Nothing’s most affordable smartphone yet, the Phone (4b), has been put through a full review by Daniel Schmidt of Notebookcheck. The device arrived on the market on 7 July 2026 and carries a price tag of 329 euros, roughly 380 US dollars. The review, published on 15 September 2026, awarded the handset an overall score of 77 percent, which translates to a “good” rating. The test unit was supplied by Nothing Germany, and the manufacturer had no sight of the review before publication.
What you get for 329 euros
The Phone (4b) sits at the very bottom of Nothing’s current lineup, but it inherits a few signature features from its more expensive siblings. The most visible is a smaller version of the Glyph Bar, the LED strip that has become Nothing’s calling card. The phone is built around a 6.77-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2344 by 1080 pixels, a pixel density of 381 PPI and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Powering the device is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset, paired with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8 GB of LPDDR4x RAM.
Storage is fixed at 128 GB using UFS 2.2 technology, and there is no microSD slot for expansion. In Germany, that is the only variant on offer. Buyers in India will receive a different configuration with a larger 6,000 mAh battery, while the German model makes do with 5,200 mAh.
Display: bright on paper, less so in practice
Nothing advertises a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for the Phone (4b), but the review’s measurements tell a more modest story. Schmidt recorded a maximum of 1,160 cd/m². That figure is still respectable for a budget phone, but it falls well short of the marketing claim. The reviewer notes that the advertised 2,000 nits is likely achievable only for small white areas, not across the whole screen. The panel does support 480 Hz PWM dimming, which can help reduce flicker for sensitive users. In the review’s scoring, the display earned 89 percent.
Performance and software
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 is a mid-range chip, and the Phone (4b) behaves accordingly. Day-to-day tasks are handled without drama, but this is not a device for heavy gaming or demanding workloads. The phone ships with Android 16 and Nothing OS 4.1 on top. Nothing promises three years of Android version upgrades and six years of security patches. That policy is reasonable for the price, though not class-leading.
Cameras: main sensor does the heavy lifting
Around the back, there are two cameras: a 50 MP main sensor with optical stabilisation and an 8 MP ultrawide. There is no telephoto lens, so any zoom beyond the main camera’s field of view is digital and, according to the review, of poor quality. The 16 MP front camera handles selfies and video calls.
The main camera is the only one worth relying on. Its sensor is small, which becomes obvious in low light, where it struggles. The ultrawide camera’s output is not impressive either. Overall, the camera system received a score of 63 percent, making photography the Phone (4b)’s weakest area.
Battery life and charging
Battery performance is where the Phone (4b) shines. The 5,200 mAh cell lasted 21 hours and 58 minutes in Wi-Fi browsing tests, an excellent result. Nothing rates the battery for 1,400 charge cycles, which suggests good long-term durability. The battery score of 93 percent is the highest among the phone’s individual categories.
Charging is wired only, at 33 watts. The phone reaches 50 percent in 29 minutes, 80 percent in 55 minutes and 100 percent in 80 minutes. That is not particularly fast by current standards, but it is adequate for the capacity.
Connectivity and build
The Phone (4b) supports Bluetooth 6.0, which is unusual at this price point. Wi-Fi performance, however, is slow: the review measured 509 Mbit/s for transmit and 435 Mbit/s for receive, both below what competitors offer. There is no eSIM support, so users must rely on a physical SIM card.
The body is made of plastic, but the review describes it as well built and sturdy, with a high-quality feel. At 210 grams, the phone is not light, and its measured thickness is 8.8 mm (Nothing specifies 8.6 mm). Protection against water and dust is limited to IP64, which means splash resistance only — the phone is not waterproof.
Call quality is good when the phone is held to the ear, but background noise is not well filtered. The stereo speakers are slightly quieter than those on the Phone (4a).
Storage, updates and repairability
With 128 GB of internal storage and no microSD slot, buyers are limited to what they get out of the box. The review notes that 108 GB is free for the user. The update policy of three years of Android upgrades and six years of security patches is a mixed bag: security support is long, but Android version updates are shorter than some rivals provide.
Repairability scored just 40 percent, while sustainability reached 70.9 percent. Those figures suggest the phone is not especially easy to fix and that its environmental footprint is middling.
How it compares to the Phone (4a)
The Phone (4b) competes directly with Nothing’s own Phone (4a). During the review period, the Phone (4a) with the same 128 GB of storage was available cheaper at some retailers. The (4b) does offer better battery life, but the (4a) has louder speakers. For buyers weighing the two, the decision may come down to price: if the (4b) sees a price drop, it could become the more attractive option.
Verdict
The Nothing Phone (4b) is a solid budget phone with a few standout features. Its battery life is excellent, the display is smooth and colourful, and Bluetooth 6.0 is a nice bonus. The plastic build feels better than expected, and the Glyph Bar adds a touch of personality.
But there are clear compromises. The display does not reach the advertised brightness, the cameras are mediocre — especially in low light — and there is no microSD expansion, no eSIM, and Wi-Fi is slow. The IP64 rating means you should keep it away from water. And with the Phone (4a) often selling for less, the (4b) is not an automatic recommendation at 329 euros.
If battery life is your top priority and you can find it at a discount, the Phone (4b) makes sense. Otherwise, it is worth comparing carefully with Nothing’s own (4a) and other mid-range rivals.
