Xiaomi Poco M8s 5G vs Nothing Phone 4a
Overall: Nothing Phone 4a. Their chips, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 (mid-range) and the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (mid-range), are close in speed. The Phone 4a starts with more RAM (8 GB against 6 GB). The Poco M8s 5G has the bigger battery (7,000 mAh against 5,080 mAh). The Phone 4a has faster wired charging (50 W against 33 W).
Xiaomi
Poco M8s 5G
Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
Nothing
Phone 4a
Snapdragon 7s Gen 4What matters to you?
Tap what you use your phone for. The overall pick then counts only those.
Overall: Nothing Phone 4a
Better for camera and content creation. Score: Phone 4a 1, Poco M8s 5G 0 (clear win 2, slight edge 1, same 0).
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
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Social media
Chats, calls, lives and feeds
- Everyday speed: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3.5 of 5.
- Memory: 6 GB against 8 GB, so more apps stay open when you switch between chats and feeds.
- Front camera video for calls and lives: 1080p against 1080p@30fps.
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
Same in practiceEither oneEstimateOfficialWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Gaming
Light games to heavy 3D, online and offline
- Gaming power: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3 of 5.
- Graphics: Adreno (6 nm) against Qualcomm® Adreno™ (4 nm).
- Screen: 144 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
Slight edgePick Phone 4aOfficialEstimateWhy? See the evidenceHide the evidence
Camera and content creation
Photos, video recording and editing
- Video recording: 1080p against 4K@30fps.
- Front camera video: 1080p against 1080p@30fps.
- Editing and export: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), 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: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3 of 5.
- Memory: 6 GB against 8 GB. On-phone AI features need plenty of memory; most AI assistants run online and work on any phone.
- Screen: 6.9″ AMOLED against 6.78″ AMOLED.
Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
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Movies, music and streaming
YouTube, Netflix, sport, music and podcasts
- Screen: 6.9″ AMOLED against 6.78″ 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 oneOfficialWhy? 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
Poco M8s 5G7,000 mAh33 W charging
Phone 4a5,080 mAh50 W charging
Efficiency: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 4 of 5
Storage
Poco M8s 5G128 GB / 256 GBType not published
Phone 4a128 GB / 256 GBType not published
UFS opens apps and files far faster than eMMC
Speed
Poco M8s 5GSnapdragon 6s Gen 36 GB / 8 GB RAM
Phone 4aSnapdragon 7s Gen 48 GB / 12 GB RAM
Everyday speed: about 3.5 of 5 (estimate) against 3.5 of 5
Screen
Poco M8s 5G6.9″ AMOLED144 Hz
Phone 4a6.78″ AMOLED120 Hz
Bigger is not better; pick the size you like
Toughness
Poco M8s 5GIP64
Phone 4aIP64
IP68 survives dust and a dunk in water
Years of updates
Poco M8s 5GNo promise publishedLaunched April 2026
Phone 4aUntil about 20293 Android upgrades, 3 years of security updates
From the maker’s written update promise
Side by side
Show differences only
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 6.9″ | 6.78″ |
| Type | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 2340 × 1080 | 1224 × 2720 |
| Refresh rate | 144 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Peak brightness | 850 nits | 4500 nits |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Chipset | Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 |
| RAM | 6 GB / 8 GB | 8 GB / 12 GB |
| Storage | 128 GB / 256 GB | 128 GB / 256 GB |
| Storage type | — | — |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Main camera | 50 MP | 50 MP |
| Zoom | None | 3.5x optical |
| Video recording | 1080p | 4K@30fps |
| Front camera | 8 MP | 32 MP |
| Front video | 1080p | 1080p@30fps |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 7000 mAh | 5080 mAh |
| Wired charging | 33 W | 50 W |
| Wireless charging | — | — |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Stereo speakers | Yes | Yes |
| Headphone jack | — | — |
| NFC (tap to pay) | Yes | Yes |
| Dual-band GPS | No | No |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| eSIM | No | No |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 217 g | 204.5 g |
| Thickness | 8.4 mm | 8.6 mm |
| Water resistance | IP64 | IP64 |
| Spec | Poco M8s 5G | Phone 4a |
|---|---|---|
| At launch | Android 15 | Android 16 |
| OS upgrades | Not stated | 3 years |
| Security updates | Not stated | Not stated |
Quick answers
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a better for social media?
- For social media, there’s no real difference between them. Everyday speed: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3.5 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3.5 of 5.
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a better for gaming?
- For gaming, there’s no real difference between them. Gaming power: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3 of 5.
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a better for camera and content creation?
- The Phone 4a has a slight edge for camera and content creation. Video recording: 1080p against 4K@30fps.
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a better for work, study and ai?
- For work, study and ai, there’s no real difference between them. Heavy work: Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 about 3 of 5 (estimate), Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 3 of 5.
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a better for movies, music and streaming?
- For movies, music and streaming, there’s no real difference between them. Screen: 6.9″ AMOLED against 6.78″ AMOLED.
- Is the Poco M8s 5G or the Phone 4a 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.
Xiaomi Poco M8s 5G specsNothing Phone 4a specsCompare with another phone