Apple has just presented its next generation smartphone, the iPhone 6, to an audience enraptured with the magical spectacle put on by the Cupertino company. How does Apple’s new crown jewel match up against Android’s own powerhouse from Samsung, the Galaxy S5? Let’s see in our iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 comparison.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: display
The iPhone 6 is packing a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD. That's a resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels and a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. The Galaxy S5 has Samsung's lusciously saturated 5.1-inch Super AMOLED with typically high contrast and bright colors. The S5 comes in at Full HD resolution (1,920 a 1,080 pixels) and 432 ppi.
Apple is claiming the iPhone 6 also has incredibly high contrast, and the images we've seen on stage look great, but we'll have to wait for some face time before we call a winner. The iPhone 6 has added a nice slide-down action when you double tap the home button to make handling a larger screened device with one hand a little more comfortable.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: design and build quality
The new iPhone 6 has rounded corners, is plated with glass and features an anodized aluminum back with a stainless steel Apple logo and slightly protruding camera, like the Galaxy S5. The iPhone 6 is insanely thin though, at just 6.9 millimeters.
The iPhone 6 looks quite reminiscent of the new Sony Xperia devices presented at IFA 2014. As always, the Apple build quality is exceptional and it certainly looks slicker than the rather tacky rubber and plastic of the Galaxy S5. Still, it's horses for courses, so design and styling is a matter for you to decide.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: processor and RAM
The iPhone 6 is packing the new 64-bit A8 chip, with two billion transistors, 13% size decrease compared to the A7 and 25% faster. The Galaxy S5 comes in two varieties: either a quad-core Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5 GHz or a Exynos 5 octa-core with four 1.9 GHz cores and four 1.3 GHz cores. Both S5 models have 2 GB of RAM. While Apple is letting anyone know, we think the iPhone 6 has 1 GB of RAM.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: operating systems
Let's not get into the sticky business of iOS versus Android in this little article: that's a fight for another battleground. The iPhone 6 runs iOS 8 and has the usual array of Apple-specific features. The Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4.2 currently with Samsung's TouchWiz user interface on top.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: camera
The iPhone 6 has an 8 MP iSight camera with True Tone flash and f/2.2 aperture. There's also a new iSight sensor with faster auto-focus that promises to be double the speed of the previous iSight camera. Speaking of speedy cameras though, the Galaxy S5 has a super-fast auto-focus of its own at just 0.3 seconds. The S5's camera comes in at 16 MP and an ISOCELL sensor.
Both devices have digital image stabilization (not optical), but the iPhone 6 Plus and new Galaxy Note 4 have brought OIS to the flagship mix. The iPhone camera is pretty legendary, but then again, so is the Samsung. We look forward to testing these out properly.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: battery
The iPhone is packing a typically small non-removable battery compared to the Galaxy S5's 2,800 mAh replaceable battery. Apple isn't making any huge claims for the new iPhone 6 battery, nor is it even saying how big it is, stating instead that it is the same or better than that in the iPhone 5s. Still, Apple devices manage ok for such a small cell.
The Galaxy S5 on the other hand has fantastic battery optimizations and a great Ultra Power Saving Mode that can drag out your battery life for days if you need it to. Samsung pulled a publcity stunt where they manged a week-long cross country trip, so you get the picture.
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: tech specs
| APPLE IPHONE 6 | SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 | |
|---|---|---|
| SYSTEM | iOS 8 | Android 4.4.2, TouchWiz |
| DISPLAY | 4.7-inch IPS LCD, 1,334 x 750 pixels, 326 ppi | 5.1-inch Super AMOLED, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, 432 ppi |
| PROCESSOR | Apple A8, dual-core 1.4 GHz, M8 motion co-processor | Quad-core Snapdragon 801, 2.5 GHz, Adreno 330 |
| RAM | 1 GB (TBC) | 2 GB |
| INTERNAL STORAGE | 16/64/128 GB | 16/32 GB + microSD (up to 128 GB) |
| BATTERY | Talk time: Up to 14 hours on 3G, standby up to 10 days (non-removable) | 2,800 mAh, removable |
| CAMERA | 8 MP iSight (rear), 2.1 MP (front) | 16 MP (rear) with real-time HDR, 2 MP (front), 4K video |
| CONNECTIVITY | GSM/HSDPA/LTE,Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, USB 2.0, | GSM/HSDPA/LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, USB 3.0, IR blaster |
| DIMENSIONS | 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm | 142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm |
| WEIGHT | 129 grams | 145 g |
| PRICE | 199 USD (16 GB), 299 USD (64 GB), 399 USD (128 GB) on a two-year contract | 599 USD (approx. outright) |
iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5: early verdict
Of course it's way too early to pick a winner here, and I suspect you already know which device if for you. I certainly applaud the look of the iPhone 6 and appreciate Apple going out on a bit of a limb, but the Galaxy S5 has settled itself in as one of the best Androids around. Whether it is enough to knock out the iPhone 6 we'll just have to wait and see until we can get them in a closed door cage match. Stay tuned for more.
What are your thoughts on the new iPhone? Is a clear KO for the S5 or a closer finish?
