Nominal on Thursday announced a fresh $80 million Series B extension round at a $1 billion valuation, led by Founders Fund. This followed the company’s $75 million Series B round led by Sequoia in September.
The company offers software that helps hardware engineers test their designs and began as a picks-and-shovels type of startup for the defense industry. The three-and-a-half-year-old, L.A.-based company says that in the last 10 months, it has landed four of the five largest defense contractors as customers.
CEO and co-founder Cameron McCord (pictured) is a former U.S. Navy submarine officer and an alum of defense tech company Anduril, which is also one of Nominal’s marquee customers. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Anduril co-founder and executive chairman Trae Stephens, who is also a Founders Fund partner, led this as a preemptive deal, McCord told Bloomberg and confirmed to TechCrunch. Sequoia, General Catalyst, Lux Capital, Red Glass, and Lightspeed also participated.
Next up, Nominal plans to expand beyond defense tech and into industrial sectors like automotive, robotics, and other industries. And it’s made a good start. The company tells TechCrunch that some of its other customers include Pratt Miller Motorsports (the Corvette Racing Team) and nuclear energy company Antares.
SunBriteTV has launched the Veranda 4, a full-shade outdoor 4K smart TV series that takes direct aim at the covered patio market where Samsung’s Terrace line has established the dominant commercial presence over the past several years.
The outdoor TV category has expanded steadily as homeowners invest in permanent alfresco entertainment setups, with weatherproofed screens becoming a standard fixture in residential outdoor living spaces alongside dedicated outdoor audio systems and covered kitchen installations.
The Veranda 4 enters that market with 600-nit brightness driven by a direct LED backlight, a figure SunBriteTV claims sits 58% higher than its previous generation, giving the panel the output needed to hold picture quality in partially shaded environments without washing out in ambient daylight.
An IP55-rated aluminium exterior handles rain, heat, and humidity, while internal components carry additional protective coatings, and SunBriteTV’s Eco Bright Outdoor Technology prevents backlight failure at operating temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius, covering the range of conditions a permanently mounted outdoor screen would face across summer months in most North American climates.
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LG’s WebOS powers the smart platform, supporting access to a wide variety of third-party streaming apps such as Netflix and Disney+. There’s also a redesigned media bay tucked discreetly within the chassis, giving users flexibility to run their own streaming devices without visible cable clutter behind the screen.
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Connectivity covers built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and voice control, with two integrated 8-watt loudspeakers handling audio for everyday viewing without requiring a separate outdoor sound system for basic use cases.
The Samsung Terrace, which similarly targets covered outdoor environments and carries comparable weatherproofing credentials, starts at a higher price point than the Veranda 4, giving SunBriteTV a potential cost advantage in the residential installation market where budget often determines product selection alongside brand recognition.
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The Veranda 4 is available now in 65-inch and 75-inch sizes, priced at $3,198.95 and $4,648.95 respectively, with additional screen sizes launching later in 2026.
At MWC 2026 this week, TCL expanded its personal audio lineup with the new CrystalClip open-ear wireless earbuds, including a premium CrystalClip with Crystals by Swarovski edition. While TCL is best known globally for its televisions, the company has steadily built a presence in the true wireless category with models such as the MOVEAUDIO S600, Neo, and S180.
The new CrystalClip series signals a deeper push into the fast-growing open-ear clip-on earbud segment, combining air conduction audio technology, AI-driven features, and extended battery life with a design focused on all-day comfort.
Air Conduction vs. Bone Conduction: What’s the Difference?
Open-ear clip-on earbuds rely on air conduction to deliver sound into your ears, directing audio toward the ear canal without sealing it off. This approach has gained traction because it tends to provide a more natural fit, greater long-term comfort, and fuller sound layering with more balanced bass, mids, and treble compared with most bone-conduction designs. At the same time, the open design keeps your ears unobstructed, allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings—an important advantage for commuting, exercising outdoors, or everyday listening where safety and environmental awareness still matter.
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TCL CrystalClip Wireless Earbuds with Charging Case
Clip-on Design Prioritizes Awareness and All Day Comfort
The clip-on form factor of the TCL CrystalClip is designed to keep listeners aware of their surroundings while enjoying music, podcasts, or calls. Because the earbuds rest outside the ear canal, users can still hear approaching traffic, public announcements, or nearby conversations without removing the earbuds. This open design supports everyday situational awareness while maintaining continuous playback.
To balance comfort with stability, TCL integrates an ergonomic clip structure engineered for consistent contact without excessive pressure. The CrystalClip applies approximately 43 grams of clamping force to help maintain a secure fit across different ear shapes. A titanium arch bridge reinforces the clip mechanism, contributing to durability and shape retention over extended use.
Each earbud weighs just 5.5 grams, minimizing fatigue during long listening sessions. With an IPX4 water resistance rating, the CrystalClip is built to withstand sweat and light splashes, making it suitable for office use, workouts, commuting, and daily mobility.
TCL CrystalClip with Crystals by Swarovski
Blending Technology & Style
Beyond comfort and stability, the TCL CrystalClip combines practical audio engineering with a design intended to complement everyday style. The earbuds feature a streamlined clip-on silhouette that sits close to the ear, allowing them to function not only as a listening device but also as a subtle accessory. The compact shape and balanced proportions help maintain a clean, understated appearance suitable for commuting, office environments, or casual use.
For users who prefer a more fashion-forward option, TCL also offers a CrystalClip with Crystals by Swarovski edition. This version incorporates decorative crystal elements that add a subtle visual accent while maintaining full functionality, including charging and wireless connectivity. The result is a design that blends personal audio technology with a touch of jewelry-inspired styling.
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Immersive Audio Experience
Inside the TCL CrystalClip, a 10.8 mm dual-magnetic dynamic driver forms the foundation of its audio performance. The driver is paired with 3D spatial audio processing, designed to create a wider and more layered listening presentation for music, podcasts, and video content while maintaining clarity across highs, mids, and bass.
TCL also incorporates enhanced bass tuning to add greater depth and presence to everyday listening. While the open-ear design prioritizes comfort and environmental awareness, the tuning aims to maintain a balanced and engaging sound profile suitable for a wide range of content.
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For connectivity, Bluetooth enables wireless playback from smartphones, tablets, and other compatible devices. During calls, dual microphones with ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) help reduce background noise so voices remain clearer in busy environments such as cafés, public transit, or crowded streets.
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TCL CrystalClip Clip-on Wireless Earbuds with Crystals by Swarovski
Smart Interaction Powered by AI
Beyond audio playback, the TCL CrystalClip is designed to support communication and everyday productivity through a range of smart features. Touch controls on the earbuds allow users to manage playback, answer calls, and activate additional functions directly from the earbud surface. When paired with compatible TCL smartphones and supported apps, users can also access simultaneous interpretation features, enabling real-time multilingual communication for travel, meetings, or everyday interactions.
CrystalClip also provides quick access to popular voice assistants, including Siri, Google Assistant, and Google Gemini. This allows users to check information, manage schedules, control smart devices, or send messages using voice commands, keeping interactions hands-free while on the move.
All-Day Listening
TCL’s CrystalClip provides up to 36 hours of total battery life and fast charging that delivers hours of playback in just minutes. Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity and dual-device seamless switching further enhance convenience, enabling seamless transitions between smartphones, tablets, and other connected devices.
Black White Smoke Sunset Iridescent Carbon Blue Chilled Lilac Sandstone Lunar Blue Midnight Violet Driftwood Sand Moonlight Grey Diamond 60th Edition
TCL CrystalClip with Crystals by Swarovski
The Bottom Line
TCL has made significant progress in the television market over the past year, highlighted by flagship displays such as the TCL X11L SQD Mini LED TV and expanded manufacturing partnerships that have strengthened its global presence. With the introduction of the CrystalClip line at Mobile World Congress 2026, the company is clearly looking to extend that momentum into the highly competitive wireless earbud category. Although TCL has previously released models such as the MOVEAUDIO S600, Neo, and S180, its presence in personal audio has remained relatively low profile until now.
The CrystalClip series stands out by combining open ear clip-on design, air conduction audio, spatial sound processing, and AI-driven features at a price that undercuts many established competitors. In addition with CrystalClip with Crystals by Swarovski edition, TCL is leaning into the growing overlap between personal audio and wearable style. On the feature side, the earbuds compete with products such as the Sony LinkBuds Clip and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, both of which offer similar open-ear concepts but at significantly higher prices.
What ultimately makes the CrystalClip unique is the combination of affordable pricing, fashion-forward styling, spatial audio support, and open-ear situational awareness in a lightweight clip-on design. The addition of a low-latency gaming mode broadens the appeal even further for mobile gamers who want wireless convenience without added delay.
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For listeners curious about open-ear earbuds but unwilling to spend premium prices, the CrystalClip may offer an accessible entry point. Commuters, casual listeners, and style-conscious buyers looking for something different from traditional in-ear buds will likely find the concept appealing. Whether TCL can carve out meaningful market share in an already crowded wireless earbud space remains to be seen, but the CrystalClip lineup suggests the company intends to compete on features, design, and aggressive pricing rather than brand legacy alone.
Price & Availability
Availability is expected across Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America beginning March 2026.
Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Strands puzzle has an unusual topic. Some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: I’m cheering you on.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
STAN, LOVER, DEVOTEE, FOLLOWER, ENTHUSIAST
Today’s Strands spangram
The completed NYT Strands puzzle for March 6, 2026.
NYT/Screenshot by CNET
Today’s Strands spangram is YOURBIGGESTFAN. To find it, start with the Y that’s three letters down on the far-left vertical row, and wind down, up and over.
It’s one thing to create your own relay-based computer; that’s already impressive enough, but what really makes [DiPDoT]’s design special– at least after this latest video— is swapping the SRAM he had been using for historically-plausible capacitor-based memory.
A relay-based computer is really a 1940s type of design. There are various memory types that would have been available in those days, but suitable CRTs for Williams Tues are hard to come by these days, mercury delay lines have the obvious toxicity issue, and core rope memory requires granny-level threading skills. That leaves mechanical or electromechanical memory like [Konrad Zeus] used in the 30s, or capacitors. he chose to make his memory with capacitors.
It’s pretty obvious when you think about it that you can use a capacitor as memory: charged/discharged lets each capacitor store one bit. Charge is 1, discharged is 0. Of course to read the capacitor it must be discharged (if charged) but most early memory has that same read-means-erase pattern. More annoying is that you can’t overwrite a 1 with a 0– a separate ‘clear’ circuit is needed to empty the capacitor. Since his relay computer was using SRAM, it wasn’t set up to do this clear operation.
He demonstrates an auto-clearing memory circuit on breadboard, using 3 relays and a capacitor, so the existing relay computer architecture doesn’t need to change. Addressing is a bit of a cheat, in terms of 1940s tech, as he’s using modern diodes– though of course, tube diodes or point-contact diodes could conceivably pressed into service if one was playing purist. He’s also using LEDs to avoid the voltage draw and power requirements of incandescent indicator lamps. Call it a hack.
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He demonstrates his circuit on breadboard– first with a 4-bit word, and then scaled up to 16-bit, before going all way to a massive 8-bytes hooked into the backplane of his Altair-esque relay computer. If you watch nothing else, jump fifteen minutes in to have the rare pleasure of watching a program being input via front panel with a complete explanation. If you have a few extra seconds, stay for the satisfyingly clicky run of the loop. The bonus 8-byte program [DiPDoT] runs at the end of the video is pure AMSR, too.
Yeah, it’s not going to solve the rampocalypse, any more than the initial build of this computer helped with GPU prices. That’s not the point. The point is clack clack clack clack clack, and if that doesn’t appeal, we don’t know what to tell you.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem misled Congress on Tuesday about the powers of her controversial top aide Corey Lewandowski, according to records reviewed by ProPublica and four current and former DHS officials.
Lewandowski has an unusual role at DHS, where he is not a paid government employee but is nonetheless acting as a top official, helping Noem run the sprawling agency. For months, members of Congress have asked the agency to detail the scope of his work and authority.
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At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., asked Noem whether Lewandowski has “a role in approving contracts” at DHS. Noem responded with a flat denial: “No.”
But internal DHS records reviewed by ProPublica contradict Noem’s Senate testimony. The records show Lewandowski personally approved a multimillion-dollar equipment contract at the agency last summer.
That was not a one-off. Lewandowski has approved numerous contracts at DHS and often needs to sign off on large ones before any money goes out the door, the current and former department employees said.
Last year, Noem imposed a new policy that consolidated her and her top aides’ power over all spending at DHS, requiring that she personally review and approve all contracts above $100,000. Before the contracts reach Noem, they must be approved by a series of political appointees, who each sign or initial a checklist sometimes referred to internally as a routing sheet. Typically, the last name on the checklist before Noem’s is Lewandowski’s, the DHS officials said.
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Under federal law, it is a crime to “knowingly and willfully” make a false statement to Congress. But in practice, it is rarely prosecuted.
In a statement, a DHS spokesperson reiterated Noem’s claim. “Mr. Lewandowski does NOT play a role in approving contracts,” the spokesperson said. “Mr. Lewandowski does not receive a salary or any federal government benefits. He volunteers his time to serve the American people.” Lewandowski did not respond to a request for comment.
Several news outlets, including Politico, have previously reported on aspects of Lewandowski’s involvement in contracting at DHS.
There have been widespread reports of delays caused by the new contract approval process at the agency, which has responsibilities spanning from immigration enforcement to disaster relief to airport security. DHS has asserted that the review process saved taxpayers billions of dollars.
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A similar sign-off process exists for other policy decisions at DHS. One of the checklists, about rolling back protections for Haitians in the U.S., emerged in litigation last year. It featured the signatures of several top DHS advisers. Under them was Lewandowski’s signature, and then Noem’s.
An internal Department of Homeland Security policy document from February 2025 shows agency officials, including top aide Corey Lewandowski and Noem — referred to as “S1,” signing off on a policy change. U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Scrim added by ProPublica for clarity.
Lewandowski is what’s known as a “special government employee,” a designation historically used to let experts serve in government for limited periods without having to give up their outside jobs. (At the beginning of the Trump administration, Elon Musk was one, too.) Special government employees have to abide by only some of the same ethics rules as normal officials and are permitted to have sources of outside income.
Lewandowski has declined to disclose whether he is being paid by any outside companies and, if so, who.
Lenovo reframes modular computing through enterprise durability requirements
The ThinkBook concept is more for fleets than consumers
System-level AI integration anchors the broader hardware strategy
At MWC 2026, Lenovo showed off a move toward modular hardware and system-level artificial intelligence, combining adaptive concepts with a broad commercial refresh.
The most conspicuous example of this is the ThinkBook Modular AI PC concept, which borrows a Lego-like philosophy of interchangeable parts and configurable layouts.
The approach revives long-running industry ambitions around modular computing, inviting comparisons with Project Ara, the abandoned modular smartphone initiative developed under Motorola ownership before Google discontinued it.
Modular ambition meets enterprise pragmatism
At the center of this showcase is a 14-inch ultra-thin base system built to accept detachable displays, input modules, and modular I/O elements.
A secondary screen can attach in different orientations or replace the keyboard entirely, expanding the workspace to roughly 19 inches while retaining portability.
“The AI era will not be defined by a single device or application, but by intelligent systems that work seamlessly across everything we use,” said Luca Rossi, President, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo.
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“We are demonstrating how Lenovo and Motorola are bringing that vision to life, combining adaptive hardware innovation with a single, unified system-level AI integration that works naturally across PCs, smartphones, tablets, wearables, and beyond.”
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That ecosystem relies heavily on Lenovo Qira, which it describes as Personal Ambient Intelligence embedded at the system level rather than layered on top as an app.
Although the modular ThinkBook may draw attention for its flexibility, the surrounding portfolio signals a clear commercial emphasis, as the updated ThinkPad T Series focuses on serviceability and lifecycle value, with select models earning high iFixit repairability scores.
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Lenovo connects those improvements to reduced downtime and sustainable fleet management, a message that resonates more with procurement teams than casual buyers.
The ThinkPad X13 Detachable extends this approach with field-replaceable components in a lightweight format suited to frontline professionals.
The ThinkTab X11, a rugged Android tablet built for industrial settings, further reinforces that direction.
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These devices prioritize durability, manageability, and integration with corporate security frameworks such as firewall controls and endpoint security policies.
Lenovo’s approach’s does not follow the same trajectory as Motorola Ara, given its clearer business-to-business strategy where versatility sits at the center.
It embeds the system within a broader commercial ecosystem that includes lifecycle services and AI deployment tools.
Even so, the viability of detachable displays and modular I/O components will depend on durability, pricing, and real-world adoption across enterprise fleets.
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The failure of Project Ara stemmed from both the appeal and the practical constraints of modular hardware at scale, and increased complexity, cost pressures, and limited developer support at the time also contributed to its demise.
At present, modular systems appear to face stronger enterprise demand and fewer structural barriers, which explains why brands such as Getac and HP continue to develop devices like the Getac S510AD and HP EliteBook 8 G1 for organizations that require configurable, durable hardware environments.
Lenovo’s modular ThinkBook concept appears to sit closer to that tradition than to consumer experimentation.
Nothing has officially unveiled its latest audio offering in the Headphone A, an over-ear model strategically aimed at a younger, style-conscious demographic.
Maintaining the brand’s signature transparent design aesthetic, the new headphones introduce vibrant Pink and Yellow colorways alongside the classic Black and White, positioning style as a key differentiator in the crowded audio market.
Positioned below the company’s flagship Headphone 1, the Headphone A serves as a more accessible entry point without significantly compromising on premium audio features. Key specifications include Hi-Res Audio certification and support for the high-fidelity LDAC wireless codec.
The headphones also offer flexible listening options through both USB-C and traditional 3.5 mm wired connections. The battery life is alonger than most headphones, boasting up to 135 hours of playback (with the caveat of ANC being off).
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Furthermore, a rapid charge feature delivers eight hours of listening time from just five minutes plugged in, addressing a crucial need for on-the-go users.
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The core acoustic performance is driven by a 40 mm titanium-coated diaphragm driver, engineered to deliver robust deep bass and crisp, clear high notes.
Image Credit (Nothing)
This hardware is complemented by AI-powered Dynamic Bass Enhancement technology. For noise management, the Headphone A incorporates ANC utilizing a dual feedforward and feedback microphone system with three distinct adjustable levels.
A dedicated Transparency Mode is also included, allowing users to safely engage with their external environment when necessary.
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Call quality is a strong focus, with Nothing equipping the Headphone A with three microphones paired with AI-boosted Clear Voice Technology. This system has been extensively trained on millions of conversational scenarios to guarantee crystal-clear, echo-free voice transmission.
For entertainment, the headphones also feature Static Spatial Audio, offering immersive soundscapes through dedicated Cinema and Concert listening modes.
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The design emphasizes both durability and user comfort. The unit features reinforced sliding arms and plush memory-foam ear cups for extended wear. An IP52 rating provides resistance against dust and light water exposure. Control features mechanical buttons, a Roller for precise volume and ANC adjustments, and a Paddle for seamless track navigation.
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All controls are fully customizable via the Nothing X companion app.
This release signals Nothing’s commitment to broadening its market appeal through value-driven innovation.
Many associate the NAND crisis with higher priced memory sticks for desktops or laptops, more expensive consumer electronics like Raspberry Pi hobby boards, and smartphones with less RAM than we are accustomed to. Companies like Nintendo also have to be cognizant of how the shortage will affect software sales. Read Entire Article Source link
Like the Phone 3a before it, the Nothing Phone 4a offers a very appealing option for those in the market for a more affordable device. The design and software are unique, and offer an experience that won’t leave you feeling you’ve got a budget device. While performance hasn’t improved all that much over last year, the solid battery life and reliable camera systems and better zoom lens all add up to a slightly more mature device.
Attractive, unique design
Lightweight but delightful software experience
Reliable battery and camera performance
Affordable price – There’s a pink one!
Not the most powerful phone around
Display is a little dark at times
Glyph Light bars are gone
Not a big jump on the Phone 3a
Key Features
Review Price: £349
Design
Distinctive Nothing design with transparency
Unique software approach
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Software matches the style of the phone
Big battery and fast charging
50w charging and sizable battery
Introduction
Nothing is taking a slightly different approach in 2026 than it did last year.
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The company has said we’re not getting a ‘proper’ flagship model to replace the Nothing Phone 3. Still, because it’s been so popular – and because the 3a was such a good phone – the brand opted to upgrade that series and give us a new model.
Enter the Nothing Phone 4a. Still very much a Nothing phone, but with a few changes and upgrades under the hood. But is it closer to being a flagship like Nothing says it is?
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Design
Four colour choices, including pink
Classic Nothing looks
Glass back, plastic frame
Since its inception, Nothing has been a company with a very clear design philosophy. And unlike most other tech companies, it is one that clearly cares quite deeply about the aesthetic of its products. They all tend to have that same retro futuristic look, that wouldn’t look out of place anthropomorphised as a character in Portal 2.
The phones have long had character to them, and while the transparent back doesn’t technically allow you to see the internals of the phone, the layers of texture, patterns and exposed screws all help create a very distinctive look.
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Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
With the Nothing Phone 4a in particular, it’s not that far off the look and feel of the Nothing Phone 3a that came out last year. There are some different colours, though. Or, at least one new colour. Alongside the black, white and blue models this year is a pink one, which is the best looking of the bunch. It almost reminds me of the transparent-backed iMacs from the turn of the century.
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Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
It’s glass on the front and back this year too, with the only plastic being the frame around the edges.
As for the elephant in the room, or at least the obvious change to any Nothing phone, or anyone familiar with Nothing’s first few phones: yes, the Glyph Light bars are gone. And with that, it appears those LED strips have been consigned to history.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
That doesn’t mean there are no lights at all, but the makeup of them is very different. Instead of several curved strips, there’s one vertical stacked line of square LEDs that make up one pulsing, flashing light system to the right of the camera.
Just like before, you can have it pulse and animate when notifications come in, or use it as a visual countdown timer, and the bottom, red LED will light up when recording video or audio. It even has integration with third-party apps like Uber and Google Calendar, to act as a live visual for updates and events.
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Display
6.78-inch OLED display
Gorilla Glass 7i
30-120Hz adaptive
For the most part, the display on the 4a offers a solid experience. There are ways in which it’s beaten by the much more expensive devices, but for a screen in this price category, it’s solid.
It doesn’t have the super-bright display you’d find on something like the Pixel 10 Pro XL, or the superb anti-reflective qualities of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But for a device that’s half the price, you wouldn’t expect it to.
What that means is that at times it feels as though the display is a little dark, especially when not viewed directly head-on and watching HDR shows and movies.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Still, it’s generally quite a vibrant and colour-rich display with deep contrast that offers a solid media experience with the brightness cranked up and viewed directly.
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On that note, there were a few times during travel and phone testing where the bright sun was glaring and reflecting off the screen, and the Nothing Phone’s auto brightness kicked in to ramp it right up, making it clear, vivid and easily visible in harsh daylight. There was no awkward jumping or a delayed response. It was quick and smooth.
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Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Software
Software follows the look of the hardware
Deep integration with Nothing’s audio products
AI features don’t get in the way
Nothing’s software and the way it’s integrated into the phone, the themes, the widgets, haptic feedback and smart features are some of the biggest reasons to buy the Phone 4a. Just like it was the phones that came before it.
It’s rare to find a company with such a clear, distinct and laser-focused software approach. All the layers, widgets, icons and elements are not only consistently applied through every part of the interface, but also look like it belongs with the hardware. The font styles, stylised widgets and graphics all match the hardware aesthetics perfectly.
The fact that it feels both light and feature-rich is great. It’s not cluttered or bloated with additional apps and features. Nothing, unlike other companies, hasn’t gone down the route of copying Apple’s ‘Liquid Glass’ transparencies and effects random parts of the software like Oppo, Honor and Vivo have.
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Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Because it’s light, it gives it the feeling that it’s responsive and effortless to use, but does it in a way that’s not plain or boring.
I enjoy the little things, like when you tap on the virtual keyboard to type. There’s a subtle tap from the haptic engine, not a cheap buzzy vibration that you often get on the more affordable devices. That just helps elevate the experience somewhat and means I actively keep that feedback on instead of switching it off.
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You get deep integration with Nothing’s audio products with custom widgets for headphone battery levels, and a fun music player window widget which shows album art and play/pause/skip controls on your Home Screen. This effectively is just mirroring the music player notification widget.
There are a few AI features loaded, but they don’t feel like they’ve been overloaded or shoehorned in just because it’s 2026 and it must have lots of AI features. And, you can largely ignore them if you want. But there is a custom ChatGPT widget designed to match Nothing’s OS design and make it easier to interact with OpenAI’s popular agent.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
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Essential space is there again this year, with its dedicated button that allows you to quickly capture voice notes or screenshots and save them directly to what is effectively a digital corkboard to help you remember things that have inspired you. I quite like it, but I never found myself using it all that often.
Cameras
50MP main camera
50MP periscope zoom
8MP ultrawide
Being a mid-range phone means it’s always best to temper expectations somewhat for how good the cameras are going to be. And while it’s true that Nothing’s triple camera system won’t match up to the best camera phones, it’s an all-round solid system that is more than good enough for daily use and is pretty good at night time too.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
What I like most about the camera is actually the experience of shooting with it. You can just point, tap to focus and shoot, and your image will be captured quickly with the appropriate exposure and the right area in focus.
In the daytime, if this phone cost more, I would criticise the overall texture and treatment of colours, highlights and shadows. But it’s hard to find too much fault with it. Sure, sometimes the HDR treatment of bright colourful spots leaves it looking a little artificial, but for the most part, I’m pleased with how well it contains those super bright points in the photos.
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I sometimes found the blues were a little unrealistic, not quite matching what I saw with my eye, especially when looking at blue skies. But again, it wasn’t horrendous, and the treatment and saturation of colour meant most pictures had a pleasing vibrancy that I’d be happy to post on social media without any filters.
There’s a new zoom lens this year, the same one that’s in the Nothing Phone 3, which means better light capture and stabilisation when you kick into 3.5x zoom, adding a bit more zoom range but at the same time adding to that consistent, solid camera performance across multiple focal lengths.
Nothing also has a bunch of its own preset filters loaded, which can be fun to play with if you want to get creative with looks. You can shoot black and white, or add a cool, grainy texture, add soft focus for portraits, and all manner of other presets.
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At night, shooting urban scenes in the lit streets of Barcelona, I was pretty happy with the results from all three cameras for the most part. Clearly, the primary lens is the one that captures cleaner, crisper images with better detail and colour, but the others aren’t awful.
That main sensor is also more sensitive to light than the other two and more capable of drawing it in quickly, and so when using the night mode setting, it usually takes less than a second to capture the scene, whereas the ultrawide might take a second and a half, or two seconds.
The perk of that delay though, is that if you just happen to catch a moving vehicle at just the right moment, you can get a pretty effective motion blur that adds a bit of movement to the picture, without needing to dive into any manual controls or needing a tripod.
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Being critical, the zoom lens often produced results where you can tell that machine learning or image processing is doing a lot of work to smooth it out. To the point where, at times, surfaces lose natural texture and detail, and so don’t quite look like a faithful reproduction of the real thing.
So clearly, the main camera is still the best one – particularly in low light, with the second and third lenses not quite matching it in terms of ability to capture light, or reproducing detail quite as cleanly.
Performance
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip
8 and 12GB memory
LPDDR4X RAM, UFS3.1 storage
Whether or not you’d be happy with the performance of the Phone 4a very much depends on how you use your phone. But if you’re after the best phone in this section of the market, it’s safe to say the 4a is not it.
For the most part, doing casual tasks and swiping around, moving between different layers of the interface is pretty responsive and smooth. But if you were to try to load demanding games with high visual fidelity and fast frame rates, it would soon start to struggle if you put those games into their highest settings.
It’s just not the super-powerful type of phone. But I suspect those people who buy the phone aren’t buying it to crunch through hours of Call of Duty or Genshin Impact in ultra visual settings. You can get more powerful devices in and around this price range, but it typically means compromising on things like good software, camera performance and getting a good-looking device.
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Test Data
Nothing Phone 4a
Nothing Phone 3
Nothing Phone 3a
Geekbench 6 single core
1236
2073
1164
Geekbench 6 multi core
3312
6531
3273
Still, cranking through more casual games like Mario Kart Tour is a breeze thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip and up to 12GB RAM. It’s responsive and quick enough to cope with the less demanding, but still fast-paced games. And if there’s any resolution dropping to keep frame rates smooth, that’s kept to a minimum.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
It doesn’t seem to struggle with poor download speeds too much either, which is often a telltale sign of a cheaper device. I was never left waiting ages for news pages and images to download and game/app downloads were about the same as usual.
In short, I think the performance is fast and efficient enough that virtually anyone but the most demanding of users is well catered for.
Battery Life
5080 mAh battery, although in India it is 5400mAh
50w fast charging
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The battery capacity might not completely blow you away when read on a spec sheet. Especially not with brands like Oppo and Vivo pushing towards the 7000mAh mark.
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Still, there was never a concern for me that I wouldn’t make it through the day. In fact, it was virtually a two-day phone for me in most of my testing. And this was including a day when I did some of the stress testing benchmarks and camera tests we perform for all of our reviews.
Image Credit (Trusted Reviews)
Even on that day, having taken it off charge at around 7 am, I started the next morning with 54% left. Included in those tests was an hour-long session watching Sweet Tooth on Netflix at 50% brightness, which only drained 5% of the battery.
Just guessing based on my experience and what I know about the device – I suspect the battery efficiency has a lot to do with the fact that the Snapdragon chipset inside isn’t the most power hungry on the market. That helps the phone easily get through days. And I suspect that even power users should at least make a full day on a full battery quite comfortably.
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Should you buy it?
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You want a fun, unique Android phone
The design here is great, and in a sea of fairly dull phones the Phone 3a looks great. Nothing has also done a great job of keeping the software and hardware uniform.
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This is an affordable phone, and as such it doesn’t with a chipset that can rival even the better mid-range phone.
Final Thoughts
I think in the end, the feeling I’m left with about the Nothing Phone 4a is that it’s a very usable phone. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. At all.
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It’s one of those phones I love to have in my daily life, that I can pick up and use, and its software doesn’t get in the way, it looks good, works well and has solid battery life.
There’s not much more you can ask from a phone that costs less than half what the very best phones on the market would set you back.
How We Test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Used as a main phone for a week
Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
The Yangwang U7 will be first model to use new Blade Battery tech
Company says Blade 2.0 can deliver more than 625 miles on a single charge
BYD is working on high-performance EVs that also boast massive range
Not content with being a global leader in EV sales, Chinese car-making giant BYD is set to reveal all about the next generation of its battery and charging systems at a “Disruptive Technology” even due to be held in China this week.
Tidbits are already being released by the company on social media, including the fact that the Yangwang U7 will be the first high-performance EV from the BYD stable to receive the second generation of its advanced Blade Battery technology.
The company says the quad-motor, high-powered EV will be capable of returning a maximum range of 1,006 km (625 miles) on a single charge, according China’s CTLC testing standard (via Car News China).
When adjusted for the more stringent WLTP cycle in Europe and North America’s EPA rating, those numbers still hover around 559 miles and 450 miles respectively — easily making it the longest range EV on sale.
In addition to the Yangwang U7, BYD plans to introduce the Blade Battery 2.0 into a number of Denza models, as well as the BYD Seal 07, the Sealion 06 and a recently-announced Great Tang seven-seat SUV (see image below), which has the likes of Kia, Hyundai and Volvo clearly in its sights.
(Image credit: BYD)
Even in that enormous luxury crossover, the Chinese automaker claims its upcoming battery technology will be capable of delivering 590 miles on the CTLC testing standard, which is over 200 miles more than the Kia EV9, for example.
Not content with simply producing extremely energy-dense EV batteries, BYD has also been working on its megawatt ‘Flash Charging’ network, which is capable of delivering up to 1,500kW of electricity to compatible EV batteries.
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It released a number of 10-70% charging times for models due to receive its Blade Battery 2.0 technology, with the Yangwang U7 reportedly taking just four minutes and 54 seconds to reach the aforementioned State of Charge.
Finding a charging outlet in Europe and the US that provides just 350kW is tough enough, but BYD says it will roll out 20,000 of its innovative gas station-style Flash Charging stalls in China this year.
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Analysis: It’s all in the chemistry
(Image credit: Autohome/Car News China)
The most pertinent point here is not the fact that BYD, alongside Chinese battery-making giant CATL, have managed to improve the energy density, charging rates and longevity of their EV battery packs. It’s that they’ve done so using a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery chemistry.
Where rivals have been exploring more costly Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cathodes or awaiting the arrival of mass produced all-solid-state batteries, BYD has been gradually improving its relatively cheap LFP technology to match the statistics of more costly alternatives.
Judging from the progress, there is likely even more room for improvement here, which could open the door to Blade Battery 2.0 technology eventually filtering down into the more affordable, mass market BYD models, both in China and further afield.
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Right now, the BYD Seal can manage up to 345 miles on a single charge in the UK, according to WLTP tests. But the second generation battery could see those figures rise to over 400 miles, if not more.
On top of this, future owners will also be able to make use of ultra-rapid charging, which brings EV charging sessions more in line with fuel stops.
If the infrastructure can be put in place, we will start to see customer attitudes towards electrification shift dramatically.
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
