Phablets are the trend now and smartphone manufacturers are complying with consumers' demands by choosing popular designs favoured by users. After the release of big brand models like iPhone 6S Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy Note 5 and others, Google joined the party with its own flagship, Nexus 6P on Tuesday. The Nexus 6 (2014) successor is designed and manufactured by Huawei.
Apple iPhone 6S Plus is also selling in great numbers, suggesting it is a more popular choice among shoppers.
If you are in the market looking for an upgrade to a value-for-money smartphone but confused about the variety of choices, here is a comparison to help you out. Let's compare the specs of Nexus 6P and iPhone 6S Plus and see which flagship you should buy.
Display and design
Huawei Nexus 6P features a 5.7-inch Quad HD display with eye-popping 518ppi pixel density, just like Samsung Galaxy Note 5. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and the handset sports a full metal body with airplane grade anodized aluminium casing.
Apple's flagship, on the other hand, features a 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS display with Full HD resolution and a pixel density of 401ppi. In order to overcome the bendgate fiasco, Apple strengthened the build quality of the sleek iPhones 6S Plus by using airplane grade 7000 series aluminium and ion-strengthened glass.
Processor, RAM and storage
Huawei Nexus 6P is powered by a 2.0GHz Snapdragon v2.1 octa-core processor, which is in turn backed by 3GB LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB built-in storage. The handset is also offered in higher storage options: 64GB and 128GB for those who need extra storage onboard.
iPhone 6S Plus also has similar storage models, but the base variant offers just 16GB. The handset uses the latest 64-bit third-gen Apple A9 chipset, which is 70% faster than the A8 processor. The processor is backed by 2GB RAM and M9 co-processor to shed some weight off the main processor, keeping the processes run smoothly.
Camera
Huawei Nexus 6P sports a 12.3-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording, IR assisted laser AF, dual LED flash and 1.55-µm pixels sensor. Such a configuration is guaranteed to produce premium quality images. On the front side of the device, you will find an 8MP snapper with 1.4µm pixel.
Moving on to the rival, iPhone 6S Plus boasts upgraded 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with 4K recording, Retina flash and much improved 5-megapixel snapper in the front.
Business Insider shared a comparison of low-light imaging from iPhone 6S Plus and Nexus 6P (via Google), in which the conclusion favours the Google's flagship.
Google says that its new smartphone camera works better in low-light than the iPhone http://t.co/eD5iInXlfp pic.twitter.com/9m0dZpCTQd
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) September 29, 2015
Battery
Huawei Nexus 6P is shipped with a massive 3,450mAh battery, which can easily push you through the day. iPhone 6S Plus packs a 2,915mAh unit, which is smaller than its own 2014 flagship, iPhone 6 Plus. The real-life battery test can reveal how long the handsets will run between charges.
Price
Huawei Nexus 6P has a launch price of $499 for the 32GB unlocked model whereas the iPhone 6S Plus starts at $749 for the 16GB version. The handsets are yet to be launched in India, hence the official pricing is not known at the moment.
However, as per some leaked details of iPhone 6S Plus pricing in India, the 16GB variant is expected to cost Rs 72,000. As for higher storage models, the 64GB model will cost Rs 82,000 and the 128GB variant will cost Rs 92,000. The new iPhone series will be launched across 2,500 stores in India on 16 October.
The pricing of Nexus 6P in India was also leaked earlier Wednesday, suggesting the 32GB variant to cost Rs 39,999. The launch date and pricing of other variants is still a mystery.
Verdict
A strong verdict is backed by hands-on experience, but since we are yet to receive either smartphones for review, this comparison is based solely on specs on paper. Based on that, we find both handsets to be appealing in their own way.
Apple iPhone 6S Plus has a strong style statement among consumers while Nexus 6P is a fresh entry with better display, camera and battery. In fact, the Google flagship might win over some consumers with its attractive pricing.
