Nothing Phone (4b) review: Distinctive design meets reliable everyday performance

Nothing has built its brand identity around see-through design, clean software, and visual details that make its phones instantly recognisable. The Phone (4b) brings that identity into a lower-priced segment, where phone makers have fewer ways to stand out through premium materials or top-end hardware.

With many budget and mid-range phones now sharing similar hardware and daily features, standing out is difficult. The Nothing Phone (4b) fits into Nothing’s effort to bring its design and software experience to more buyers without letting its iconic style feel like a visual gimmick.

Distinctive design with more practical controls

The Nothing Phone (4b) has a similar camera layout to the HONOR 600 Pro (or iPhone 17 Pro Max). Its wider camera bump takes inspiration from the original iPhone 17 Pro Max layout, blending it with Nothing’s signature see-through panels, geometric lines, and exposed components.

The layout feels familiar, but the rest of the design keeps it looking unmistakably like a Nothing phone. Standard white and black finishes are joined by an online-exclusive blue version with stronger colour contrast around the camera module.

At 164.4mm tall, 78.2mm wide, and 8.6mm thick, the Phone (4b) is a large phone. Its 210g weight makes one-handed use and holding it for long periods uncomfortable, especially once you put on a case.

Nothing moved the Essential Key to the left side after placing it on the right side of the Phone (3a). The new position is much easier to handle because the old layout on the right often led to accidental presses because too many buttons shared the same edge. Moving the key gives it a separate position that is easy to find without looking.

For basic protection, the Phone (4b) has an IP64 rating for dust and splashing water, with Nothing claiming that the phone survived testing in up to 25cm of water for 20 minutes.

AMOLED display supports everyday entertainment

The 6.77-inch Super AMOLED display provides plenty of screen space, making long reading sessions, map navigation, and video streaming comfortable. Running at 1080 by 2344 pixels, text stays sharp and detailed. The screen automatically adjusts its refresh rate up to 120 Hz to keep scrolling and app animations fluid, dropping down during static tasks to preserve battery life. Fast typists and casual gamers benefit from the 1000 Hz touch-sampling rate, which ensures taps and swipes respond quickly.

The screen remains easy to read in common lighting conditions. The typical 600-nit brightness is sufficient under office and household lighting. When stepping outside into direct midday sun, the screen boosts up to 1,200 nits so users can read messages or check directions without searching for shade. The 2,000-nit peak brightness mainly applies to highlights in compatible video.

Everyday performance exceeds its gaming capabilities

Inside, the Phone (4b) houses a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 processor, which handles routine tasks using an eight-core setup. Paired with 8GB of RAM, the phone comfortably keeps everyday apps such as WhatsApp, Spotify, and Google Maps active in memory, allowing smooth switching between messaging and navigation without forcing apps to reload. Most markets receive 128GB of storage, while buyers in India receive a 256GB option. Everyday apps open quickly, but its UFS 2.2 storage takes longer to handle large updates and photo transfers than flagship hardware.

In Geekbench 6 CPU testing, the Phone (4b) produced a single-core score of 1099 and a multi-core score of 3149. In practical terms, these numbers translate to a dependable experience for daily tasks. Web pages load quickly, video streams play without interruption, and social media feeds scroll without noticeable stutter. Pushing the phone beyond basic routines, such as exporting high-resolution video or rapidly switching between multiple demanding apps, causes brief slowdowns as the processor reaches its limit, making the device better suited for everyday reliability than demanding work.

Gaming performance has similar limits. In Geekbench GPU tests, the Adreno 810 graphics chip recorded OpenCL and Vulkan scores of 2899 and 3985. Gaming benchmark tests in 3DMark scored 6589 in Sling Shot and 3704 in Wild Life, but dropped to 955 in the heavier Wild Life Extreme test with an average frame rate of 5.72 FPS. This means that lighter 2D titles and casual games can run comfortably on the Phone (4b), while demanding 3D titles require lowering graphic settings and detail levels to keep games running smoothly.

Where the hardware stands out during testing is heat management and consistent performance. In the 20-minute 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, the phone recorded a top loop score of 3711 and a lowest score of 3696, achieving 99.6% performance stability. This means the phone does not suffer from sudden frame drops or severe slowdowns during long gaming sessions or extended GPS navigation. Internal temperatures rose modestly from 26°C to 29°C during testing, ensuring the body stays cool and comfortable in hand.

Nothing OS gives familiar hardware a different character

The Phone (4b) ships with Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16. In a category where core hardware is often similar across competing brands, the software carries much of the phone’s distinct character. Nothing OS sets itself apart from other Android interfaces by focusing on a consistent look, a clear design approach, and a bloat-free foundation. Instead of extensive Android changes or duplicate apps, Nothing OS uses a monochrome theme, dot-matrix typography, and custom icon packs that mute attention-grabbing logos for a cleaner look.

This visual identity extends across the lock screen, home screen, and interactive widget ecosystem. Nothing OS 4.1 expands these customisation options with a community-designed lock screen clock and Live Updates that display real-time progress from apps such as Google Maps directly on the lock screen, notification panel, and rear Glyph Interface. Practical tools like Essential Voice help clean up voice recordings and translate spoken text live, while Essential Notifications offer smart recommendations based on how the apps are used. The physical Essential Key links directly to these software features, providing a one-touch hardware entry point to core system functions.

Long-term software support remains competitive for this price tier. Nothing promises three years of major Android OS upgrades and six years of security patches, ensuring the phone stays secure for banking and messaging long after major feature updates conclude. While a six-year security commitment makes the phone practical to keep for longer, keeping the device running smoothly over that timeframe will also depend on other factors such as battery wear, local warranty coverage, and replacement-part availability.

Cameras deliver mixed results across conditions

The 50MP main camera pairs an f/1.8 aperture with phase-detection autofocus and dual optical and electronic image stabilisation. Under good daylight, it produces crisp shots with punchy contrast, vibrant colours, and ample detail for social posts, travel photos, and daily snapshots.

Architectural shots retain clear structural detail, capturing fine elements like glass façade grids, roof panels, and railings. Image processing applies noticeable sharpening around building edges and foliage, giving intricate details a slightly etched look compared to the natural scene.

Exposure handling is generally dependable. In a backlit photo of Marina Bay Sands, the camera preserves clear building details and distinct cloud shapes without letting shadow areas crush to black. However, bright sky highlights appear compressed, showing that the software prioritises an evenly balanced image over delicate highlight gradients.

Colour tuning leans vibrant rather than strictly neutral. Foliage, blue skies, and water get a visible boost, while warm indoor lights can look extra pronounced. For instance, an indoor canal shot looks eye-catching, but the water shifts heavily toward cyan while floor lighting is pushed beyond a natural look.

Deeply saturated reds prove more challenging. In a close-up photo of a hibiscus flower, the camera locks focus quickly and separates the flower cleanly from background leaves, though the bright red petals lose some delicate texture and tone variation. Close-range focus remains reliable, even if natural background blur is fairly modest.

Street photos maintain consistent white balance across varied lighting and neutral backgrounds. Indoor shots preserve good clarity, though bright windows risk blowing out and scenes lean slightly warm. In lower light, moving subjects can look soft, meaning well-lit environments are best for capturing motion sharply.

Video recording supports 4K at 30 FPS and 1080p at up to 60 FPS. Secondary hardware includes an ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 lens and a 119.5-degree field of view, alongside a 16MP selfie camera. Across all tests, the stabilised 50MP main sensor stands out as the most capable lens in the setup.

Battery life and charging

Battery capacity differs by region. The international version has a 5,200mAh battery, while the model available in India steps up to a larger 6,000mAh cell. Battery life easily covers a full day of standard use, though actual results may vary with screen brightness, use of the 120Hz refresh rate, cellular signal strength, and background activity.

Both versions support 33W wired charging alongside 7.5W reverse wired charging for small accessories. At 33W, charging speeds are fairly modest compared to rival Android phones in this price category. While overnight charging poses no issue, quick mid-day top-ups take longer than on faster-charging competitors.

Regional variations extend beyond battery capacity. Buyers in India also gain access to an optional 256GB storage tier but lose NFC for contactless payments, while eSIM support remains strictly exclusive to models sold in Japan. Because battery size, storage tiers, mobile payment features, and eSIM support differ by region, buyers should carefully verify local specification sheets before purchasing.

The verdict: Nothing Phone (4b)

The Nothing Phone (4b) delivers a well-rounded budget phone with far more distinctive design than typical phones built on similar hardware. Its rear panel applies Nothing’s signature see-through styling to a familiar camera layout, while moving the Essential Key to the left side fixes an awkward control choice from the Phone (3a).

Everyday performance handles routine apps smoothly, and stress testing confirms that the phone maintains consistent performance under longer demanding tasks without overheating. Heavy 3D gaming remains its main hardware weakness.

In photography, the main camera captures detailed daylight photos, though noticeable sharpening and vibrant colours occasionally reduce the natural look of a scene. Dim indoor lighting and moving subjects also expose limits of its image processing.

The Phone (4b) relies on Nothing’s signature design, clean software, and reliable everyday performance to stand out. Buyers seeking flagship speed, heavy gaming power, or rapid charging will need to look higher up the price ladder.