Introduction

This is the comparison we were all waiting for – the new powerhouse and first-time phablet, the Google Nexus 6 going up against the new phablet from Apple, the iPhone 6 Plus. The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been selling, as usual, as if they were the Holy Grail, although they have had a little controversy with #BendGate, where they have been prone to bending in some customer’s pockets, especially the iPhone 6 Plus.  There has also been several problems with iOS 8 and updates have been already sent out to correct issues – what would Steve Jobs say about all of this?  The new Nexus 6 has also had a personal controversy of sorts with former Nexus users, claiming it is too large and too expensive to be a Nexus product.

These two devices are so different there is not much to discuss in this section.  Neither device has room for internal memory expansion, so what you buy, 16GB – 128GB is what you get.  I know people are tired of hearing me say it, but I do not understand why any manufacturer – and this includes you, Apple – would even offer a 16GB model any longer, especially when there is no room for expansion…32GB is the lowest that should be offered.  Both devices offer the usual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (4.0 on the iPhone 6 Plus and 4.1 on the Nexus 6) and they both off NFC capability, but as usual, Apple has to have their own called Apple Pay and it is not compatible with anybody else – thanks again, Apple.  Both devices are close to the same size, especially in length – the Nexus 6 shows it being thicker, but that is measured at the thickest part of the curved back…it is actually very comfortable to hold a Motorola device as it fits very nicely in the palm of your hand.  Check out the complete dimensions in the chart below, and our main picture is as close to the correct proportions as we can get.

Please take a close look at the specifications chart below and you can see the many differences found in these two devices.  We will then look at each individual device to determine the pros and cons and then choose a winner in the comparison – don’t cheat and look at the bottom!

Specifications

Nexus 6

The new Nexus 6 is basically a Motorola Moto X on steroids – bigger, stronger and faster in every way.  It has a metal frame and a curved body that simply looks elegant and premium – the metal trim binds the Gorilla Glass 3 to the matte finished backside…yes, it is a polycarbonate, but has some grip to it and no fingerprints here.  The new Nexus 6 is so different from what we expect from Google and their Nexus line and they were wise to get the carriers on board with selling it to allow a two-year contract and subsidized pricing…making it more affordable.  It was as if Google was at a crossroads and went the road less traveled to deliver a top-of-the-line device to go head-to-head with the likes of the iPhone 6 Plus…and they have succeeded.

The Nexus 6 comes with a 6-inch AMOLED Quad HD (QHD) display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 493 pixels-per-inch (PPI), which out does the iPhone 6 Plus and its Full HD display and 401 PPI.  The 64-bit processor in the Apple is good and quick, but it is still not up to the standards set by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core clocked at 2.7GHz.  The Nexus 6 comes with 3GB of RAM versus the 1GB in the 6 Plus.  If this was a Samsung with TouchWiz, one could argue that it needed 3GB to run smoothly, however, we are talking about a highly optimized Motorola device with pure vanilla Android 5.0 Lollipop on board and this thing should fly with this processor and 3GB of RAM.  We mention the fixed storage earlier – the Nexus 6 has a 32GB and 64GB option, while the iPhone 6 Plus has 16GB, 64GB or 128GB options for internal storage.

Okay, now let’s exam the Nexus 6’s new camera – finally a great camera in a Nexus product, generally one of the areas they saved money, but here we have a 13MP with auto-focus, with OIS and a dual-LED flash ring that extends around the lens and so far the experts are very pleased with the photos.  Apple stuck with 8MP, although they do improve the camera every year – and to give the iPhone proper credit, it has always been an excellent point-and-shoot device, but it should not outdo the Nexus 6 this year.  As far as the front-facing camera (FFC) goes we have a 2MP on the Nexus and only 1.2MP on the 6 Plus.  The other sore area of both of these devices has been battery life, but Motorola took care of that with a 3220mAh battery and the Moto X has great battery life so hopefully, they transferred that over to the Nexus 6.  At any rate, it out does the 2915mAh battery in the 6 Plus and user will probably end up being a ‘wall-hugger.’

As far as extra features go, the Nexus 6 is well equipped with dual, front-facing stereo speakers, wireless charging and the Motorola Turbo Charger that will give you 6-8 hours of addition use with only a 15-minute charge. Because the Nexus 6 is an Android device, we are treated to their latest version of 5.0 Lollipop and all of its improvements, as well as a few software goodies brought over from the Moto X.  The 32GB Nexus 6 also wins in the pricing department as it is $200 cheaper than the 32GB iPhone 6 Plus – these are off-contract prices.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

The new Apple iPhone 6 Plus is the larger brother to the iPhone 6 – both have a new look and the 6 Plus just looks like a stretched version of the base model.  This is Apple’s first foray into a phone this large and they are bragging about how thin it is – their engineers need to remember that the longer and thinner something is, the more of a tendency there is for it to want to flex or bend.  We will just leave it at that and move on, because the iPhone 6 Plus is a nice looking device, although I am not liking it as much as the iPhone 5s design…it just seems so boring compared to the curves of the Nexus 6.

It is just so strange to say that the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch display – it is a Full HD IPS LCD model with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 with 401 PPI – with all specs less than the Nexus 6.  It uses a 64-bit A8 dual-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz and it is smooth and fast, but not in the same league as the Nexus 6 Snapdragon processor.  Yes, the iPhone 6 Plus is 64-bit, as was the iPhone 5s, but neither device can fully take advantage of the 64-bit with only 1GB of RAM…which by-the-way, is not up to the multitasking powers of the 3GB found in the Nexus 6.  We already discussed at length the fixed internal storage available – 16GB, 64GB or 128GB.

The camera has always been one of the iPhone’s strong points and with their yearly improvements to the same 8MP used on the iPhone 5s, I am sure that will continue with the 6 Plus.  It sports the usual auto-focus, OIS and a dual-LED flash.  However, in this case, and contrary to what iPhone users may think, the new Nexus 6 should easily be able to keep up with the 6 Plus with its 13MP, auto-focus, OIS and dual LED flash ring.  The FFC is still a measly 1.2MP for video chatting – again ONLY through Apple’s FaceTime unless both users download a third party app – or a selfie for social media.  The iPhone has never been known for great battery life and the 2915mAh battery in the 6 Plus is a minimum size for a phone this large.  Apple would rather brag about how thin the iPhone is instead of giving it a larger battery.

As far as extras or features, the iPhone 6 Plus does support VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling and includes a fingerprint scanner for added security.  Because this is an Apple, it uses their newest iOS 8, which has turned out to be a little buggy, but hopefully, the recent upgrades have fixed most of its problems.  It is easy to use and efficient, but rather boring when compared to an Android device and the customizations you can do.  The pricing is also a sore spot with the iPhone, commanding a contract/off contract price of $299/$740 price for just the 16GB all the way up to $499/$949 for the 128GB model.

...And the Winner Is…

Summary

I was going to apologize for picking the Nexus 6, but then I realized that I have nothing to apologize for – the Nexus 6 is simply the better device.  It does have a bigger screen – which can be a plus or minus depending on your tastes – but you cannot dispute the QHD display with more pixels and smaller bezels, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor pumping 2.7GHz that has many improve features, including improved low-light photo taking, quick charge capabilities, battery saving features and more.  The Nexus 6 has three times the RAM of the 6 Plus, better camera specs with the innovated flash ring, larger battery, nano-coating for water repelling, dual front-facing stereo speakers, wireless charging, and the Turbo Charging option.  It sports the newest Android 5.0 Lollipop with many new features, not to mention the customization that Android affords the user.  Even the price is cheaper and it will not bend on you!

Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which one of these excellent smartphones you would have chosen…as always, we would love to hear from you.