Nothing dropped a new phone this week, and it’s not just another number in the lineup — it’s a whole new category for the brand.
The Phone (4b) went official on July 7, marking the start of what Nothing is calling its “b-series.” Simple idea behind it: keep everything people already like about Nothing phones, but shave the price down from where the Phone (4a) sits.
What You’re Actually Getting
Honestly, the (4b) feels like Nothing raided two of its older phones and stitched together the best bits. The metal unibody frame? Straight off the Phone (4a) Pro. The lighting strip on the back — that Glyph Bar thing Nothing’s known for — got trimmed down but not dumbed down. It’s still got 45 mini-LEDs spread across four zones, and it’ll hit 2,000 nits when you get a notification, plug in to charge, or just want to mess around with the lighting patterns.
As for what’s inside: a Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip, 8GB RAM, storage that tops out at 256GB. The screen’s a 6.77-inch Super AMOLED with 120Hz, and it’s running off a 6000mAh battery — bigger than anything Nothing’s put in a phone before. Camera-wise, you get a 50MP main sensor with OIS, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 16MP front camera for selfies. It ships on Nothing OS 4.1 over Android 16, and the company’s committing to three years of OS updates and six years of security patches, which honestly isn’t bad for a phone in this price range.
It’ll also survive a splash or two — IP64 rated — and Nothing says the frame can take up to 600 Newtons of bending before it gives out.
Price Tag and Where to Buy It
Globally, you’re looking at £299 / €329. That’s cheaper than the Phone (4a), but still a step above the CMF Phone 2 Pro. In the UK, it’s launching through Nothing’s own store first, with wider availability coming later in July. Pick your poison: black, white, or blue.
It didn’t launch alone, either — the Nothing Ear (3a) earbuds dropped in the same event, which makes it pretty clear Nothing wants these two products working as a package deal for new customers.
Why Now?
Here’s the thing — there’s no new CMF phone this year. That’s not a coincidence. RAM and storage costs have gone up across the board, and rather than water down the CMF brand to hit a price point, Nothing just folded the budget tier into its main lineup instead. Now the structure looks cleaner: Phone (3) at the top, Phone (4a) in the middle, and Phone (4b) covering everyone who wants in cheap.
It’s a bit of a risk, if you think about it. Instead of running two brands for two budgets, Nothing’s betting that one look — the Glyph lights, the transparent bits, the no-fuss software — can stretch across price points without losing what made people like the brand to begin with.
Special Edition
Nothing launched a limited-edition Phone (4b) RCB Edition in India. It features a bold matte red finish and custom branding to celebrate the Royal Challengers Bengaluru cricket team winning back-to-back IPL titles.
The rollout’s already underway in major markets, with small regional tweaks — India’s getting a bigger battery, for one. Not a huge deal on paper, but it says a lot about how far Nothing’s willing to go to actually compete on price this year.
