Samsung is set to release the Galaxy S6 in a few short weeks, going up against other flagship phones on the market.
One of those flagship phones is the Google Nexus 6, built by Motorola and featuring Android as Google wanted it. But what does the new Samsung Galaxy S6 have over the slightly older Google Nexus 6?
Design
Samsung has seriously stepped up its game in terms of design with the Galaxy S6. While the S5 included a plastic backing, the Galaxy S6 makes use of a sleek glass, unibody-type case.
Of course, this comes at a price. The device now no longer has a removable battery, or a microSD card slot. This is certainly worth it for the better design, plus cloud storage is becoming more popular, suggesting that perhaps microSD cards are not as important as they once were.
The Nexus 6 features a sleek, minimalist design that is almost identical to the Motorola Moto X, save for the size of the device, featuring a 6-inch display.
The Galaxy S6 clearly features a flashier design, while the Nexus 6 is a little more low-key.
Display
The 6-inch display on the Nexus 6 is certainly beautiful, but it's not as sharp as the display on the Galaxy S6. While the Nexus 6 features a 493ppi display, the S6 takes things a step further with a pixel density of 577ppi. Of course this is largely due to the display's size, with the two devices both features a 2560x1440 pixel display.
Basically, the Nexus 6 offers a bigger display while the Galaxy S6 features a sharper one.
Memory and Storage
As mentioned the Samsung Galaxy S6 no longer features the outdated technology that is the microSD card slot, making comparing storage much easier. The Galaxy S6 comes in either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB options, which the Googl Nexus 6 only comes in 32GB or 64GB options.
Both devices feature 3GB of RAM.
Camera
Camera technology has been getting better and better, and these two devices are no exception. The Nexus 6 features a 13MP rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization, as well as a 2MP front-facing camera. The Galaxy S6, however, takes things a step further, at least on paper. The device includes a 16MP rear-facing camera, also with optical image stabilization, and a 5MP front-facing camera. Both devices are able to capture 4K video.
Clearly the Galaxy S6 includes the better camera, at least as far as megapixels go.
Software
The Galaxy S6 features Samsung's TouchWiz, which is its overlay of Android. Samsung has long been criticized for TouchWiz because of the fact that it includes a lot of bloatware and unnecessary additions designed to sell Samsung's services. Rumors, however, suggest that Samsung will be allowing users to remove, or at least hide, apps that they don't need. This is a step forward, however it does not take away from the fact that TouchWiz is still rather power-hungry.
The Nexus 6 features stock Android, or Android as Google intends it. Many suggest that this version of Android is better than any overlay that other companies could offer, however TouchWiz does offer some merit, especially for users of Samsing's other services.
Conclusions
The six months that the Galaxy S6 has on the Google Nexus 6 show, with simply better specs, at least for the most part. The Galaxy S6, however, includes TouchWiz, which is enough to send many running. For those interested in specs alone, the Galaxy S6 is a great option. For those who want a lighter-weight, easier to use user interface, however, the Nexus 6 might be the better choice.
