Nothing Phone (4) Review: 8.1/10 - Light-Up Charmer with Mid-Range Honesty
Overview
The Nothing Phone (4) continues the brand’s quirky design-first approach with the third-gen Glyph Interface, now with 48 individually addressable LED zones on the back. At $649, it’s a mid-range device that looks like nothing else on the market while delivering solid, if not spectacular, performance.
Design & Build
The Phone (4) retains the transparent glass back with the redesigned Glyph Interface - 48 LED strips that can be customized per-app for notifications, volume visualization, and even a music visualizer. The frame is recycled aluminum with flat edges that improve grip over last year’s model. At 193g, it feels lighter than its dimensions suggest. The IP68 rating is welcome, and the included transparent case shows off the design. The 8MP macro camera is a useless filler lens that shouldn’t exist in 2026.
Performance
The Dimensity 9400 delivers Geekbench 6 scores of 2,710 single and 8,940 multi - competitive with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from last year, about 15% behind the new Snapdragon 8 Elite. Gaming is smooth at 1080p: Call of Duty Mobile runs at consistent 60 fps on high settings, but demanding titles like Genshin Impact show frame drops to 45 fps at higher resolutions. Nothing OS 4.0 is clean with a charming dot-matrix font aesthetic and three years of OS updates - less than Samsung or Google but fair for the price.
Features
The Glyph Interface is genuinely useful for notifications in Do Not Disturb mode and doubles as a fill light for photography. The 50MP main camera (Sony IMX906) takes good photos with Nothing’s signature desaturated look, though dynamic range falls short of the Pixel 10a. The 50MP ultrawide is competent. The 5,500mAh battery delivers 7.5 hours of screen-on time with 80W charging hitting 60% in 20 minutes. The 120Hz display is vibrant with good viewing angles, but peak brightness of 750 nits is noticeably lower than flagships.
Pros
- Unique Glyph Interface with 48 customizable LED zones
- Clean, bloat-free Nothing OS experience
- Good main and ultrawide camera pairing
- Solid battery life with fast 80W charging
Cons
- Dimensity 9400 trails Snapdragon 8 Elite by 15%
- 8MP macro camera is essentially useless
- Display brightness falls short of competitors
- Only 3 years of OS updates promised
Verdict
The Nothing Phone (4) is for people who value design personality over spec-sheet dominance. It’s a capable mid-ranger that stands out visually, but the dimmer display and middling update policy hold it back from greatness.
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Technical Specifications
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