Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Fun time in phablet town

By: Unknown on 4:44 AM

Apple has announced the iPhone 6 and steps into phablet territory with the
 iPhone 6 Plus, a smartphone with a 5.5-inch display.
Announced at Apple's special event alongside a more conventional 4.7-inch
 iPhone 6, the 6 Plus makes its play against some of the biggest devices out there.
Some suspect this is to appeal to Asian markets and it's certainly a break from
iPhones of the past. When it comes to phablets - to use the vulgar phrase - there is a
dominant force: the SamsungGalaxy Note. The Note 4, launched at IFA 2014 is the
latest and greatest in the line.
You asked for it, so we've pitched the latest from Samsung against the latest from
 Apple in this clash of the titans.

Design and build

Apple is known for quality builds and the iPhone 6 Plus is no different. The body is
aluminium, wrapping around the sides to meet the display. The curved edges of the
body are met by the curved edge of the display itself, for a seamless high-quality finish.
The iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm and it weighs 179g.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a metal frame, but opts for a soft-touch plastic removable 
back. It offers increased flexibility, as you can change the battery, or swap the cover for
an alternative when you fancy a change. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 measures
153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm and weighs 176g. The Note 4 is shorter but fractionally wider than
the iPhone 6 Plus; the iPhone is thinner overall. However, Samsung packs in a larger
5.7-inch display, making the iPhone 6 Plus look larger than it perhaps should.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4's 5.7-inch display is Super AMOLED and comes with a
cracking 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 515ppi. It uses Samsung 2.5D technology to
 increase the visible pop. The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch LED IPS display with a
1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 401ppi. Both Samsung and Apple make great claims about
 their displays and it will be some time before we can put them both side-by-side to compare performance, but from what we've seen so far, both are impressive. However, Samsung packs
 in more pixels on the Note 4. It will be sharper and better able to render fine details than
the iPhone 6 Plus.

Power and performance

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus are brand new devices,
so haven't been reviewed beyond first impressions at their respective launch events.
The Apple iPhone 6 Plus has a new A8 processor with M8 coprocessor for motion.
Apple tells us it's faster than previous devices, naturally, but doesn't break down the
specifics of the hardware or RAM. It's 64-bit, supporting iOS 8, but little else is officially
revealed.The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is also in a slightly confusing, as the hardware varies.
 There's either the 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, or a Samsung Exynos octa-core
(1.9GHz quad and 1.3GHz quad) chipsets. Samsung tells us that there will be 3GB of RAM
 and SD 805 is 64-bit (even if Android isn't yet), which is the hardware we suspect most will
 get.From these details alone it's not possible to determine which is the more powerful in
absolute terms. With Apple running iOS 8 and the Galaxy Note 4 on Android 4.4 KitKat,
how that relates to real-use performance is also very different. From what we've seen so far,
neither is a slouch.

Camera

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus has an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture on the rear offering
optical image stabilisation. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a 16-megapixel sensor, with
f/2.4 aperture with optical image stabilisation.More megapixels doesn't necessarily equate to
 better images once you reach a certain point (or the Xperia Z would take all the accolades),
as a lot comes down to how the hardware is managed, and how the data captured is handled.
Until we have real-world shots from both, it's difficult to say either way. However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 offers 4K UHD video capture, while the iPhone 6 Plus
 offers various flavours of 1080p video. The iPhone's highlight is slow-motion at 240fps.
On the front, the Note 4 offers a 3.7-megapixel f/1.9 camera, the iPhone has a 1.2-megapixel
f/2.4. Apple specifies that the iPhone 6 Plus offers 720p video from the front camera, we
suspect that the Note 4 offers 1080p. Either way, we suspect that Samsung will be the better
 front camera.

Software

These two devices run on very different software. You'll have your preference, based on
many factors, between iOS and Android. The big difference in these devices, however,
 comes down to Samsung's customisation, as it packs in a lot of functions for big screen use.
Apple iOS 8 is a different beast to Android and in a nod to the big screen, Apple has
introduced a landscape mode for things like the home page and Mail, so that you can take
 advantage of having a little more space to work on the 5.5-inch display.
However, Samsung has an extensive array of customisations aimed at the multitasker,
evolved through the generations of Note devices.  For example, you can split the display,
 minimise an app into a hovering icon, as well as take advantage of some powerful copy
and paste functionality, all useful for those working on the move.
Samsung also ties a lot of functionality into the included S Pen. The included stylus is a real differentiator between these devices.

Samsung S Pen

One of the things that enhances the feature set of the Galaxy Note 4 is the S Pen.
Some will argue that if a mobile device is right, you should be able to do everything with a
 finger, however Note owners will disagree: having the S Pen lets you do things you can't
 elsewhere.You can get a stylus for the iPhone too, but the S Pen comes with a range of
software support features, pressure sensitivity and a whole lot more. If note taking is on the
agenda, the S Pen is probably your best choice, claiming a writing experience that's
closer to paper and pen.There are also stylus devices for the iPhone.

Battery life

Without having had the Note 4 or the iPhone 6 Plus in the real world, we can't accurately
say which has the better stamina. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a 3220mAh battery.
Samsung hasn't revealed figures for life, but it offers fast charging. We're yet to see the
impact of the display on the battery performance compared to the Note 3, which was
impressive, although the removable battery is a bonus. Apple doesn't disclose the battery
capacity for the iPhone 6 Plus, instead giving figures of 24 hours 3G talk time, 16 days
standby and 14 hours of video playback. Again it's difficult to put these into any real
comparative terms.

Conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus sit in the same space by virtue of
display size. Both are the latest generation of device and we don't have all the details for
them yet.Samsung edges out Apple in the display density by quite a margin and also offers
a more flexible approach to the battery and storage.
Apple's design, however, might win some over. It's slim and has a great metal build,
but is perhaps taller than it needs to be compared to the Note 4, which gives you more
display space.On the software front, those looking for big screen support will probably be
 better served by the Note 4 initially, along with the S Pen, with its diverse range of features
specifically for multitasking.One area to watch will be how the developer community makes
use of the iPhone 6 Plus screen space. We suspect that those who initially choose the
iPhone 6 Plus will do so for big screen movie watching and gaming, but there's no
shortage of iPad apps that could step down to iPhone 6 Plus.The iPhone 6 Plus will be
 available from £619, pre-orders open on 12 September, delivery expect from 19 September.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be available from the end of September. Pricing has not
been confirmed.

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Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus now available for preorder [ux2]

By: Unknown on 4:28 AM

Apple and its partner wireless carriers on Friday initiated preorders for the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets, though the purchase process was a harrowing experience for customers who saw persistent issues with the Online Apple Store.

Cellular providers were first to have Apple's new iPhones up for order on their respective websites just after midnight Pacific time, but the Online Apple Store saw massive delays, likely due to overwhelming demand. 

At the time of this writing, the Web version of Apple's store is still down for many customers in the U.S., though some have reported luck purchasing through the iOS app. The solution is not foolproof, however, as many users are seeing error messages seemingly indicative of syncing issues with wireless providers' sales and upgrade eligibility systems.

Noticeably absent from the initial preorder round was T-Mobile, the only U.S. carrier to offer off-contract handsets at launch. All other carriers were showing full availability with arrival dates of Sept. 19. 

On-contract pricing for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 starts at $199 for 16GB, then moves to $299 for the 64GB version and maxes out at $399 for 128GB. The iPhone 6 Plus is also available in 16GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities for $299, $399 and $499, respectively. When available, the contract-free T-Mobile version will start at $749 for the iPhone 6 and $849 for the iPhone 6 Plus, moving up in $100 increments depending on storage.

Apple is launching the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in nine countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, U.S. and the UK. Alternatively, customers can purchase the iPhone at Apple Stores on Sept. 19.

Those looking to trade in their old hardware to offset the cost of a new handset can visit AppleInsider's Trade-In Price Guide for the latest deals.

Update: Due to server communication issues with certain cellular providers like AT&T, Apple has resorted to reserving iPhone 6 handsets for later processing. 

In addition, those able to get through via the iOS App Store app are reporting iPhone 6 Plus stock outs for launch day units.

Update 2: The Online Apple Store returned to service at around 2:45 a.m. Pacific, nearly three hours after partner carriers began accepting preorders. The store is reflecting low supply of iPhone 6 Plus units, with most 16GB models shipping in 7 to 10 days, while 64GB and 128GB versions are showing 3 to 4 weeks ship-by dates. iPhone 6 stock appears to be holding steady at this time.

Also available are off-contract iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets from T-Mobile, which were previously absent from the Apple Store app when preorders went live at midnight.

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iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: The Differences Between The New Apple iPhones

By: Unknown on 5:44 AM

Apple AAPL +3.06%’s much heralded September 9 launch has come and gone and as expected we have two new iPhones: the ‘iPhone 6’ and the ‘iPhone 6 Plus’.Also as expected they come in two new, much larger sizes: 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. But their differences are far more than skin deep so let’s break them down:

Design – Curves And An Aluminium Unibody

The leaks were on the money. Both new iPhones ditch the hard angles and glass backs of their predecessor, the iPhone 5S, in favour of a more rounded, unibody anodized aluminium chassis available in silver, gold or ‘space gray’. The Apple logo on the back will be in stainless steel.

One area of concern for some is the confirmation of a protruding camera (more later), but on the whole the new chassis promises a significant step forward in durability. There is also a sensible evolution with Apple moving the power button to the side to make it easier to reach (HTC take note).

Size And Weight – Bigger But Not Monstrous 

Once again the leaks were right. I discussed the fact the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 would have virtually identical dimensions to the 5-inch Nexus 5 and that is also true of the weight.

The iPhone 6 measures 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches (138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm) and weighs 4.55 ounces (129g) – a weight increase that is roughly proportional to its 16% volume increase compared to the iPhone 5S.

A Nexus 5? 5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 inches (137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm) and 4.55 ounces (129g).

Meanwhile the iPhone 6 Plus clearly has the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in its sights. The Plus measures 6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches (158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm) and weighs 6.07 ounces (172g).

For reference the Galaxy Note 4 comes in at 6.04 x 3.09 x 0.33-inches (153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm) and 6.21oz (176g).

Ultimately those with big hands may just get away with using the iPhone 6 one handed but, even though Apple has done well to keep their respective weights down with the move to aluminium, both models will take some getting used to for long term iPhone owners. Below are some tips.

Display – 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches

The size of the display for the new iPhones was never in doubt, but both theirresolution and materials remained in doubt. Now we can clear up both and it is a mixture of good and bad news.

First the good: the iPhone 6 Plus will have a standard 1920 x 1080 pixel native resolution which is significantly higher than the 1704 x 960 pixels that had been widely mooted. Video will be the big winner here with the resolution being Full HD, though it falls behind the recent trend for ’2k’ 2560 x 1440 pixels displays as seen on the Note 4 and LG G3.

On the flip side the iPhone 6 Plus resolution delivers 401 pixels per inch (ppi) – significantly ahead of the 326ppi Apple claims constitutes a ‘Retina Display’ (where the naked eye can no longer distinguish between individual pixels) – so there are unlikely to be many complaints.

iPhone 6 owners on the other hand may feel slightly aggrieved. The 4.7-inch display’s 1334 x 750 pixel count is a step behind the 1080p displays we have become used to seeing on similar sized phones (the original HTC One delivered a 1080p 4.7-inch display in early 2013). As such the iPhone 6 just hits the 326ppi measurement, but it is no improvement on the pixel density Apple has offered since the iPhone 4.

Of course there is more to a display than just pixels and here Apple has done well. Both iPhones have strong contrast ratios (iPhone 6 – 1400:1, iPhone 6 Plus 1300:1) and brightness ratings (500 cd/m2) despite Apple stating that it slimmed down both phone’s display backlights.

Alleged sapphire iPhone 6 display leak – image courtesy of Marques Brownlee

Sapphire Goes Missing

Perhaps the biggest shock of the event was Apple made no mention of either handset having a much touted sapphire display. Instead Apple spoke of “Ion-strengthened glass” and even Apple’s formal specifications don’t mention sapphire by name.

Of course it could still come to pass that sapphire is a core component or layer within the new screen, but having written that evidence supporting sapphire displays was anecdotal it would be a shame to be proved right. Unless Apple offers up more details in the near future it seems only chemical analysis will confirm or disprove it once and for all.

One Handed Use – Apple Makes Concessions 

While not the smallest of phones, the iPhone 6 obviously has an inherent advantage over the larger iPhone 6 Plus, but Apple has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. Most logical is its extension of the swipe-to-go-back gesture seen in Safari to the rest of the UI. Repeating this gesture over and over may become tiresome, but it is a neat solution.

In a more surprising move though Apple has also commandeered the home button double tap command to enable what it is calling ‘Reachability’. This is a fancy term for just moving the whole UI halfway down the screen to make it easier to tap the navigation buttons in the top corners. I warned this would be a problem.

That said one handed use, whether by swipes or Reachability will at least make both handsets technically friendly for one handed use. How practical or enjoyable they prove, only time will tell.

Image courtesy of Apple

Apps – Better Scaling

If size and one handed use are the downsides of a bigger display, the good news is Apple plans to use the extra real estate wisely. Apple demonstrated this with the iPhone 6 Plus which – like an iPad – can display its homescreen in both portrait and landscape modes and apps themselves get a touch of the iPad about them with additional functionality when horizontal.

Apple has already adapted a number of its own apps to take advantage of this and it shouldn’t be long before third party developers get in on the act. Samsung has long worked on additional functionality for its Note phablet and this change sees Apple bring its iPads and iPhones much closer together (curiously Apple didn’t name drop the iPad all night).

As for existing apps, Apple is keen to stress both iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus owners should not worry. The company said iOS 8 will integrate a ‘desktop class scaler’ which should be a lot smarter than the old ‘zoom’ that hit the iPhone 4 when the Retina Display was introduced or how iPhone apps are still handled on the iPad to this day. Apple didn’t state whether the scaler could also be used to improve the iPad’s display of iPhone apps, but it would seem a logical extension.

Performance – Surprisingly Inseparable 

Typically this is a big one with new iPhones, but Apple made much less noise about it than in previous launches. Like the A7 chip in the iPhone 5S, the A8 within the new iPhone 6es will be 64bit and Apple is claiming 50% and 20% better graphics and CPU performance respectively. This is a long way off the gains Apple has touted in past generational step ups (the iPhone 5S doubled the CPU and GPU performance of the iPhone 5, for example) but gaming should take another leap forward and no-one could accuse the iPhone 5S of feeling slow in the first place.

Interestingly during the event Apple was less focused on raw performance than refinement of performance. What this translated to is greater sustained performance with far less heat build up. Fingers crossed Apple has pulled this off because numerous red hot rivals need to take note.

As for the A8 chip itself Apple stated that it is 13% smaller than the A7 and built using the 20nm fabrication process, but the company made no differentiation between its performance on the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. I remain convinced the iPhone 6 Plus will run at a higher clock speed, but if not the iPhone 6 could prove the more powerful phone as it is driving considerably less pixels. Benchmarking will solve this as it is the sort of nitty gritty Apple is never happy to divulge.

In addition to the A8, both phones also get the new M8 motion coprocessor. Like the M7 it is primarily aimed at fitness applications and can now distinguish between running, cycling and elevation. The latter thanks to the well leaked inclusion of a barometer.

Lastly we come to connectivity. I’ll deal with NFC in a dedicated section so aside from that the big news is the integration of 150Mbit capable LTE on both models. Neither gets LTE Advanced (capable of 300Mbit+ though yet to widely roll out) but arguably more useful is both phones’ compatibility with no less than 20 LTE bands. This should make the new iPhones work with 4G services almost anywhere in the world, so your roaming bill can get bigger faster than ever before!

Interestingly both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will also sport VoLTE (Voice over LTE). Like LTE Advanced this is also something not many networks offer, but Apple said it is working specifically with T-Mobile in the US and EE in the UK to make it happen and it enables far higher quality voice calls. Meanwhile the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will also offer 802.11ac WiFi just like the iPhone 5S.

Image courtesy of Apple

Camera – Same Resolution, But iPhone 6 Plus Comes Out Ahead

Apple has never been one to join the megapixels race and it resisted once again keeping the count on the iPhone 6 and 6S the same eight megapixels as seen on the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5/5C and iPhone 4S.

More surprisingly the sensor itself on both new iPhones  is not improved from the iPhone 5S and it sports the same f/2.2 aperture. On the upside there is an upgraded ‘True Tone’ flash for more realistic flash lighting and new ‘Focus Pixels’ which Apple claims will halve autofocus times and enable faster face and smile detection as well as continuous autofocus in video.

Another benefit – and where the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus differ – is their image stabilisation. Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) has become a mainstay of most premium smartphones (it moves the lens around to minimise camera shake that causes blurred shots) and it comes to the iPhone 6 Plus. Strangely though the iPhone 6 has to do with digital image stabilisation, a cheaper software-based alternative. Apple may have worked miracles here but I expect the iPhone 6 Plus to take the better shots, particularly at night where a steady hand for longer exposure times is crucial.

As for the front facing FaceTime Camera, it is a disappointing tie. Both iPhones’ front cameras take in 81% more light, gain HDR, improved face detection and a burst mode for better selfies (actually name dropped by Apple) though the resolution itself remains a measly 1.2 megapixels. Apple may not be playing the megapixel game, but it could do better here.

Video is also a tie. Both iPhones offer 1080p video recording at 30fps and 60fps (frames per second) as well as 120-240fps in slo-mo. A lack of 4k video recording is more of a shame for the spec sheet than in reality, but you can betSamsung, LG and Motorola (who have all released 4k capable smartphones) will use its absence from both iPhone 6es to attack Apple from now on.

Memory – Finally 128GB

At long last Apple has made the step up to 128GB and with solid state memory prices having crashed in recent years hopefully it will see rivals follow suit.

Of course Apple’s philosophy of shunning expandable microSD storage makes the capacity boost particularly pertinent, though the company’s decision to still offer a 16GB edition as its baseline rather than increasing it to 32GB (a capacity which has been ditched altogether) is a shame.

Battery Life – iPhone 6 Plus Scores Big

With battery leaks hinting that the iPhone 6 may offer little improvement over the iPhone 5S, it was welcome news to find improvements have been made. Audio, video and WiFi browsing increase 10% to 50, 11 and 11 hours respectively while 3G browsing increases 20% to 10 hours. These are fairly subtle improvements, but 3G talk time gets a 40% bump to 14 hours even if standby time remains the same at 10 days. LTE-based browsing unfortunately doesn’t improve staying at 10 hours.

By contrast (and as we have seen from other phablets) the 6 Plus uses its extra size well to push iPhone battery life to a whole new level. The big winners are audio (doubling to 80 hours), video (a 40% boost to 14 hours) 3G talk time (from 10 to 24 hours), 3G browsing (8 to 12 hours) and standby (up to 16 days). Arguably the most pertinent ratings – WiFi browsing and LTE browsing – only increase 20 per cent to 12 hours, but it remains the biggest generational leap in iPhone history.

Image courtesy of Apple

NFC And Apple Pay – The iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Ace Card

I won’t go into great detail on iOS 8 here as that is an article in itself, but where the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus stand out from their forebears is in iOS 8’s debut in the world of mobile payments.

Dubbed ‘Apple Pay’ it combines the Touch ID, Passbook and – in the case of the new iPhone 6es – NFC to bring a truly digital wallet and touch payments to the company’s handsets for the first time. Furthermore adding NFC to both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus should help the wider payment industry as Apple’s rivals have been waiting for Apple to adopt the standard for years.

The good news is Apple is aboard in fine style. Apple Pay launches with the backing of American Express, MasterCard and Visa along with Citibank, Bank of America, Capital One, Well Fargo and Chase giving it access to 80% of the US market.

There are 22,000 retailers at launch as well such as Whole Foods, Staples, Starbucks, Subway, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Groupon and McDonalds (including drive throughs!) and third party apps can offer the ability to use Apple Pay to process external payments. For example, OpenTable restaurant bookings.

As you might have spotted these partners indicate Apple will launch Pay first in the US and we await news of its wider international plans. That said with chip and pin and touch payments increasingly common in the rest of the world, and in the UK in particular, it should be an accessible market when Apple does expand.

In short: should Apple Pay take off it could well prove one of the biggest drivers of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales.

Price And Availability – No ‘Budget’ Option

So what will all this cost you? The good news is if you’re a fan of smaller handsets the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C have just got much cheaper ($99 and free respectively on two year contracts) so get them while you can. The bad news: the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus do not replace those two handset’s original price points.

On a two year contract it will cost $199 upfront for a 16GB iPhone 6, $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB. Meanwhile the iPhone 6 Plus adds $100 onto these prices coming in at $299 for 16GB, $399 for 64GB and $499 for 128GB, again on a two year contract. Contract-free pricing has yet to be announced.

As for availability, you won’t have to wait long. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will launch in the US on September 19 with pre-orders starting on September 12.  Apple says it will release the new phones in a remarkable 115 countries before the end of 2014.

Meanwhile existing iPhone owners will get iOS 8 on September 17. It will be compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPod touch 5th generation, iPad 2 and above.

Read more: Why Apple Made Massive New iPhones

Image courtesy of Apple

Bottom Line

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus represent Apple’s biggest ever iPhone redesign . Key selling points will be the larger screens, anodized aluminium chassis, improved battery life, enlarged memory and the NFC-enabled Apple Pay.

The handsets were not without their disappointments though. Sapphire appears to be a major casualty, the iPhone 6 has a disappointingly low native resolution and OIS really should have been offered on the iPhone 6 not just the iPhone 6 Plus.

Meanwhile the ‘Reachability’ workaround for iOS 8 feels like a stop gap until Apple works out a better way system for reaching the key navigation buttons it still positions in the top left and right screen corners.

Despite this a lot more could have gone wrong when Apple super sized its iPhones, but it is fair to say for the vast majority Apple has nailed it. The iPhone 6 is likely to be the bigger seller, but for me the iPhone 6 Plus is the more complete handset.

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