Nothing Phone 4a vs Fairphone 6
A close call. Both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (mid-range). The Fairphone 6 starts with more RAM (12 GB against 8 GB). The Phone 4a has the bigger battery (5,080 mAh against 4,415 mAh). The Phone 4a has faster wired charging (50 W against 27 W).
Nothing
Phone 4a
Snapdragon 7s Gen 4
Fairphone
Fairphone 6
Snapdragon 7s Gen 4What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
A close call
Neither phone is clearly better for what you chose. The cards show the trade-offs.
Backed by facts100% of areas
Pick this for…
Who wins for each way you use a phone. Tap a card for the evidence.
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
Same in practiceEither oneBenchmarksOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3.5 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 12 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 1080p@30fps against 4K@30fps.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
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Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3 of 5.
- Graphics: the same Qualcomm® Adreno™ (4 nm) in both.
- Screen: 120 Hz against 120 Hz.
- Light games run well on both. The gap shows in heavy 3D games. How long a phone holds its speed when hot needs testing, so it is not judged.
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 4K@30fps against 4K@30fps.
- Front camera video: 1080p@30fps against 4K@30fps.
- Editing and export: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3 of 5. Storage: not listed for either phone.
- Photo and video quality need side-by-side testing, so we do not judge them from megapixels.
Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
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Work, study and AI
Learning, research, writing and AI assistants
- Heavy work: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3 of 5.
- Memory: 8 GB against 12 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.78″ AMOLED against 6.31″ LTPO AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialBenchmarksWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.78″ AMOLED against 6.31″ LTPO AMOLED.
- AV1 video decoding (smoother YouTube and Netflix, less battery): not listed against not listed.
- Sound: stereo speakers, against stereo speakers.
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
Same in practiceEither oneOfficialPublic infoWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Everyday life
Maps, ride-hailing, payments and banking
- Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
- Location: single-band GPS against single-band GPS. Dual-band GPS stays accurate between tall buildings.
Phone basics
What every use depends on, side by side.
Battery life
Phone 4a5,080 mAh50 W charging
Fairphone 64,415 mAh27 W charging
Efficiency: Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 4 of 5, Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 4 of 5
Storage
Phone 4a128 GB / 256 GBType not published
Fairphone 6256 GBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
Phone 4aSnapdragon 7s Gen 48 GB / 12 GB RAM
Fairphone 6Snapdragon 7s Gen 412 GB RAM
Everyday speed: 3.5 of 5 against 3.5 of 5
Screen
Phone 4a6.78″ AMOLED120 Hz
Fairphone 66.31″ LTPO AMOLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
Phone 4aIP64
Fairphone 6No water rating published
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
Phone 4aUntil about 20293 Android upgrades, 3 years of security updates
Fairphone 6Until about 20338 Android upgrades, 8 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.78″ | 6.31″ |
| Type | AMOLED | LTPO AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1224 × 2720 | 1116 × 2484 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 4500 nits | 1400 nits |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 |
| RAM | 8 GB / 12 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB | 256 GB |
| Storage type | — | — |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Zoom | 3.5x optical | None |
| Video recording | 4K@30fps | 4K@30fps |
| Front camera | 32 MP | 32 MP |
| Front video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30fps |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 5080 mAh | 4415 mAh |
| Wired charging | 50 W | 27 W |
| Wireless charging | — | — |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | No | No |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | No | Yes |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 204.5 g | 193 g |
| Thickness | 8.6 mm | 9.6 mm |
| Water resistance | IP64 | — |
| Spec | Phone 4a | Fairphone 6 |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 16 | Android 16 |
| OS upgrades | 3 years | 8 years |
| Security updates | Not stated | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3.5 of 5.
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3 of 5.
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for camera and content creation?
- For camera and content creation, there’s no real difference between them. Video recording: 4K@30fps against 4K@30fps.
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for work, study and ai?
- For work, study and ai, there’s no real difference between them. Heavy work: both use the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 3 of 5.
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.78″ AMOLED against 6.31″ LTPO AMOLED.
- Is the Phone 4a or the Fairphone 6 better for everyday life?
- For everyday life, there’s no real difference between them. Tap to pay (NFC): yes against yes.
What we don’t judge on
Security patch level, charging watts, megapixels, benchmark scores and guessed values.
- Security patch level and other software settings change with every update, so one reading can’t judge a phone. We use the maker’s written update promise.
- Charging watts, megapixels, screen size and weight are shown, never scored as better: faster charging doesn’t make a battery last longer, and more megapixels don’t make better photos.
- Chip estimates (1 to 5) come from published design facts: core design and year, graphics, manufacturing and video features. Photo quality and how long a phone holds its speed when hot need testing, so they aren’t judged.
- Values with no source show “not published” and stay out of the verdict.
Nothing Phone 4a specsFairphone 6 specsCompare with another phone