Nothing unveiled the Nothing Phone (4b) earlier this week – this is the first (b) series phone, but it’s a mid-ranger not unlike the (a) series models. In fact, the (4a) is the better phone.
The Nothing Phone (4b) has a 6.77” 1080p+ OLED display, a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset and a 5,200mAh battery with 33W charging (for Europe, India is getting a version with a larger 6,000mAh battery). The 50MP main camera has a tiny sensor (1/2.76”) and is joined only by an 8MP ultra-wide camera – even the CMF Phone 2 Pro had a telephoto lens (but the CMF Phone 3 Pro got canceled). The (4b) is currently on pre-order and will start shipping next week.
The Nothing Phone (4a) costs €390 for an 8/256GB model, but we recommend spending €13 more to get 4 extra gigs of RAM. And it’s faster RAM too, LPDDR5X compared to LPDDR4X on the (4b). The (a) phone also has faster storage, UFS 3.1 vs. UFS 2.2, and double the capacity to boot.
There are other advantages as well, like the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chipset (an overclocked version of the 6 Gen 4) and a sharper 6.78” OLED display (1224p+ vs. 1080p+). The 50MP main camera has a larger sensor (1/1.57”) and there is a 50MP 3.5x/80mm periscope next to it. The 5,080mAh battery is smaller, but only marginally so.
There’s also the Nothing Phone (3) – the brand’s first and, for now, only flagship (there is no Nothing flagship coming this year). It has the more performant Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip with even faster UFS 4.0 storage. Plus an even bigger 50MP sensor for the main (1/1.3”), a similar 50MP 3x periscope and a 50MP ultra-wide module too (the others have 8MP ultra-wides). Even the selfie camera has a 50MP sensor (vs. 32MP on the (4a) and 16MP on the (4b)). The battery for the European spec has 5,150mAh capacity.
Moving away from Nothing, you can have a Samsung Galaxy A57 for the same money as the Phone (4b). You get twice as many OS updates (6 years vs. 3 years) and a premium-feeling 6.9mm aluminum frame (vs. 8.6mm plastic frame) with an IP68 rating (vs. IP64). The battery is smaller at 5,000mAh, but the Galaxy is noticeably lighter (179g vs. 210g).
The Realme 16 Pro+ is pricier, but it has several upsides. First, it has the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (note: not the 7s Gen 4) chipset. Second and third, it boasts both a 200MP main camera (1/1.56” sensor) and a 50MP 3.5x periscope. Plus, it has a 7,000mAh battery, which is much larger than what the phones above have to offer (with 80W fast charging to boot). The phone is slated for 5 OS updates.
The Motorola Edge 70 is at the same price point. It’s even thinner than the Galaxy A57 with a 6.0mm aluminum frame and it’s lighter too at 159g, without losing too much battery (4,800mAh). Unlike the others, this one has wireless charging (15W) in addition to 68W wired charging. The Edge 70 uses the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset as the Realme above. The camera department includes a 50MP main (1/1.56”) and a 120° ultra-wide.
The Poco F8 Pro is more of a Nothing Phone (3) competitor, but it’s well worth a look even if you are considering the (4b). It has the faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a relatively large 6,210mAh battery with 100W wired-only charging. The 50MP main camera has a decently sized 1/1.55” sensor (though it is smaller than the Nothing Phone (3)’s sensor), a 50MP 2.5x/60mm telephoto camera and an 8MP ultra-wide.
Then there’s the Poco F8 Ultra with a larger 6.9” display (vs. 6.59”) and a larger 6,500mAh battery with both 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. This one packs the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip and has a Bose 2.1 sound system (stereo speakers + woofer). The camera offers a larger 50MP sensor (1/1.31”), a longer 5x/115mm lens for the 50MP tele module and a 50MP ultra-wide. You can find a detailed comparison between the Poco F8 Pro and F8 Ultra here.
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