Much
in the same way as Apple sparked a revolution on the smartphone market,
Samsung essentially started a whole separate category within the
industry with the original phablet – the 2011 Galaxy Note.
While
rivalry has always raged between the two manufacturers, we've often
felt like they're waging a kind of a proxy war, and basically compete
indirectly in a way. In other words, there was always a major
differentiating factor (size, operating system, underlying philosophy)
between their devices, and that, in a sense, instilled a feeling that
theirs was more of a game of who's gonna get the farthest the fastest,
and not who's going to make it out of the cage alive. But no longer.
With the iPhone 6 Plus,
Apple is encroaching on core Samsung territory – one that it molded
itself – and it has every intention of fighting for every last inch of
it. That's where the brand-new, perfected Galaxy Note 4 comes
in, ready to receive the 6 Plus. Will Apple's relative inexperience in
this segment prove to be its downfall, or can its phablet come on top?
We're about to find out...
|
Much
in the same way as Apple sparked a revolution on the smartphone market,
Samsung essentially started a whole separate category within the
industry with the original phablet – the 2011 Galaxy Note.
While rivalry has always raged between the two manufacturers, we've often felt like they're waging a kind of a proxy war, and basically compete indirectly in a way. In other words, there was always a major differentiating factor (size, operating system, underlying philosophy) between their devices, and that, in a sense, instilled a feeling that theirs was more of a game of who's gonna get the farthest the fastest, and not who's going to make it out of the cage alive. But no longer. With the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple is encroaching on core Samsung territory – one that it molded itself – and it has every intention of fighting for every last inch of it. That's where the brand-new, perfected Galaxy Note 4 comes in, ready to receive the 6 Plus. Will Apple's relative inexperience in this segment prove to be its downfall, or can its phablet come on top? We're about to find out... |
Introduction
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Design
Phablet lovers will adore these two.
With the Note 4, Samsung is finally transitioning towards different materials, and the phablet is seen sporting a chamfered metal frame that feels great in the hand. At the back, we're once again looking at a polycarbonate imitation of leather, though the texture has been changed to a slightly less grippy one, which, however, looks more authentic than the one available with the Note 3. In comparison, Apple has endowed the iPhone 6 Plus with an all-aluminum body and plastic is altogether missing – front or back.
The Note 4 is also different at the sides – the overall shape is still of a rectangular that is pleasantly rounded at the edges, but Samsung has actually implemented shock-absorbent bumps at the four corners of the device, much alike to the Galaxy Alpha. The iPhone 6 Plus – also a rounded rectangle (if slightly more so) – doesn't feature protective bumps, and is instead making use of a circular, tube-like frame that hugs your palm nicely.
All in all, we've gotta hand it to Apple – when it comes to the feeling you get when handling the two devices, the iPhone 6 Plus definitely inspires a greater sense of you toying with something truly high-end. Unfortunately, while it is the slightly narrower device, the 6 Plus is still plenty big. So big, in fact, that it towers above the Note 4, despite its smaller, 5.5-inch screen. In any case, we're still looking at two XL-sized smartphones, both of which are simply not meant to be used with just one hand.
Last, but not least, the Touch ID fingerprint scanner that debuted with the iPhone 5s can still be found embedded within the circular home button, and it's just as reliable and easy-to-use. We've got to say that we still prefer it over the swipe-type fingerprint scanner on the Note 4 (also a part of its home button), even though that one has seen some improvements from the frustrating early days of the Galaxy S5.
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