Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the highly regarded Huawei Nexus 6P goes up against the new Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Google stunned us last year with the large and expensive Nexus 6 made by Motorola and alienated many Nexus diehards – and believe me, they are a boisterous bunch. This year, Google played a good hand and elected to have a mid-range Nexus 5X and high-end Nexus 6P – something for everybody. But just how does the sixth-month-old device stand up to the new powerhouse from Samsung? Let’s take a quick look at what these two flagships have in common and then look at each one in more depth.
The Nexus 6P and Galaxy S7 Edge do have a few things in common – they both used the AMOLED technology and QHD resolution for their displays, which are also close in size to the Nexus 6P coming in at 5.7-inches and the Galaxy S7 Edge measures in at 5.5-inches. They both use a Snapdragon processor, but different models…although the Galaxy S7 Edge can use an Exynos 8890 processor if purchased outside the US. They both offer a 32GB or 64GB model, but only the S7 Edge has room to expand. The camera areas are both similar – 12.3MP in the 6P and 12MP in the S7 Edge – and yet very different in the supporting cast. Both devices sport a fingerprint sensor and both are running Android Marshmallow. They both have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, a microUSB cord for charging (Type-C on the Nexus 6P and v2.0 on the Galaxy S7 Edge). Both have non-removable batteries and both offer fast charging.
Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details. After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons. From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.
Specifications
Huawei Nexus 6P
The Huawei Nexus 6P is the high-end Nexus device and it is well-built and comes with an all-metal unibody construction. Any one of the four colors – Aluminum, Graphite, Frost, or Matte Gold will give your Nexus 6P that premium look. Does this six-month-old device have the specifications to give the new Galaxy S7 Edge a run for its money? Both devices look great, but what about the insides – the displays, processors, memory, batteries and other features?
Samsung produces the Nexus 6P’s 5.7-inch AMOLED display, but it is not up to their Super AMOLED technology that they reserve for their own devices. It is QHD with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 518 PPI. This compares to the 5.5-inch QHD Super AMOLED display on the Galaxy S7 Edge with 534 PPI. Huawei decided to go with the 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, version 2.1. It has four cores clocked at 1.55 GHz and four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. For the Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung decided to go back to their new Exynos 8890 octa-core processor or the Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor depending what region you purchase your device. The Nexus 6P has 3GB of RAM and a choice of 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal memory and has no means for external expansion. The Galaxy S7 Edge has 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, but can be expanded up to 200GB via a microSD card slot.
The camera on the Nexus 6P received high marks from DxOMark and did well in our own testing. It has a 12.3MP sensor, laser autofocus, f/2.0 aperture and dual-tone LED flash…but no OIS. This goes up against newly redesigned camera on the Galaxy S7 Edge with a 12MP sensor that was just crowned the best mobile camera currently available. The Nexus 6P has a large 8MP FFC for selfies and video chatting, while the Galaxy S7 Edge uses a 5MP FFC. The Nexus 6P has a large, 3450mAh non-removable battery that includes a rapid charge feature via its Type-C reversible plug. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a larger 3600mAh non-removable battery with rapid charge and quick wireless charging.
The Nexus 6P has a great Samsung-built AMOLED QHD display and has dual front-facing stereo speakers. It is running pure Android 6.0 Marshmallow and will always get the fastest upgrades possible when new versions come out. Pricing is at only $500 for the 32GB model and offers a great value. It is sold through Google as an unlocked device and is usable on all major US networks.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
This year, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (5.5-inch) is taking the place of the S6 Edge (5.1-inch) and the S6 Edge Plus (5.7-inch). After the drastic remake last year, the outside of the S7 Edge does not look too different, however, many changes were made inside the device. Does that make it any less exciting this year – most definitely. The Galaxy S7 Edge is still a sexy looking device with that dual-curved display and body of curved metal and glass. The Nexus 6P’s all-metal body also makes for a premium looking device. In this comparison, we are looking at specifications and the innovations of these two devices, so let’s take a closer look at the new Galaxy S7 Edge.
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a beautiful 5.5-inch Super AMOLED ‘always-on’ display with a QHD resolution and 534 PPI as compared to the 5.7-inch AMOLED QHD display on the Nexus 6P with 518 PPI. The S7 Edge also sports a dual-curved display that can function on its own to access quickly your ten favorite contacts and more. The Galaxy S7 Edge uses either an Exynos 8890 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.6GHz and four cores clocked at 2.3GHz or the newest Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with dual cores clocked at 1.6GHz and dual cores clocked at 2.15GHz. Which processor you receive is dependent on where you live. The Nexus 6P uses last year’s Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor. The S7 Edge packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and offers either 32GB or 64GB of faster UFS 2.0 memory – the Nexus 6P offers 3GB of DDR4 RAM and 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of memory. The Galaxy S7 Edge offers room for expansion up to 200GB via a microSD card.
Samsung made major changes to the camera area of the Galaxy S7 Edge. Gone is last year’s conventional 16MP award-winning shooter from the S6 models and instead there is a new Dual Pixel 12MP with a larger sensor, allowing it to take in more light and information than the smaller 16MP sensor. The aperture was increased to f/1.7, they included fast phase detection autofocus, auto HDR and retained OIS. This goes up against a great 12.3MP camera setup in the Nexus 6P. The S7 Edge uses a 5MP wide-angle lens, f/1.7 aperture and Live HDR for its FCC and this goes up against the 8MP FCC on the Nexus 6P. The S7 Edge includes a large 3600mAh non-removable battery with quick charge and quick-charge wireless charging as well. This goes up against the Nexus 6P’s slightly smaller 3450mAh non-removable battery, also with quick charge.
What other features distinguishes the Galaxy S7 Edge from the Nexus 6P? We have to start with the dual-curved edge – it is stunning to view and even offers some functionality. The S7 Edge also offers IP68 water and dust protection. You can also use Samsung Pay to make mobile purchases just about anywhere you can swipe a credit or debit card. The S7 Edge also has a heart rate monitor, oxygen saturation sensor and quick wireless charging. The S7 Edge measures 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm, weighs in at 157 grams and available in Black, White, Gold and Silver, costing about $790, although the carriers are offering many specials at this time – even BOGO.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
This was another tough one, but I am picking the Galaxy S7 Edge as the winner of this comparison. The Nexus 6P will probably get more votes from the diehard Nexus fans – and that is okay – but if you look at it objectively, the Galaxy S7 has the specs to easily win this competition. Yes, you can argue all day long how much you hate TouchWiz and covet pure Android. The argument for hating anything Samsung will also come into play – however you slice it, there is no getting around the fact of the technical superiority of the Galaxy S7.
The Galaxy S7 has the better, Super AMOLED ‘always-on’ dual-curved display that not only looks great but also is somewhat functional. It packs the newer and much faster processors, has more RAM and is now expandable to 200GB of storage. While the Nexus 6P has proven to have a great camera, it is rated lower than the Galaxy S7 Edge. The Galaxy S7 Edge has a larger battery and includes quick wireless charging. It has a heart rate monitor, oxygen saturation sensor and is IP68 certified dust and water-resistant. Besides Android Pay, the Galaxy S7 Edge also packs Samsung Pay that is more versatile that other mobile payment options.
Android users will not debate the importance of a Nexus smartphone – the fast updates are awesome and the price is generally ‘reasonable’ for what you get. The Nexus 6P is a great device, but this comparison is mostly about specifications and the six-month 6P is showing its age. It does have dual front-facing stereo speakers, which certainly out does the single bottom-mounted speaker on the S7 Edge Plus. Once you look past the pure Android and dual speakers, there is nothing that the Nexus 6P offers that is not equal to, and in most cases, better on the Galaxy S7 Edge.
The Nexus 6P will cost you $500 for a 32GB model with no expansion versus the $790 price of the Galaxy S7 Edge, which offers memory expansion. However, many carriers are offering special BOGO deals with the S7 Edge, so you can find a bargain if you look.
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