Price: £575 inc VAT
Rating: 0

Apple's iPhone 6 Plus is now available to buy, so Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 has some more competition. Find out how these flagship smartphones differ in our iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comparison. See also: Best smartphones 2014

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Price

Even though the Galaxy Note 4 is priced at a hefty £575 (at Clove), the iPhone 6 Plus is even more expensive - one of the most expensive smartphones we've ever seen starting at £619 for the cheapest model.

There's only one model of the Note 4 but as usual, Apple offers three different capacities so you could spend up to a whopping £789 for the top-end model.

So you're going to have to spend at least £45 extra to get the iPhone but should you? Find out how these two smartphone compare below.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Design

Apple puts a lot of effort into making each iPhone thinner than the last and the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1mm which is impressive for a phone this size. The Galaxy Note 4 is not much thicker at 8.5 mm and both weight very similar amounts at 172 g and 176 g respectively.

Either way, you're buying a huge phone – a phablet even whether you like the term or not. The fact Apple has moved the power button from the top to the side on the iPhone 6 Plus is testament to this.

Samsung and Apple normally employ contrasting use of materials when it comes to phones and although the Note 4 has a metal edge, it still uses a faux leather rear cover. The iPhone is still a combination of glass and aluminium with an iPad-like rounded shape.

We've held both phones and the iPhone 6 Plus is certainly more desirable but like previous generations feels delicate. The device will need a case if you don't want to tarnish its shiny exterior but the Note 4 makes no such demand and feels durable.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Screen

With its 5.5in display, it's a huge jump is size for the iPhone 6 Plus (a full 1.5in compared to the iPhone 5S). However, it's still not as big as the Galaxy Note 4 which remains at 4.7in like its predecessor.

There's not a huge difference in size then but let's look at resolution. Not only is the iPhone 6 Plus the biggest ever, it's got the highest resolution and pixel density of any Apple has made which it calls Retina HD. It uses Full HD (1080 x 1920) resulting in 401 ppi.

Samsung has opted for a Quad HD resolution like the LG G3 meaning the Galaxy Note 4 uses 1440 x 2650 pixels and a resulting pixel density of 515 ppi. So it outpaces its rival but the iPhone's screen is still excellent.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Processor and GPU

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is one of the first devices to come with a 2.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (or a 1.9/1.3 GHz Exynos octa-core processor in some markets). It's a 64-bit processor so ready for Android L and the phone has 3 GB of RAM.

Apple's A8 is another 64-bit ARM-based processor and may seem a lot less impressive as the chip is still dual-core and the iPhone 6 Plus only has 1 GB or RAM. However, Apple does this to save power and maximise battery life. The A8 is more powerful than the A7 and the M8 co-processor can now detect activity types and elevation.

The Galaxy Note 4 may win on paper but the iPhone 6 Plus has benchmarked better than any other phone we've seen to date so shouldn't be underestimated. We haven't tested the Note 4 benchmark-wise yet but either way you're investing in a top performing handset from a user perspective.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Storage

As we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Note 4 is available in just one model, 32 GB. Apple offers three choices: 16-, 64- and 128 GB (the 32 GB capacity has been dropped from the line-up.

It's slightly swings and roundabouts as the Galaxy Note 4 has more as standard but Apple offers the highest amount of internal storage on any smartphone (if you can afford it). Swinging things in Samsung's favour here is that the Note 4 has a microSD card slot for adding up to 128 GB. Apple has never, and may never, offer expandable storage.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Wireless

The pair are both fitted with the latest dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi and NFC although see below for details on how Apple uses NFC in the iPhone. While the iPhone 6 Plus has Bluetooth 4.0, the Note 4 has version 4.1. Apple's new smartphone supports more 4G LTE bands which will make it better for roaming but the Note 4 has faster 4G with Cat 6 (up to 300Mbps) compared to Cat 4 (150Mbps). Bear in mind that those are just theoretical maximums though.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Unique features

With top-end design and core specs, unique selling points are becoming more and more important to differentiate smartphones. Let's look at what the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4 have on offer.
Both phones have a fingerprint scanner and although they also both have NFC, the iPhone's is currently restricted to Apple Pay which won't launch in the UK until next year.

The Galaxy Note 4 has the S Pen stylus which for fans of the series is a key reason to buy the phone. It also has an IR blaster, heart rate monitor and UV sensor – none of which you'll find on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Aside from the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, the unique feature of the iPhone 6 Plus is really iOS 8 which we'll talk about in the software section below.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Cameras

The rear facing camera on the Galaxy Note 4 is 16 Mp and comes with Smart OIS (optical image stabilisation). The HDR mode also offers a live preview which is nice touch. Apple has stuck with the same 8 Mp iSight camera but has made upgrades including phase detection auto focus and optical image stabilisation. The latter isn't even available on the iPhone 6.

On the video side of things the iPhone 6 Plus has improved face detection and slow motion video at 240fps – twice that of the iPhone 5S – plus time lapse video. However, it doesn't shoot video in 4K quality like the Galaxy Note 4 can.

Both main cameras have their pros and cons so it's pretty level but Samsung wins on the front camera with a 3.7 Mp capable of recording Full HD video. The iPhone 6 Plus has an improved FaceTime HD camera but is only 1.2 Mp and limited to 720p HD video.

Sony Xperia Z3 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Software

As we mentioned earlier, iOS 8 is a key feature of the iPhone 6 Plus and is a big reason to go for it over the Note 4. It depends on whether you're loyal to iOS of Android though, but maybe you're looking to switch.

Apple provides a smooth and reliable experience with iOS 8 which has a wealth of content available via the App Store. Although the operating system is available on other iPhones, the Plus model has its own exclusive features namely because of the large screen size. You can view the homescreen in landscape for example and double tapping the home button pulls content to the bottom half of the screen so you can reach it easier with one hand.

The Galaxy Note 4 comes pre-loaded with Android 4.4 KitKat and Samsung's own TouchWiz interface. While it's now our favourite Android overlay, the S Pen and is accompanying software has potential once you've spent time learning how to use it all.

Samsung doesn't offer any reachability feature but the phone is designed to be used predominantly with two hands and the S Pen in one of them.

The choice between Android and iOS is a key decision in this comparison and one we can't simply make for you. It depends on where you're coming from and you experience of each.

Buying Advice

The iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 4 are two very different smartphones. Both are top-end powerhouses and although the Note 4 is cheaper and has some hardware not found on its rival, the iPhone 6 Plus is more desirable and offers a more accessible user experience.