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Nexus 6P Vs iPhone 6S Plus Review: Google Gatecrashes Apple Party
The next month is going to be all about Samsung, but arguably the most interesting rivalry in the smartphone world today is between Apple and its increasingly vocal nemesis Google. For the first time Google has started promoting its Nexus range and its latest flagship, the Nexus 6P, is a truly stunning handset. But how does it compare to the iPhone 6S Plus, arguably the most well known andmost well rounded big smartphone available?
Having used both devices since launch I now have my verdict. So make a cup of coffee and get comfortable. You’re about to read a dissection of the two best smartphones on the planet…
My thanks to GiffGaff and Google UK for their long term loans of the iPhone 6S Plus and Nexus 6P respectively.
Design – Minimalism Vs Character
Apple is lauded for its design prowess and rightly so, but for the first time the Nexus 6P (built by Huawei) has the style to compete and it does so by standing out. Whereas the iPhone 6S Plus is every inch the familiar super model, the Nexus 6P brings class and character to an increasingly generic product category.
iPhone 6S Plus (left) and Nexus 6P (right) are currently the two best smartphones on the market. But which is best? Image credit: Gordon Kelly
The latter aspect comes in the form of the Nexus 6P’s ‘visor’ – a strip of glass at the top of the phone housing the camera module, dual flash and antennas. This means the 6P doesn’t need the same antenna stripes as the iPhone 6S Plus, it still lies flat on a table and it is easily identifiable across a room when any owner makes a phone call. I’d like to see the visor identified with the Nexus range for years to come.
The Nexus 6P ‘visor’ which contains the camera, flash, antennas and more is a great idea which lets the phone still lie flat on a table. Not everyone will like it, but it’s the kind of design differentiation for which the smartphone sector is crying out. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Of course where both these phones lose out, however, is portability – they’re huge. The 5.5-inch iPhone 6S Plus measures 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm and weighs in at a mighty 192g while the Nexus 6P is fractionally larger at 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3mm but noticeably lighter at 173g all the while giving you a bigger 5.7-inch display. Both phones should be more compact though and they aren’t helped by their huge ‘forehead’ and ‘chin’ (top and bottom bezels). They do feel great in two handed use and build quality is exceptional, but you’ll need a grippy case/nerves of steel/very long fingers to use either phone one handed – which can be a problem on the move.
iPhone 6S Plus is a more durable smartphone than the Nexus 6P. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Where the iPhone 6S Plus carries a distinct advantage, however, is durability. Apple’s use of Series 7000 Aluminium makes it very strong, so while the Nexus 6P can be bent if you’re careless (such as keeping it in a back pocket) the iPhone 6S Plus is rock solid. I also found over a period of several months that the finish on the black edition of the Nexus 6P can wear through to the silver aluminium chassis underneath. By contrast the iPhone 6S Plus scratches and dents, but no colour variant wears through to its underlying base metal like the 6P.
Displays – Brains Vs Beauty
These days most premium smartphone displays are excellent and both the 1920 x 1080 pixel LCD panel in the iPhone 6S Plus and 2K (2560 x 1440 pixel) AMOLED panel in the Nexus 6P are no exception to this rule. In a straight head-to-head the Nexus 6P does hold the edge. Colours are richer, blacks deeper (a common AMOLED advantage) and – if you look really closely – text is sharper as well. That said, the big win of the iPhone 6S Plus is its screen smarts.
The Nexus 6P display (right) is sharper and makes the iPhone 6S Plus look washed out by comparison, but it isn’t as smart as Apple’s ’3D Touch’ display. Note the pinkish tinge to the Nexus 6P display is a camera effect which over comes from taking two displays side-by-side, it isn’t there in real life. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
‘3D Touch’ was arguably the biggest news at the launch of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus and in theory it’s a brilliant addition: the screen recognises two pressure levels beyond a normal screen tap (which Apple dubs ‘Peek and Pop’). When a Peek (light pressure) or Pop (stronger pressure) is recognised it essentially acts as a shortcut jumping directly to a feature that would’ve otherwise taken several steps (eg, deep press on an Apple Maps destination to jump straight to turn-by-turn directions) or get a list of shortcuts such as app icons (eg, the camera icon gives the options to open it directly in Selfie, Video or Slow Mo modes).
The problem with all this cleverness is there’s little consistency and that chips away at your confidence using 3D Touch. Third party apps in particular may or may not offer 3D Touch support or handle it differently and the only way to find out is by trial and error pressing around icons and user interface elements wondering if they’ll do something. With persistence you will find some great features, but it’s also easy to just give up on it as Apple has found no clear way (as yet) to guide users towards what is and isn’t 3D Touch enabled.
Touch ID is still limited, but support is growing slowly. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Touch ID is still limited, but support is growing slowly. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Consequently the better display of the Nexus 6P is likely to have more consistent benefit to users than 3D Touch until both support for it and iOS integration mature. 3D Touch is potentially industry changing, but it looks like we’ll have to wait for iOS 10 before it stops feeling like a gimmick.
Performance – Blisteringly Fast Smartphones
For years Apple has got something wonderfully right with each new iPhone: performance. And the iPhone 6S Plus is no exception. Fair debate exists over how iPhones slow with time and each new generation of iOS, but right now the iPhone 6S Plus is blisteringly quick. Alongside the iPhone 6S, it offers the most consistently fast, responsive and seamless mobile experience to date.
Then again, it is worth giving Google immense credit for how the Nexus 6P responds. On paper more powerful Android smartphones exist with greater amounts of RAM, but none handle like the Nexus 6P. Core to this is the fact it uses stock Android Marshmallow (6.0.1 at the time of writing) with next to no bloat combined and immediate software updates that no other Android handset maker can match. This makes the Nexus range akin ‘Google iPhones’ and they are all the better for it.
Both iPhone 6S Plus and the Nexus 6P are incredibly fast phones thanks to their stock, stripped back software. A particular advantage for the Nexus range over rival Android phones. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
But I’d still give the iPhone 6S Plus the advantage. For all its advances, the Nexus 6P can still bog down at times. This is partially due to coding inefficiencies (notable ‘snagging’ when scrolling which can still strike intermittently) and opportunistic third party apps (here’s looking at you Facebook) which can run riot with background activity despite attempts to curtail this in Android Marshmallow. Despite these flaws, I’d be surprised if even 2016’s best third party Android smartphones from the likes of Samsung, LG, HTC and Motorola can match the generally brilliant day-to-day experience of using the Nexus 6P.
Note: this isn’t a place to get into a full blown argument over Android Marshmallow vs iOS 9 (guides here and here), where the pros and cons remain well known. But safe to say, their stereotypical shortcomings are disappearing. iOS has never been more flexible and Android never been more polished or (in the case of immediately updating Nexus devices) more secure.
Both iPhone 6S Plus and Nexus 6P fingerprint readers are fast, accurate and class leading, though their different positioning will likely polarise opinion. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
The other key area of performance to discuss is the fingerprint scanner. For a long time Apple’s ‘Touch ID’ was a country mile ahead of the competition, but no more. The Nexus 6P’s rear mounted fingerprint sensor is just as fast and accurate as Touch ID. The one downside is you have to pick up the phone to unlock it (unless you use a pattern/PIN) so the front vs rear positioning will be a matter of personal preference. I preferred having it on the back as it is more convenient in hand than the front mounted sensor on the iPhone 6S Plus and this approach will also allow for phones to have much thinner bezels in future.
Camera – Student Surpasses Master
Perhaps the most fascinating battle for me with these two smartphones, however, is their cameras. For years iPhones have been held up as the gold standard, but they were knocked off their pedestal in 2015 by the Galaxy S6 and I’d say the Nexus 6P now joins it as offering a superior photographic experience overall.
iPhone 6S Plus – 12 megapixel sensor, F2.2 aperture, pixel size 1.22 microns, dual-LED flash, Optical Image Stabilisation – 4K video recording. Front: 5 megapixel sensor, F2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording
Nexus 6P – 12 megapixel sensor, F2.0 aperture, pixel size 1.55 microns, dual-LED flash – 4K video record. Front: 5 megapixel sensor, F2.0 aperture, 1080p video recording
Nexus 6P remain incredibly vivid and detail is maintained even in very low light. This sees it standout from the iPhone 6S Plus. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
The Nexus 6P’s key benefit is in low light. Both handsets offer brilliant images in good light (as do many smartphones), but the Nexus 6P has a faster f2.0 aperture and significantly larger pixels (1.55 microns vs 1.22 microns) which make it better at harvesting light in less ideal conditions. The result is dramatically more colour, detail and less blur. Given most photos are not taken in perfect conditions, this gives the Nexus 6P a major advantage and is far more important than arguing which model is fractionally better on a sunny day.
iPhone 6S Plus (right) can easily best the iPhone 6S (left) in low right but is no match for the Nexus 6P. Image credit Gordon Kelly
Where things switch around is video. Here the iPhone 6S Plus with its integrated optical image stabilisation (OIS) produces smoother results – particularly shooting in 4K. The Nexus 6P finally sees Google offer slow motion video through its camera app though, and its capture of audio in slow motion makes for some wonderfully atmospheric end results.
In normal daylight the Nexus 6P remains extremely impressive, to the extent that the differences between it and the also superb iPhone 6S in good conditions are unimportant. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Other observations: double tapping the Nexus 6P power button shortcuts to the camera from any location, which is a brilliant idea, but it is occasionally glitchy and I don’t always trust the auto HDR mode to pick the right option (be sure to leave it on at all time). Still I’d pick the Nexus 6P for its incredible results in low light, unless you shoot a lot of video.
Both iPhone 6S (left) and iPhone 6S Plus (right) photos superb in good light. Image credit Gordon Kelly
Battery Life – Great Stamina Vs Faster Recovery
If there’s an area where smartphones arguably took a step backwards in 2015, it was battery life. Misjudged priorities saw both Apple and Samsung shrink the battery capacity in their flagship devices. Happily the iPhone 6S Plus is still one of the longest lasting smartphones on the market, though the Nexus 6P gives it a fine run for its money.
iPhone 6S Plus – 2750 mAh capacity battery
Nexus 6P – 3450 mAh capacity battery
The Nexus 6P has excellent battery life and very fast charging. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
In normal use both phones will easily last a full day (more if you optimise Facebook) and even heavy use shouldn’t cause any great trouble. Where the iPhone 6S Plus edges ahead though is better standby time, despite significant optimisations from the new ‘Doze’ feature in Android Marshmallow.
Ultimately both phones’ battery life is near best in class but Android itself, as opposed to handset makers just fitting ever larger batteries, could still do with a little more tweaking to catch Apple’s big phablet.
‘Doze’ in Android Marshmallow drastically cuts power consumption when the Nexus 6P is in standby but iOS remains the standby champ. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Then again where the Nexus 6P leaves the iPhone 6S Plus in its wake is charging. Google’s handset is one of the first to use theexciting USB Type-C standard and a complete charge from flat takes under an hour. Furthermore you can get up to seven hours (light) use after just a 10 minute charge from flat. The iPhone 6S Plus can’t compete with that and takes over 2 hours for a full charge and around 30 minutes just to get 15-20%.
Apple is really lagging behind its rival here, though both also suffer from a lack of wireless charging.
Not everyone makes much use of their smartphone’s external speaker, but it is worth discussing due to the chasm between both phones. Impending changes to the iPhone 7 may close the gap, but right now the bottom edge mounted mono speaker on the iPhone 6S Plus is no match for the front firing stereo speakers on the Nexus 6P.
The single mono, bottom edge mounted iPhone 6S Plus speaker cannot match the dual, front firing stereo speakers of the Nexus 6P. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
You still aren’t likely to use the Nexus 6P speakers as the method to listen to your favourite tracks, but it is fantastic for podcasts, speakerphone calls, YouTube videos, turn-by-turn directions and more. Even sceptics will find themselves using the Nexus 6P speakers far more than they imagined.
Up to know you’ll spot that these two superb smartphones largely trade blows in most categories and even then the loser still tends to perform well. All of which makes the issue of pricing somewhat crucial – and this is where the Nexus 6P takes a decisive lead.
iPhone 6S Plus: $749 (16GB), $849 (64GB) and $949 (128GB)
Nexus 6P – $499 (32GB), $549 (64GB) and $649 (128GB)
Yes, Google is selling the Nexus 6P for hundreds of dollars less than the price of the iPhone 6S Plus. Apple didn’t make its name by slashing profit margins and pitching devices cheapily, but that’s not our problem. Right now, to my mind, the simple fact is these are the best two smartphones on the planet and one is dramatically cheaper than the other.
Google has proved it has the skills to match Apple’s phone making ability, though matching its sales will be a very different matter. Image credit: Gordon Kelly
Bottom Line – Google Does Apple For Less
For those heavily invested in either Apple or Google ecosystems, nothing these phones do will convince you to switch because they offer both camps truly top class experiences. But for those on the fence the Nexus 6P is a revelation.
Had their costs been identical picking between the iPhone 6S Plus and Nexus 6P would be almost impossible, but they aren’t. With its premium design, superlative camera, groundbreaking performance, excellent battery life and fast software updates the Nexus 6P shows Google can match the very best of Apple and do so for $300 less.
Make no mistake, the Nexus 6P won’t be a dot on the radar compared to iPhone 6S Plus sales, but it isn’t meant to be. Google made the Nexus 6P to test itself and give tech savvy consumers a taste of the company’s smartphone potential. The result is better than anyone expected and makes the Nexus 6P the best and most important Android smartphone ever made.
It also leaves us pondering a tantalising question: What comes next Google?
Source: the world’s best website “Forbes“
