I have a bit of a soft spot for Nothing phones. I know that sounds like the sort of thing a tech writer says before telling you why a phone is secretly brilliant. However, there’s something about Nothing that still feels different in a market where most smartphones have become variations of the same idea – minimalist glass slabs with little personality.
Every year we get a slightly faster processor, a slightly better camera, a slightly brighter screen, and yes, all of that matters. Still, sometimes you pick up a phone, and it just feels like someone actually had a thought beyond ‘make another rectangle’, and, for me, that's usually a new Nothing Phone. That's always the appeal of a new smartphone from this brand, as I discovered when I interviewed the Nothing design team; each one is unique, riffing on the same retro-industrial design in new ways.
Which is why I’m torn about the Nothing Phone (4b): on one hand, I’m genuinely confused by the whole ‘b’ thing, just when I was mastering the ranges after four years of covering the brand, and on the other hand, I absolutely get why it exists. Oh, and I love the blue colourway. In fact, I know the Nothing Phone (4b)’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is less powerful than the Nothing Phone (3), and its 50MP camera is the bare minimum, but sometimes the design of a thing, for me, trumps the specs, and the Nothing Phone (4b) absolutely has a design-first, spec-later kind of appeal.
I love it, but why?
Even though I love the design and the specs-to-price ratio is good (it’ll cost £299), I’m struggling to explain where it sits. Nothing has its main Phone range (both premium and mid-range (a) series), it has the more affordable CMF brand, and now it has this new (b)-series sitting somewhere in between. I spend far too much time looking at Nothing Phones and writing about them, and even I had a little pause to think, ‘hang on, which one is this supposed to be?’
The funny thing is, the moment I unpack and hold the bright, matte blue model, most of that confusion disappears because this is exactly the sort of phone Nothing should be making. It looks fun. It’s light. It has enough inside to work as an everyday phone. But above all, it channels Nothing’s ideas into a new, colourful range, moving away from the sombre but stylish white-grey-and-black designs of the premium models.
That sounds like such a simple thing, but when was the last time you looked at a new smartphone and thought it had a bit of personality? Most phones arrive in black, white, grey or some slightly awkward ‘inspired by nature’ shade that looks like it was designed by a committee trying not to upset anyone, or you pay through the nose for Apple's Cosmic Orange iPhone.
The Phone (4b) seems to want to be noticed. The bright blue finish, the simplified transparent ‘cassette’ camera module, and the simple LED line that acts as a callback to the brand’s identity it can’t escape. While brands like Apple and Samsung want to put power in your palm, Nothing, with Phone (4b) in particular, is content to make an affordable, design-first phone. It’s an object. Something you hold, something you use every day, something that can actually have a little character and personality. A phone to put a smile on your face. It’s matte-blue and happy.
Honestly, I’d take that over another boring flagship design. Of course, there will be people who look at the specifications and immediately decide this isn’t the phone for them. It doesn’t have the fastest chip; it won’t compete with the most expensive camera phones, and if your priority is benchmark scores, there are plenty of other options with higher price tags. But I’m not sure that is who this phone is really aimed at.
There are plenty of people who don’t need the absolute maximum performance from their smartphone, and I'm one of them. These people, and to a degree I'm one of them, want something reliable, something that looks good, something that feels a little different. Many of us don’t buy watches, cars, headphones or cameras purely by reading the spec sheet, so I don’t know why we pretend phones are any different. I showed my wife the new Phone (4b), and she immediately took it and has since refused to give it back. I explained its lack of power, and she couldn’t care less, because the design made her smile.
Phone design refreshed
A phone is something you look at hundreds of times a day. It sits on your desk, it comes out of your pocket, it’s part of your everyday life, so surely it’s allowed to have some personality? It needs to feel good to use and be something you're happy to manhandle.
The Phone (4b) makes a pretty convincing argument that the answer might be yes. The tricky part for Nothing is making sure the range doesn’t become too complicated. The brand built its reputation on doing things simply and differently, and adding more lettered models risks making the whole thing feel like every other smartphone brand.
But there’s something very appealing about a cheaper Nothing phone that focuses less on chasing specifications and more on being something you actually enjoy owning. I’d happily take a hit on some performance for this bold, brash and fun design – and my wife definitely has. I’d happily accept a camera that isn’t quite as impressive if the phone itself makes me smile every time I pick it up and use it.
That was always the magic of Nothing. It was about making a smartphone people actually wanted to talk about. I’m looking at that bright blue Phone (4b); I think Nothing might have remembered that.
You can pre-order the new Nothing Phone 4(b) now.
Get the current Nothing Phone range:
