The smartphone world has long been giving us bigger and bigger phones and since the birth of the phablet, each manufacturer has been making a bid to produce the best one.
Here we take a look at two of the biggest players in the smartphone market as their handsets take the Battle of the phablets – Nexus 6 vs Note 4.
Nexus 6 design vs Note 4 design
As you would expect from two phablets both smartphones give you a big impressive display, but how does the design compare?
The Nexus 6 has a slight arc in the shape of the chassis with it measuring just 3.8mm at the edges and 10mm in the centre. This incorporates the big 5.96-inch quad HD display with an impressive resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels – that’s 493 pixels per inch. The curve of the handset makes it comfortable to hold and while a weight of 184 grams may not be considered light, you can forgive the weight when you see the screen in action.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 delivers the same impressive resolution on its 5.7-inch quad HD Super AMOLED display. The Note 4 weighs less than the Nexus at 176 grams and the design on this phablet sees a textured back cover and metal frame body measuring 8.5mm thick which feels quality in the hand.
Specifications
The Nexus 6 is water-resistant and features dual front-facing speakers, a 2.7GHz quad-core processor and 3GB RAM. The phone is available with either 32GB or 64GB of memory on board.
The powerful 3,220mAh battery provides plenty of juice for a full days mixed use and includes a quick charge option that will give 6 hours of standby time from just a 15 minute charge.
The Galaxy Note 4 is packing the same powerful processor as well as 3GB RAM and 32GB on board memory, although this smartphone doesn’t offer water resistance. The battery is, again, a 3,220mAh power pack and the quick charge feature gives 60% battery power after just a 30 minute charge. Ultra Power Save Mode on the Note 4 shuts down non-essential features to give the longest possible battery time when away from a power source.
Nexus 6 vs Note 4 features
The Nexus handset has always been used as the launch pad for the latest Google OS and the Nexus 6 is no exception with the inclusion of Android Lollipop v5.0 on board. The latest lollipop features include a virtual carousel for scrolling through apps when multitasking, Google assistant and new gesture features including double tapping on the screen to bring the smartphone out of sleep.
The Note 4 comes with Android KitKat so the update to Lollipop will come later. Samsung has added their own touches to the OS which includes three multitasking windows with re-sizable apps. The S Pen is unique to the Note series and this latest offering includes Air Commands, new fountain pen and calligraphy modes. The S Pen also offers Image Clip, Photo Note, Action Memo and much more so once you get to grips with this pen you will wonder how you functioned without it.
Nexus 6 vs Note 4 camera
The latest Nexus 6 has a 13-megapixel camera with lots of tools to ensure your photos come out beautifully. Panorama shot, 4x digital zoom and Lens Blur are on board as well as PhotoSphere for a unique perspective on your surroundings.
Video recording is at 4k 2160p or 1080p and 720p options if you want videos to take up less memory. The front facing 2-megapixel camera is on hand for snapping a selfie or for enjoying VoIP calls.
The Note 4 delivers a higher resolution camera than the Nexus with a 16-megapixel lens that includes HDR rich tone, beauty shot, dual camera mode and virtual tour shot.
Again video can be captured at 4k 2160p and this can be switched to 1080p at 60fps if required. The front facing camera out ranks the Nexus too with a resolution of 3.7-megapixels and 90 and 12- degree shooting angles.
Verdict
The Nexus 6 and Note 4 stack up pretty evenly when compared but there are a couple of things to consider when choosing between them. For anyone that doesn’t want to wait for Android Lollipop and if water ingress is a concern in your mobile life then the Nexus 6 is the phablet for you.
The better camera specifications of the Note 4 will be a winner for anyone that loves taking snaps or sharing selfies and of course it has the S Pen for taking notes. So it really boils down to what you really want for your phablet – the choice is yours!
Written by: Carmel Brown