Apple announced the new, bigger iPhone 6 Plus a few days ago, and it officially entered the market for phablet devices, as a combination of a smartphone and tablet. Samsung was the inventor of the product category, starting with the Galaxy Note. Now with the fourth generation, Samsung is poised to continue its dominance in the sector. Can Apple do something about it? We can only wait and see.
Design and Display
Both devices have something different to offer here. Apple has chosen a unibody construction for the iPhone 6 Plus, while Samsung sticks to the faux leather back, but has included a metal strip. But in the end, the Note 4 is still mostly a plastic device, while the iPhone 6 has premium build, quality and look. An added bonus for the iPhone 6 Plus is the thickness. At just 7.1mm, the device is thin, light, comfortable and surprisingly ergonomic. The design of the iPhone 6 Plus is simply amazing, smooth, sleek and has a continuous form that serves as a perfect transition between the glass screen and aluminum body. The dimensions of the devices are very similar. Apple’s device measures at 158x78x7.1 weighing 172 grams, while the Note 4 measures 152x80x7.6 weighting 176 grams.
The display is where Apple made its biggest strides. The iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inches LCD display with full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and density of 401ppi. The Note 4 features 5.7 inches screen display with QHD resolution of 2560x1440pixels and density of 515ppi. The added density translates in sharper images and texts on the Note 4.
Hardware and Operating System
Not much is known about the processor of the iPhone 6 Plus. However, what is known is that it is a 64bit A8 chip that the company promises will deliver 25% better performance than the processor used in the iPhone 5C. Besides being faster, the chip is also more energy efficient due to the 20-nanometer processor. The Note features the most powerful Snapdragon processor at the moment, the 805 quad core processor clocked at 2.7GHz. Another difference between the devices is the RAM memory, where Samsung’s handset offers 3GB, the iPhone 6 Plus has just 1 GB of RAM memory. However, Apple always optimizes the OS for its devices. Therefore, RAM and processor power don’t matter much. One of the main differences between the devices is the internal storage memory. The iPhone 6 Plus comes in versions with 16, 64 and 128 GB of internal memory. The downside is there is no external slot for additional memory. The Note 4, on the other hand, provides users with 32GB of internal storage, but has a slot for microSD card.
Apple’s devices run on iOS 8, with a few custom made changes for the bigger screen. One of those is the landscape mode, and a feature called reachability. The idea is to bring the UI closer to the thumb of the user. Additionally, iOS 8 now offers support for third party keyboards and widgets. The Note 4 runs on the latest 4.4 Android KitKat, with a custom UI on top of it. The device is capable and powerful enough for the expected Android L upgrade. Additionally, the OS is customized for features for the S Pen stylus.
Camera
For few years now, Apple sticks to the 8-MP rear facing camera, and it is included in the iPhone 6 Plus as well. There are changes to the features of the camera for better quality, and Apple has long been known to deliver top quality photos despite the low megapixel camera. The Galaxy Note 4, on the other hand, features a 16-MP rear facing camera capable of delivering 4K video recording. The front facing camera is another area where Samsung’s device has an advantage, with a 3.7MP camera compared to 1.2 MP on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Battery
Like many other features on the iPhone 6 Plus, the battery capacity is not known. Apple has only provided information regarding expected life of the battery. Therefore, it can handle 80 hours of audio, 14 hours of video, 12 hours of talk time or internet usage, and lasts up to 16 days on standby. The Note 4, on the other hand, packs a 3220 mAh battery, that should prove to be reliable for intensive use customers.
Price
The SIM free version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 should start at $650, while the price for the iPhone 6 Plus is in the range of $749.
Related ItemsiPhone 6 PlusSamsung Galaxy Note 4
