Headlines at this time of year are usually dominated by iPhones — and you'd expect nothing less, considering Apple always unveils its next-gen devices in September. Nonetheless, Android fans aren't being completely left in the dark.
For example, if you're looking for something a little different, then check out the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at Amazon for $509 (was $599) this week. This is the lowest price yet for the 12GB/256GB configuration, which is one of our favorite mid-range Android phones here at TechRadar.
We awarded this exact model an almost perfect four and a half stars out of five when we reviewed it earlier this year, praising its excellent display, polished software, and decent performance. In terms of sheer bang for the buck, there's definitely a strong argument for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro — especially if you want to break away from the usual suspects.
Even though we're on the cusp of another Amazon Prime Day (there's another sale in two weeks), I'd say this one is well worth a look. This device is still only a few months old as of writing, so I doubt it will fall that much lower over the next few weeks. Note: you can also trade in for a further discount of up to $500 off if you're looking to upgrade.
Today's best phone deal at Amazon
A worthy alternative to the big names?
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is positioned as a mid-range phone that tries to deliver flagship-style features without the high price.
Its biggest strengths are its distinctive design, huge 6.83-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, clean Android 16 software, Glyph Matrix notification system, and surprisingly strong gaming performance from the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4. The 5,080mAh battery and 50W charging are also solid, though we found the battery life didn't quite match the brand's claims in testing (not that unusual).
Overall, we think the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a solid alternative to mid-range Apple, Google, and Samsung devices.
If we had to nitpick, we'd say that the camera isn't quite as good as those on the high-end flagships (somewhat understandable, given the price). For example, the 3.5× telephoto is decent, but we found that colour accuracy and exposure aren't as consistent as some brands.
