Apple iPhone 6s Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note5

Introduction

Danger, danger, big screens incoming! The newApple iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy Note5 are poised to become the most talked-about phablets for the foreseeable future, so we are left with no choice but to stage a cage fight between these two juggernauts of the mobile industry. 

Thin and with premium build, the phones are not only stuffed to the gills with the best that the mobile hardware industry can offer, but also offer two distinctively unique extra input methods – the new and clicky S Pen on the Note5, and the 3D Touch pressure-sensitive screen on the 6s Plus. Which one is to prevail? Read on to find out...

Design

With a premium chassis and record screen-to-body ratio, the Note5 design is now a match for the larger iPhone.

Both handsets feature premium materials in their design build, with Apple betting on a durable 7000-series aluminum unibody, and Samsung cladding its Note5 in a glass and metal chassis. The Note5 uses thermal nanocoating, applying numerous layers to achieve transient, reflective mirror effect. The metal side frame feels quite slippery in the hand, though, and so is the metal body of the iPhone 6s Plus. The choice of premium materials, and the extra functions that both phablets boast, are making them rather heavy in the hand, especially the iPhone, which clocks in at the cringing 6.77 oz (192 g), while the Note5's chassis comes in at 6.03 oz (171 g) .

Apple's handsets, including the iPhone 6s Plus don't have good screen-to-body ratio. Meanwhile, the Note5 excels in that metric, thanks to slim bezels all around. 

Long story short, the 5.7” Note5 is more compact than the 5.5” iPhone 6s Plus; moreover, it still finds a place for the S Pen stylus silo on the lower right corner. Nevertheless, Samsung's phablet is still a pretty big device that is not comfortable to use with one hand, or carry in tight pockets, and the iPhone 6s Plus takes those portability dramas even further.