Mobile Technology

iPhone 6s vs. Samsung Galaxy S6

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How does the new iPhone 6s (left) compare with the Samsung Galaxy S6?
3D Touch
Battery
Build (back)
Build (frame)
Camera aperture (rear)
Physical camera launch shortcut
Camera megapixels
Color options
Processor
Dimensions
Display resolution
Display size
Display type
Fast charging
Fingerprint sensor
How does the new iPhone 6s (left) compare with the Samsung Galaxy S6?
Mobile payments
Optical Image Stabilization
Starting price (full retail)
RAM
Release
Software
Weight
Wireless charging
Storage
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Wondering how Apple's new iPhone 6s compares to its biggest rival on the Android side of the fence, the Samsung Galaxy S6? Let's take a look at how their features and specs match up.

Size

Dimensions

The Galaxy S6 and its curved sibling, the Galaxy S6 edge, are both a little bigger than the new iPhone: the GS6 is 4 percent taller and 6 percent wider, while the GS6 edge is 3 percent taller and 4 percent wider.

The iPhone 6s is a bit thicker than last year's iPhone 6. That has the 6s measuring 4 percent thicker than the Galaxy S6 and just a hair thicker than the S6 Edge. Just remember that, relatively speaking, all three are very thin phones.

Weight

Weight

The iPhone 6s also measures 4 percent heavier than the GS6 and 8 percent heavier than the Edge. Like with thickness, though, those are still pretty minor differences.

Build (back)

Build (back)

No chintzy builds here: you get a premium aluminum design on the iPhone and a premium Gorilla Glass 4 backing on the Galaxy S6 pair.

... and, just a heads' up, for the categories where we show the Galaxy S6 without also showing the Edge, there aren't any differences between Samsung's two flagships.

Build (frame)

Build (frame)

The unibody iPhone's aluminum backing wraps around to its sides, while the Galaxy S6's glass makes way for aluminum on its frame.

Color options

Color options

Apple added a new rose gold color option this year, in addition to the three hues we saw in the 2013 and 2014 flagships.

Display size

Display size

As an "S"-year upgrade, the iPhone 6s sticks with the same display size we saw in last year's iPhone 6. That means the two Galaxy S6 phones still give you 18 percent more real estate.

Display resolution

Display resolution

The screens of the ultra-crisp GS6 pair come out 77 percent sharper, based on pixel density.

Display type

Display type

Nothing has changed here; we're looking at IPS vs. AMOLED.

"3D Touch" display

3D Touch

One of the iPhone 6s' big selling features is its new 3D Touch display. It takes the pressure-sensitive Force Touch we saw on the Apple Watch and latest MacBooks, and adds a third level of interaction: the screen will differentiate among a tap, regular press and deeper press.

At first glance, that might not sound like something you need on your phone. But Apple's examples of how it's implemented sound like it could be an innovative feature.

In some areas of iOS, a regular (first-level) press on the screen will give you what Apple calls a "Peek": a quick pop-up preview (for things like emails, website links and photo thumbnails).

... if that Peek was all you needed, then a lift of your finger would take you back to wherever you were (like your inbox, a web page or the camera app).

But if you wanted a deeper look at the pop-up content you just previewed, continue pressing harder into a "Pop": a full-screen view of the content.

This all sounds a little complex for the historically simple iOS, but it has the potential to let you do more within the confines of multitouch.

Fingerprint sensor

Fingerprint sensor

Both handsets have excellent, touch-based fingerprint sensors.

Mobile payments

Mobile payments

Apple and Samsung each have their own mobile payment services, but Samsung Pay (when it launches later this month) should automatically have the retailer adoption advantage on Day One. Unlike the NFC-based Apple Pay, Samsung's service will work with most standard credit card readers.

No searching of a short list of early adopter retailers necessary. If they have credit card machines that don't require you to hand your card to the clerk, then they should be covered.

Processor

Processor

Apple hasn't announced the cores and clock speed for the A9 system-on-a-chip in the new iPhones. But no matter what they ultimately show up as in benchmarks and teardowns, history has taught us that you'd be foolish to draw any conclusions about the iPhone's overall performance from those numbers alone.

In other words, iPhone performance has always transcended what you'd expect from raw specs.

RAM

RAM

Ditto for RAM; Apple doesn't typically announce these details.

Storage

Storage

The Galaxy S6 gives you more storage on the entry-level tier, but it all evens out from there.

Camera megapixels

Camera megapixels

This is the iPhone's first rear camera resolution bump since the 4s in late 2011.

Camera aperture (rear)

Camera aperture (rear)

Though the new iPhone's camera should be an improvement over the (already great) shooter in last year's iPhone 6, the new model's aperture stands pat at ƒ/2.2.

OIS

Optical Image Stabilization

Like with last year's iPhones, only the bigger model (iPhone 6s Plus) gets Optical Image Stabilization.

Physical camera shortcut

Physical camera launch shortcut

Double-tapping the Galaxy S6's home button to launch its camera might sound like a minor feature. But in the pair of GS6 flagships, we found that it makes it super-easy (and super-quick) to snap shots.

Though Apple has no physical button shortcuts dedicated to the camera, it does use 3D Touch to let you press the Camera app's home screen icon to jump right into a selfie, video, slow-mo video or regular shot.

Battery

Battery

This isn't technically official, but a shot of the iPhone 6s' internals in an Apple-made promo video (spotted by MacRumors) appears to confirm that the phone has a 1,715 mAh battery.

Wireless charging

Wireless charging

Apple hasn't jumped into wireless charging for its mobile devices just yet.

Fast charging

Fast charging

Like plenty of Android flagships from the last year, the GS6 has a fast-charging feature that will juice up your phone faster than on other phones.

Software

Software

We're looking at the soon-to-be-released iOS 9 on the iPhone, with Android Lollipop along with Samsung's TouchWiz on the GS6.

Release

Release

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-orders start at the end of this week, with the phones hitting stores on September 25.

Starting price (full retail)

Starting price (full retail)

These figures for the Galaxy S6 are ballparks, as US carriers vary a bit on their full retail pricing. No matter how you slice it, though, the recently-discounted Galaxy S6 is the cheapest of the three.

... just remember that, for all three handsets, most shoppers will either pay with an installment plan or sign a two-year contract to avoid paying these prices upfront.

Stay tuned for Gizmag's iPhone 6s review. For deeper looks at Samsung's early 2015 flagships, you can hit up our Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge reviews.

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5 comments
Michaelangelo
I am an Apple user. Having come over from the other stable I found the transition easy. My gear is 95% work. Photography, Video, 3d Modelling and CAD CAM. As for the phones.. they are phones. I am over how 'Ones persons' opinion apparently is gospel and is right and just. My choice is 'Wrong' as far as Android users go.. but at the base of it.. we all only make calls, text, email and 'Google' around. THey are both awesome bits of kit. I would be happy with either one but the connectivity and continuity of 'Apple' has yet to be surpassed in my opinion..(I could very well be wrong… lol) Keep up the great work.
Dave Andrews
As usual, the iPhone just doesn't come close.
GuidoJerzijnska
As fas as i can see is the Samsung Galaxy S6 still the master. Apple must do a great job to beat the Galaxy. Maybe with the iphone 7? But still Samsung will always be a step ahead. On the other side. You have apple fans and Samsung fans.
Thanx for this detailed description.
AjmalSenan
whatever you say Apple stands out of all...
JamesRodwer
Both are great devices but my opinion is that Samsung is still lagging behind Apple eventhough it has come with an awsome phone this year