Typically, a new year often means a new flagship smartphone to look forward to. Unfortunately this isn’t the case for the Nothing brand, as Carl Pei, the company’s CEO, has confirmed that there will be no new flagship smartphone for 2026. However, he did take this opportunity to announce the new Nothing Phone (4a) that will debut later this year.
Upcoming Phone (4a)
In a recent YouTube video, Pei revealed that the upcoming Phone (4a) delivers a flagship-like experience, featuring new materials and a refreshed design. He also confirmed that the device will receive significant upgrades to the display, imaging, and performance, as well as come in new colours.
When compared to the Phone (3a), he described the upcoming Phone (4a) as a “complete evolution”. At the time of writing, however, we still do not know the device’s design or its release timeline.
It’s worth noting that bits of information about the device leaked sometime last month, which allows us to validate some of the details he mentioned. According to the leak, the upcoming devices will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s series chipset, possibly Gen 4, along with a 12GB + 256GB configuration. The report also states that the device will be available in blue, pink, white, and black.
Lastly, the leak mentioned two different price points, which many presume to be the base Phone (4a) and the Phone (4a) Pro. The former is said to go for US$475 (~RM1,871), while the latter is priced at US$540 (~RM2,128). For reference, the Phone (3a) retailed at RM1,699, while the Phone (3a) Pro was priced at RM1,999 at launch.
No Flagships For 2026
As for the state of its flagship smartphones, the Nothing CEO said the Phone (3) will be the flagship for 2026. Pei reasoned that the company doesn’t plan on churning out a flagship phone every year “just for the sake of it”. He also stressed that he wants to make every upgrade significant from the last.
Instead of unveiling a new upgraded smartphone, the CEO talked about Nothing OS 4.0, stating that it will deliver “a lot of improvements”. Furthermore, he also promoted Essential Apps, an AI-powered platform allowing users to create custom mini-apps (widgets) using simple text prompts, without coding. It’s currently on Alpha and is only available on the Phone (3) for now
Price Increases
Lastly, the Nothing CEO touched on future product pricing. Unfortunately, due to the increase in pricing when it comes to RAM, Pei explained that the company has no choice but to increase its prices across its smartphone portfolio. He also added that the company plans on upgrading its storage to UFS 3.1. And, as expected, neither he nor the company gave a specific price range of what to expect.
As disappointing as it is, this isn’t particularly new information, especially with major tech companies globally focusing on AI. Pei also predicted that, even after the AI bubble bursts, RAM prices will remain high. Though he didn’t mention it outright, this is a hint that smartphone prices might remain high post-AI-bubble, but take that with a grain of salt.
(Source: Nothing [YouTube])
