With the Galaxy S6 Edge having released recently, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus has a serious contender. While the Apple iPhone series remains hugely successful commercially, and there is no prospect of this changing any time soon, Samsung has attempted to produce an iPhone beater with the Galaxy S6 Edge. But has it achieved this aim?
Display
Samsung has been particularly associated with high-quality displays in a recent mobile devices, and the Galaxy S6 Edge is no exception to this rule. With its quad HD display, it is clearly superior to the screen that is included in the iPhone 6 Plus, even though the phablet is the first ever full HD mobile from Apple.
Considering that the Galaxy S6 Edge also has a smaller display than the Apple phablet, the pixel density of the Samsung device is also over 30 percent superior to its Apple rival. The Galaxy S6 Edge clearly scores very highly in this department, and is superior to the iPhone 6 Plus. A further advantage of the Galaxy S6 Edge is that it allows movies to be shot at 60 frames per second in quad HD.
Multitasking
Another excellent aspect of the Galaxy S6 Edge is its ability to run more than one application simultaneously. This form of pure multitasking is very rare in the world of smartphones, and indeed it is not something that is included in the Apple iPhone range as of yet. So Samsung chalks up another advantage over the iPhone 6 Plus in this department.
Camera
Samsung is known for producing mobile devices with particularly high specifications, and this is reflected in the camera fitted in the Galaxy S6 Edge. The 16-megapixel snapper which Samsung has armed the Galaxy S6 Edge with is clearly superior in pure spec terms to that of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. The apple phablet only features an 8-megapixel camera, which obviously has a significantly smaller pixel density and resolution than its Samsung rival.
However, it is worth noting that there is more to take into consideration with photography than mere megapixel rating. Apple’s cameras have always punched above their weight in terms of actual performance, and the iPhone 6 Plus scored pretty well when compared to the previous Galaxy S releases. However, with the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung has made significant improvements to the photographic capabilities of the range, and it now certainly provides a better camera than the iPhone 6 Plus.
Processor
Another area where Samsung has established an advantage over Apple is in the processor department. Apple does rely on its proprietarily hardware and software setup which enables it to particularly optimize the iPhone series to ensure that it always runs smoothly. And this has generally ensured a slick user experience for all iPhone users in previous iterations of the device.
But many users have complained that the existing iPhone is a little sluggish compared to some of its predecessors, and this is probably a reflection of the relatively weak processor which has been included in the smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge claims to be an octa-core device, but more accurately is built around two bundles of quad core processors; a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 to be precise. Apple gets plenty of bang for its buck out of the dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone which powers the iPhone 6 Plus, but it is clear that Samsung has the superior processor in the Galaxy S6 Edge.
Memory
The iPhone 6 Plus also has little point for comparison in terms of its memory with the Galaxy S6 Edge. Apple has rather scrimped in this department in recent years. And even though its proprietary hardware and software package, coupled with a relative lack of bloatware compared to Android-driven platforms such as the Galaxy S6 Edge, the fact that the Galaxy S6 Edge has three times the memory of the iPhone 6 Plus obviously makes a significant difference to its performance.
Apple must address this with the release of the iPhone 7, and it is indeed already rumored that the consumer electronics giant will double the amount of RAM in this handset.
Design
Samsung has significantly improved the design, build and construction of the Galaxy S series, after the Galaxy S5 received a pretty poor critical reception in this department. But the iPhone remains the world’s most iconic smartphone, and it is allegedly this element of the device which contributes most strongly to its market-leading position. Samsung still hasn’t caught Apple up in this area, and it cannot feasibly claim the sort of street cachet or buzz which is associated with the iPhone.
Galaxy S6 edge vs iPhone 6 Plus: Reasons to consider
App Store
Another major ace that Apple has up its sleeve is the Apple App Store, which is still a unique value proposition for the smartphone. Apple has forged fantastic relationships with the many developers which work with the iPhone platform, and this has ensured that the Apple App Store is incredibly well stocked with useful and entertaining software.
Although Samsung has made significant strides in this department as well, it still lags significantly behind Apple in terms of app support.
That’s not to say that the software available on the Android-driven Galaxy S6 Edge is inadequate, but it is somewhat inferior both qualitatively and quantitatively to that of its Apple competitor.
Bluetooth Support
Apple also offers faster Bluetooth support in the iPhone 6 Plus than is available in the Galaxy S6 Edge, and this could be of particular interest to consumers who intend to utilize the smartphone for music-related reasons.
Operating System
Finally, the two competing operating systems included in the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy S6 Edge both have their particular devotees. Although iOS 8 has been criticized to some degree, it still generally delivers a slick user experience which makes the iPhone 6 Plus a very user-friendly device. However, some people swear by the extra customization options provided by Android.
Conclusion
The Galaxy S6 Edge is arguably the most advanced smartphone available on the market today. This is hardly surprisingly considering that Samsung released the device earlier this year, whereas the iPhone 6 Plus is now getting on for a year old. But Apple still scores heavily in some areas, and at its cheaper price point, the iPhone 6 Plus remains an excellent purchase, particularly due to the simply outstanding App Store.
