The two companies that own the dominant mobile operating systems in the world — Google and Apple — now have new flagship phones, and even though the price tags of the two devices are very different, they beg for a head-to-head comparison.
Google today announced its best smartphone to date, the Nexus 6P, a premium device meant to fully showcase the new Android Marshmallow operating system.
This comes just days after the launch of Apple’s best phones to date, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which are designed to fully utilize the features in Apple’s newest mobile OS, iOS 9.
The Nexus 6P, made by Huawei, is perhaps most like the iPhone 6s Plus. It’s a phablet with a 5.7-inch screen. The iPhone 6s Plus has a 5.5-inch screen.
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The Nexus 6P 64GB version sells for $549, while the 64GB iPhone 6s Plus sells for $849. But the Nexus 6P stacks up nicely against the iPhone in some important ways.
Let’s look at the phones side by side, attribute by attribute.
Physical construction
The Nexus 6P has an aluminum unibody and features a Gorilla Glass 4 display.
The iPhone 6s has a hardened aluminum body. Apple collaborated with Corning (maker of Gorilla Glass) to make a special kind of hardened glass for the front.
Size and weight
The Nexus 6P is almost the same size as the iPhone 6s Plus, yet makes room for a larger display.
Nexus 6P: Dimensions are 159.4mm x 77.8mm x 7.3mm; weight is 178 grams
iPhone 6s Plus: Dimensions are 158.2mm x 77.9mm x 7.3mm; weight is 192 grams
Above: Huawei’s Nexus 6P compared to an iPhone.
Operating system
Both phones showcase the features and functions of the latest operating systems.
The Nexus 6P uses Android 6.0, or Android Marshmallow. The OS features new app permissions, custom browser tabs (for automatic sign-in, saved passwords, and autofill), app deep linking, and native fingerprint reader support for Android Pay.
The iPhone 6s Plus uses iOS 9, which features the new 3D Touch press-and-hold input gesture, Apple Music, the new News app, and a smarter personal assistant in Siri.
Processor
The Nexus 6P uses a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (v2.1). The Snapdragon line has been considered the go-to processor for mid-level Android phones. The 810 is fast, and in v2.1 it’s believed that the overheating issue seen in the first version of the chips has been corrected.
The iPhone 6s Plus uses a 64-bit A9 with an embedded M9 graphics coprocessor. Early independent tests confirm Apple’s claim that the A9 chip is 60 percent faster than the A8 chip in the iPhone 6 Plus in single-core operations. In fact, head-to-head tests show that the A9 processor is likely the fastest mobile chip on the market today. The speed increase in the iPhone 6s was most obvious when loading apps and webpages, populating them with data.
Display
Nexus 6P: 5.7-inch WQHD AMOLED display (2,560 x 1,440 resolution and 518 pixels per inch)
iPhone 6s Plus: 5.5-inch Retina HD display (1,920 x 1,080 resolution at 401 pixels per inch)
The two displays represent the best display technology in the marketplace. The WQHD AMOLED display in the 6P is also used in the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones. The display is impressive, with lots of brightness and image sharpness.
The iPhone 6s Plus display is perhaps the only display I’ve seen this year that I liked more than the one on the Samsung Galaxy S6. The colors are beautiful, and the light/dark balance is especially accurate and true-to-life.
Memory
Nexus 6P: 3GB of RAM, comes in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB models
iPhone 6s Plus: 2GB of RAM, comes in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB models
Cameras
Nexus 6P: 12.3-megapixel camera with ƒ/2.0 aperture, 1.5µ pixels, IR laser-assisted autofocus and 4K video recording, 8-megapixel front-facing camera
iPhone 6s Plus: 12-megapixel camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture, 1.22µ pixels, autofocus, optical image stabilization (iPhone 6s Plus only), 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 4K video recording (3,840 x 2,160) at 30 frames per second
Fingerprint readers
Nexus 6P: A dedicated fingerprint reader is located on the back of the phone. It’s used to log into the phone and for Android Pay mobile payments. Google says the reader becomes more and more familiar with the user’s unique touch as time goes on.
iPhone 6s Plus: The fingerprint reader is embedded in the Home button at the front bottom of the phone. It’s used to log into the phone and for Apple Pay mobile payments.
Connectors
Nexus 6P: Micros USB Type-C
iPhone 6s Plus: Thunderbolt
Battery
Nexus 6P: 3,450 mAh lithium ion battery. Google promises the battery “keeps you talking, texting and apping into the night,” but provides no actual time estimates. Judging by the size of the battery, it’s likely that it will last through the day with no problem. We will test this when we have a device to review.
iPhone 6s Plus: We know that the iPhone 6s uses a 1,715 mAh lithium ion battery, but the size of the iPhone 6s Plus may be larger. Apple promises the battery will last for 12 hours of Internet browsing, 14 hours HD video viewing, and 16 days in standby mode. Most reviewers say that the iPhone 6s battery lasts through the day with ease, and others have shown that the iPhone 6s Plus battery lasts far longer than the one in the smaller 6s.
What they don’t have
Nexus 6P: microSD storage, wireless charging, optical image stabilization
iPhone 6s Plus: wireless charging, microSD storage, USB-C
Colors/prices:
Nexus 6P: 32GB version is $499.99, 64GB is $549, and 128GB version is $649. Available in Aluminum, Graphite, Frost, and Gold colors.
iPhone 6s Plus: 16GB version is $749, 64GB version is $849, and 128GB version is $949. Available in Silver, Gold, Space Gray, and Rose Gold colors.
Availability
Nexus 6P: Preorders start September 29.
iPhone 6s Plus: Available now, online and in Apple Stores.
Bottom line
We’re at a disadvantage because we haven’t been able to spend any quality time with the new 6P, but judging by its specs, it might be an able alternative to the impressive iPhone 6s. Do see our hands-on of the new phone here.
Google also announced a plastic-bodied Nexus 5X from LG today. That phone starts at $379.
The new Nexus phones also offer the advantage of running on Google’s Project Fi mobile network.
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