Nothing Phone 4b hands-on: Not for geeks, but designed for mainstream users

The first time I held the Phone 4b, it reminded me of the Apple iPhone 5c, a bubbly, colourful smartphone that was launched years ago. Even today, I still use the device occasionally, and it remains one of my favourite iPhone designs.

Back then, the device and its design were considered controversial, but Apple never made the iPhone 5c feel cheap. It’s unfortunate that Apple never pursued another device like the iPhone 5c.

But who would have thought that London-based Nothing would be the company to experiment with a phone featuring more or less the same elements as the iPhone 5c in 2026? In fact, it’s not just the plastic-bodied design that draws comparisons. I would argue that the Phone 4b is not a “budget” phone, and neither was the iPhone 5c.

Instead, the Phone 4b could allow Nothing to enter new markets with a more “accessible” device, especially at a time when smartphone prices have risen sharply due to the ongoing memory shortage and affordability has become the biggest concern for consumers.

Fresh off the runway, I spent a few hours with the Nothing Phone 4a in the beautiful Leh-Ladakh region of India.

Here are my early first impressions of the device.

Unapologetically plastic

I am a big fan of plastic phones. They may seem flimsy and look less premium, but the iPhone 5c had a personality of its own, and I felt something similar with the Phone 4b. To be clear, the Phone 4b does not look cheap. The polycarbonate body feels really good in the hand; it is not slippery either, and there are no bends, creaks, or squeaks when you grip it.

My review unit came in blue. While the press materials make the blue appear closer to a navy shade, in reality, the device looks much more vibrant in person. Again, the colour choice is subjective, but the device is also available in white and black, as well as a limited-edition red RCB Edition inspired by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team.

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If I compare the Phone 4a Pro and the Phone 4b, both devices feature contrasting designs. However, there is also a substantial price difference between the two phones. So keep that thing in mind.

The vibrant blue finish gives the Nothing Phone 4b a playful personality reminiscent of classic plastic smartphones. (Image: The Indian Express/ Anuj Bhatia)

Anyway, despite the Phone 4b being a plastic phone, the brand has retained Nothing’s signature design language, which is consistent with the recently launched Phone 4a. Take, for example, the see-through transparent island covering the camera on the top half of the device and the Glyph Matrix notification system.

Like the Phone 4a, the Phone 4b uses a rectangular light bar on the side to alert users to incoming notifications. It consists of 45 mini LEDs, divided into five individually controllable zones. This new system is up to 40 per cent brighter than the previous Glyph Lights. Nothing indicates that the design prevents light leakage, ensuring consistent brightness regardless of viewing angle.

The plastic back of the Phone 4b is a major departure from the aluminium and glass materials that Nothing has previously used. It is crafted from a single piece of plastic, and you won’t find a single seam or joint in the unibody-style design. Nothing has opted for a matte finish on the frame, which means there are no noticeable fingerprints or smudges building up on the sides.

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The button placement doesn’t look odd either. The power and volume buttons are now on the right-hand side, exactly where most Android users expect them. The Essential Key, meanwhile, is placed on the left side. The phone also comes with an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance.

But I must say, the Phone 4b is a big phone with a huge 6.77-inch Super AMOLED display on the front, making it a two-handed device most of the time. The resolution is 2344×1080 pixels, with a pixel density of 381 PPI, so everything looks sharp and clear. It also supports a 120 Hz refresh rate for smoother gameplay and app scrolling, like on Instagram. However, it lacks 10-bit colour support, offering only 8-bit colour instead, if that matters.

Hardware and software

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 may not deliver impressive benchmark scores, but in everyday use, I think the processor is more than capable, handling Nothing OS 4.1 smoothly with no hesitation. The decision to use a less powerful processor is a clear sign that Nothing has made compromises to keep the price down. The base version comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage and is priced at rs 34,999, while the top variant offers 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. it is priced at Rs 38,999.

Another thing I would like to add is that the Phone 4b has a larger cooling area with a large vapour chamber, which means the system is designed to dissipate heat more effectively. Modern phones can get quite warm when pushed to their limits, but a larger vapour chamber helps keep the device from overheating, especially during Delhi summers.

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The Phone 4b features a 6.77-inch 120Hz AMOLED display paired with Nothing’s distinctive Glyph Matrix notification system. (Image: The Indian Express/ Anuj Bhatia)

The Phone 4b runs Nothing OS 4.1, which I found to be one of the most customisable and personal versions of Android 16. It can be used with standard app icons and widgets or with dot-matrix-style designs that add a bit of retro charm to everyday tasks. During a select media briefing ahead of the Phone 4b launch, Nothing’s co-founder Akis Evangelidis said more consumers are considering a Nothing phone because of Nothing OS rather than just its design

As for Nothing OS, it supports live notifications from apps such as Uber, Zomato, and Google Maps on an improved lock screen. It also comes with Google’s Gemini built in, along with a collection of Nothing’s own AI tools, including the Essential Space app and Essential Voice feature. The phone also features AI-powered search, which integrates data from Essential Space.

Nothing will provide three years of Android version updates and a total of six years of security updates, which falls short compared with the competition.

For a change, Nothing has added some bloatware to the Phone 4b. The device comes preloaded with apps such as Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon Music, although users can delete them if they choose.

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Dual-camera setup and a massive battery

The camera setup on the back of the Phone 4b features a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. I briefly tested the camera, so a final verdict is not possible at this stage. However, the main 50-megapixel camera delivers good shots in decent lighting, with plenty of detail.

It remains to be seen whether the camera performs equally well in dimmer conditions. I have yet to test its video recording capabilities, especially in 4K. Video quality has become a new benchmark for smartphones, as more people use their phones for vlogging and content creation.

Nothing’s transparent camera island houses a 50MP main camera with OIS alongside an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. (Image: The Indian Express/ Anuj Bhatia)

Here are a few sample shots I captured in Leh with the Nothing Phone 4b.

Image shot on the Nothing Phone 4b. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

Image shot on the Nothing Phone 4b. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)

While the battery capacity is 6,000 mAh for Indian users, I hope the Phone 4b can last a full day on a single charge, especially for heavy users like me. Charging is rated at 33W, with Nothing claiming that the device can go from 1 per cent to 100 per cent in about 80 minutes.

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First impressions

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the Nothing Phone 4b is a reincarnation of the iPhone 5c for a newer generation. For a phone that is neither a budget device nor a mid-range phone, the Phone 4b evokes many memories of the iPhone 5c, and logically so. It is clear to me that the Phone 4b is designed for a time when job losses are surging due to AI disruption and the memory crisis has made existing smartphones increasingly out of reach for many consumers.

I will be be using the Nothing Phone 4b extensively over the next few days, and I look forward to sharing my review soon.