Nothing Phone (4a) Series UFS 3.1 Upgrade Signals End of Budget Spec Wars

Nothing CEO Carl Pei has confirmed the company's upcoming Phone (4a) series will feature UFS 3.1 storage, a significant upgrade from the UFS 2.2 storage used in last year's Phone (3a) lineup. The announcement came via social media, where Pei stated that "some products" launching before the end of March will receive the faster storage standard.

While Pei didn't explicitly name the devices, the timing strongly suggests this refers to the Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro. These successors to the March 2025 Phone (3a) series represent a notable shift in Nothing's positioning strategy.

The Storage Story

Last year, Nothing made headlines by defending its decision to ship the Phone (3a) and 3a Pro with UFS 2.2 storage. The company claimed it wasn't about cost-cutting, but rather "putting resources where they matter most." At the time, Nothing argued that "UFS 3.1 sounds great on paper, but in everyday use, its benefits are often marginal compared to optimizations in software, battery life, and display quality."

That justification now appears to be walking back. The benefits of UFS 3.1 over 2.2 are measurable: sequential read speeds jump from ~2,100 MB/s to ~4,200 MB/s, and random read/write operations see similar doubling. For users, this translates to faster app launches, quicker file transfers, and smoother multitasking when dealing with large files.

Industry-Wide Pricing Pressure

Pei's announcement came with a broader warning about the mobile industry's economic reality. He framed it as a "simple choice" facing all brands: "raise prices, by 30% or more in some cases, or downgrade specs."

The culprit? RAM pricing driven by AI data center investments. As tech giants race to secure memory for AI training clusters, DRAM prices have surged across the industry. This creates a perfect storm for budget-focused brands that built their identity on delivering maximum specs at minimum prices.

Pei's statement that "the more specs for less money model that many value brands were built on is no longer sustainable in 2026" is essentially an obituary for the sub-€300 phone that punches above its weight class.

Nothing's Strategic Pivot

According to Pei, this industry shift actually benefits Nothing. He argues the company learned early that it "couldn't win on spec sheets alone," choosing instead to focus on "perfecting the user experience, proving that how a phone looks and feels matters far more than its raw numbers."

This positioning allows Nothing to absorb pricing pressure more gracefully than competitors who built their marketing around benchmark scores. However, the claim that "sales numbers compared to its competitors disagree" suggests this narrative faces real-world headwinds.

The Nothing Phone (3a) launched at €283 for 128GB/8GB RAM, while the 3a Pro started at €349 for 256GB/12GB RAM. If Pei's 30% warning materializes, we could see:

• Phone (4a) 128GB/8GB RAM: ~€368
• Phone (4a) Pro 256GB/12GB RAM: ~€454

What This Means for Consumers

The Nothing Phone (4a) series will likely launch in early March 2026, following the company's established pattern. Buyers should expect:

Storage Improvements: UFS 3.1 across at least some models, though Nothing may still differentiate between standard and Pro variants.

Price Reality: The days of flagship-level specs at mid-range prices are ending. Nothing's transparent about this shift, but consumers need to recalibrate expectations.

Ecosystem Considerations: Nothing OS continues to emphasize clean Android with unique glyph lighting features. The hardware improvements may help justify higher prices, but the core appeal remains design and experience over raw specifications.

The budget phone market that Nothing entered with the Phone (1) has fundamentally changed. Whether the brand's design-first philosophy can sustain premium pricing without premium specs remains the central question for 2026.

Source: Carl Pei on X