Apple made their Phablet debut last year with the iPhone 6 Plus, and made their intentions clear by putting forward a direct challenge to its traditional rival , aka, the Galaxy Note 4. The Question was – Can the Phablet underdog scre the upset over the undisputed Champion of the Phablet World?
Lets take a look-
- Both phones were unvieled around the same time frame, so there is no upper hand in that aspect.
- Display –
- The Note 4 sports a 5.7 inch QHD display with a mind numbing ppi density of 515ppi. Couple that with stylus support and Gorilla Glass 4 protection, and we get a potential candidate for the best display in the world category.
- Apple has seldom stuck to the industry norms, and favoured their own ideology when it comes to their products. They have pulled out a 5.5 inch 1080p Touchscreen with a ppi density of 401ppi. Firstly, Apple finally stepped out of their retina display world and gave both , the screen and the ppi a bump up. But for a 5.5 inch display, I really expected a higher ppi. We get the standard Apple oleophobic coating on the device, and as far as stylus is concerned, we can go ahead and purchase one out of market, but thats only good enough to help you select and open and close folders and manage documents. Apple does not have a stylus feature, yet.
As far as the display goes, Note 4 is the clear winner. The human eye may not be able to tell the difference between the two ppi on the surface, but it does make a difference when we zoom in to get a closer look at various documents.
Note 4 (1) – (0) iPhone 6 Plus
- OS
- The Note 4 boots 4.4.4 Android KitKat, but the next upgrade to 5.0 Lollipop is not far away
- The iPhone 6 Plus boots the new iOS 8 and users will not have to worry about receiving new updates in the future.
The battle between Android and iOS has been going on from the very beginning, and it is almost impossible to ascertain a winner among them as it is completely user dependent.
What I can say is that, while iOS has given us the best user interface experience, Android has given us unlimited ways to customise its look and feel to suit our tastes. So, in the battle of OS, Both devices share the spoils
Note 4 (2) – (1) iPhone 6 Plus
- Processor and Chipset
- The Note 4 comes in two variants, one running the Snapdragon chipset which features a quad core Krait 450 processor which clocks at 2.7 GHz. The Other variant hosts the Samsung Exynos octal core chipset which features a Quad core 1.3 GHz cortex A-53 processor and a Quad Core 1.9 GHz cortex A-57 processor. The Exynos is an in-house chipset from Samsung, and while its does provide snappy performance, the Snapdragon Chipset is the one in demand.
- The iPhone 6 Plus features the Apple A8 Chipset which features a dual core 1.4 GHz Cyclone Processor. Although Apple claims that the current processor is a few hundred times better than its predecessor, it really does not stand toe to toe with the one from Qualcomm.
Clearly, the Note 4 comes on top again. The iPhone may promise a snappy user interface and performance , but that does not hide the fact that the processor clocks in much lower than its rivals, and although the 64 bit factor compensates for that, it is still slower than the Note 4, but only slightly. On a regular basis , one will not find a difference, but in the long run, the Snapdragon claims the prize.
Note 4 (3) – (1) iPhone 6 Plus
- Memory
- The Note 4 has a top notch memory package. We get 3 GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with expansion option upto 128 GB. The 3 GB RAM will cater to almost anything atrocious you may want throw at it. This phone is BIG YES for those looking for a performance beast.
- The iPhone has never had the expansion option, and the 6 PLUS is no different. What Apple has done to pacify its customers is given them a 128 GB option for the 6 PLUS. The 32 GB option has been scrapped, so now its 16/64/128 variants available. However , the main talking point is that the 6 Plus only features 1 GB RAM. I don’t know what the folks the Apple were thinking when they gave it only a gig of RAM.
The Note 4 seals the deal yet again, with a tick in all check boxes, as far as memory package is concerned. Apple may have a light OS, and a gig of RAM may be enough according to them, but 3GB vs 1GB is something no one would even care to compare
Note 4 (4) – (1) iPhone 6 Plus
- Camera
- The Note 4 has a pretty solid camera package – We get a 16 MP rear camera and a 3.7 Front snapper. The video recording is 4K ready as well. Samsung camera sensors are one of the best in the market, so we can expect some crystal clear pictures from both ends.
- The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 8MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front snapper. This package , truth be told comes in entry and mid range level phones these days. The Apple cameras have good sensors , but the images rely on the true colour of the object while the other companies give you a bit of an enhanced color scheme.
The Note 4 stands high and mighty over the iSight Camera, and while OIS has been around in the Note series, its only just making its debut in the iPhone. But this camera package is a bit embarrassing for a company like Apple.
Note 4 (5) – (1) iPhone 6 Plus
- Other Features
- The Note 4 Comes with an IR port, Quick charging , NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, Air Gestures , UV sensor, heart rate sensor, among others. The Note 4 , we can safely say, has very little missing in its CV. The technology is the latest in the market and performance is top notch.
- The iPhone 6 Plus has very few perks. There is no IR port , Air gestures, Heart rate sensor, UV sensor , Quick charging. Apple was excited about the new device supporting other keyboards, a feature Android phones got almost 2 years ago. The bluetooth version is 4.0 compared to the 4.1 in the Note 4.
In short, the iPhone 6 Plus offers no additional perks to its users, and that begs the question – Why should people even buy it?
- Battery
- The Note 4 comes with a strong 3200 mAh battery. This battery compliments the features perfectly and with the power management improvements which are coming with the 5.0 update, this phone should easily take you through a day.
- The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 2915 mAh battery. Its not far behind that of the Note 4, and considering the features offered by the iPhone 6 Plus, this battery should also take the phone through a day with ease.
Verdict –
The Note 4 dominates all segments of the competition , and sends a strong message to the folks at Cupertino. The Apple iPhone 6 Plus may have the build quality and UI to back it up, but these days, they are not the only things people are looking for. So, next time Apple brings out a Phablet, I hope its technology is 2 years into the future, rather than 2 years in the Past.