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Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: vote for the better smartphone!

By Peter Kostadinov

Updated: Oct 06, 2014, 3:26 AM

96comments

Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: vote for the better smartphone!

One of the fiercest rivalries in the mobile industry for the past several years has been the one between Apple and Samsung. The harbingers of the heated battle are usually the giants' most up-to-date flagships - the Galaxy S ones usually stands up to an iPhone. This year is absolutely no different, as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Apple iPhone 6, each with its own merits and flaws, are the latest to engage in a heated battle royale and continue the everlasting war between Samsung and Apple. At this point, it's more than sure that most of you have an opinion about which one of these extremely popular smartphones is superior and offers more band for the buck, both feature- and experience-wise.

As usual, here at PhoneArena we value your opinion and are quite curious to see which one of the two devices is more well-received among the community. That's why we now ask you to decide in what key categories the Apple iPhone 6 simply destroys the Samsung Galaxy S5, or vice versa. After each of the following categories, you can vote for the winner as per your own opinion. It will be quite interesting if we (and mostly you) refrain from our usual allegiances and biases and vote for the clear champion, which will pave the way for a more objective comparison between the two champions. Okay, let's get to it!

Design

Save for the hardware specs, one can only find more differences between the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S5 in the design department. Now, the size difference is not as stark as it previously was, but there's still a big difference between the build quality of the respective exteriors. Cupertino's latest rendition relies on aluminum as it's made of a single metal block, while the Galaxy S5 puts its faith into polycarbonate and the distinctive "glam" back cover.

The Apple iPhone 6 is thinner, shorter, not as wide, and lighter than the Galaxy S5, yet Sammy's flagship comes with a tad more display real estate - 5.1" in the Galaxy versus iPhone 6's 4.7 inches of screen glory. This means that the screen-to-size ratio of the Galaxy S5 is superior to the one of the Apple iPhone 6. The latter's dimensions are 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches (138.2 x 67.1 x 6.9 mm) and the flagman weighs 4.55 oz (129 g), whereas its Android rival stands at 5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm) and tips the scales at no more or less than 5.11 oz (145 g).

Check out how these two compare to one another design-wise in the gallery below and make sure to cast your vote afterwards.

Front view
Side view

Apple iPhone 6

Dimensions

5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches

138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm

Weight

4.55 oz (129 g)

Samsung Galaxy S5

Dimensions

5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches

142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm

Weight

5.11 oz (145 g)

Apple iPhone 6

Dimensions

5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches

138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm

Weight

4.55 oz (129 g)

Samsung Galaxy S5

Dimensions

5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches

142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm

Weight

5.11 oz (145 g)

See the full Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 size comparison or compare them to other phones using our Size Comparison tool.

Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: which one has a better overall design?

Apple iPhone 6

50.85%

Samsung Galaxy S5

49.15%

Display

The Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6 can't be any different. Samsung's finest usually rely on punchy, off-the-scale Super AMOLED displays, and the Galaxy S5 is absolutely no different. The colors of its 5.1-inch display are oversaturated and inaccurate - this is not bad at all, especially if you are looking for more vivid and "colorful" display, but users who are looking for accurate color reproduction might get turned off by the Android monster.

What's more, its 8200 K color temperature surely takes its toll (6500 K being the reference point), and the Samsung flagship looks a bit coldish. The screen of the Galaxy S5 is also a more pixel-rich - its resolution is 1080x1920 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of 432 pixels per inch.

The Apple iPhone 6, on the other hand, puts its faith in IPS LCD displays and employs one on itself. With a resolution of 750x1334 pixels and size of 4.7 inches, Cupertino's finest accounts for a pixel density of 326ppi, less than the Galaxy S5. However, the display of the iPhone 6 is way more color-accurate and produces natural-looking colors that are nowhere as punchy and vivid as the one on the Galaxy S5. Apple's flagship also has a warmer display, which is rather close to the 6500 k reference point with its own color temperature of 7162 K. The iPhone 6 also has a higher maximum brightness (606 nits) when compared to the Galaxy S5 (442 nits), which means that it will be a tad easier to use the former under sunlight.

So, the punchy, eye-catching Galaxy S5 or the bright, color-accurate iPhone 6 - who's the winner in this section? Vote on this right below!

Display measurements and quality

	Maximum brightnessHigher is better	Minimum brightness(nits)Lower is better	ContrastHigher is better	Color temperature(Kelvins)	Gamma	Delta E rgbcmyLower is better	Delta E grayscaleLower is better
Samsung Galaxy S5	442 (Poor)	2 (Good)	unmeasurable (Excellent)	8183 (Poor)	2.25	5.08 (Average)	7.38 (Average)
Apple iPhone 6	606 (Average)	7 (Poor)	1:1563 (Excellent)	7162 (Good)	2.23	2.79 (Good)	3 (Good)

View all

	Maximum brightnessLower is better	Minimum brightnessLower is better	ContrastLower is better	Color temperatureLower is better	GammaLower is better	Delta E rgbcmyLower is better	Delta E grayscaleLower is better
Samsung Galaxy S5	62.7%	50%	unmeasurable	4.7%	1.8%	23.2%	9.9%
Apple iPhone 6	82.3%	85.7%	86.9%	2.3%	10.8%	34.1%	24%

The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

These measurements are made using Portrait Displays' CalMAN calibration software.

View all

Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: which one has a better display?

Apple iPhone 6

42.05%

Samsung Galaxy S5

57.95%

Interface and functionality

The differences between the two flagships continue full-scale in the interface section, too. While Apple has endowed the iPhone 6 with the latest rendition of iOS, iOS 8, Samsung's forerunner ships with the latest rendition of Android, Android 4.4.x KitKat, with the TouchWiz interface on top of it. Each of these prominent and popular mobile platforms have their own flaws and merits - the flexibility of Android is ubiquitous, whereas the pure simplicity of iOS 8 is a sound argument solely by itself.

Being arguably one of the most feature-rich Android user interfaces out there, TouchWiz is also, quite unfortunately, often criticized for its steep learning curve compared to similar Android devices and iOS. It is indeed packed with functionalities that iOS, but the latter is now a tad more open as well. Third-party keyboards are one of the several aspects that Apple now allows, and aside from this big implementation, iOS 8 has also scored a multitude of performance and feature-related novelties. iOS, however, can't stand up to the openness and flexibility of the Android-TouchWiz combo.

Of course, the respective user interfaces pave the way for different experience, and in the end of the day, this is among the more important aspects of the smartphone you hold in your hands. That said, does the Apple iPhone 6 offer better user experience than the Samsung Galaxy S5, or vice versa? Cast your vote below.

Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: which one provides better user experience?

Apple iPhone 6

45.7%

Samsung Galaxy S5

54.3%

Camera

Both the Apple iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 are worthy competitors when it comes down to taking a photo. Cupertino's finest comes with an 8MP rear iSight camera with phase-detection autofocus and boasts an aperture of f/2.2. The optical image stabilization found on the iPhone 6 Plus is not present on the smaller iPhone, which is a pity, but then again, the Galaxy S5 doesn't have with the stabilizing feature as well. The latter, however, is flaunting a 16MP rear snapper with an f/2.2 ISOCELL camera sensor. Samsung has also enriched the flagship with a plethora of different shooting modes, whereas the iPhone sticks to the very basics and keeps things simple.

The video shooting capabilities of both devices deserve a special mention, too. While the iPhone 6 can shoot ultra slow motion videos at 240fps (which is among its most impressive features as a whole), the Galaxy S5 pushes the limits of mobile video recording in another segment, as it is capable of recording 4K videos with the staggering resolution of 3840x2160 pixels at 30fps.

The Galaxy S5 has already topped several of our blind tests, but it is yet to face the iPhone rival in this important segment. Take a look at the sample images and videos below and tell us which one among the two popular phones performs better according to you!

Apple iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: which camera performs better?

Apple iPhone 6

44.35%

Samsung Galaxy S5

55.65%

Conclusion

The face-off between the Apple iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5 was destined to be a pretty fierce one and we can hardly wait to share the poll results with you! Speaking of the these, voting will be closed on Sunday, October 5, so make sure that you cast a vote while you still can. We'll share the results once they are ready, so stay tuned!

View Full Bio

Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.