Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 4 is the company’s flagship phablet for 2014, but we still don’t have firm launch details for the upcoming new device. So, when Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus hits store shelves this Friday, the Galaxy S5 will be Samsung’s first line of defence against Apple’s debut phablet.
Now, the Galaxy S5 isn’t a “phablet” per se, at least not compared to other Samsung devices. At the same time, the device actually stacks up more closely to the larger of Apple’s two new iPhones, as opposed to the 4.7-inch iPhone 6.
So, how exactly to these two supersized smartphones compare?
Gadget component retailer Etrade Supply created a nice detailed comparison on its blog that shows exactly how Apple’s brand new iPhone 6 Plus stacks up against Samsung’s Galaxy S5. While the S5 launched several months ago and the 6 Plus hasn’t even been released yet, these two devices actually line up fairly closely on paper.
Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus has the size advantage with a 5.5-inch display compared to the Galaxy S5’s 5.1-inch screen, but Samsung’s smartphone features the same full HD resolution, so it packs a pixel density of 432 pixels per inch compared to the 402 ppi on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Want to know more? The full spec comparison grid follows below.
As usual, Apple’s Tuesday reveal was high on theatrics. Between CEO Tim Cook’s teasing “One more thing” (echoing the late Steve Jobs’ signature line—not once, but twice) and a U2 song release, the company announced several notable new gadgets.
iPhone 6 Plus
Apple announced its biggest iPhone yet, one with a display 5.5 inches across the diagonal. The phablet contains 185% more pixels than the previous iPhone 5S while measuring measures 7.1mm, or 0.5 mm thinner than the previous iPhone 5. Apple also claims the battery will survive 24 hours of 3G talk time (as if that's what smartphone users care most about). But the performance will be much faster, thanks to its new 64-bit A8 processor chip. The iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 for 16GB, $399 for 64, and $499 for the equally enormous new 128GB—all prices that require a two-year contract.
iPhone 6
Technically this is the "small" one, but with a 4.7 inch display, it’s actually larger than any of its predecessors—the iPhone 5S screen was just 4 inches. A 64-bit A8 chip provides 25 percent faster CPU performance and up to 50 percent faster graphics performance. The iPhone 6 starts at $199 for a 16GB configuration, then goes up to $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB, all with 2-year contracts.
Apple Pay
Apple Pay is a new scheme that lets you make purchases in stores without taking out your credit card. Just add your credit card to the Apple Pay app on your iPhone, and tap it against an in-store terminal (at a participating merchant) to pay. Apple Pay relies on the security of the Touch ID fingerprint scanner and a new hardware component it calls the "secure element" to ensure your credit card information stays where it belongs.
Apple Watch
It does more than tell the time. This wrist-mounted wearable receives iPhone notifications, tracks your fitness, talks to other Apple Watches and captures your heartbeat pattern, among other both seriously useful-sounding and gimmicky-sounding features. Outside developers will be able to build apps for it using the upcoming WatchKit SDK. When it is available early next year, the Apple Watch will retail at $350.
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