Nothing Phone (4a) Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

The headline value play: a 50MP Sony LYT-710 main with OIS, a true 50MP 3.5x periscope telephoto (80mm) with OIS, and an 8MP ultrawide — flagship-tier hardware Samsung and Apple don't put in phones at this price. Output is characterful and the telephoto is a genuine win, but reviewers consistently flag inconsistency, average low-light and a gimmicky 140x digital zoom.

• Triple rear system: 50MP Sony LYT-710 main (f/1.9, OIS), 8MP ultrawide, and a 50MP periscope telephoto with 3.5x optical zoom (80mm, f/2.9, OIS).
• Both the main and periscope-zoom cameras are 50MP and deliver strong results for this price range; the zoom in particular stands out from competitors and even allows for extreme digital zoom.
• Having a proper dedicated telephoto shooter is a genuine love, although the camera experience itself is a little bit inconsistent at times.
• It's not clinically the best camera, but the shots have a bit more soul to them.
• Low-light performance isn't the best, and image quality when you zoom right in isn't the best out there — not bad, just not class-leading.
• The 140x zoom headline grabs attention, but in use it's more about how far the camera can push digitally than something you'd rely on day-to-day.
• Not super impressed by the camera or the giant protruding bumps the lenses sit in.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

A new 50MP main (the same sensor as the Galaxy S24) plus a 12MP ultrawide. A real upgrade for a flip, but no telephoto and weaker than the same-year S24.

• A significantly better 50MP main sensor — the same as the Galaxy S24 — should deliver similar performance.
• Despite the iPhone 15 Pro's hardware advantages and zoom range, the reviewer mostly preferred the Flip 6's photos in most situations.
• You won't get the best photos, but Samsung isn't scraping the bottom of the barrel; the selfie is better than any dedicated selfie camera.
• It's one of only a few phones in this bracket lacking a third (telephoto) camera, and zoom past 5x isn't good.
• Compared head-to-head, the same-year Galaxy S24 is genuinely a way better camera than the Flip 6.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

The ~5,080mAh cell reliably gets through a day and endurance improved across all of GSMArena's tests versus the 3a Pro — but it's only an 80mAh bump over last year and looks small next to 6,000–7,000mAh budget rivals. 50W wired charging is the trade-off win; there is no wireless charging at all.

• Endurance has improved across the board in all tests compared to last year's Nothing Phone (3a) Pro; with a 68W USB-PD charger the phone peaked at around 42W.
• The review unit gets through a day without problems, but it'll certainly be into the red and close to done after about 15 hours of use; the OnePlus 15R has a much meatier battery to last longer.
• It's only an 80mAh increase over last year — small fry next to budget rivals like the Poco M8 Pro, which uses silicon-carbon tech to reach 6,500mAh.
• 50W wired charging is very respectable at this price — besting anything Google, Apple or Samsung offers below £500.
• Because the processor isn't power-hungry and the battery is large for the chip, real-world battery life is excellent.
• Roughly 13 hours of continuous playback at maximum brightness in a streaming test — impressive for what Nothing is doing at this price.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

A 4,000mAh battery (about 10% bigger than the Flip 5) with 25W wired and 15W wireless — better than past Flips but small and slow next to clamshell rivals.

• A roughly 10% larger battery plus the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 yields about an hour more screen-on-time per day than the Flip 5.
• The 4,000mAh cell is modest — Oppo and Vivo clamshells are at 4,300–4,400mAh — though any increase is welcome.
• Charging is 25W wired and 15W wireless — slow versus the fast-charging competition.
• Owners feel confident leaving the house at ~50% and getting home with good battery, but the always-on cover screen can quietly eat charge.
• A battery-care option lets you cap charging at 85% to preserve long-term battery health.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

Nothing OS 4.1 on Android 16 is the universal favourite: near-stock AOSP functionality with a distinctive monochrome visual identity, almost no bloatware, and AI that's present but not forced. The one hard reservation is update length — only 3 years of OS upgrades against 6 years of security patches.

• Nothing OS sticks close to a clean, near-stock Android (AOSP) experience in functionality, but stands out with its distinctive visual identity.
• After a week the phone is 'absolutely brilliant'; software is where Nothing phones shine, even if the camera 'window' at the top of the display is basically a pseudo-iPhone look.
• Software is where Nothing phones absolutely shine — the clearest reason to pick this over rivals.
• There's a smattering of AI here, but it's not shoved down your throat — and the software is basically the same clean setup as the regular Nothing Phone (4a).
• Unlike Samsung's Galaxy AI which is in your face from day one, Nothing's AI stays out of the way — an impressive, restrained package overall.
• Nothing's take on Android 16 has some of the best design consistency you'll find on any Android UI, Google included.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

Galaxy AI plus seven years of updates. The longevity is excellent; the cover-screen software remains the line's frustration.

• Long update support — seven years of OS and security updates — is a listed strength.
• After a year there's been no performance degradation and seven years of updates means it will last a long time.
• One UI 7 brings major improvements to the Flip 6, including updated drawing/photo assist and generative edit.
• The AI transcription feature worked well with only a couple of typos.
• Doing most tasks (email, WhatsApp, Samsung Pay, notifications) on the outer display reduces the temptation to open it and doomscroll.

Nothing Phone (4a) Pro

At $499 it directly undercuts the experience-per-dollar of the same-priced Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e, and several reviewers would take it over the 10a without hesitation. The closest internal threat is its own cheaper sibling, the standard Phone (4a), which shares the same cameras for $150 less.

• From the design to the software and cameras, this is a phone that should absolutely not be slept on — at the price of a Pixel 10a, 'I'd take this 10 out of 10 times over a 10a.'
• Vibes and great value for under $500 — a balanced all-rounder.
• Against its immediate rivals the Pixel 10a and iPhone 17e it looks impressive: a larger, brighter, faster display, more cameras, and Nothing's unique design including the Glyph Matrix.
• A premium balanced package with polished software and really good cameras — recommended, even if it's not perfect on the IP rating or front-camera 4K.
• The biggest problem for the 4a Pro is its own little brother — the standard 4a costs much less and gets the exact same cameras.
• While the (4a)'s design is still the best in the Nothing range, the (4a) Pro is a close second, and its speakers sound better than the standard model's.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6

At $1,099 (256GB) it's a $100 hike over the Flip 5, with cheaper, more capable Motorola Razrs as the main pressure.

• An excellent flip phone, but there's renewed competition now — the latest Motorola foldables are just as exciting and cheaper.
• It's the best Z Flip Samsung has ever made and 'the best folding phone you can buy, period.'
• A $100 price hike for both foldables over their predecessors raises whether there's enough here to warrant it.
• If the bigger cover display and larger battery of the newer model aren't compelling, the Flip 6 (often discounted from $1,099) is more than enough.
• Owners would still pick the Z Flip 6 over a regular S25 for the form factor.