Nothing Phone 4B Review | Should You Buy It or Not?

Nothing Phone 4B Review | Should You Buy It or Not?

720p display. IPS LCD panel. 4GB RAM. These are three things you never want to hear about a new phone — and the good news is the Nothing Phone 4B has none of them. This is Nothing's most affordable phone yet, part of a brand-new "B series" line, and I spent a full week using it as my daily driver. Here's my honest, point-by-point breakdown.

Quick Summary
  • 6.77" 1080p AMOLED display, 120Hz, hits 1,800 nits peak brightness
  • Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip with 8GB RAM on the base model
  • 50MP main camera with OIS, decent in daylight and indoors
  • Massive 6,000mAh battery — Nothing's biggest ever — with 33W charging
  • Starts at ₹29,999, with 3 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches
What's Good
  • Bright, sharp AMOLED display with 120Hz and always-on support
  • Genuinely loud, full-sounding dual stereo speakers
  • Smooth day-to-day performance with no lag or crashes
  • Huge 6,000mAh battery that easily lasts a full day
  • Clean software with long update support and no ads
What's Not
  • No NFC, no eSIM in India, no microSD card slot
  • Struggles with heavy games like Genshin Impact
  • Haptics feel weak and need real attention to notice
  • Camera detail drops noticeably when you zoom in
  • Camera app occasionally fails to rotate the preview properly

1Design and Build Quality

Unbox it and your first thought will probably be "this looks a lot like the Phone 4a Pro" — and you'd be right. Here's what stands out:

  • Familiar design: Nearly identical back panel to the 4a Pro, but the dimple near the camera now lines up properly with the cutout
  • Plastic unibody: No metal this time, but it still feels premium in hand, not cheap
  • Weight: 210g — not the lightest, but it doesn't feel tiring to hold
  • Glyph Lights: Five vertical LED squares instead of seven, but brightness and functionality are unchanged, and the red recording LED is still there
  • Durability: IP64 rated for light splashes, Dragontrail glass on front, with a pre-applied screen protector in the box
  • Colours: Blue, white, and black — blue is my personal favourite

2Display and Speakers

This is where you'll spend most of your time, and Nothing hasn't cut corners:

  • Panel: 6.77-inch, 1080p AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate and an optical in-display fingerprint scanner
  • Brightness: Hit 1,800 nits in testing — even higher than Nothing's official claim, and easily readable in direct sunlight
  • HDR playback: Looks sharp and vivid on both YouTube and Prime Video
  • Speakers: Proper dual stereo speakers that sound louder and fuller than you'd expect at this price, thanks to a dedicated top speaker grille instead of just the earpiece
  • Bezels: Thinner on top and sides than the CMF Phone 3 Pro and Phone 3 Lite, though the chin is a touch thicker
  • Extras: Always-on display included

3Performance

A full week of daily use, and the phone stayed reliably smooth. Here's the breakdown:

  • Chip: Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, paired with 8GB RAM even on the base variant
  • Storage: 128GB or 256GB, UFS 2.2 with LPDDR4X RAM
  • Benchmarks: Just above 1 million on AnTuTu
  • Real-world test: Handled Android Auto, hotspot tethering, music, and app-switching over a 2-hour drive without heating up or slowing down
  • Gaming: Steady 90 FPS in Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI; struggles with heavier titles like Genshin Impact
  • Minor issues: Animations aren't quite as smooth as the 4a/4a Pro, and the camera preview occasionally doesn't rotate correctly — likely fixable with a software update

4Software

Runs on Nothing OS 4.1 based on Android 16. Key points:

  • Update promise: 3 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches
  • Clean experience: No ads, no lock screen clutter — just 3 uninstallable pre-installed apps (Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Music)
  • Essential Voice: Converts speech into formatted text inside any app with a keyboard — long-press the Essential key to use it, and it can translate on the fly
  • Glyph live activities: Track things like a Zomato delivery right on the Glyph strip
  • Haptics: The weak point — vibrations are there but easy to miss, and cranking up the intensity makes them feel too harsh instead of better

5Camera

A simple three-camera setup: 50MP main with OIS, 8MP ultrawide, and a 16MP selfie camera.

  • Daylight: Punchy colours, well-handled HDR, genuinely pleasant photos
  • Zoomed-in shots: Noticeably softer, with less fine detail
  • Indoor shots: Surprisingly good in several test shots
  • Night photos: Decent colour reproduction, but grain and softness appear once you zoom in
  • Portraits: Skin tones could be better, though edge detection is solid
  • Video: 4K at 30fps with rich colours, plus a dual capture mode for simultaneous front and rear recording, and decent walking stabilisation

Verdict: Not the best cameras in this segment, not the worst either — solidly in the middle.

6Battery and Charging

This is where the 4B genuinely stands out:

  • Battery size: 6,000mAh — the biggest Nothing has ever fitted into a phone
  • Real-world use: Comfortably lasts more than a day with normal use
  • Screen-on time: Averaged around 6.5 hours in testing (Instagram, YouTube, gaming, photography)
  • Charging speed: Up to 33W, taking about 1 hour 40 minutes from 20% to 100%

7Connectivity

  • Network: No call drops or connectivity issues on either Airtel or Jio
  • Included: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6, and support for nine 5G bands
  • Missing: No NFC, no eSIM support in India, and no microSD card slot

8Nothing Phone 4B Price and Verdict

Starting Price
₹29,999
with launch offers

For that price, you get 8GB RAM on the base model, a 1080p AMOLED display, a main camera with OIS, good stereo speakers, a huge battery, and strong software support.

Final Verdict

Is it the phone we would have dreamed of a year ago? Probably not. But in a genuinely tough year for budget and mid-range phones, this is a well-balanced device. Nothing seems to understand that cutting corners on the basics isn't the answer — it just makes a phone frustrating to use. Giving people a properly usable phone instead of just the cheapest one seems like the smarter move, and honestly, the only sensible one.

9Quick Specs

SpecDetails
Display6.77" 1080p AMOLED, 120Hz, always-on display
ChipsetSnapdragon 6 Gen 4
RAM / Storage8GB RAM (base), 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.2
Rear Camera50MP main (OIS) + 8MP ultrawide
Front Camera16MP
Battery6,000mAh, 33W wired charging
SoftwareNothing OS 4.1 (Android 16), 3-yr OS + 6-yr security updates
BuildPlastic unibody, IP64, Dragontrail glass
ConnectivityWi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6, 9 5G bands, no NFC/eSIM/microSD
PriceStarts at ₹29,999

10Frequently Asked Questions

QDoes the Nothing Phone 4B support NFC or eSIM?

No. In India, it skips NFC, eSIM, and a microSD card slot entirely.

QHow long does the Nothing Phone 4B battery last?

Its 6,000mAh battery comfortably lasts more than a day of regular use, averaging around 6.5 hours of screen-on time in testing.

QIs the Nothing Phone 4B good for gaming?

It runs Call of Duty Mobile and BGMI smoothly at 90 FPS, but heavier titles like Genshin Impact push it to its limits. It's not built as a dedicated gaming phone.

QWhat is the Nothing Phone 4B price in India?

It starts at ₹29,999 with launch offers.

QIs the Nothing Phone 4B worth buying?

Yes, if you want a bright AMOLED display, a big battery, decent cameras, and clean software without paying flagship prices — it's a solid, well-rounded pick in its segment.