The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is the most ambitious handset Nothing is selling in 2026: an aluminium body under 8 mm thick, a 6.83-inch AMOLED display running at 144 Hz and, above all, a 3.5x periscope telephoto lens you almost never see at around €500. Released in France on 27 March 2026 from €499 (around 327,000 FCFA), it is aimed at people who want a proper zoom and a design that stands apart without paying flagship money. Its Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chip is still mid-range, its ultra-wide camera disappoints, and the standard Phone (4a) looks a lot like it for €150 less. Whether metal and a periscope are worth the gap is your call.
Introduction: the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro leads the range in a year without a flagship
Nothing chose not to release a Phone (4) in 2026. Carl Pei, the company’s boss, said so on 29 January in a video posted on Nothing’s YouTube channel: the 2025 Phone (3) stays on as the standard-bearer, and the effort goes into the “a” series, the brand’s best seller. He promised a flagship-grade experience in materials, display and camera.
The result arrived on 5 March 2026 in the shape of two phones. The standard Phone (4a), launched at €349 (around 229,000 FCFA), keeps the transparent back and introduces a 63-LED Glyph Bar. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro changes register: a one-piece aluminium shell, a larger and faster screen, a chip one step up and the Glyph Matrix inherited from the Phone (3). With no Phone (4) around, it sits at the top of the 2026 catalogue.
This page brings together the official specifications, measurements from published reviews (GSMArena, Phonandroid, Expert Reviews, Engadget, the Fnac lab) and our own analysis. Our team has not handled the device: the hands-on findings quoted here are credited to their authors.
Verdict in brief: our take on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Verdict in 30 seconds
A very well-built mid-ranger with a genuine periscope telephoto and a polished interface. It makes most sense at its launch price of around 500 euros, because the standard Phone (4a) already offers a great deal for less.
For whom People who often shoot from a distance (portraits, concerts, street scenes) and want a phone with a distinctive design that is smooth and long-lasting.
Avoid if You game a lot, you insist on wireless charging or you plan to keep your phone for six or seven years on the latest Android versions.
We like
- 50 MP 3.5x periscope telephoto
- 8 mm aluminium body
- Very bright 144 Hz AMOLED display
- Solid battery life, 50 W charging
- Restrained Nothing OS with no forced apps
We like less
- 8 MP ultra-wide camera
- Only three Android updates
- No wireless charging, no charger included
- Price gap with the Phone (4a)
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro specs
| Écran | AMOLED flexible de 6,83 pouces, 2 800 x 1 260 px (environ 440 ppp), 144 Hz, HDR10+, 1 600 nits en plein soleil et 5 000 nits en pointe annoncés, Gorilla Glass 7i |
|---|---|
| Processeur | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4 nm), GPU Adreno 722 |
| Mémoire | 8 ou 12 Go |
| Stockage | 128 ou 256 Go UFS 3.1, sans microSD |
| Appareil photo principal | 50 Mpx Sony LYT-700C, 1/1,56 pouce, 24 mm, f/1,9, stabilisation optique |
| Ultra grand-angle | 8 Mpx, 15 mm, f/2,2, 120 degrés |
| Téléobjectif | Périscope 50 Mpx, 1/2,75 pouce, 80 mm, f/2,9, zoom optique 3,5x, stabilisation optique |
| Caméra selfie | 32 Mpx, f/2,2 |
| Batterie | 5 080 mAh (5 400 mAh en Inde) |
| Charge | 50 W filaire, 7,5 W inversée filaire, pas de charge sans fil, chargeur non fourni |
| Système | Android 16, Nothing OS 4.1 ; 3 mises à jour Android et 6 ans de correctifs de sécurité |
| Réseau | 5G, double nano-SIM + eSIM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC |
| Étanchéité | IP65 |
| Dimensions et poids | 163,7 x 76,6 x 8 mm, 210 g |
| Date de sortie | Annoncé le 5 mars 2026, en vente en France le 27 mars 2026 |
| Launch price | France : 499 € (environ 327 000 FCFA) en 8 + 128 Go ; 569 € (environ 373 000 FCFA) en 12 + 256 Go. Prix relevés le 3 octobre 2026 à la Fnac et chez Darty : 552 € (environ 362 000 FCFA) et 652 € (environ 428 000 FCFA). |
Three numbers matter here. The first is the telephoto’s 80 mm: a true 3.5x optical zoom with stabilisation, where most rivals at this price settle for 2x or a simple crop. The second is the 144 Hz of a screen rated at 5,000 nits peak. The third is less flattering: the 8 MP of the ultra-wide, a sensor you would expect on a €200 phone.
Design: the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is the first all-aluminium Nothing
This is the most visible break with the past. Since 2022, you could spot a Nothing phone by its transparent glass back. Here, a block of aluminium covers the sides and most of the rear. Only the camera island keeps a translucent cover, which shows a few screws and houses the Glyph Matrix. Engadget sees a more grown-up device that loses a little of its character along the way.
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a big phone: 163.7 x 76.6 x 8 mm and 210 g, according to GSMArena. That is about 1.5 mm thinner than the Phone (3a) Pro, whose large circular bump is gone. It comes in three colours: black, silver and powder pink.
Glyph Matrix: 137 LEDs on the back, fewer than the Phone (3)
The Glyph Matrix is a small round display made of 137 mini-LEDs, set next to the lenses. It shows the time, battery level, a timer, per-app notification icons or a countdown before a photo. That is handy when the phone is lying face down on the table.
The Phone (3) matrix had 489 LEDs, so this one is coarser, but twice as bright according to the brand. Engadget misses the rear button that used to switch between functions: you now have to go through the settings.
Durability: IP65 and Gorilla Glass 7i
The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 7i and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is IP65 certified. It is therefore dust-tight and withstands water jets, rain included, but not immersion the way an IP68 model does. On a dusty road in the dry season, that protection is enough. Keep it out of the pool.
A clear soft case is included. The optical fingerprint reader sits under the display, and an Essential Key occupies the left edge.
Display: 6.83 inches, 144 Hz and top-tier brightness
The AMOLED panel on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro measures 6.83 inches, the largest the brand has ever fitted. Its 2,800 x 1,260 pixel resolution works out at about 440 pixels per inch. It displays a billion colours and supports HDR10+.
The refresh rate goes up to 144 Hz, but Phonandroid points out that the interface runs at 120 Hz most of the time: 144 Hz is reserved for a handful of compatible games.
Measured brightness and colour accuracy
Nothing quotes 800 nits in everyday use, 1,600 nits in direct sunlight and a 5,000-nit peak on HDR content. Independent measurements back up the first two figures: Expert Reviews records 771 cd/m² with manual brightness and 1,541 cd/m² in adaptive mode. The 5,000 nits only apply to a small area of the picture.
On colour, Expert Reviews measures a Delta E of 0.86, an excellent result, and Phonandroid an average of 2.1, which is still very good. PWM dimming at 2,160 Hz limits eye strain for people sensitive to flicker.
Performance: the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is smooth day to day, not built for heavy gaming
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, built on a 4 nm process: one core at 2.8 GHz, four at 2.4 GHz, three at 1.8 GHz and an Adreno 722 GPU. The standard Phone (4a) gets the slightly slower Snapdragon 7s Gen 4: Expert Reviews measures a 31% multi-core gap in Geekbench 6.
GSMArena records about 1.47 million points in AnTuTu 11, 4,170 multi-core points in Geekbench 6 and 2,075 points in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Those scores put it comfortably in the middle of the €500 pack, a long way behind a Snapdragon 8 Elite. For social media, photography and multitasking, it is more than enough.
Gaming and heat
Smartprix, which tested the Indian version, gets an average of 52 frames per second in Genshin Impact over thirty minutes, with the temperature at around 42 °C. Phonandroid measures 46 °C on the screen side and stability above 90%. The 5,300 mm² vapour chamber does its job.
Heavy 3D games call for slightly lower settings. If gaming is your priority, the Poco F9 Ultra plays in a different league, at a different price.
Memory and storage
Two configurations are sold in France: 8 + 128 GB and 12 + 256 GB, both with UFS 3.1 storage. With no microSD slot, we recommend the second: 128 GB fills up fast with 50 MP photos.
Camera: the periscope telephoto is the real reason to buy the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
The camera module on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro brings together three rear sensors. It is the phone’s main selling point, and also where Nothing made its most obvious saving.
- Main camera: 50 MP Sony LYT-700C, 1/1.56-inch, 24 mm, f/1.9, optical stabilisation.
- Periscope telephoto: 50 MP, 1/2.75-inch, 80 mm, f/2.9, 3.5x optical zoom, optical stabilisation.
- Ultra-wide: 8 MP, 15 mm, f/2.2, 120-degree field of view, no autofocus.
- Selfie: 32 MP, 22 mm, f/2.2.
Main sensor and ultra-wide
In daylight, the main sensor wins everyone over. Phonandroid praises accurate colours, good sharpness and reliable exposure. Ultra XDR processing, developed with Google according to Nothing, widens the dynamic range.
At night, opinions differ. The Fnac lab gives night mode 8.7 out of 10, but Expert Reviews finds that the main sensor struggles as soon as the light drops.
The ultra-wide is the weak link. With 8 MP and fixed focus, it lacks detail, especially in low light. Every review we consulted says so.
3.5x zoom and 140x “Ultra Zoom”
The telephoto on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is the same one found in the Phone (3), according to Phonandroid. Expert Reviews describes remarkably sharp shots at optical zoom, with vivid colours. Smartprix says the image stays clean up to 7x. Phonandroid considers the zoom usable up to 20x by day and 10x at night.
The 140x digital zoom Nothing puts forward is a poster figure: at that level, the image is rebuilt by artificial intelligence. The 80 mm lens, on the other hand, changes the way you shoot. It produces lovely tight portraits and captures a market scene without having to move closer.
Video and selfies
Video tops out at 4K and 30 frames per second, with stabilisation and Dolby Vision. Engadget notes unsteady exposure when switching focal lengths and a mushy picture in low light.
The 32 MP front camera renders natural skin tones, according to Expert Reviews. GSMArena and Smartprix report that selfie video is limited to 1080p.
Battery life and charging: a long day, sometimes two
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro sold in Europe carries a 5,080 mAh battery, against 5,400 mAh in India. Nothing promises 90% of capacity retained after 1,200 cycles, which is more than three years of daily charging.
The published measurements are good. GSMArena gets an active use score of 15 h 16 min. Phonandroid records about 17 hours in PCMark and the Fnac lab 19 hours. In video playback, Engadget reaches 24 hours. Expect a day and a half of normal use, and a full day of heavy use.
That stamina matters where mains power is not a given: charged in the morning, the phone gets through a day of load-shedding without trouble.
50 W charging: no charger in the box
Wired charging on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro reaches 50 W. GSMArena measures 50% in 22 minutes and 100% in 64 minutes. Phonandroid gets there in 57 minutes, the Fnac lab in 1 h 18 min: the difference probably comes down to the charger used.
Good to know — the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro ships without a charger. Budget for a USB-C Power Delivery adapter rated at 50 W or more. There is no wireless charging.
Software: Nothing OS 4.1, Android 16 and Nothing OS 5 on the way
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro ships with Android 16 and Nothing OS 4.1, one of its best assets. The interface is clean, built around monochrome widgets, with almost no pre-installed apps you did not ask for. Phonandroid ranks it among the best-looking Android skins around.
Essential Key, Essential Space and AI
The Essential Key captures whatever is on screen, with a voice note if you want one. Everything is filed and summarised by the Essential Space app. L’Essentiel de l’Éco nonetheless finds these AI features disappointing over extended use.
Updates: three Android versions, six years of security patches
Nothing promises three major Android updates and six years of security patches. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro should therefore go as far as Android 19. That is fair, but short of Google and Samsung, which offer seven years on similarly priced models.
Nothing OS 5, based on Android 17, has been in open beta on this model since early September 2026. According to the schedule reported by TechRepublic, the stable version is expected in early November. It brings real-time transcription in Essential Voice and Quick Share by QR code.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro price and availability in France, Europe and Africa
In France, pre-orders for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro opened on 13 March 2026 and sales began on 27 March. Launch prices were €499 (around 327,000 FCFA) for 8 + 128 GB and €569 (around 373,000 FCFA) for 12 + 256 GB. In Belgium, the same versions came out at €479 and €549.
Price tags have gone up since. On 3 October 2026, Fnac and Darty list the 128 GB version at €552 (around 362,000 FCFA) and the 256 GB version at €652 (around 428,000 FCFA). Nothing raised its prices in India in early September, citing the cost of memory, a trend we explained in our article on the RAM shortage. As far as we know, the brand has not announced an increase in France: compare retailers before you buy.
Where to buy the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at the best price
Smartphone Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
- AmazonSee at Amazon
- FnacSee at Fnac
- DartySee at Darty
- CdiscountSee at Cdiscount
Some links on this page are affiliate links: Wanda-techs may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our opinion.
In France, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is sold on Nothing’s official store, on Amazon, and at Fnac, Darty, Boulanger and Cdiscount. On marketplaces, check who the seller is: some listings are for imported models.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Nothing Phone (4a): is the €150 gap justified?
The standard Phone (4a) launched at €349 for 8 + 128 GB and €429 (around 281,000 FCFA) for 12 + 256 GB. It shares the Pro’s battery, 50 W charging, Nothing OS and, importantly, a 50 MP 3.5x periscope telephoto. Its 6.78-inch screen is limited to 120 Hz and its main sensor is a Samsung GN9.
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro adds metal, the Glyph Matrix, a smoother screen, a better main sensor and roughly a third more power. Expert Reviews and Phonandroid find the two models too close for a gap that size. If money is tight, the Phone (4a) is the rational choice.
West and Central Africa: imports, warranty and networks
Nothing has no known official distribution in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire or Senegal. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro gets there as an import. The warranty is then the one from the country of purchase, with no local after-sales service, unlike Tecno or Infinix with Carlcare.
On the network side, the list published by Kimovil includes 4G bands B1, B3, B7, B8, B20 and B28, the ones most used by operators in the region, along with 5G band n78. The phone takes two nano-SIMs, plus an eSIM on the European version. Check compatibility with your operator before buying.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 50 MP 3.5x periscope telephoto, rare at this price
- Slim, well-finished aluminium body
- Bright, well-calibrated 144 Hz AMOLED display
- Good battery life and a battery rated for 1,200 cycles
- Clean Nothing OS with no forced apps
Cons
- 8 MP ultra-wide with no autofocus
- Three Android updates, fewer than Google and Samsung
- No wireless charging, no charger included
- IP65 only, USB 2.0 and UFS 3.1 storage
- Too close to the Phone (4a), which costs €150 less
Alternatives to the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro
Tecno Camon 50 Ultra 5G
Infinix Note 60 Ultra 5G
The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra costs a little less and packs 6,500 mAh, a 3x telephoto and an IP68/IP69K rating, with a real after-sales network in Africa. The Infinix Note 60 Ultra offers a 200 MP sensor, a 3.5x periscope, 7,000 mAh and 100 W charging. The Poco F9 Ultra delivers flagship power, at more than twice the price. The Sony Xperia 10 VIII is also worth a look.
Conclusion: should you buy the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro?
Yes, if zoom and design matter to you. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a coherent phone: pleasant to hold, fitted with a fine screen, long-lasting and backed by a carefully designed interface. The 3.5x periscope remains its best argument against rivals at the same price.
Two reservations weigh on the decision. The first is software support, limited to three Android versions. The second is price: at €499, it is a good deal. At €552, or €652 for 256 GB, much less so, because the standard Phone (4a) also offers a 3.5x periscope for €349.
Our pick
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro in 12 + 256 GB — the best zoom at around €500 in an aluminium body, for people who care about photography and design. Buy it under €570 (around 374,000 FCFA); above that, the Phone (4a) does almost as well.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro cost in France?
It launched on 27 March 2026 at €499 (around 327,000 FCFA) for 8 + 128 GB and €569 (around 373,000 FCFA) for 12 + 256 GB. In early October 2026, Fnac and Darty list it at €552 and €652. Prices vary from one retailer to the next: compare before ordering, and watch out for Black Friday deals.
What is the difference between the Nothing Phone (4a) and the Phone (4a) Pro?
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has an aluminium body, a 6.83-inch 144 Hz screen, a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, a Sony LYT-700C main sensor and the 137-LED Glyph Matrix. The (4a) keeps the transparent back, a 6.78-inch 120 Hz screen, a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 and a 63-LED Glyph Bar. The battery, 50 W charging and 3.5x telephoto are shared. The gap was €150 at launch.
Will the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro get Android 17 and Nothing OS 5?
Yes. Nothing OS 5, based on Android 17, has been available in open beta on this model since early September 2026. The stable version is expected in early November 2026, according to the schedule reported in the press. The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is entitled to three major Android updates and six years of security patches.
Will there be a Nothing Phone (4) in 2026?
No. Carl Pei confirmed in late January 2026 that Nothing would not launch a new flagship this year. The Phone (3), released in 2025, remains the brand’s most premium model. The (4a) series carries the new features for 2026, and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro sits at the top of it.
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