Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6 Specs Head-to-head

The Samsung Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6 are without a doubt two of the most popular smartphones currently on the market. For this reason, we thought it’s about time to put them head-to-head in the Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6 specs battle.

Our loyal readers may know from our previous Versus articles that the Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6 specs battle will be divided in ten different rounds. Each round is worth one point and, of course, the smartphone that manages to score most points wins the battle. In these ten rounds we will be judging the performance of the two devices when it comes to Display, Dimensions, Processor, Memory, Camera, Operating System, Design, Battery Life, Connectivity, and Price.

Display

This is the first time Apple builds a smartphone with a display larger than 4 inches. In fact, Apple and their fans have bashed the large-screen Android smartphones in the past.

Apple’s new iPhone 6 arrives with a 4.7-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD display with 750 x 1334 resolution. It also has a pixel density of 326 ppi and is protected by shatterproof glass and olephobic coating.

The Galaxy S5 features a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD (1080 x 1920) resolution and a pixel density of 432 ppi. It’s protected against scratches by a Gorilla Glass 3 layer.

The screen that equips the Galaxy S5 comes with higher resolution and higher pixel density, so it helps Samsung’s flagship win this round. The point allocated for the Display round goes to the S5.

Dimensions

Apple was known for manufacturing smartphones that are great for one-hand usage. Starting with the last generation, the Cupertino-based company can no longer brag about this.

The Galaxy S5 is 142 mm tall, 72.5 mm wide, and 8.1 mm thin, while weighing in at 145 grams. Despite having a significantly smaller screen, the iPhone 6 is similar in size with the Galaxy S5. It measures 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm and weighs 129 grams.

Apple’s smartphone is more compact and lighter than its rival, so it wins the Dimensions round. The iPhone 6 wins its first point.

Processor

Starting last year, Apple has integrated 64-bit processors into their iPhone. Just like its predecessor, the iPhone 6 has a 64-bit-friendly processor.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 chipset with quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 330 GPU. On the other hand, the iPhone 6 is underpinned by Apple’s A8 SoC based on two Cyclone (ARM v8-based) cores clocked at 1.4 GHz and a quad-core PowerVR GX6450.

Though the S5’s processor has more cores and higher clock speed, benchmarks have shown that iPhone 6’s CPU is more powerful. Apple’s flagship wins another point.

Memory

Apps, your music collection, your favorite TV shows, photos and videos that you capture using your smartphone. For all these you will need lots of storage.

The iPhone 6 comes has three storage options: 16, 64, and 128 GB. The Galaxy S5 is available with either 32 or 64 GB storage, but it also supports microSD expansion up to 128 GB.

In terms of RAM, the Galaxy S5 arrives with 2 GB, while Apple’s iPhone 6 has only 1 GB. Anyway, iOS’ multitasking doesn’t require a high amount of RAM, so both devices will provide a decent multitasking experience.

Still, the Galaxy S5 can have a maximum of 160 GB of storage. Samsung’s smartphone wins the Memory round.

Camera

Even though I’m not too skilled when it comes to taking photos, I do like to have an above-average camera on the back of my smartphones. Let’s look at the camera units of the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6.

Apple’s terminal brings an 8 MP iSight camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash, 1/3” sensor size, 1.5µm pixel size, geo-tagging, simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, and support for 1080p@60fps video recording. iPhone 6 also brings an 1.2 MP user-facing camera with HD video recording support.

Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 16 MP primary shooter with phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.6” sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, and 4K video recording capabilities. The S5 also integrates a 2 MP secondary cam capable of recording 1080p videos.

Even though there some Apple fans would say that megapixels don’t count, real-life tests have proven that Galaxy S5’s camera is superior. The Samsung terminal wins the Camera round.

Operating System

There will always be a big rivalry between iOS and Android. Some say that Android copied iOS, others say that iOS is copying Android. The truth is somewhere in the middle, but the biggest winners of this competition are us.

Because it’s the latest Apple smartphone, the iPhone 6 runs the latest iOS version out of the box. iOS 8 was presented by Apple in the summer and made available for the public synchronized with the debut of the new iPhones. iOS 8 continues the design philosophy introduced last year by iOS 7, which ditched skeuomorphism over a flatter UI. And because we’re dealing with a new iOS version, we’re also dealing with new features. Unfortunately, there’s nothing too big. iOS 8 introduces an enhanced messaging app that now allows the users to send voice messages and share their location. It also brings a new Health app, smarter keyboard (it also allows you to install third-party keyboards which is great), and a redesigned Gallery app. Personally, I like the new notification banners, that work exactly like Android’s widgets, but in the Notification Center.

The Galaxy S5 is running Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, customized with Samsung’s proprietary TouchWiz UI. KitKat was released almost a year ago, but it’s still competitive. Anyway, Samsung has performed a plethora of customizations to Android, some for the best, other for the worst. Of course, Galaxy S5 brings all the TouchWiz-specific features that debuted years ago on its predecessors, including touchless controls and MultiWindow (this one received noteworthy enhancements), but it also introduces a couple of new features. In my opinion, the most useful is Ultra Power Saving Mode which shuts down unnecessary processes and turns the display black and white to dramatically improve battery life. Galaxy S5 also introduced Download Booster which combines WiFi and LTE to increase download speeds, Private Mode (allows you to control which apps can be accessed if you, let’s say lend your phone to a friend), or S Health. Just like its predecessors, Galaxy S5 brought a plethora of camera-centric features and Selective Focus is one of them.

Yes, iOS 8 may be more consistent than Android, but Google’s mobile operating system is more customizable giving the users more freedom to choose what they want to do with their smartphones. Furthermore, Samsung added a couple of useful features to stock Android, which allow the Galaxy S5 to come out victorious from the Operating System round.

Design

Samsung has received a lot of criticism for not using premium materials for their smartphones. Fortunately, the South Koreans have improved this aspect of their devices starting with the Galaxy Note 4.

The Galaxy S5 keeps the same form factor as its predecessor, but it has less rounded corners and sharper edges. The back is made of a rubberized plastic that feels great and offers good grip. On the back, you will find a heart rate monitor underneath the camera sensor, while the speaker is located in the bottom left corner. S5 also has a fingerprint sensor integrated on the Home button and it’s IP67 certified which means that is dust proof and water resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Samsung flagship might not be the best-looking smartphone on the market, but it’s definitely an improvement compared to company’s previous phones. It’s available in four body colors: Black, Blue, White, and Gold.

The iPhone 6 departs from the design philosophy introduced in 2010 by the iPhone 4. As you may know, the iPhone 4S looked just like the iPhone 4, while both iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s were aluminium-made, taller variants of the former one. The new Apple smartphone has more rounded corners and it’s made of aluminium. It’s very slim, but, unfortunately, it has a large bezel around the screen which is not so good-looking. There are three color options available, Gray, White, and Gold. The iPhone 6 is a wonderfully-crafted smartphone and, no doubt, one of the best-looking on the market.

Even though the S5 is water and dust resistant, the iPhone 6 is the better-looking device. Apple’s smartphone wins the design round hands-down.

Battery Life

The smartphone makers have been struggling with the battery life of their devices for years. Fortunately, they are making efforts to fix this, and the first signs are already showing. Hopefully, in the next couple of years we will see dramatic improvements in smartphone battery life.

The iPhone 6 is kept alive by a non-removable Li-Po 1,810 mAh battery. Apple promises 250 hours of stand-by time and 14 hours of talk time. In our test, the iPhone 6 managed to get through about 18 hours of moderate usage on a single charge.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 has a removable Li-Ion 2,800 mAh battery, which, according to Samsung, can get the device through up to 390 hours of stand-by time or 21 hours of talk time. When we got our hands on the Galaxy S5, the smartphone managed to stay awake for almost one day and a half of moderate usage.

The Galaxy S5 has better battery life, so it wins this round. Another point for Samsung’s smartphone.

Connectivity

When it comes to connectivity, the Galaxy S5 arrives with HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC, infra red port, and microUSB 3.0. Apple’s iPhone 6 brings DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; EV-DO Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps; LTE, Cat4, 150 Mbps DL, 50 Mbps UL, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC (limited to Apple Pay), and Apple’s proprietary Lightning port.

Unfortunately, iPhone 6’s NFC chip has limited functionality. Moreover, the iOS-powered smartphone doesn’t have an IR blaster which comes in handy when you lose the remote control of your TV or set-top-box. The connectivity round goes to the Galaxy S5.

Price

We will try to keep it simple in the Price round. The cheaper smartphone wins the point.

Apple’s iPhone 6 is already available for purchase at the major US carriers, and, like every year, AT&T, Verizon, and Sprit are all selling it at the same price. All three carriers are selling the 16 GB iPhone 6 at a price of $199.99 with a two-year contract, or $649.99 no strings attached.

The Galaxy S5 is on the market of almost a year, so certain carriers and retailers will sell it at a discounted price. AT&T and Verizon are offering the Galaxy S5 at a price of $199.99 on-contract, while Sprint is selling it at $99.99 with a two-year agreement. While both AT&T and Sprint are selling the contract-free 16 GB S5 at $649.99, Verizon is selling it at $599.99. Fortunately, Amazon is selling the Galaxy S5 with heavy discounts. The 16 GB AT&T model is available for $0 downwith a two-year contract, while Verizon is selling the S5 on Amazon at $99.99 on-contract. The Sprint variant also has a price tag of $99.99 with a two-year agreement.

It’s quite obvious that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the cheaper smartphone. The South Korean phone wins another round in the battle against iPhone 6.

Conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6 specs battle has come to an end. This means that it’s time to start counting points and see which smartphone has won the battle.

The Apple iPhone 6 managed to score 3 points after it won the Dimensions, Processor, and Design rounds. It outmatched the Galaxy S5 because it’s more compact and lighter, because it has a more powerful processor, and because it’s built using better materials.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 finished the battle with not less than 7 points. It outmatched its rival when it came to Display, Memory, Camera, Operating System, Battery Life, Connectivity and Price, as it brings a higher-resolution screen, more storage, higher-quality camera, more useful features, better battery life, more connectivity options, and because it’s cheaper.

In our opinion, the Samsung smartphone is the clear winner of the Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 6 specs battle. Anyway, some of you may think otherwise, so feel free to let us know in the comments section below.