iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6, Galaxy Note 4 – Spec Comparison

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The trend in the smartphone market in recent years has been for larger and larger devices, eventually spawning an entirely new marketplace. The phablet market has particularly attracted the Korean manufacturer Samsung, which has specialized in producing several of these larger handsets.

But other companies have also moved into this niche, and with the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) produced its first ever phablet-sized device. Another major contender for consumers’ money in the phablet market is the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Nexus 6, and alongside the iPhone 6 Plus and the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:0059935) Galaxy Note 4, this triumvirate effectively dominate the existing phablet market.

Each of the three devices has its own strengths and weaknesses, with Apple’s handsets particularly known for their slickness and ease of use. But one of the biggest selling points for consumers will always be pure spec, so which one of these three market-leading fabless offers the most bang for your buck?

iPhone 6 Plus vs Nexus 6 vs Galaxy Note 4

iPhone 6 Plus

Display

With the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple produced its first ever phone with a full HD display. Certainly the iPhone 6 Plus screen has been pretty well received by both consumers and critics, and the 5.5-inch display is certainly adequate for viewing content. However, a resolution of 1,080 x 1,920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density) does not enable the iPhone 6 Plus to compete with devices from Google and Samsung.

This is because both the Nexus 6 and the Galaxy Note 4 feature resolutions of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels; quad HD resolution. As the Google Nexus 6 has a larger 5.96-inch display, this means that the Galaxy Note 4 produces the superior pixel density (~515 ppi). Additionally, the Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen technology included in the Galaxy Note 4 has been hugely praised, and in the display department it must be said that Samsung’s flagship device wins hands down.

Winner: Galaxy Note 4

Camera

Apple’s camera technology has actually been very well reviewed in the iPhone 6 Plus, and it is considered that its optical image stabilization system is at least the equal of other smartphones. But this is very much a case of interpretation; when it comes to pure statistics the iPhone 6 Plus loses out in this department as well

Despite its OIS capacity, phase detection autofocus, and dual-LED (dual tone) flash, the iPhone 6 Plus features an eight-megapixel camera, which is not the equal of either the Google Nexus 6 of Galaxy Note 4. The iPhone 6 Plus snapper works with a resolution of 3,264 x 2,448 pixels, which is inferior to both of its competitors.

The Nexus 6 has a 13-megapixel camera, capable of handling 4,128 x 3,096 pixels. Google has also included autofocus, optical image stabilization, and dual-LED (ring) flash, and the Nexus 6 is certainly a capable photograph taker.

However, the Galaxy Note 4 wins out in this department as well. With its 16-megapixel lens, capable of dealing with 5,312 x 2,988 pixels, and Samsung having also included autofocus, optical image stabilization, and dual-LED (ring) flash in its portfolio of features, the Galaxy Note 4 definitely has the strongest camera of the three devices in spec terms.

Winner: Galaxy Note 4

iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6, Galaxy Note 4 - Spec Comparison

Video

The video capturing capabilities of the Galaxy Note 4 are also impressive. Again the Apple iPhone 6 Plus has been praised with regard to optical image stabilization, but it only shoots video at 1080p resolution, albeit at 60 frames per second. Both the Galaxy Note 4 and the Nexus 6 film video at 2160p, but the Galaxy Note 4 just edges out the Lexus 6 by offering dual-video recording and a superior setup for 1080p videos. Chalk another victory up to Samsung.

Winner: Galaxy Note 4

Weight

The iPhone series is known as being the slickest, sleekest mobile on the market, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Apple wins this category. The iPhone is nearly 10 percent lighter than the Nexus 6, and marginally lighter than the Galaxy Note 4.

Winner: iPhone 6 Plus

Storage

Apple also offers more storage than the other phablet manufacturers, providing a 128 GB model of the iPhone 6 Plus. Although the Galaxy Note 4 can be boosted up to this capacity via micro-SD, the iPhone 6 Plus comes out on top here.

Winner: iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6, Galaxy Note 4 - Spec Comparison

Memory

In memory terms, both the Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4 are fitted with 3 GB, which is three times that of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus.

Winner: Nexus 6 / Galaxy Note 4

Processor

Apple has relied on the slickness of collaboration between its proprietary hardware and software to make the iPhone 6 Plus a fast running phablet. So the processor included in the iPhone 6 Plus is significantly slower than either the Google Nexus 6 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

The iPhone 6 Plus is fitted with a dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based), whereas the processors in both the Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4 are extremely similar. The Nexus 6 is driven by a quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450, while the Galaxy Note 4 has a slightly different version of the same processor. Clearly these are more powerful performers than the equivalent processor fitted in the iPhone 6 Plus.

Winner: Nexus 6 / Galaxy Note 4

Battery

Finally, Apple has been criticized for the battery life in the iPhone series, and it probably thus doesn’t come as a huge surprise that the iPhone 6 Plus has the weakest battery of the three devices. The 2915 mAh battery is less powerful than the 3220 mAh battery contained in both the Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4, but the Samsung device has the age owing to the fact that its battery is removable.

Winner: Galaxy Note 4

Conclusion

Given the powerful spec list that has been included in the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung could understandably feel aggrieved that sales of its products have not been as successful as it would have liked recently. However, there is no doubt that the Galaxy Note 4 is the most spec-packed phablet currently available on the market.

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