ⓘ Nothing – edited
The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has a 3.5x periscope zoom camera.
Nothing’s latest social media post for the Phone (4a) Pro has triggered intense backlash. Tech enthusiasts are calling out the “140x zoom” claim as misleading and point out how it stacks up against the 20x lossless zoom of the Oppo Find X9 Ultra.
Nothing is facing social media backlash following a promotional post claiming the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro features the “most powerful zoom on the market” with its 140x capability.
Social media users were quick to point out that this figure refers to digital zoom, which relies on heavy software cropping and AI upscaling rather than optical magnification (which, of course, isn’t a secret).
The reactions on X have been predominantly negative. Many users have labeled the marketing “misleading”, “false advertising”, and a “gimmick”, emphasizing that image quality degrades rapidly at extreme digital zoom levels, rendering the feature practically useless for most photography.
The social media backlash followed soon after Nothing’s post.
Nothing Phone (4a) Pro 140x digital zoom sample.Oppo Find X9 Ultra 20x lossless zoom sample (right).
Nothing says Phone (4a) Pro has the “most powerful zoom” in any phone; social media backlash follows quickly
The controversy highlights a sharp contrast with actual flagship camera technology. Comments from tech savvy phone users pointed to the Oppo Find X9 Ultra as the true leader in mobile zoom. Even if it tops out at 120x digital zoom, the Find X9 Ultra utilizes a unique 50MP 10x periscope camera capable of 20x lossless zoom.
In comparison, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro relies on a more modest periscope telephoto lens offering only 3.5x optical zoom (interestingly, the sensor sizes on the two phones are identical). While the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro has been praised in reviews for its unique design and value, users are clearly frustrated that the company chose to emphasize an exaggerated digital zoom figure instead of its optical magnification.
Do you think smartphone brands should be required to clearly distinguish between optical and digital zoom in their primary marketing headlines?
Martin Filipov – Tech Writer – 179 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2026
Martin is a professional smartphone nerd since he got his first “real” smartphone, the Galaxy Young. Although Martin is getting older, his enthusiasm and analytical eye for a phone spec sheet is holding up nicely.
AI has already stolen several of Martin’s jobs. But don’t worry! He took revenge by switching back to a dumb toothbrush – the kind you have to swing back and forth until your teeth are clean.
Martin started writing about tech in 2021, hitting “publish” on nearly 800 feature articles in four years. Possibly a Guinness world record. Or at least a Heineken.