scrolling through social media, websites and menus feel smooth. With peak brightness reaching up to 2,000 nits, the screen is also designed to remain visible when used outdoors, something that matters in Singapore’s bright and sunny conditions.
Colours are vibrant and text is sharp enough for everyday use. Whether you are watching Netflix on the MRT, browsing Instagram or reading emails, the large display gives you plenty of screen real estate.
Underneath the screen is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor paired with 8GB RAM. This is not a phone aimed at people chasing benchmark numbers and the tech specifications are more than suffice for responsive normal use.
WhatsApp, social media, Google Maps, YouTube, web browsing and other everyday applications run without fuss. Casual gaming is also fine, although people who spend hours playing demanding games at high graphics settings will probably want something more powerful.
This is where the Phone (4b)’s overall positioning becomes clear. It is built around the things most people actually do with their phones rather than trying to compete with much more expensive flagships.
Battery life is arguably the Phone (4b)’s biggest strength.
It comes with a 5,200mAh battery, which is slightly larger than the 5,080mAh battery in the Phone (4a). Nothing claims the phone can deliver up to two days of use under suitable conditions. In real life, battery performance will obviously depend on how you use the phone, but this is one of those devices where you are unlikely to be constantly searching for a charger during the day.
Charging is capped at 33W, which is slower than the 50W charging available on the Phone (4a). That is one of the compromises made to keep the 4(b)’s price down. There is also no wireless charging.
This trade-off is easy to understand. The Phone (4b) prioritises having a larger battery over having the fastest possible charging system.
The camera setup is similarly straightforward.
The rear system consists of a 50MP main camera with optical image stabilisation and an 8MP ultrawide camera. There is no dedicated telephoto camera, so this is not a phone designed around long-distance photography.
The main camera is the one you will want to use most of the time. In good lighting, it can produce sharp photographs with pleasant colours and enough detail for social media, family photos, food shots and everyday snapshots.
The ultrawide camera is more of a supporting act. The images could become softer towards the edges, with performance dropping further in low light. Night shots from the main camera remain usable, although some grain becomes visible when you zoom into the image.
That puts the Phone (4b)’s camera system in perspective. It is perfectly serviceable for someone who simply wants a phone camera, but photography enthusiasts may find the limitations more obvious.
The software is where Nothing continues to differentiate itself.
The Phone (4b) runs Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16. The interface retains the company’s distinctive monochrome aesthetic, giving Android a cleaner and more consistent appearance. Icons, widgets and menus feel less visually cluttered than many competing Android interfaces.
Nothing has also continued its push into AI with features including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Circle to Search, Essential Key and Essential Space.
Essential Key is particularly interesting because it gives the phone a physical shortcut for capturing information. Essential Voice can transcribe speech and assist with translations, while Essential Space is designed to organise things such as screenshots, images and voice notes so they can be retrieved later.
These are not features everyone will use every day, but they fit Nothing’s broader idea of making the phone useful without requiring you to constantly stare at the screen.
Compared with the Phone (4a), the Phone (4b) is clearly the simpler proposition. The 4a gives users a more advanced camera system, faster 50W charging and a more powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor. We found the 4a to be a capable and mature A Series phone in our earlier review.
This does not make the Phone (4b) feel like a downgrade across the board.
At S$499, the 4(b) has a larger 5,200mAh battery, retains a 120Hz AMOLED display, keeps Nothing’s distinctive software experience and still looks different from the typical mid-range Android phone. The S$100 lower starting price also changes the proposition significantly.
What you are really giving up is some performance, faster charging and camera flexibility.
For someone who mainly wants a reliable phone for messaging, social media, streaming, photography, navigation and general everyday use, those compromises may not matter much.
For someone who regularly takes zoomed photographs, plays demanding games or needs to recharge as quickly as possible, the higher-spec Phone (4a) remains relevant.
The Phone (4b) is not trying to beat the (4a) on specifications. It is trying to make the Nothing experience available at S$499.
After using the phone, that feels like the more important story. Nothing has taken its distinctive design language, clean software and Glyph concept and packaged them into a phone that focuses on battery life and everyday usability rather than trying to impress with a long specification sheet.
The result is a smartphone that feels deliberately uncomplicated.
The Phone (4b) does not have the most powerful processor, the most advanced camera system or the fastest charging in its class. What it does have is a good looking 120Hz AMOLED display, strong battery endurance, capable everyday performance, a clean Android experience and just enough Nothing personality to keep it from looking like every other mid-range phone.
At S$499, that combination makes the Phone (4b) an interesting proposition for anyone who wants something a little different without spending too much.
The Phone (4a) may be the more feature-rich member of the family, but the Phone (4b) could be the more straightforward introduction to what Nothing is all about.
Sometimes, doing less can make more sense.
