Grok 4.6 vs Solar Mini 4
Pricing, context window and real answers (September 2026)
Grok 4.6 (xAI) and Solar Mini 4 (Upstage), compared as you can actually call them on FastMetal. Both are served from the same OpenAI-compatible endpoint and API key; switching is a change to the model string.
Specs and pricing
 Grok 4.6 | Solar Mini 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | xAI | Upstage |
| Input (per 1M tokens) | ¥357.4 | ¥8.94 |
| Output (per 1M tokens) | ¥1,072.2 | ¥35.74 |
| Typical cost (1,000 in + 500 out tokens × 1,000 calls) | ¥894 | ¥27 |
| Context window | 500,000 tokens | 524,288 tokens |
| Release date | 8/12/2026 | 9/23/2026 |
| Input modalities | text, image, file | text |
| Throughput (p50) | — | — |
| Arena · overall | #63 · ELO 1,456 | Unranked |
| Arena · Japanese | #68 · ELO 1,412 | Unranked |
| Arena · coding | #54 · ELO 1,506 | Unranked |
Prices are FastMetal's yen rates before tax. Arena ranks are as of the latest leaderboard scrape.
Which should you pick?
- On price, Solar Mini 4: ¥35.74 per 1M output tokens, 97% less than Grok 4.6.
- For long documents, Solar Mini 4: a 524,288-token context window against 500,000 for Grok 4.6.
- If in doubt, try both on the same key. Switching is a change to the model string, and each is billed at its own rate.
Real answers to the same prompts
Exactly what the FastMetal gateway returned, side by side. Not benchmark scores: actual output.
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'
Count the number of 'r's in 'strawberry'. Explain your reasoning step by step.
Grok 4.6
The word "strawberry" consists of the following letters in order:
s-t-r-a-w-b-e-r-r-y
Checking each one:
- s: not r
- t: not r
- r: yes (count = 1)
- a: not r
- w: not r
- b: not r
- e: not r
- r: yes (count = 2)
- r: yes (count = 3)
- y: not r
There are exactly 3 r's.
Final answer: 3
3.9s451 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
Sure! Let’s count the letter **'r'** in the word **'strawberry'** step by step.
**Step 1: Write out the word and its letters**
`s t r a w b e r r y`
**Step 2: Go through each letter one by one and check if it is 'r'**
1. `s` → not 'r'
2. `t` → not 'r'
3. `r` → **yes** (1st 'r')
4. `a` → not 'r'
5. `w` → not 'r'
6. `b` → not 'r'
7. `e` → not 'r'
8. `r` → **yes** (2nd 'r')
9. `r` → **yes** (3rd 'r')
10. `y` → not 'r'
**Step 3: Tally the total**
Total 'r' count = 3
**Final answer:** There are **3** letter 'r's in the word **'strawberry'**.
2.5s239 output tokens
Debug This Error
I'm getting the following error in my Node.js application: TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map') at UserList (/app/components/UserList.js:12:25) at renderWithHooks (/app/node_modules/rea…
Grok 4.6
**The error happens because `users` is `undefined` when `.map()` is called.**
`UserList` destructures `{ users }` from its props. If the parent doesn't pass a `users` prop (or passes `undefined`/`null`), `users` is `undefined` and `undefined.map` throws.
This is extremely common when:
- Data is loaded asynchronously (initial render happens before the fetch finishes).
- The parent component forgets to pass the prop or uses a different name.
- The component is rendered before the data is ready (e.g. in a loading state).
### Quick fixes
**1. Default to an empty array (recommended)**
```jsx
function UserList({ users = [] }) {
return (
<ul>
{users.map(user => (
<li key={us…
20.3s598 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
This error occurs because the `users` prop being passed to your `UserList` component is `undefined` (or the component is rendered without that prop), and your code tries to call `.map()` on it.
### 🔍 Why this happens
In JavaScript, `undefined.map` is not a function, so calling it throws:
```
TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'map')
```
This commonly happens when:
- The parent component doesn't pass the `users` prop at all
- The parent passes `users` as `undefined`, `null`, or a non-array value (like a promise, object, or string)
- Data hasn't finished loading yet (e.g., fetched from an API asynchronously)
### ✅ How to fix it
The most robust solution is to provide a…
9.2s701 output tokens
Code Review
Please review the following Python function and suggest improvements for readability, performance, and best practices: def get_data(url, retries=3): import requests import time for i in range(retries):…
Grok 4.6
Here is a focused review of the function, followed by a cleaned-up version.
## Issues
**Imports inside the function**
`requests` and `time` should live at module level. Importing on every call is slower, hides dependencies, and is harder to mock in tests.
**Bare `except:`**
This swallows `KeyboardInterrupt`, `SystemExit`, and programming errors. Catch `requests.RequestException` (network/timeout/HTTP adapter errors) and JSON/`KeyError`/`TypeError` separately.
**Retrying the wrong things**
A 404 or 400 will never succeed on retry. Retry transient failures (timeouts, connection errors, 429, 5xx). Fail fast on most 4xx responses.
**Sleep after the last attempt**
On the final failur…
27.9s1770 output tokens
Solar Mini 4
Here’s a reviewed version of your function, followed by a breakdown of the improvements:
```python
import time
import requests
from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
from urllib3.util.retry import Retry
def get_data(url: str, retries: int = 3) -> list[dict]:
"""
Fetch JSON from a URL and return a list of active items with name/id.
Args:
url: The endpoint to request.
retries: Number of retry attempts on failure.
Returns:
A list of dicts matching {'name': str, 'id': any} for active items.
"""
if retries < 1:
raise ValueError("retries must be at least 1")
session = requests.Session()
retry_strategy = Retry(
total=re…
10.8s1278 output tokens
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper, Grok 4.6 or Solar Mini 4?
- Per 1M output tokens, Grok 4.6 is ¥1,072.2 and Solar Mini 4 is ¥35.74 on FastMetal (yen, before tax), so Solar Mini 4 is cheaper.
- How do the context windows of Grok 4.6 and Solar Mini 4 compare?
- Grok 4.6 takes 500,000 tokens; Solar Mini 4 takes 524,288.
- Can I use Grok 4.6 and Solar Mini 4 with the same API key?
- Yes. On FastMetal's OpenAI-compatible endpoint, switch by passing "grok-4.6" or "solar-mini4" as the model. Each is billed at its own rate from the same prepaid balance.
Try both on one API key
Create an account and add credit to call Grok 4.6 and Solar Mini 4 from the browser chat and the API. No monthly fee.