The Phone (4a) is the clearest expression of that shift yet. The pink colorway, the refined glyph interface, the periscope camera quietly migrating down to the base model, none of it screams for attention. It rewards it. This is a phone designed for people who will notice things gradually, over weeks of use, rather than in the first thirty seconds of an unboxing video.
The Nothing 4a Pro represents the biggest change. Gone is the translucent back meant to offer a pseudo-glimpse into the internals of the phone, and in its place is a metal unibody design in black, silver or pink, and Nothing's Glyph Matrix interface, now even larger and brighter than it was on the Phone 3.
Thanks to the way Google's for years now been deconstructing Android and pulling OS-level pieces out of the operating system itself - so they exist as regular ol' apps and can consequently be updated quickly, frequently, and in a way that reaches everyone instantly, regardless of what phone or carrier they're using - even Android phones from eight years ago get updates numerous times a year that are all virtually equivalent to an entire iOS operating system rollout.
Pricing was indeed a major issue for both phones, but don't let that nearly 20% pie slice in the chart fool you - the pricier Pro model was received more favorably, so it's about value for money, not just the price.
The flashiest comparison revolves around the Glyph interface - it's a simple Glyph bar on the non-Pro and a full-on circular dot matrix display on the Pro. Getting technical for a bit, the Pro has 137 LEDs, while the regular has just 63. As you can imagine, you can do all sorts of clever stuff with the Glyph Matrix on the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro - animating your timer, different callers, you can even use it as a selfie display for the main camera.
The device, which offers a BlackBerry-like keyboard and messaging-focused touchscreen, runs Android 16 under the hood. That means the Communicator can run any Android app, but it partnered with the minimalist launcher, Niagara Launcher, to display your favorite apps on the homescreen. Other apps are within easy reach via a scrollable list. Reception for the new devices has been better than expected, Gadway told TechCrunch.
It's that time of year when Android users (and pundits) start wondering what's in the next release. Well, the good news is that Google has already announced some of the features, which are carry-overs from Android 16 QPR1 and Android 16 QPR2. This approach means that these features are in quarterly drops, often targeted at Pixel users, and may eventually reach other devices.
The Titan 2 Elite feels light in the hand and eminently pocketable. There's a programable key on the side as well as a physical SIM slot. Sadly, there is no headphone jack, which was disappointing after I mistook the IR control for one at first glance.
Motorola's Razr 2025 and Razr Ultra 2025, also known as the Razr 60 and Razr 60 Ultra outside of North America, are now finally being updated to Android 16 in the US, days after Google launched the first beta of Android 17. So we definitely can't praise Motorola for being fast with this release - Google rolled out Android 16 in June of last year.
Some last minute changes to the design and hardware are the reason why. The updated chassis has a more prominent camera island with three vertically stacked camera sensors, but the execs said that the T1 logo is going away. The gold paint job and the American flag are here to stay. Moreover, the official website now states that the handset is only assembled in the US, but components are manufactured elsewhere, without giving any more details.