Late last year, two smartphone demigods were unveiled , aka the Note 4 and the Nexus 6. Both the devices absolutely dominated the rest of the competition, be it performance, looks or even battery backup. Many phones tried to claim a victory over them, but failed. Now comes the exciting question – What would happen if these two beasts were put in the ring for a beatdown. Who would prevail ?
In one corner, we have the undisputed Phablet king , a phone that has seen no equal for the past 4 generations of its line up. introducing the Galaxy Note 4.
In the opposing corner, we have a phone which redefined its name. Google made sure this time, their Nexus would not be the same budget friendly bad boy, but rather, a no -holds barred smartphone warrior.
Who will come out on top?
Will the Note 4 stand tall yet again, or will the Nexus deliver a kill shot?
Lets Find out –
- Connectivity – Both Devices feature 2G, 3G and 4G connectivity with single Sim working only.This tie will end in a draw. Both devices conform to current industry norms, and as neither has a dual sim function, both win this round.
- Display – The Note 4 features a 5.7 inch Super AMOLED QHD display, while the Nexus 6 features a 5.96 inch AMOLED QHD display. The Note 4 holds the edge here with a better ppi of the two. To be more precise , we see 515 ppi on the Note 4 while the Nexus 6 features 493 ppi. The difference is not much, but when it comes to theoretical comparison, every single point matters. Another factor that goes against the Nexus 6 here is its own screen size. A 5.96 inch screen is close to a tablet , and one-handed use is not exactly a walk in the park. Also, the Note 4, like its predecessors, features, arguably, the best display in the market,thus giving it the win in the display section.
- Performance – The Note 4 comes in two flavours – One with the Snapdragon 805 chipset, while the other with the Samsung in-house Exynos 5433 chipset. The Nexus 6 on the other hand features the Snapdragon 805 chipset. This is where the Nexus 6 shines through. With almost no bloatware at all, the Nexus 6 performs like the Michael Jordan of the smartphone world. The Note 4 on the other hand comes loaded with the pre loaded Samsung apps, which take up their share of memory, whether you use it or not. When you compare the chipsets on paper, they are totally identical, with the same 2.7 GHz Quad Core Krait 450 CPU. The GPUs are also the same ( Adreno 420). The Winner here is the Nexus 6.
- Memory – The Note 4 features 32 GB of internal memory with a maddening 3 GB of RAM. the Nexus 6 has two variants, that is , 32/64 GB of internal memory with 3 GB of RAM. The only difference between the two is that , the Note 4 has a memory expansion feature upto 128 GB, while the Nexus 6 does not support SD card memory expansion. While the Nexus 6 can be given a memory boost via an OTG device, its always better to have the SD card feature. OTG technology is still picking up, and not everyone is very comfortable with it. On the other hand, the SD card has been around from the very beginning, and everyone knows exactly how this technology works, and its also a lot more affordable. The SD card expansion option is what gives the Note 4, the scraoe through win.
- Camera – The Note 4 features a 16 MP rear camera with OIS and LED flash, while the Nexus 6 features a 13 MP rear camera with OIS and dual LED ring flash. As far as the front camera is concerned, we have a 3.7 MP sensor on the Note 4 and a 2 MP sensor on the Nexus 6. Samsung has been delivering one of the best Smartphone Cameras in the market, and the Note 4 is no different. The Nexus 6 on the other hand, has come up with something new in the form of a ring flash. The folks at Motorola claim it will improve image quality. Their claims are backed by a strong 13 MP sensor, which assists the ring flash to perfection. The Camera section , therefore, is a well deserved draw.
- Battery – Both the devices feature a 3220 mAh battery, which is adequate to give you a day or more of flawless usage. The Nexus 6 boots Android 5.0 lollipop, which brings with it, a package of power management tweaks. The Note 4 is en route to the upgrade as well , and its not long before the tweaks reach the Note 4 as well.
All in all , we have no clear winner here, with the Note 4 winning in the display and camera , while the Nexus dominates the perormance. The overall design of both the devices is exclusive, and no matter which you choose, you are in for an amazing experience.
If I have to give my final opinion, I would say –
If its a Phablet you need, with an IR port, heart rate monitor, and the most exclusive TouchWiz experience, pick the Note 4.
If you are a performance junkie, and don’t really desire the extra perks featured in the Note 4, then Nexus 6 is your best bet.