Ever since the first Nothing Phone 1 released with all its exposed internals and glowing Glyph bravado, I’ve thought that design couldn’t last forever. The industry has a way of dulling the edges of newcomers; unique designs get refined, bold ideas get softened, and before you know it, you’re looking at yet another thin rectangle chasing market share and shouting about a new colour change.
The new Nothing Phone 4(a) Pro – the big brother to the excellent Phone 4(a) – doesn’t do that, completely, thankfully, but it does shift the studio’s rules a bit. This is a different kind of Nothing phone, one with a split personality. Up top, the brand is still letting itself run wild: the camera block and Glyph Matrix lights are packed together with confidence, shunning the typical smartphone camera cluster. There’s a nod to the retro cassette-inspired look of the brilliant Headphone (1), too, which also plays on the brand's retro DNA.
