NEXUS 6 vs IPHONE6

How does the so-called 6th iteration of both lines fare against each other? We find out, in this comprehensive look at the Nexus 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus!

FORM FACTOR

The Nexus 6 is dramatically larger than the Nexus 5 and in the case of the iPhone 6 plus, the jump is even more impressive when compared to the much smaller iPhone 5 family.

The iPhone 6 introduced a rounded look to its design language, with the larger plus edition an identical counterpart, only with a screen bumped up to 5.5-inches. Buttons include the volume on the left side with the silence toggle, and the power button, which is to the right side from its usual position up top. A lone home button up front also includes a fingerprint scanner underneath, with the 2.5D glass adding to the rounded look. The metallic construction increases this phone’s attraction.

Nexus 6, phone looks like a large Moto X (2014), albeit without the numerous customization options available. No buttons on the front mean that the inputs are made with software keys. One of the big concerns with the Nexus 6 was in terms of the handling, but the curve on the back does help with the phone’s feel in the hand.  A metallic frame also helps the Nexus 6, adding to what is one of the most exquisite Nexus devices yet.

DISPLAY

Nexus 6 has an extra half inch and a higher resolution might be enough to make you choose the Android phone over its Apple competitor. Apple’s display technology gets a bump up to 5.5-inches and offers Full HD resolution, which results in in a pixel density of 401 ppi. Screen is pretty easy to view in daylight, and text is easier to view on this larger display, compared to previous smaller iterations of the iPhone. 

Nexus 6 sports, an AMOLED screen at just under 6-inches with Google and Motorola deciding to meet the trend of Quad HD, resulting in a pixel density of 493 ppi. The result is a display that is outputting some intense power, and for work and play, you will be able to read sharp text and enjoy any media in a large fashion. 

The colors on the iPhone 6 Plus are not bad at all, but they seem to pop out a little more on the Nexus This can also be owed to the highly colorful motif of Android 5.0 Lollipop, though. 

PERFORMANCE

We're putting against each other are two completely different architectures, catering to equally different ecosystems. Under the hood, the Nexus 6 packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, clocked at 2.7 GHz, backed by the Adreno 420 GPU, and 3 GB of RAM. The device boasts the kind of high-performance processing package you’d expect to find with a flagship Nexus smartphone, and can handle anything you throw at it with ease. Opening, closing, and switching between applications is a breeze, and gaming is also extremely smooth and enjoyable. 

Apple puts the A8 is the processor for the iPhone 6 Plus, and its dual-core 1.4GHz Cyclone chip is backed by quad-core graphics in the PowerVR GX6450. iOS has gradually become more about flashiness in its interface, but overall, the simplicity of the operating system can be felt. Moving among applications is pretty seamless, and even the 1 GB of RAM is able to keep a good number of apps running simultaneously. Gaming is also a standard affair, with games moving along well without much incident.

Comparing Android and iOS on different processing architectures is really tough, but what I can tell you is that users in both camps have reported very good experiences nonetheless. 

HARDWARE

Hardware offerings on either of these phones are mostly typical fare, with the iPhone 6 Plus boasting one specific addition over the Nexus 6.

The fingerprint reader on the iPhone is a press version, meaning you can easily unlock the phone by pressing and holding the home button. The reader can also be used for some other functions like unlocking payments. Aside from that, however, you get the standard fare with various connectivity options and even NFC, though it is restricted to Apple Pay for the time being. With versions of the phone available across all networks, mobile internet is never an issue. The bottom mounted speaker performs as expected, offering a pretty good soundstage. On the storage front, the iPhone 6 Plus does come in a 128 GB flavor, but you’re going to have to put down a pretty penny to get that much storage.

A 2,915 mAh battery powers the iPhone 6 plus, bringing a fair amount of battery life, though with enough power usage, it will struggle to get past the one day mark. Previous versions of the iPhone did have problems with longevity, and the larger and higher resolution screen on this edition does bring the bigger battery back down to size a bit.

On the Nexus 6, the lack of a fingerprint reader is made up for with its media consumption features. The main enhancement on the Nexus 6 is right on the front, with its dual front-facing speakers, whose placement simply trump the bottom mounted unit on the iPhone 6 Plus. NFC on the Nexus 6 is also wide open, and not left to just a payment platform. As far as connectivity goes, the Nexus 6 is the first of the line to get access across the board, with versions on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular and one possibly coming to Verizon soon.

CAMERA

The app on the iPhone 6 Plus is about as simple as you can get. Swiping on the viewfinder changes the various modes, and the different options for your pictures are accessed via buttons on the side. You get modes for regular photos, for video, for slo-mo video, and even a square interface that makes Instagramming easy. Panorama and time-lapse modes are also available for anyone that wants to get fancy with their smartphone photography.

On Nexus 6, swiping from the left side of the viewfinder brings up the photo and video modes, but adds Photo Sphere and Lens Blur, the latter of which is more usable due to its stylish defocusing. Accessing HDR+ is done via the small button on the opposite corner, which also allows for switching to the front facing camera and adding a few elements to the viewfinder.

HDR modes on both of these cameras are at their best when used in the right spots. While the iPhone opts to have an HDR Auto mode, the Nexus 6 requires a little thought put into the shot, so that you’re taking advantage of how the scene can benefit from it. Video modes also fall under a similarly even scope, because both cameras benefit from optical image stabilization. The Nexus 6, however, can record in 4k resolution, putting it over the Full HD capabilities of what is already a good performer in the video space. The iPhone pushes ahead a little bit especially with its low light capabilities, but the Nexus 6 isn't that far behind, and that’s saying something.

SOFTWARE

Finally, we get to the age old question of Android vs iOS, and truth be told, if this was a comparison being made a couple years ago, there would be a far gap between the ecosystems. This situation has drastically reduced over time. 

In the newest version of the operating system, iOS has been able to bring a number of features that Android pioneered, like the notification drop down, a quick settings panel called “Control Center,” and a Holo-like design that has refreshed its look quite well. However, functionally, iOS remains about the same. No app drawer means organization requires folders, and despite the additions of the notification dropdown and Control Center, much of what veteran Apple users call home remains as such. That being said, there are still few limits on what you can do on iOS, and choosing is purely based on how you feel about its aesthetic, perhaps more than anything else.

Android, on the other hand, has become rather ubiquitous outside of the Apple space, and its limits are just as far and few between now. The newest version of Android, Lollipop, brought with it a much starker aesthetic change, taking what already worked before, and finding ways of presenting them in even better fashion. Google Now is now a launcher that comes with a second homescreen for quick news and contextual cues from your Google history, and the notification dropdown has been made easier on the eyes, hiding an equally attractive quick settings panel.

SPECS COMPARISON

	Nexus 6	iPhone 6 Plus
Display	5.96" AMOLED	5.5" IPS LCD
Resolution	1440 x 2560 (493 ppi)	1080 x 1920 (401 ppi)
SoC	Snapdragon 805	Apple A8
CPU	4x 2.7GHz Krait 450	2x 1.4GHz (ARMv8 based)
GPU	Adreno 420	PowerVR GX6450
RAM	3GB	1GB
Memory	32GB / 64 GB	16/64/128 GB
Battery	3220mAh	2915mAh

So, there you have it – the Nexus 6 vs the iPhone 6 Plus! They are certainly the best that both of these systems have to offer, both in their own big way. Those who are already loyal to either ecosystem will make their obvious choices here, but for everyone else, the matter comes down to what you want out of your phone. Media consumption with front-facing speakers and a gorgeously powerful screen make the Nexus 6 a pretty compelling choice.