Carl Pei just dropped a truth bomb on X (formerly Twitter), and it’s not great news for your wallet. As of today, Thursday, January 15, 2026, it’s clear the Nothing Phone 4a series is coming, but the “budget” tag is getting a rewrite.
The thing is, Nothing is finally ditching the slow UFS 2.2 storage for UFS 3.1.1 Or nothing. Let’s be real, Pei spent all of last year defending the slower speeds, saying software tuning was more important. Those too. But now, with AI eating up all the global memory supply, he’s basically saying the era of “more specs for less money” is dead. It’s an ongoing situation where the Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro are expected to land in March 2026, right on schedule.2
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The “Phone 4a” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where memory prices are being jacked up by AI data centers, and we’re the ones paying for it.
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The Speed Boost: UFS 3.1 is finally confirmed for “some products” in Q1.3 The thing is, this means faster app openings and better 4K recording. No more stuttering when you’re trying to clear out your gallery.
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The “Pei” Price Hike: Carl warned that brands have a choice: raise prices by 30% or downgrade specs.4 Nothing is choosing to raise prices. And here’s the kicker—rumors suggest the Phone 4a could start around ₹29,999, up from the ₹24,999 launch price of the 3a.5 Those too.
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Under the Hood: Expect the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (or maybe a Dimensity 7300 variant). The thing is, the Pro model might actually push closer to ₹45,000 if they go with a triple 50MP camera setup.
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Design Tweaks: Rumors mention a “Glyph Matrix”—a new circular LED display on the back instead of the old light strips.6 The thing is, it looks cool, but it’s definitely adding to the “BOM” (Bill of Materials).
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Nothing Phone 4a vs. 3a: The Shift
| Feature | Phone 3a (Last Year) | Phone 4a (Expected Mar ’26) |
| Storage Type | UFS 2.2 (Slower) | UFS 3.1 (Faster) |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 |
| Launch Price | ₹24,999 | ₹29,999 – ₹32,999 |
| Battery7 | 5000 mAh8 | 5500 mAh9 |
| Software | Nothing OS 3.0 | Nothing OS 4.0 (Android 16) |
And Here’s the Kicker…
Pei basically said that 2026 is the year the “specs race” ends because nobody can afford to compete on raw numbers anymore.10 The thing is, he wants you to buy the phone for the transparent design and the Nothing OS experience, not just because it has more RAM than a laptop.
It’s an ongoing situation where even giants like Samsung and Realme are signaling price hikes for their mid-rangers this quarter. The thing is, if you’re looking for a deal, you might want to grab the Phone 3a now before it gets discontinued in February.
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End…
