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Nothing Phone (4a) gets ‘Glyph Bar’ instead of rear display as design remains a mystery

For all we know about the upcoming Nothing Phone (4a) series, the look remains a complete mystery. That’s continuing with the latest teaser, where we learn that Nothing Phone (4a) will have a “Glyph Bar” instead of a rear display.

The “Glyph Interface” has been a part of Nothing Phone since the beginning, but it takes a different form on every design, especially in the most recent models. Last year’s Phone (3a) series offered a small handful of lights, Phone (3) introduced a new “Glyph Matrix” rear display, and the Phone (3a) Lite – that exists, remember? – essentially boiled the idea down to a notification LED.

In a teaser thread on Twitter/X and a forum post, Nothing says that its upcoming Phone (4a) will have a “Glyph Bar” made up of nine individually controlled mini-LEDs. It sounds a lot like the controllable light bars found in the Phone (3a) series, but Nothing says that this latest implementation will feature a “more natural, bleed-free glow.” It’s apparently also 40% brighter than the previous version.

Nothing says:

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The Glyph Bar is the latest evolution of our original idea – the same way to reduce distractions. We’ve moved towards cleaner output, sharper signals and a system designed to be read instantly with six square lights. With 9 individually controllable mini-LEDs, it’s less distracting than all previous versions. Around 40% brighter than the previous (a) series, the new Glyph Bar features patented technologies that make it more natural, neutral and bleed-free.

So we know there’s no rear display, but we still have no idea what these phones will actually look like.

Nothing Phone (4a) is set to launch on March 5, with apparent price hikes according to leaks.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

Find him on Twitter @NexusBen. Send tips to schoon@9to5g.com or encrypted to benschoon@protonmail.com.