Nothing Phone (4b) Review

The Nothing Phone (4b) is Nothing's latest mid-range smartphone that focuses on delivering a premium software experience, unique design, and impressive battery life rather than chasing flagship-level performance. It features a large 6.77-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor, 6000mAh battery, dual rear cameras with OIS, and Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16.

At its expected price of around ₹34,999, the Phone (4b) enters a highly competitive segment where performance-focused smartphones are widely available. Instead of offering the fastest chipset, Nothing emphasizes clean software, attractive industrial design, and long-term software support.

The question is whether these strengths are enough to justify its price.

Design and Build Quality

Nothing has successfully created one of the most recognizable smartphone designs in the industry, and the Phone (4b) continues that tradition.

The transparent-inspired rear panel combined with the Glyph Bar lighting gives the phone a distinctive appearance that stands out from conventional smartphones. The finish feels premium, and the overall build quality is solid.

The device measures 8.6mm thick and weighs 210g, making it noticeably heavier than many competing devices. However, the larger battery partly explains the extra weight.

Protection is handled by Dragontail Pro Glass, while the IP64 rating provides resistance against dust and everyday splashes.

Overall, the design is one of the strongest reasons to consider the Phone (4b).

Display

The Phone (4b) features a 6.77-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate.

The panel delivers vibrant colours, deep blacks, excellent contrast, and smooth animations throughout the user interface.

Display Highlights

• 6.77-inch Super AMOLED panel

• 1080 × 2344 resolution

• 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

• HDR10+ support

• 2000 nits peak brightness

• 1200 nits outdoor brightness

• 1000Hz touch sampling rate

• Dragontail Pro Glass protection

Watching HDR content, YouTube videos, Netflix, and social media feels immersive. Outdoor visibility is also good thanks to the high peak brightness.

Although the resolution isn't class-leading, the display remains one of the better panels in this segment.

Performance

Powering the Phone (4b) is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor built on TSMC's efficient 4nm manufacturing process.

It is paired with:

• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM

• 128GB UFS 2.2 Storage

• Adreno 810 GPU

• Qualcomm Hexagon AI Engine

Daily performance is smooth for browsing, social media, messaging, video streaming, productivity, and multitasking.

However, compared to similarly priced smartphones using Snapdragon 7-series or Dimensity 8000-series processors, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 offers noticeably lower CPU and GPU performance.

App opening speeds remain responsive, but power users and gamers may notice the difference during demanding workloads.

Camera Performance

The Nothing Phone (4b) includes:

• 50MP primary camera with OIS

• 8MP ultra-wide camera

• 16MP front camera

The primary camera captures detailed photos with balanced colours during daylight. Optical Image Stabilization helps reduce blur and improves handheld photography.

The ultra-wide camera is useful for landscapes and group photos but delivers less detail than the main sensor.

Camera Features include:

• OIS

• Ultra XDR

• AI Semantic Segmentation

• Portrait Optimiser

• Night Mode

• Dual Video Recording

• Time-lapse

• Slow Motion

The phone does not include a telephoto or periscope camera, so optical zoom capabilities are limited.

Video recording supports 4K at 30fps, while the 16MP front camera records Full HD videos suitable for video calls and social media.

Overall, the cameras perform well for everyday photography but aren't the strongest in this price category.

Battery Life

Battery life is one of the Phone (4b)'s biggest strengths.

Its 6000mAh battery easily delivers a full day of heavy use and can often last well into the second day for moderate users.

Battery Features

• 6000mAh battery

• 33W wired fast charging

• 7.5W reverse wired charging

Charging isn't the fastest in its segment, but the larger battery compensates by reducing charging frequency.

If battery endurance is your priority, the Phone (4b) performs very well.

Software Experience

Nothing continues to offer one of Android's cleanest software experiences.

The Phone (4b) runs Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16 with minimal pre-installed apps and smooth animations.

Software Highlights

• Android 16

• Nothing OS 4.1

• Clean interface

• Glyph Bar features

• Qualcomm AI Engine

• 3 years Android updates

• 6 years security updates

The software remains lightweight, responsive, and easy to use without unnecessary clutter.

Gaming Experience

Gaming performance is suitable for casual and moderate gamers.

Popular games such as BGMI, Call of Duty Mobile, Asphalt, and Free Fire run smoothly on medium to high graphics settings.

More demanding titles like Genshin Impact require reduced graphics settings for stable gameplay.

The 120Hz display improves responsiveness, while the efficient 4nm chipset helps maintain reasonable temperatures during longer gaming sessions.

Competitive gamers looking for maximum FPS performance may prefer smartphones equipped with more powerful processors.

Connectivity

Connectivity options are modern and complete.

The Phone (4b) supports:

• Dual Nano SIM

• 5G

• Dual VoLTE

• Wi-Fi 6

• Bluetooth 6.0

• USB Type-C 2.0

• GPS

• USB OTG

• In-display Fingerprint Sensor

• Face Unlock

• Dual Stereo Speakers

The inclusion of Bluetooth 6.0 is a welcome addition, although USB Type-C remains limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

Value for Money

At approximately ₹34,999, the Nothing Phone (4b) faces strong competition.

Its clean software, premium design, battery life, and display are definite strengths.

However, buyers focused primarily on gaming or raw performance may find better value in competing devices with faster chipsets and quicker storage.

For users who value software experience, design, and everyday usability over benchmark numbers, the Phone (4b) remains an appealing option.

Should You Buy This Product?

You should buy the Nothing Phone (4b) if you want:

• Excellent battery life

• Premium Nothing design

• Smooth AMOLED display

• Clean Android experience

• Long software support

• Reliable everyday performance

You should avoid it if you want:

• Flagship-level gaming performance

• Faster charging

• Telephoto camera

• Wireless charging

• Faster UFS storage

Overall, the Phone (4b) succeeds as a stylish everyday smartphone but isn't the most performance-focused option in its price segment.