Nothing Phone (4b) vs Nothing Phone (4a): Which Offers Better Value in Nepal 2026?

Nothing has built one of the more interesting rivalries in the mid-range space with the Nothing Phone (4a) and Nothing Phone (4b). The Nothing Phone (4a) keeps the brand’s transparent design, a multi-zone Glyph Bar, and a periscope telephoto camera, running on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, while the Nothing Phone (4b) switches to a matte back and leans on the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 to hold the price down. Here’s how the Nothing Phone (4b) and Nothing Phone (4a) actually stack up.

Display and Design

The Nothing Phone (4a) uses a 6.78-inch AMOLED display running at 120Hz, with a 2,500Hz touch sampling rate and peak brightness reaching 4,500 nits under Gorilla Glass 7i. The back keeps Nothing’s transparent look, paired with a plastic frame and an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. The Nothing Phone (4b) matches the 120Hz refresh rate on its slightly smaller 6.77-inch AMOLED panel, protected by Dragontrail Pro Glass, though brightness tops out at a lower 2,000 nits. Instead of the see-through design, the 4b switches to a plain matte back and carries an IP64 rating.

Design also differs in how the Glyph lighting works. The Nothing Phone (4a) uses a multi-zone Glyph Bar with 63 mini-LEDs across six sections, reaching up to 3,500 nits for notifications, calls, and timers. The Nothing Phone (4b) keeps things simpler with a single Glyph Bar strip that can also flash during recording. Outdoors, the 4a’s higher peak brightness gives it a slight edge in direct sunlight, but both screens handle everyday use comfortably.

Performance

Performance is where the Nothing Phone (4a) pulls ahead. It runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, a 4nm chipset that clocks up to 2.7GHz, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and UFS 3.1 storage in 128GB or 256GB capacities. The Nothing Phone (4b) uses the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, also built on a 4nm process but a step down in raw power, and sticks to 8GB of RAM with UFS 2.2 storage across 128GB or 256GB options.

Nothing says the 4a’s UFS 3.1 storage delivers noticeably faster read and write speeds than the 4b’s UFS 2.2, and that shows up in quicker app installs and smoother file transfers day to day. For gaming and multitasking, the 4a’s newer chipset has the edge, while the 4b handles calls, browsing, and everyday apps just fine.

Camera

Camera hardware is where the Nothing Phone (4a) separates itself the most. It packs a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 50MP periscope telephoto lens offering 3.5x optical zoom with its own OIS, and an 8MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view, backed by a 32MP front camera. The Nothing Phone (4b) keeps to a simpler dual setup, a 50MP main sensor with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide, along with a 16MP front camera for selfies and video calls.

That periscope lens gives the 4a real optical zoom for portraits and distant subjects, something the 4b simply doesn’t offer. Nothing also runs the 4a’s camera through its TrueLens Engine 4 processing system, which includes tools like Ultra XDR for better highlight and shadow detail and a built-in Photo Eraser for cleaning up shots. The 4b’s camera setup is solid for everyday photos in good light but doesn’t match that flexibility.

Battery and Connectivity

Battery capacity favors the Nothing Phone (4b) by a small margin, at 5,200mAh compared to the 4a’s 5,080mAh. Nothing rates the 4b for around 22 hours of continuous video streaming, while the 4a’s 17-hour estimate covers a mix of calls, video, and gaming. Charging flips the advantage back to the 4a, though, which supports 50W wired charging and reaches 50 percent in about 22 minutes, while the 4b tops out at 33W wired plus 7.5W reverse charging for topping up accessories.

Connectivity is close but not identical. Both phones support 5G, dual Nano-SIM, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, GPS, and USB Type-C, and both run Android 16 with Nothing OS 4.1 on top. The Nothing Phone (4b) does step up to Bluetooth 6.0, compared to Bluetooth 5.4 on the Nothing Phone (4a), and adds stereo speakers in both.

Nothing Phone (4a) vs Nothing Phone (4b): Full Specifications Comparison

Nothing Phone (4a) vs Nothing Phone (4b) Price and Availability in Nepal

Nothing Phone (4a) is already available in Nepal, priced at NPR 64,999 for the 8GB/128GB model, NPR 71,999 for 8GB/256GB, and NPR 78,999 for the top 12GB/256GB variant. Nothing Phone (4b) hasn’t launched in Nepal yet, so its pricing remains an estimate for now, expected around NPR 55,999 for 8GB/128GB and NPR 62,999 for 8GB/256GB. That’s roughly a NPR 9,000 gap at the base level, which lines up with the 4a’s stronger chipset, brighter display, and telephoto camera.

Conclusion

Go with the Nothing Phone (4a) if a brighter screen, faster performance, and real zoom range matter to you. It backs that up with a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip, a 4,500-nit display, and a periscope telephoto lens. The Phone (4b) takes a different route. It gives up some of that camera reach in exchange for a bigger battery and a friendlier price, and that works fine if you just want a phone that handles the basics without extra cost tied to camera features you may not even use.