Arch rivals Apple and Samsung, in a bid to cash-in on the next week's Diwali, have released the flagship devices iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4 in India on Friday, 17 October.
The American company made a head start by releasing it on 16 October at 12pm midnight (technically 17 October) in select metros – (Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities) across India.
Apple has reportedly (courtesy, The Economic Times) shipped close to 55,000 units of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to India to meet the demand. The number may miniscule to many, but it said that this year's shipment is double compared to last year's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C sale.
Apple Inc is concentrating more on China, as it has reportedly received 20 million pre-order requests and if this paper registrations turn to sales on 17 October, China will exceed USA as the Apple's biggest smartphone market.
Apple iPhone 6 series smartphones' first weekend (19-22 September) sales in 10 regions (including US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the UK,) stood a little over 10 million.
On the other hand, Samsung has strategically positioned Galaxy Alpha (already released in India) and Galaxy Note 4 to take on new Apple iPhones with competitive price tags - ₹39,990 and ₹58,300 respectively.
In China too, Samsung had cashed in on Apple iPhone 6 launch delay by releasing Galaxy Note 4 in late September.
Key Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Alpha, Apple iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus:
| Models | Galaxy Note 4 | Galaxy Alpha | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6 Plus |
| Display | 5.7-inch quad HD (2560x1440p) super AMOLED screenPixel Density: 515 ppi (pixels per inch) | 4.7-inch super AMOLED HD screen with 1280x720p resolutions | 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS screen with Retina HD (aka full HD) with 1334 x 750p resolutionPixel density: 326 ppi (pixels per inch)Add-ons:- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front- Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles | 5.5- inch LED-backlit IPS screen with Retina HD (aka full HD) with 1920x1080p resolutionPixel density: 401 ppi (pixels per inch)Add-ons:- Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front- Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles |
| OS | Android v4.4.4 KitKat with new TouchWiz UI | Android v4.4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI | iOS v8.0 (wider availability of the new OS version to other Apple devices from 17 September) | iOS v8.0 (wider availability of the new OS version to other Apple devices from 17 September) |
| Processor | 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor paired with or an Exynos 5433 octa-core processor (1.9GHz quad-core+1.3GHz quad-core), depending upon the region.[In India, Galaxy Note 4 ships with Snapdragon CPU] | Exynos Octa-core processor (1.8GHz quad-core + 1.3GHz quad-core)For select markets- smartphone is expected to houseSnapdragon quad-core processor with 2.5 GHz CPU speed | 20-nanometer class based second generation 64-bit A8 chipset which is 25-percent faster (50-percent faster graphics too) than the A7 in iPhone 5S.It is aptly supported by second generation, M8 motion co-processor | 20-nanometer class based second generation 64-bit A8 chipset which is 25-percent faster (50-percent faster graphics too) than the A7 in iPhone 5S.It is aptly supported by second generation, M8 motion co-processor |
| RAM | 3GB | 2GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Storage Capacity | 32GB, + 64GB via microSD | 32GB (no micro SD card slot) | 16GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB |
| Camera | Main: 16.0-megapixel camera with Auto-focus and smart OIS (Optimized Image Stabilization)Front: 3.7-megapixel camera with F1.0 aperture with Wide selfie feature ( similar to panorama feature)Additional specs:Rear Facing Camera : HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Rear-cam Selfie, Beauty face, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot&More, Dual Camera Front Facing Camera : Selfie, Wide Selfie |
Main: 12.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, 4K @ 30 fps video recording ability, HDR, Selective Focus and moreFront: 2.1-megapixel camera | Main: New 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, True-Tone flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, sapphire crystal lens cover,Front: 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera with f/2.2 aperture, auto-HDR,720p HD video recording | Main: New 8-megapixel iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, f/2.2 aperture, True-Tone flash, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical Image stabilization,Front: 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera with f/2.2 aperture, auto-HDR,720p HD video recording |
| Battery | 3,220 mAh with super-fast charging capability which can power the phone to 50-percent in just 30 minutes | 1860 mAh; (with ultra power saving mode) | Talk time: up to 14 hours (3G)Standby time: close to 10 days (250 hours) | Talk time: up to 24 hours (3G)Standby time: close to 16 days (384 hours) |
| Network | 3G & 4G (LTE Cat 4 150/50Mbps) or 4G (LTE Cat 6 300/50Mbps) depending on the markets | LTE Cat.6 (300/50 Mbps download/upload ) | 3G & 4G-LTE (with new VoLTE technology for high quality voice-calling) | 3G & 4G-LTE (with new VoLTE technology for high quality voice-calling) |
| Add-ons | Finger print sensor, Download booster, 4 micro-phones, Heart-rate monitor, UV sensor, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80) MIMO PCIe ), USB 2.0, IR LED, MHL 3.0 | Finger-print sensor, Bluetooth v4.0 (BLE/ANT+), Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO 2x 2), NFC, USB v2.0, Download booster, quick connect, private mode | Finger-print sensor (much better Tough-ID security feature), Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Wi-Fi calling (in select markets), Bluetooth v4.0, NFC. GPS/GLONASS | Finger-print sensor (much better Tough-ID security feature), Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac), Wi-Fi calling (in select markets), Bluetooth v4.0, NFC. GPS/GLONASS |
| Dimensions | 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm | 132.4 x 65.5 x 6.7 mm | 138.1 x 67.0 x 6.9 mm | 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm |
| Weight | 176 g | 115 g | 129 g | 172 g |
| Price | ₹58,300/- | ₹39,990/- | 16GB: 53,500;
64GB:₹62,500; 128GB:₹71,500; |
16GB: 62,500;
64GB:₹71,500; 128GB:₹80,500; |
