As far as smart-phones are concerned, we usually have to make this choice: Samsung vs Apple. Apple has always set new standards and Samsung has always given it stiff competition. While Apple has held the fort in the compact smart-phone segment, Samsung has always gone bigger and more powerful. In quite a role reversal we are comparing a smaller Samsung with a bigger Apple! So a head to head comparison between two phones one from world’s most admired smart-phone brand and its biggest competitors would be nothing short of crazy. Let us see how
Design
With Galaxy Alpha, Samsung has ditched the plastic body for good and sports a milled aluminium that significantly ups its built quality compared to its predecessors. In fact the design seems to be inspired by iPhone 5 and 5S . It has straight edges and nicely cut chamfer that feels good in the hand. iPhone 6 in comparison feels bigger, bulkier and has said goodbye to straight lines and has rounded edges and corners and thus has a good hand-held experience for such a big device. It is thicker at 7.1 mm compared to 6.7 mm in case of Galaxy Alpha.
Screen
Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch 720p HD Super AMOLED screen which is pitted against a 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touch-screen. Both the phones display 16M colors with the Alpha having a pixel density of 312ppi compared to 401ppi of iPhone 6 plus. Galaxy Alpha is bright and offers decent viewing angles but the display is kind of over-saturated and may not suit everyone’s tastes. iPhone’s LCD screen on the other hand doles out a far better experience and is pleasing to the eyes.
OS
iPhone 6 Plus is powered by iOS 8.1, that which carries on the ease of use and simplicity tradition forward. Though the settings with incremental chances seem to be a bit crowded it does offer you more option of customization compared to its predecessor. The double-tap gesture built into the home make navigation easy. Galaxy Alpha has a skinned version of Android 4.4 KitKat and offers more options for customization in the home screen and apps drawer. It isn’t as good as iOS 8.1 but you need to agree it hasn’t been developed for a single product line.
Camera
iPhone 6 plus holds onto an 8-megapixel sensor but comes with a one of its kind optical as well as digital image stabilization thus capturing great images in unfavourable lighting conditions. It supports Full HD video recording and allows 240fps slow-motion or time-lapse footage. The Alpha has a 12 megapixel rear camera and offers you a more hands on experience with multiple shooting modes and its sensor can capture film in 4K. iPhone has a 1.2 megapixel front camera while Galaxy Alpha has a 2.1 megapixel camera on its face.
Performance
Galaxy Alpha’s Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chip isn’t the best in the segment but it does offer smooth user experience and can handle 3D games and high performance apps without any hiccup with the 720p HD resolution enhancing your experience. Apple’s new A8 chip on the other hand promises 50 per cent better graphical performance compared to its predecessor. You would feel the difference between the two phones when it comes to the Full HD resolution and Apple stands much ahead of Samsung. Alpha wins on the connectivity from and support faster Cat 6 4G LTE-A and fully-fledged NFC.
The Verdict
Your decision would ultimately fall on the size of the phone and the price tag. Galaxy Alpha would win by all counts on the price front and is also one of the best phones from Samsung’s stable. iPhone 6 is surely better in terms of premium design work, awesome display and great functionally. It definitely offers a better user experience but you need to also raise your hat to Galaxy Alpha which definitely packs a punch.
