In early July 2026, Nothing announced its latest phone to the market, the Nothing Phone 4(b), ushering in the company’s B series of smartphones. Like its ancestors, the Nothing Phone 4(b) retains that distinctive look that the company’s phones are known and loved for. Here you still get a glyph bar on the right side of the wide edge-to-edge camera bar, a bit more refined. But what’s exciting about the Nothing Phone 4(b) isn’t that Glyph bar that was inspired by the Phone 4(a) or its bold look, it’s the price.
The Nothing Phone 4(b) starts at £299 in the UK (around $399), making it cheaper than its predecessor, the 4(a), which launched at a starting price of £349 (around $466) when it was released in March 2026. This is despite the current memory crisis caused by AI data centers which have seen the price of different electronic gadgets rise. Not to mention Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei spoke on X about how the price of phones is increasing and will continue for the foreseeable future.
So what does that give? Well, the Phone 4(b) has a number of downgrades when pitted against the 4(a), and that’s why it’s cheaper. For example, one of the main compromises on the Phone 4(b) concerns construction, with the device using a plastic back instead of a glass back.
The Nothing Phone 4(b) has a handful of compromises
Aside from the use of a plastic back instead of a glass back, there are also downgrades in other areas of the device compared to its predecessor, which has allowed Nothing to feel comfortable reducing the starting price a bit, regardless of the ongoing memory crisis. Starting with the display, the Phone 4(b) features a 6.77-inch panel that is almost the same size as its predecessor but is downgraded in resolution. Instead of the 1,224 x 2,720 pixel resolution, the 4(b)’s screen offers a resolution of 1,080 x 2,344 pixels, which leads to a smaller pixel density of 381 pixels per inch (PPI), so it’s not as sharp and clear as the 4(a)’s 440 PPI panel.
The 4(b)’s display panel isn’t as bright as its predecessor’s either, with peak brightness dropping from 4,500 to 2,000 nits. Under the hood, the 4b uses the less powerful Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip instead of the 4(a)’s slightly more powerful Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. Although you get the same amount of storage and memory in the base variant, the 4(b) uses the older UFS 2.2 storage instead of the faster UFS 3.1.
For taking photos, the camera is also a step back, with the 4(b) only having two lenses on the back (a 50 MP primary wide-angle lens and an 8 MP secondary ultra-wide), without a telephoto lens which would have made the setup more versatile. The only upgrade here is the battery, as it comes with a 5,200 mAh battery in the international version, an increase from the 4(a)’s 5,080 mAh. Despite the increase in capacity, the 4(b) charges a bit slower, with speeds up to 33W instead of 50W.
Despite its slightly lower price, the Nothing Phone 4(b) is a tough sell
The Nothing Phone 4(b) largely compromises on a number of key features to make it slightly cheaper. Of course, price drops are important, especially in today’s market where the price of electronics continues to rise, forcing everyone to arm themselves with tips to buy thrifty gadgets. However, given that it costs just $70 less than the 4(a), the Phone 4(b) makes a lot of compromises that make the price drop seem a little less than it should be.
Nothing should have lowered the price a little more to make it attractive, but at its current price and given that the Nothing Phone 4(a) exists and was launched about four months ago, going for the Phone 4(b) is not the best choice even if it is a little cheaper. Instead, it’s better to spend a little more to get the 4(a), as it offers better hardware.
We reviewed the Nothing Phone 4(a) and it largely impressed us. In fact, in our review we said it was “by far the best phone in its price bracket.” Unfortunately, the Phone 4(b)’s combination of price and features doesn’t call it into question. As previously noted, the Phone 4(a) offers a superior display, a more powerful chip, a more versatile camera setup, and even faster charging speeds.
