Nothing Phone 4b

At Rs. 164,999, the Nothing Phone 4b is hard to call great value. Its strengths are real: clean, well-optimised software, a smooth 120Hz AMOLED display, true stereo speakers, a long-lasting battery and Nothing's Glyph lights. But the hardware is clearly budget-class.

• Advantages: smooth everyday performance, battery life beyond a full day, near-stock software with all of Nothing's AI tools.
• Disadvantages: plastic build that scuffs, weak haptics, 33W charging, no telephoto camera, weak low-light photos and only IP64 splash protection.

At nearly the same price, the Oppo Reno 16 and Vivo V70 offer a faster chip, bigger batteries, much faster charging and stronger water resistance. Verdict: the 4b is worth it only for buyers who specifically want the Nothing experience; most others will get more phone from those alternatives at this price.

The 6.77-inch AMOLED panel runs at 120Hz with a 1080 x 2344 resolution, so scrolling feels smooth and text is sharp enough for daily use. A 1000Hz touch sampling rate makes taps feel very responsive, and high-frequency 480Hz PWM dimming helps people who are sensitive to screen flicker at low brightness.

Colours and contrast look good, and brightness is more than enough for social media, videos and outdoor use, with a peak rating of 2000 nits.

• Limitations: the anti-glare finish is weaker than on premium phones, the bezels are uneven with a thicker chin, and streaming apps such as Netflix do not play HDR10 content.
• The screen is protected by Dragontail Pro glass rather than Gorilla Glass.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 (4 nm) is a mid-range chip, and in benchmarks it sits close to flagships from around seven years ago. Even so, everyday use feels quick and smooth, because Nothing OS 4.1 is very well optimised and uses a new custom CPU scheduler. It feels noticeably faster than the Galaxy A27 with the older Snapdragon 6 Gen 3.

Apps open quickly, but there are occasional stutters, and heavy multitasking such as a video call while browsing the gallery slows it a little. A larger vapour chamber helps sustained performance, so it can handle casual and moderate gaming, but frame rates in demanding games are only average.

Both versions have 8GB RAM, with slower UFS 2.2 storage. Together with the modest chip, that suggests performance may not age as well over five or six years as phones with faster hardware.

The Nothing Phone 4b has a 50 MP main camera with OIS and an 8 MP ultrawide; there is no telephoto lens. The main sensor is physically small, so results depend heavily on light.

• Daylight: photos show good colours, decent detail and respectable dynamic range.
• Low light: the phone struggles; shutter speeds slow down, noise rises and colours turn dull.
• Ultrawide: usable, but never sharp in the corners and narrower than on the Phone 4a.
• Portraits: 2x portraits are better than expected, with good skin tones and natural background blur, though zoom beyond that is only a digital crop.
• Selfies: the 16 MP front camera produces decent results.

Video reaches 4K at 30fps from the main camera with usable stabilisation, while the ultrawide and selfie cameras are limited to 1080p. The Glyph light doubles as a red recording indicator.

Battery capacity depends on the market: 5200 mAh on the international model and 6000 mAh in India. It is the largest battery Nothing has put in a phone.

The 5200 mAh version easily lasts a day and a half, and light users can stretch it to two days. The 6000 mAh Indian version regularly reaches 7 to 8 hours of active screen use, and it drains less than the Phone 4a when playing video on a loop.

Charging is the trade-off. With 33W wired charging and a big cell, filling it from empty is slow compared with rivals, and there is no wireless charging. The phone can charge other devices by cable at 7.5W.

The phone runs Android 16 with Nothing OS 4.1, and Nothing promises up to 3 major Android upgrades. The interface stays close to stock Android while adding Nothing's own widgets, icon packs, dot-style design and deep customisation. It is clean, smooth and free of heavy extras.

The 4b gets the same features as the more expensive Nothing phones, including Essential Space and the full set of Essential AI tools, which keep growing with updates. The Glyph lights on the back work as notification lights, can be customised for different uses, and are brighter than on the Phone 4a.

• Weak points: the vibration motor feels mushy and cheap, which is why keyboard vibration is off by default.
• NFC depends on the market; the Indian version has none, so check the exact model before buying if you need tap-to-pay.