Introduction and key features
The iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 are widely held to be the champions of iOS and Android respectively. At a time when the choice between these two smartphone platforms arguably comes down to personal preference more than how much you can afford or obvious feature deficiencies, that makes a detailed comparison all the more essential.
A close look at these two phones side by side yields more fascinating differences than suspicious similarities. What's undeniable, though, is that they're both gunning for a similar premium market.
Both phones have classy metal-and-glass designs, class-leading cameras, and powerful processors - not to mention the top-end price tags to match.
Both phones also mark sizeable departures from their predecessors. In the iPhone 6, which was launched in September 2014, Apple finally ditches the restrictive and arguably outmoded 4-inch display size of previous iterations.
Samsung Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6: Design
Samsung Galaxy S6: 6.9mm thick, 138g, aluminium unibody and glass panel, White Pearl/Black Sapphire/Gold Platinum/Blue Topaz
iPhone 6: 6.9mm thick, 129g, anodised aluminium back, Space Grey/Silver/Gold
Both the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6 mark a radical rethink of the design philosophies for their flagship phones. The iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, show a delayed decision to follow the trend of phones with larger screens. Samsung's changes are even more of a departure from previous phones. Following years of dubious design and material decisions aimed at its preference for using plastic made to look like something else on top-end phones, it's finally decided to deliver something that feels worth its cost. The S6 is the luxuriously-made phone many have been clamouring for.
As a result, it's made choosing between the two more difficult than ever.
With the Galaxy S6 Samsung has delivered a phone that can finally rival the iPhone in terms of design, build-quality and materials used. From the front, the S6 could be mistaken for the S5 or even the S4. Closer inspection shows some big changes, though. The physical home button has grown to accommodate the improved fingerprint sensor, the screen bezel has narrowed significantly down the sides, while the top and bottom edges of the phone elegantly curve to create the more attractive look.
Key features
The parallels between these two major phones can be be seen by breaking them down into their key selling points. In this respect, at least, it can be said that the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 precisely mirror one another.
After all, both phones sell themselves on sleek new designs, improved screen technology, and stellar cameras.
And yet, in each key respect, the two phones take a very different approach, as we'll discuss in greater detail in the appropriate sections.
In isolation, the iPhone 6's design is notable for marking a big departure from the iPhone 5S before it. It's bigger, slimmer, and more rounded, and it reverts to the gentle curves of the iPhone 3GS after a prolonged spell of palm-grating angles.
Samsung's phone, meanwhile, marks a radical rejection of the plastic and faux-leather effects typified by the Samsung Galaxy S5. In its place we have a metal rim and two shiny glass surfaces.
Yes, Samsung has evidently learned a thing or two from Apple in this regard, but as we'll discuss in the next section it's not quite as blatant as you might think.
Both phones represent notable leaps forward in screen technology, too, but in very different ways. The iPhone 6 marks Apple's belated realisation that a lot of people quite like larger phones. As such, its display has grown 0.7 of an inch over its predecessor's.
- What's next? Samsung Galaxy S7 | iPhone 6S
That doesn't sound like a lot - and indeed, in Android terms it would still be seen as a 'mini' phone - but it instantly makes the iPhone a much better multimedia device than before.
It's not the sharpest display we've ever seen, though. With an unusual 1334 x 750 resolution, it produces the exact same pixel density of 326ppi as previous iPhones.
In everyday use this is actually perfectly fine. Thanks to Apple's tight hold on its software, everything feels optimised and native on this display, unlike on many 720p Android phones that we could mention.
Still, we imagine plenty of industry-aware Apple fans will wince when they spot the Galaxy S6 display's vital statistics. It's a 5.1-inch QHD Super Amoled display, which offers a whole heap of advantages over the iPhone 6 equivalent.
For one thing, it's about half an inch bigger, meaning that websites and media content are larger and clearer. Also, QHD means that the display has a 2560 x 1440 resolution. We're talking something not too far shy of four times the number of pixels found in the iPhone 6, and a 577ppi pixel density that's almost double.
Honestly, in general usage, the difference simply doesn't feel that pronounced. There's still much debate over the need for a QHD resolution in smartphone displays.
That doesn't mean that you can't see the benefits at all, though. Running the same 4K or 2K video side by side on each, you can undoubtedly pick up more detail in the Galaxy S6. The same advantage sees viewing high quality photos on the Samsung a superior experience.
As for the differences between Super AMOLED and LCD, well, those are a little more subjective. The Galaxy S6 screen has colours that pop more, deeper blacks, yet a generally redder tinge to it. The iPhone 6's screen is colder and bluer.
Looking at the TechRadar homepage on both, with its whites and greys, the Galaxy S6 looked surprisingly murky and tinted by comparison. It's not, of course. In fact, the Galaxy S6 gets incredibly close to the 6500K reference standard for colour accuracy, while the iPhone 6 comes in well above that level.
But if you've become used to Apple's distinctive blue tint, and particularly its icy whites, the difference can be jarring.
The iPhone 6 screen also comes across as brighter than its larger, sharper rival. It's one of those rare phones that can make the S6 seem almost muted. It means that holding the two screens side-by-side isn't the knocked-out-of-the-park win for the Samsung that we were expecting.
Finally, both phone manufacturers have pushed their handsets' photographic chops as a major selling point. Both manufacturers are quite right to do so.
These are two phenomenal camera phones, both capable of replacing all but the best dedicated point and shoot cameras in terms of image quality - and any camera you care to mention in terms of ease of use and speed of operation.
The iPhone 6 camera is an 8-megapixel example with phase detection autofocus, making for super-snappy snaps.
As elsewhere, the Galaxy S6 outspecs the iPhone 6 on the camera front. It's a 16-megapixel unit which also comes with phase detection technology, as well as a bunch of additional features like OIS for steadier shots.
We'll go into the details in the appropriate section, suffice to say that the Galaxy S6 offers the first genuine rival to the iPhone range on the camera front in years. It's arguably the more sophisticated camera, too, with more functions and options for advanced shooters.
We still love the iPhone 6's solid, dependable point-and-shoot nature, though. When it comes to firing and forgetting, there's still nothing better.
Like we said at the outset, these two flagship phones set out with similar basic intentions, but go about executing in surprisingly different ways. What's undoubtable is that both have arrived more or less where they wanted to be right near the top of the smartphone tree.
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