iPhone 6 Plus Vs Galaxy Note 4 Review: 2014's Biggest Phone Fight

Welcome to the biggest heavyweight clash in mobile phone history. For the first time Apple AAPL -0.34% is moving in on the phablet sector Samsung has dominated (and arguably created) for the last four years. Two mega-corporates, two opposing ideologies and two massive handsets competing for our affections, both going about it in completely different ways.

Phone clashes have never been bigger. Literally. So strap in, this is going to be good.

Design – Practical Vs Beautiful

The perfect place to start contrasting the pros and cons of the Galaxy Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus is their physical design. Apple has long been famed for its minimalist craftsmanship while Samsung has been widely derided for ugly designs for years.

Galaxy Note 4 (left) iPhone 6 Plus (right) – image credit: Gordon Kelly

iPhone 6 Plus: 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 in) and 172 g (6.07 oz)
Galaxy Note 4: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm (6.04 x 3.09 x 0.33 in) and 176 g (6.21 oz)

But not so fast. As I pointed out in my iPhone 6 Plus Long Term Review, Apple’s first phablet is wonderfully well crafted with top notch build materials and wonderfully chamfered edges but it is perhaps the company’s most gratuitous example of style over substance.

The lack of any tangible curvature make it awkward in the hand while the super slick finish to the aluminium unibody means it is like holding a bar of soap. A case is mandatory. Meanwhile the protruding camera looks ugly, is the point of impact every time the iPhone 6 Plus is put down and means it doesn’t sit flat on surfaces making that flat back even more pointless.

iPhone 6 Plus looks better, but Note 4′s textured back offers better grip (image credit: Gordon Kelly)

By contrast no-one could say the Note 4 is an oil painting. Samsung has upgraded its fourth generation phablet with a rigid metal bezel (no bending here)and toned down the faux-leather stitching on the back, but it won’t be winning any beauty contests.

Samsung’s perseverance with a physical home button and capacitive keys will alienate many as well and it never seems to get its angles quite right like Motorola, HTC or LG. This time the Note 4 looks boxy and cheap, rather than curved and cheap like the Note 3. Samsung just can’t nail attractive design, despite clearly putting in a great deal of effort (almost every edge is chamfered).