Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung fans will be pleased to hear that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is now official! However if you are in the market for a new Samsung phone with a larger than life screen, you may want to consider the Note 4 too. We take a look at how the Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 stack up against one another…

Metal vs Plastic Design

Samsung has taken some heat in the past with their flagship smartphones sporting plastic casings, but slowly Samsung has started changing things around, and the plastic has been replaced in favour of more premium materials.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is the first Samsung smartphone to sport a full metal body, and features a sleek design with two pieces of Gorilla glass connected to an “aircraft grade” aluminium frame. Not only does it look good, but it also feels good, especially with its slim chassis measuring a mere 6.8mm.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 4 still holds on to various plastic elements compared to its younger flagship brother, though it does sport an aluminium frame between its leather-look polycarbonate case.

In design terms the Samsung Galaxy S6 wins the battle as the sleek lines, premium materials and overall aesthetics stand heads and shoulders above the plastic fronted and faux leather backed Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Higher pixel density on the  S6 Display

Both of these Samsung handsets are sporting Super AMOLED Quad HD displays with the S6 measuring 5.1-inches and the Note 4 opting for the larger 5.7-inch screen. Each of the displays have the same resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels but the smaller screen on the Galaxy S6 means it has a slightly higher pixel density.

When it comes down to clarity, though, we’re really nit picking between the two Samsung smartphones; to the naked eye, most smartphone fans wouldn’t be able to tell the S6 and Note 4 apart when it comes to their crystal clear displays.

Both phones offer top hardware and innovative software

Regarding features and software, both the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Note 4 each pack Android as well as the TouchWiz UI (user interface), with the Galaxy Note 4 packing a few extra features specially designed for the S Pen.

The UI on the Samsung Galaxy S6 feels more polished than that on the Note 4, and of course the less bulky S6 is easier for one-handed operation than the larger Note 4.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 takes a step up, offering the latest Exynos chipset with eight cores of power. The 64-bit chip will also make the most of the Android Lollipop capabilities, which have been designed for this kind of power.

Although on paper this gives the Galaxy S6 the edge on the Note 4 when it comes to performance, the game’s not over for the Note just yet. With an octa-core processor and 3GB RAM, the Galaxy Note 4 isn’t far behind, and remains a pretty powerful beast.

If you’re looking for memory, the Galaxy Note 4 might just win the day as a bountiful smartphone to store all your photos, music and videos on. Whilst both handsets will be available in 32GB/64GB/128GB variations, the inclusion of a removable microSD card slot on the Note 4- which has been left off the Galaxy S6- could go in the Note 4’s favour.

The S6 has a better selfie camera

Similarly to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy S6 has a 16 megapixel camera on the back, just like the camera lens adorning the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Samsung has also upgraded the package on the S6 is with a larger f1.9 aperture which will deliver better images in low light conditions when compared to the f2.2 aperture on the Note 4.

There’s also a few extra bells and whistles on the Samsung Galaxy S6 camera features including optical image stabilisation, real-time HDR and tracking autofocus for video recording.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 also has the jump on the Note 4 when it comes to the front facing camera with a bumped up 5-megapixel lens, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 falls behind with its 3.7-megapixel snapper on the front.

Galaxy Note Edge vs Galaxy S6 Edge

Samsung threw us something of a curve ball with the Galaxy Note Edge – featuring the world’s first edge to edge display. This time it’s doubled its efforts by giving us the Galaxy S6 Edge, which sports not one, but two of the stylish looking screens.

Having access to two of the screens means twice as much style, but more importantly twice as many curved screen features. So, not only can you use one edge to display your latest notifications, but you can use the other to help you track the time.

And rather than adding a shed load of new features to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge display, Samsung has instead simplified the edge display features in a move towards making the curved screen a staple part of its flagship smartphone releases from here on out.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 review

Overall both handsets deliver an impressive batch of hardware, power and features, which means choosing between them will come down to what is most important to you in a smartphone.

The better front camera on the S6 as well as the more premium overall design will appeal to most, while anyone looking for the phablet experience will love the power and S Pen features on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.