Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ vs iPhone 6 Plus

Big-screen phones are definitely something that people want, with the two heavyweight models this year the iPhone 6 Plus and the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. I’ve been lucky enough to go hands-on with the new Samsung phone, so I can bring you this specs comparison between the two handsets. Rest assured, once the review sample for the Edge+ is available this article will be updated with full benchmarks and true side-by-side comparisons. Before we start, both handsets are very large. If you’re looking for a smaller handset, our iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 article will be of more interest.

Design

Dimensions: Although the S6 Edge+ has a larger 5.7in screen than the 5.5in iPhone 6 Plus, it’s actually the smaller of the two devices. The S6 Edge+ measures 154x75x6.9mm and weighs 153g while the iPhone 6 Plus measures 158x78x7.1mm and weighs 132g. In actual use, both handsets are so close in size as to make no practical difference: if you get on with one, you’ll get on with the other.

Materials: Both phones are extremely well made, with Samsung upping its game this year and using premium materials. Apple uses aluminium for its rounded and curved iPhone 6 Plus, giving it a tough and well-made feel. Samsung has used a combination of metal and glass for its handset, which looks fantastic. Samsung is promising that this model is 1.7x stronger than the S6, too.

Conclusion: It’s incredibly hard to pick a winner out of these handsets, as they’re both extremely attractive, well made and desirable handsets. I have to say that the S6 Edge+ is the phone that stands out the most thanks to its curved-edge display, but there’s really very little to tell the two handsets apart.

Display

Screen size: Samsung has the larger screen in the S6 Edge+ with a 5.7in panel, while Apple has a 5.5in screen. You get slightly less physical space on Apple’s phone then, but there’s not as much in at as you may think. This is because the Edge+’s screen has two curved edges, so the central part of the display, which you look at the most, is very similar in size to Apple’s.

Resolution: The iPhone 6 Plus is Apple’s highest-resolution screen with 1,920×1,080 pixels, but this lags behind the Quad HD screen of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, which has a resolution of 2,560×1,440. While the iPhone 6 Plus has a sharp and clear screen, the S6 Edge+ is even sharper thanks to its higher pixel density of 518ppi, versus 401ppi on the iPhone.

Screen technology and quality: Apple uses an LED-backlit IPS LCD screen in its phone, which is one of the best that we’ve seen. When I tested it using our colour calibrator, the iPhone managed 90.5% of the sRGB colour gamut. I’ve not yet been able to test the Super AMOLED screen in the S6 Edge+, but given that the S6 can display 100% of the sRGB colour gamut, I’m expecting the same thing here.

Conclusion: There’s nothing wrong with the screen in the iPhone 6 Plus, but there’s not getting away from the fact that Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays are superior.