Mobile Technology

Nexus 6P vs. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+

Nexus 6P vs. Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
Which 5.7-inch Android phablet do you go with? Gizmag compares the Nexus 6P (left) and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
Which 5.7-inch Android phablet do you go with? Gizmag compares the Nexus 6P (left) and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
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Camera aperture (rear)
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Camera aperture (rear)
Battery
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Battery
Build
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Build
Physical camera launch shortcut
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Physical camera launch shortcut
Camera megapixels
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Camera megapixels
Color options
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Color options
Processor
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Processor
Curved display
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Curved display
Dimensions
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Dimensions
Display resolution
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Display resolution
Display size
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Display size
Display type
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Display type
Fast charging
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Fast charging
Fingerprint sensor
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Fingerprint sensor
Which 5.7-inch Android phablet do you go with? Gizmag compares the Nexus 6P (left) and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
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Which 5.7-inch Android phablet do you go with? Gizmag compares the Nexus 6P (left) and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
Laser autofocus
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Laser autofocus
MicroSD
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MicroSD
Starting price (full retail)
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Starting price (full retail)
RAM
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RAM
Release
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Release
Software
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Software
Storage
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Storage
Weight
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Weight
Wireless charging
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Wireless charging
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If you're shopping for a plus-sized phone this holiday season, the Google/Huawei Nexus 6P and Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ may be two of your best bets. But is Samsung's phablet worth the extra dough? Let's compare their features and specs.

Size

Dimensions
Dimensions

The two phones have identical screen sizes, but the Nexus 6P's bigger forehead and chin make it the (slightly) bigger phone. It measures 3 percent taller, 3 percent wider and 6 percent thicker than the Galaxy S6 edge+.

Weight

Weight
Weight

It's a good start for Samsung's phablet, as the Galaxy S6 edge+ is also 14 percent lighter.

Build

Build
Build

The Nexus 6P has an aluminum unibody build, with that glass bar you see up by its rear camera. The Galaxy S6 edge+ has a glass back and aluminum edges.

Colors

Color options
Color options

You get three color options to choose from for the Nexus, and four for the Galaxy.

Display size

Display size
Display size

Both handsets have large 5.7-inch screens, but you do get a bit more usable real estate on the Galaxy S6 edge+, since the Nexus uses the bottom portion of its display for virtual navigation keys. The exception is in some apps (usually games, video and reading apps), where Android's Immersive Mode temporarily fades those keys out.

Display resolution

Display resolution
Display resolution

Resolutions are even as well – with razor-sharp 1440p.

Display type


Display type
Display type

Both phones use AMOLED panels.

Curved display

Curved display
Curved display

We find it to be mostly a cosmetic perk (though a significant one), but the Galaxy S6 edge+ gets its name from the curves on the right and left edges of its display.

Fingerprint sensor

Fingerprint sensor
Fingerprint sensor

The Nexus 6P has a fingerprint sensor on its back, while the GS6 edge+'s sensor is (more conventionally) located on its home button.

Camera megapixels

Camera megapixels
Camera megapixels

Samsung's 2015 flagships, including the S6 edge+, have excellent cameras (well, for smartphones). We'll be testing the Nexus 6P's camera soon, so stay tuned.

Camera aperture (rear)

The Galaxy's camera has the slightly wider aperture.

Physical camera shortcut

Physical camera launch shortcut
Physical camera launch shortcut

Similar to Samsung's home button double-tap shortcut, the Nexus 6P lets you launch its camera by double-clicking its power button.

Laser autofocus

Laser autofocus
Laser autofocus

Similar to LG's recent flagships, the Nexus 6P has laser-based autofocus tech built-into its rear camera.

Battery

Battery
Battery

The Nexus has the higher-capacity battery, but this doesn't necessarily tell us much until we run a battery test on it.

Fast charging

Fast charging
Fast charging

Both phones have quick-charging tech built-in.

Wireless charging

Wireless charging
Wireless charging

Only the Galaxy, though, supports wireless charging – and fast wireless charging, if you buy a special Samsung-made charging pad.

Processor

Processor
Processor

Both handsets have 64-bit, octa-core processors. We can't yet say anything about the Nexus' real-life performance, but the Galaxy is an incredibly zippy phone (though, in our experience, not quite as zippy as the latest iPhones).

RAM

RAM
RAM

Samsung's phone does have an extra GB of RAM over the Nexus.

Storage

Storage
Storage

Both start out with double the internal storage that Apple gives you in its first-tier iPhones, but the Nexus reaches one notch higher than the Galaxy.

MicroSD

MicroSD
MicroSD

Neither phablet, though, lets you expand that with a microSD card.

Software

Software
Software

The Nexus runs a newer version of Android, 6.0 Marshmallow, and it will also receive future updates sooner. The Edge's Android Lollipop core has Samsung's TouchWiz UI layered on top.

Release

Release
Release

Nexus 6P pre-orders are shipping as we speak, while the S6 edge+ has been out for a couple of months now.

Starting price (full retail)

Starting price (full retail)
Starting price (full retail)

If nothing we've said so far has convinced you to go with the Galaxy, then this category certainly isn't going to change that. At full retail, the Nexus 6P comes out to roughly US$275 cheaper. "Roughly," because US carriers vary a bit in their pricing on the Galaxy S6 edge+.

For more, you can check out Gizmag's full reviews of the Nexus 6P and Galaxy S6 edge+.

Correction: The original version of this article listed the GS6 edge+'s rear camera aperture as ƒ/2.2. It now reads correctly as ƒ/1.9.

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