Nexus 6p vs. iPhone 6S Plus - a comparison of smartphones

Google vs. Apple - the eternal struggle of the two technology giants goes into the next round with the Nexus 6p and the iPhone 6S Plus. Our direct comparison shows which smartphone currently has the edge and where both manufacturers could still improve.

External differences: iPhone 6S Plus vs Nexus 6p

With the iPhone 6S Plus, Apple is also launching a smartphone with a large display - a somewhat unusual step for the giant from California. At Google, displays over 5 inches are standard. Although both smartphones are similar in size, the first differences can already be seen on the outside:

• Dimensions and weight: With 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 millimeters, the Nexus 6p hardly measures more than the iPhone 6S Plus with 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 millimeters. Nevertheless, the Google smartphone with 178 grams is significantly lighter than the Apple competitor with 192 grams. However, design fans can look forward to a stylish aluminum case on both devices.
• Display: The Google Nexus 6p relies on a sharp AMOLED display with 5.7 inches and a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels. The iPhone is 5.5 inches and 1080 x 1920 pixels. Ultimately, however, Google is clearly ahead in terms of pixel density: here 518 ppi are only 401 ppi.
• Connections: The iPhone 6S Plus uses the Lightning input, via which the smartphone is charged or connected to the PC or television. The same functions are performed by the micro USB connector on the Nexus 6p. Both smartphones do not have a separate SD card slot.

The hardware check: Nexus 6p against iPhone 6S Plus

The two top smartphones differ not only externally, but also internally:

• Processor: The Nexus 6p is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994 with eight cores and 64-bit architecture. The Apple A9 APL1022 on the iPhone 6S Plus only manages two cores in 64-bit architecture, but in our test it still ensures outstanding performance that even the Octa-Core from Google didn't stand a chance.
• RAM: Google also has the edge on the data sheet in terms of RAM. The Nexus 6p offers 3 GB of RAM, while the iPhone 6S Plus only uses 2 GB. In the end, however, the following also applies here: The Apple iOS system runs smoothly and the benchmark test is very good. In practice, the two smartphones hardly differ in terms of performance.
• Equipment: Both devices have LTE Cat-6, WLAN-n, GPS and NFC. In addition, both smartphones can be unlocked using a fingerprint. The rest of the equipment is essentially the same, which is why there are no differences.

Camera and battery life: iPhone 6S Plus vs. Nexus 6p

So far, both smartphones have not given much: Although the Nexus 6p is a little better on the sheet, in practice the iPhone 6S Plus can easily keep up. The decision of our comparison must now bring the camera and battery:

• Camera: Apple uses an iSight camera with 12.2 megapixels and dual LED in the iPhone 6S Plus. There is also a 5 megapixel camera on board for selfies. The Nexus 6p also features a back camera with 12.2 megapixels and dual LED as well as a front camera with 8 megapixels. In the test, both devices look good and even record videos in 4K. The only advantage of the iPhone: Here, even HDR recordings are possible.
• Battery life: Google is clearly ahead in terms of battery life. We measured a talk time of 10:00 hours for the Nexus 6p, and only 4:07 for the iPhone 6S Plus. The online runtime for the Nexus 6p is a proud 9:40 hours, while for the iPhone it ends after 5:40 hours. The Apple device of course lasts much longer in everyday life, but it still cannot match the values ​​of the Google phone.

Conclusion: close win for Google

Both the iPhone 6S Plus and the Google Nexus 6p are up to date and current top smartphones. The great battery life gives Google victory over Apple in this round. Another reason for the Nexus 6p is the price:

• Current offers for the iPhone 6S Plus with 16 GB of storage space, the variant with 64 GB and the version with 128 GB can be found here.
• The Nexus 6p is a little cheaper: You can find the variants with 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB here. Current offers for new devices are not available.

If you want to save money, you can also look at the respective predecessors of the two flagships. In another article, we compared the iPhone 6 with the Nexus 6.