Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs Apple iPhone 6 Plus

      

Introduction

Undoubtedly, the Galaxy S6 edge is the more captivating member of Samsung's 2015 flagship line. Boasting the same specs as the more mundane Galaxy S6, the S6 edge, with its side-sloped display, is certainly a head-turning phone, probably the most advanced one Samsung has made to date. 

However, the S6 edge will inevitably also clash with theApple iPhone 6 Plus, the most feature-packed iPhone that Cupertino has in its small, but devastating arsenal. Let's see how these two fare against one another!

Design

Samsung has always taken flak for its decision to remain loyal to plastic – fortunately, it was in mid-2014 when the South Korea giant decided that it's time to employ more premium materials in its phones, starting with the Galaxy Alpha. The Galaxy S6 edge is undoubtedly among the most beautiful and classy smartphones Samsung has ever made, in stark contrast with all the preceding plastic offerings from the S line. At the same time, the design of the iPhone 6 Plus is a gradual evolution over its past reincarnations, a polished and perfected vision of the company's design language.

The exterior of the Galaxy S6 boasts a metal frame with slightly-chamfered side edges, complemented by a rear cover made of Gorilla Glass 4 that further adds to the premium status of the new Galaxy. This puts it in a similar league like that of the iPhone 6 Plus, a device that also boasts a hefty amount of premium in its build – it's also an aluminum warrior that employs curved edges in its intricate design. Its display is a flat one, but the glass that covers it is slightly curved towards the edges.

Still, the Galaxy S6 edge does not sit as comfortably in the hand as the iPhone, mostly due to the sharper, slightly uncomfortable feel of the metal edges. In contrast, the iPhone feels better due to the rounded aluminum body of the handset. However, the latter also feels a bit slippery due to its aluminum back. In contrast, the glass rear cover of the S6 edge is less prone to sliding. Unfortunately, it's also way more susceptible to holding fingerprints and smudges than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Despite sharing a few common design aspects (the bottom-positioned speakers, the protruding cameras, and similar hardware button configurations), the Galaxy S6 edge and the iPhone 6 Plus stay true to their roots and are full-blown representatives of the design languages of their respective makers.

5.59 x 2.76 x 0.28 inches
142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm
4.66 oz (132 g)

Samsung Galaxy S6 edge

6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches
158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm
6.07 oz (172 g)

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Display

Despite employing fundamentally-different display technologies, both devices have equally-impressive screens, ones to lo and behold. Samsung has once again outdone itself with the 5.1” Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S6 edge. In its Basic mode, it's undoubtedly among the most color-accurate displays out there; it's also one of the sharpest ones thanks to the ultra-high resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels, which commands a staggering pixel density of 577ppi. This time around, we can only applaud Samsung for the display it put in the Galaxy S6 edge.

The iPhone 6 Plus is also equipped with a respectable screen – it's a 5.5” IPS LCD one with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. As such, it's not only the largest display ever fitted in an iPhone, it's also the sharpest with a pixel density of 401ppi. Although it's quite hard to discern individual pixels on either the Galaxy S6 edge or the iPhone 6 Plus, we can't ignore the fact that the Samsung flagship has a sharper and more accurate display. With a color temperature of 6800K, the S6 edge is more balanced than the iPhone 6 Plus.

In its Basic screen mode, the display of the Galaxy S6 edge is one of the more accurate ones we've ever seen. Our display measurements reveal that its various nuances and shades all match their desired sRGB targets closely. The iPhone 6 Plus is trailing in this aspect – despite being pretty close to the reference points on the color chart as well, it does not represent all colors as precisely as the Super AMOLED display in the S6 edge, and has a slightly colder tone to it.

As far as brightness is concerned, you'd hardly have any issues with viewing them in bright daylight. The iPhone 6 Plus achieves a maximum brightness of 574 nits, while the Galaxy S6 edge provides a marginally-lower output of 563 nits.