New Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Fun time in 'Phablet town'

Apple has announced the iPhone 6 and steps into phablet territory with the iPhone 6 Plus, a smartphone with a 5.5-inch display.

Announced at Apple's special event alongside a more conventional 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the 6 Plus makes its play against some of the biggest devices out there. Some suspect this is to appeal to Asian markets and it's certainly a break from iPhones of the past.
When it comes to phablets - to use the vulgar phrase - there is a dominant force: the Samsung Galaxy Note. The Note 4, launched at IFA 2014 is the latest and greatest in the line.
You asked for it, so we've pitched the latest from Samsung against the latest from Apple in this clash of the titans.

Design and build

Apple is known for quality builds and the iPhone 6 Plus is no different. The body is aluminium, wrapping around the sides to meet the display. The curved edges of the body are met by the curved edge of the display itself, for a seamless high-quality finish.
The iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm and it weighs 179g.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a metal frame, but opts for a soft-touch plastic removable back. It offers increased flexibility, as you can change the battery, or swap the cover for an alternative when you fancy a change.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm and weighs 176g.
The Note 4 is shorter but fractionally wider than the iPhone 6 Plus; the iPhone is thinner overall. However, Samsung packs in a larger 5.7-inch display, making the iPhone 6 Plus look larger than it perhaps should.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4's 5.7-inch display is Super AMOLED and comes with a cracking 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, 515ppi. It uses Samsung 2.5D technology to increase the visible pop.
The iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch LED IPS display with a 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 401ppi.
Both Samsung and Apple make great claims about their displays and it will be some time before we can put them both side-by-side to compare performance, but from what we've seen so far, both are impressive.
However, Samsung packs in more pixels on the Note 4. It will be sharper and better able to render fine details than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Power and performance

Both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus are brand new devices, so haven't been reviewed beyond first impressions at their respective launch events.
The Apple iPhone 6 Plus has a new A8 processor with M8 coprocessor for motion. Apple tells us it's faster than previous devices, naturally, but doesn't break down the specifics of the hardware or RAM. It's 64-bit, supporting iOS 8, but little else is officially revealed.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is also in a slightly confusing, as the hardware varies. There's either the 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, or a Samsung Exynos octa-core (1.9GHz quad and 1.3GHz quad) chipsets. Samsung tells us that there will be 3GB of RAM and SD 805 is 64-bit (even if Android isn't yet), which is the hardware we suspect most will get.
From these details alone it's not possible to determine which is the more powerful in absolute terms. With Apple running iOS 8 and the Galaxy Note 4 on Android 4.4 KitKat, how that relates to real-use performance is also very different. From what we've seen so far, neither is a slouch.

Camera

The Apple iPhone 6 Plus has an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture on the rear offering optical image stabilisation. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a 16-megapixel sensor, with f/2.4 aperture with optical image stabilisation.
More megapixels doesn't necessarily equate to better images once you reach a certain point (or the Xperia Z would take all the accolades), as a lot comes down to how the hardware is managed, and how the data captured is handled. Until we have real-world shots from both, it's difficult to say either way.
However, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 offers 4K UHD video capture, while the iPhone 6 Plus offers various flavours of 1080p video. The iPhone's highlight is slow-motion at 240fps.
On the front, the Note 4 offers a 3.7-megapixel f/1.9 camera, the iPhone has a 1.2-megapixel f/2.4. Apple specifies that the iPhone 6 Plus offers 720p video from the front camera, we suspect that the Note 4 offers 1080p. Either way, we suspect that Samsung will be the better front camera.

Software

These two devices run on very different software. You'll have your preference, based on many factors, between iOS and Android. The big difference in these devices, however, comes down to Samsung's customisation, as it packs in a lot of functions for big screen use.
Apple iOS 8 is a different beast to Android and in a nod to the big screen, Apple has introduced a landscape mode for things like the home page and Mail, so that you can take advantage of having a little more space to work on the 5.5-inch display.
However, Samsung has an extensive array of customisations aimed at the multitasker, evolved through the generations of Note devices.  For example, you can split the display, minimise an app into a hovering icon, as well as take advantage of some powerful copy and paste functionality, all useful for those working on the move.
Samsung also ties a lot of functionality into the included S Pen. The included stylus is a real differentiator between these devices.

Samsung S Pen

One of the things that enhances the feature set of the Galaxy Note 4 is the S Pen. Some will argue that if a mobile device is right, you should be able to do everything with a finger, however Note owners will disagree: having the S Pen lets you do things you can't elsewhere.
You can get a stylus for the iPhone too, but the S Pen comes with a range of software support features, pressure sensitivity and a whole lot more. If note taking is on the agenda, the S Pen is probably your best choice, claiming a writing experience that's closer to paper and pen.
There are also stylus devices for the iPhone.

Battery life

Without having had the Note 4 or the iPhone 6 Plus in the real world, we can't accurately say which has the better stamina.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a 3220mAh battery. Samsung hasn't revealed figures for life, but it offers fast charging. We're yet to see the impact of the display on the battery performance compared to the Note 3, which was impressive, although the removable battery is a bonus.
Apple doesn't disclose the battery capacity for the iPhone 6 Plus, instead giving figures of 24 hours 3G talk time, 16 days standby and 14 hours of video playback. Again it's difficult to put these into any real comparative terms.

Conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus sit in the same space by virtue of display size. Both are the latest generation of device and we don't have all the details for them yet.
Samsung edges out Apple in the display density by quite a margin and also offers a more flexible approach to the battery and storage.
Apple's design, however, might win some over. It's slim and has a great metal build, but is perhaps taller than it needs to be compared to the Note 4, which gives you more display space.
On the software front, those looking for big screen support will probably be better served by the Note 4 initially, along with the S Pen, with its diverse range of features specifically for multitasking.
One area to watch will be how the developer community makes use of the iPhone 6 Plus screen space. We suspect that those who initially choose the iPhone 6 Plus will do so for big screen movie watching and gaming, but there's no shortage of iPad apps that could step down to iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone 6 Plus will be available from £619, pre-orders open on 12 September, delivery expect from 19 September.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will be available from the end of September. Pricing has not been confirmed.