Gauntlet: iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

We’ve pitted the iPhone 6 Plus against a few of its biggest competitors in the market and it would make sense that we throw it into the arena with probably its greatest rival in the industry today, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. We compare their specs and features and see which one comes out on top.

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Body

Even if the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note 4 almost match each other in size and weight with only a few mm or grams differentiating them from each other the 6 Plus still beats out the Note 4 when it comes to body design and build quality. While Samsung’s latest phablet looks a lot like its predecessor and is still made from the company’s signature plastic the iPhone 6 Plus features a completely new and beautiful design that almost seamlessly combines a full aluminum body and a curved glass front. The only advantage the Note 4 might have over the 6 Plus is that its shape and textured plastic back cover make it easier to grip while the full aluminum and round edges of the 6 Plus make it a bit unwieldy in some cases.

Screen

Samsung’s AMOLED panels have always been touted as some of the best looking screens in the industry and the Galaxy Note 4 has one of the best AMOLED screens Samsung has ever produced. Measuring 5.7 inches with a Quad HD resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels and a pixel density of 515ppi the Note 4’s Super AMOLED display is not only larger and sharper than the iPhone 6 Plus’s IPS screen but it also looks better with more vibrant colors, better saturation, and better contrast. Although, there may be some that prefer the more toned down colors and saturation of the 6 Plus but that all falls down to preference.

CPU, GPU, RAM, and Storage

While the iPhone 6 Plus comes with the company’s own A8 processor, the Galaxy Note 4 is available in two variants – a Snapdragon 805 variant and an Exynos 5433 variant – both of which outpace the 6 Plus in performance. The Note 4 also comes with more than double the RAM of the iPhone 6 Plus at 3GB versus 1GB, respectively. Lastly, while the Note 4 is only equipped with 32GB of storage compared to the three available storage variants (16GB/64GB/128GB) of the iPhone 6 Plus, the Note 4 has the advantage of flexibility due to its microSD card slot.

Camera

The Galaxy Note 4 is equipped with a 16-megapixel camera while the iPhone 6 Plus comes with an 8-megapixel one. Both feature Optical Image Stabilization and HDR. Like its display, the Galaxy Note 4 is able to take photos that feature vibrant and well saturated colors as well as great contrast. Add to that the sharper photos due to the larger sensor and you’ve got one of the best smartphone cameras in the market today. While the iPhone 6 Plus may have slightly better image processing, the Note 4 just has the better overall performing shooter between the two.

Battery Life

Surprisingly, the iPhone 6 Plus with its slightly smaller battery is able to outlast Note 4 in the battery life department. It could be a combination of the Note 4’s more power hungry display and the iPhone  6 Plus’s better battery management but the new iPhone is able to last considerably longer than the Note 4 in both light and heavy use. This is a pretty big win for Apple has their smartphones have never been known for excellent battery life.

Software & Apps

Android and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI have come a long way to provide a great experience for their users, it still falls slightly behind Apple’s almost seamless unified ecosystem. Out of the box, the iPhone 6 Plus comes with iOS 8 while the Note 4 runs Android 4.4 KitKat although Samsung did announce that Google’s latest version of Android, Lollipop, will be coming to the Note 4 sometime in the future. When it comes to apps though, the Apple App Store is still the better place to get quality apps as the company is a lot more stringent with its policies and many developers still prefer to primarily develop for Apple’s platform.

Extra Features

While the iPhone 6 Plus comes with a few interesting extra features most especially its compatibility with the company’s new Apple Pay service that works in unison with Touch ID, the Note 4’s prize feature – the Wacom digitizer and the S Pen – is pretty difficult to top. The stylus features make the Note 4 a great creativity and productivity device that’s hard to match.

Cost

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 currently has an SRP of around Php38,000 while the smallest capacity iPhone 6 Plus – the 16GB – will cost you around Php42,000 through official channels. Additionally, the highest capacity 128GB iPhone 6 Plus is priced around Php53,000 while if you purchase a 128GB microSD card for the Galaxy Note 4 it won’t even break the Php50,000 barrier so overall the Note 4 is cheaper than the iPhone 6 Plus at both their lowest and highest configurations.

Verdict

In spite of the iPhone 6 Plus’s premium looks, feel, and surprising battery life, it simply falls behind in every other category against the Note 4. Additionally, Samsung’s offering is also cheaper and more flexible due to its expandable storage. The Note 4 easily takes the trophy in this matchup.