Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: What's the Best Smartphone?

Wondering which smartphone is best? We compare the most important features of the Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6. We’ve broken down these phones by price, camera capabilities, special features, and specs. Which phone will come out on top? Read on to find out.

1. Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: Price

As we stated on our Nexus 6 price guide, this new smartphone is a bit expensive, starting at $649 without a contract. It’s expected that the phone will cost about $50 on-contract, at least through AT&T.

As we explained in our iPhone 6 price guide, The iPhone 6 starts at $199, and the larger 6 Plus starts at $299.

The iPhone 6 comes in three storage options: the 16GB ($199), the 64GB ($299), and the 128GB ($399). The 6 Plus has three options, too: the 16GB ($299), the 64GB ($399), and the 128GB ($499).

Prices are, of course, higher if you buy a phone off-contract. If you buy off-contract through T-Mobile, expect to pay at least $649. If you’re an off-contract buyer, than makes the Nexus 6 and iPhone 6 pretty much even.

2. Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: Specs

Are you crazy about comparing specs? The video above makes an extensive, thorough comparison of the specs of the iPhone 6 and Nexus 6.

The iPhone 6 is 4.7 inches with a display of 1334 x 750 pixels. The 6 is 6.8mm thin, while the the 6 Plus is 7.1mm thick. The Apple A8 chip powers the phone. It is a 64-bit chip that has 2 billion transistors, but is 13% smaller than the previous A7 chip. Graphics should load 50 percent faster than on the previous chip generation.

The Nexus 6 has a 3220mAh battery, far bigger than the iPhone 6’s puny 1810mAh battery. The Nexus 6 also boasts a six-inch Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 805 quad-core 2.7GHz processor, and an Adreno 420 GPU.

3. Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: Special Features

Ever wonder why Android fans and iPhone fans hate each other? The video above explains the roots of this bitter rivalry.

One cool feature of the Nexus 6 is the ability to quickly charge your device. Google states that you’ll be able to get up to 6 hours of phone use from only 15 minutes of charging. Android L also offers some cool features, including new notifications, and a seamless experience across all your Android devices. The iPhone 6’s Handoff feature will do something similar, at least for iPhone owners who have desktops running OS X Yosemite.

Both the Nexus 6 and iPhone 6 offer digital payments in the form of Apple Pay and Google Wallet. You can read our Apple Pay vs. Google Wallet guide to see how these two payment systems compare, or check out our guide to the best places to use Apple Pay to learn more.

4. Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: Camera

Check out the video above from MacRumors, which highlights all of the cool hidden features in Apple’s latest version of iOS.

The iPhone 6 has a 8MP camera, true-tone flash, 1.5 micron pixels, and a f/2.2 aperture. The phase-detection auto-focus used in both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus means you can take photos fast, and with the same technology found in professional DSLR camera.

The Nexus 6 boasts a f2.0 lens and 13 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. The camera also makes use of advanced computational photography technology and HDR+ technology.

5. Nexus 6 vs. iPhone 6: Final Thoughts & Conclusion

It’s too early to have a speed test video with the Nexus 6, but the video above is the next best thing. Check out the video above to see a speed test showdown between the Nexus 5 and iPhone 6.

Apple has had to contend with some serious PR issues in the wake of the iPhone 6’s release. Between issues with iOS 8, the “Bendgate” scandal, and the more recent “Hairgate” controversy, the iPhone 6 launch has definitely been anything but smooth. That being said, a lot of the issues with iOS 8 have been resolved at this point, and the seriousness of both Hairgate and Bendgate may have been slightly overstated.

If you own other Apple products or Samsung products, those previous purchases are likely to influence your next smartphone purchase. That being said, iOS is unquestionably the more secure of the two phone operating systems. Both of these flagship phones have their points of superiority, but for people who are already entrenched in one mobile ecosystem, it’s difficult to think about changing to a new OS.

With these phones so close in price and some key features, this is a hard call. In short, if you want a smartphone that’s got a massive battery, a bigger screen, and a camera with more megapixels, get the Nexus 6. If you want a smartphone that plays nice with your Mac, lives in a secure ecosystem, and has that “luxury” brand cache that makes people “ooh and ah” over your phone, get an iPhone 6.

Buy the iPhone 6 here.

Buy a Nexus 6 here.

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