Right after an extravagant launch event in Shanghai, Nothing continued its tour the next day at the heart of Hong Kong’s ComplexCon, the ultimate streetwear and culture fest. The Nothing Headphone (a), Nothing Phone (4a), and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro are the latest chapter in the London brand’s audacious blend of transparent design, playful aesthetics, and unapologetic focus on experience over specs.

The Nothing Headphone (a), priced at 1,499 HKD (190 USD), was the first to steal the show with its over-ear cans that build on the award-winning Headphone (1), doubling down on Nothing’s see-through, retro-industrial flair. The classic black-and-white color options are now joined by pink-on-white and yellow-on-white, allowing more expressive pairings with streetwear ensembles. The boxy over-ear design weighs just 310 grams, with memory foam padding and glass-fiber-reinforced sliding arms prioritizing comfort for long sessions, while an IP52 rating adds resilience in humid climates.

What truly sets these headphones apart is the intuitive tactile controls inherited from the premium Headphone (1). On the rear of the right cup, you get a “Roller” for volume, a “Paddle” for track skipping, and a customizable “Button” for switching between audio apps or toggling the camera. With adaptive active noise cancellation enabled, you get up to 75 hours of battery life, or push it to a whopping 135 hours without ANC. By comparison, the Headphone (a) features a more bass-forward sound profile, leaving some room for customization via the Nothing X app’s eight-band EQ. Some may question the limited foldability compared to the likes of Sony, Sennheiser, and Bose, but Nothing’s unique design language may well make up for that shortcoming.

The Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro are pitched as full upgrades over the Phone (3a) series, with refined designs, sharper displays, enhanced cameras, and snappier performance. No more annual flagship churn—co-founder Carl Pei confirmed Nothing is skipping a 2026 flagship to mature the brand, letting the Phone (3) hold court while these mid-rangers evolve the “Glyph” interface into something bolder and more customizable.

The 3,699 USD (470 USD) Phone (4a) introduces a sleek “Glyph Bar,” an evolution from encircling LEDs to a more functional strip consisting of seven LED zones (63 mini-LEDs in total) that work in tandem with Nothing’s signature synth-heavy ringtones. Located to the right of the camera module, this feature delivers customizable notifications—battery levels, timers, or call alerts—without overwhelming the minimalist rear panel. It also doubles as a fill light for photos, taking advantage of its 3,500-nit brightness, a 40% boost over the Phone (3a) Pro’s equivalent.

Despite its mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor, the Phone (4a) surprises with a sharper, flagship-grade 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It carries the same 50MP main camera and 8MP ultra-wide shooter as the Phone (3a), but the 50MP telephoto camera has been upgraded with 3.5x zoom periscope optics. Available in vibrant hues—blue, pink, black, and white—this handset retains Nothing’s clean industrial lines on a slim profile, with an IP64 rating and Gorilla Glass 7i protection making it a pocketable canvas for personalization that complements bold outfits.

The 4,499 HKD (570 USD) Phone (4a) Pro raises the bar with Nothing’s first full-metal aluminum unibody—aircraft-grade, slim at 7.9mm, and weighing 210g—for a solid yet lightweight hold that feels flagship-caliber. Available in silver, black, and metallic pink (a warmer, sand-toned fashion pick), it swaps full transparency for subtle industrial nods in the raised camera plateau. Here you’ll find the same telephoto and ultra-wide cameras as the non-Pro model, along with an improved main camera featuring dual-pixel PDAF for faster autofocus.

Alongside the cameras sits an expanded “Glyph Matrix” of 137 mini-LEDs at 3,000 nits—57% larger and 100% brighter than the first version on the flagship Phone (3)—enabling slick animations, custom contact icons, handy indicators, and fun “Glyph Toys” like “Spin the Bottle.” This setup transforms the rear into a dynamic visual element, blending the full-width camera trend with Nothing’s signature glow for a truly standout aesthetic. The larger 6.83-inch AMOLED screen, protected by Gorilla Glass 7i and rated IP65, ensures vibrant and resilient viewing, while the slightly more powerful Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage keep things running swiftly.

Both phones come with a suite of AI tools, with “Essential Space” serving as a searchable memory bank for notes, images, and screenshots. These can be captured instantly by clicking the physical “Essential Key” on the left side—or long-pressed to record a voice memo. The AI can then summarize or transcribe the content, organizing it into “Collections” for easy retrieval later. Crucially, Essential Space syncs across devices—even non-Nothing machines like laptops and desktops—positioning it as, quite literally, your second memory.

Users can also geek out over “Essential Apps,” custom AI-generated widgets crafted through plain language, no coding needed. Just talk to the “Essential Apps Builder” and refine the interface step by step. When done, you can share your creation via “Playground,” where others’ Essential Apps and Glyph Toys are also up for browsing. Popular examples include an F1 schedule widget, a tic-tac-toe game, a water-drinking reminder, and a moon phase indicator.

Founded by former key members of OnePlus, Nothing has skyrocketed from niche darling to global unicorn, reaching a valuation of approximately 1.3 billion USD as of late 2025. Its mid-range mastery, especially in the UK and India, has consumers hooked, turning phones and headphones into fashion statements that scream individuality on trend-savvy streets.

In the UK, where it all started with the 2022 London Soho store—a minimalist haven blending tech trials with coffee and events—Nothing has cemented cult status among design-obsessed youth. That raw, industrial edge, inspired by 1970s assembly lines, mirrors the streetwear ethos dominating London’s Camden markets, where transparent phone cases pair with vintage tees. Then came the blockbuster Bengaluru, India flagship opening in February this year. Spanning 5,000 square feet across two floors, it’s no sterile showroom—think production-line demos, water-resistance torture tests, a content studio for Instagram reels, and a workshop for community drops.

This fashion pivot? It’s Nothing‘s secret sauce. Pei tapped Charlie Smith, ex-Loewe CMO, as Chief Brand Officer to sharpen that edge—think high-fashion polish on tech that’s always been more runway than spec sheet. Nothing thrives because it empowers self-expression in a sea of sameness, resonating with East Asia’s trend-chasers who see tech as wardrobe extensions. The Headphone (a)’s meticulous detailing and the Phones’ material upgrades position Nothing against Apple and Samsung, not on megapixels, but on vibe: translucent shells that let you peek at the guts, glyphs that dance to your ringtones. Crowds obsessed over color pops at Nothing’s ComplexCon booth, cementing the brand as the go-to for tech that dresses up any look.

Cover image via Facebook/Synergy Technologies (Asia) Limited. All other Images via Richard Lai.