Galaxy Note 5 Vs. iPhone 6S Plus: New Phablets Coming From Apple And Samsung, Which Should You Buy?

In the next month or two, shoppers will have the opportunity to jump on a number of new phones, two of which will be the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the iPhone 6S Plus. Samsung is expected to unveil the Note 5 during its launch event on August 13. Apple will likely launch the iPhone 6S in early September, if previous events are any indicator.

Which one is the better of the two? The Note 5 or the iPhone 6S Plus? To be clear, neither phone has been officially announced by either company. But several leaks have pointed to what consumers should expect from Apple and Samsung. Here’s a look at what both are likely to offer so you can decide where to spend your hard earned cash.

App Ecosystem

iPhone 6S: There’s over 1.5 million apps to choose from on iOS and many of the first party apps tie in seamlessly with iCloud and the Mac ecosystem.

Note 5: Android just has as many to choose from if not more. Not to mention it easily integrates with Google services such as Google Play Music and Gmail.

Display and Design

iPhone 6S: The jump to a 5.5-inch 1080p screen on the iPhone 6 was a huge step up. But a Force Touch screen on the iPhone 6S is going to be even better. It’s the same pressure sensing technology on the Apple Watch and it will likely come with some new controls, such as a context menu. And for the most part, its shell is expected to look similar to the iPhone 6.

Note 5: The Note may not have a curved screen, but it more than makes up for it with its 5.7-inch quad HD (2560x1440 pixels) AMOLED display. Not to mention the plastic of previous models has been replaced with metal edges and a curved glass back.

Processor and Memory

iPhone 6S: The next iPhone is expected to get a memory bump to 2GB, up from 1GB, according to the rumor mill. That means more apps can run simultaneously without the need for constantly reloading them. That’s expected to be tossed into Apple’s A9 chip -- the successor to the A8 chip found in the iPhone 6.

Note 5: Welcome to 2012, iPhone. The Galaxy Note 2 had that much memory back then and the Note 5 is going to come packed with 4GB this time around for even more room for multitasking. The big memory boost is expected to be rolled into the Exynos 7422 chip, which combines a 64-bit octa-core processor, GPU, storage, memory and modem all into one package.

Camera

iPhone 6S: The iPhone’s camera is expected to get a boost to 12-megalpixels, likely with built-in optical image stabilization. It will be big boost from the 8-megapixel cameras that the last few iPhones have sported.

Note 5: That’s cute. The Note 5 will pack a 16-megapixel camera for higher-resolution pictures.

Stylus

iPhone 6S: What’s a stylus?

Note 5: The S-Pen that comes standard with Samsung’s phablets can be a useful tool to write notes, draw and navigate on the Note 5. And when you’re done with it, it can pop right back into the slot on the bottom of the phone for storage.

Battery and Charging

iPhone 6S: If the battery on the 6S Plus is anything like the 6 Plus, it will last all day. When iOS 9 comes out, low-power mode can stretch that out for a few hours more if needed.

Note 5: The Note 5 will come with a 4,000 mAh battery, according to Gotta Be Mobile. And that can be stretched out even longer with power saving mode and ultra power saving mode if necessary. And when it’s done for the day, there’s no need for wires. The Note 5 is expected to come with a wireless charger similar to the S6, so juicing up is as simple as placing it on the charge pad.

Mobile Payments

iPhone 6s: Apple Pay lets customers pay for purchases with the iPhone and Apple Watch. By the end of 2015, it will be accepted in 1.5 million retail locations in the U.S., according to Apple.

Note 5: Samsung’s Note 5 is going to be able to do the same with Samsung Pay. But it will work in more places as well since it can also use magnetic secure technology (MST) with credit card terminals that don’t have contactless payment support.

Security

iPhone 6S: Viruses are almost unheard of on iOS, partly due to Apple’s app approval process. And for the few times there have been big bugs, Apple is quick to push out patches when necessary. Google may get around to fixing Android bugs quickly, but Android smartphone owners are still stuck waiting for the carrier or phone manufacturer to push out updates on their own time.

Note 5: Viruses aren't that big of a problem on Android. But for a little extra piece of mind, Note 5 owners can install one of dozens of antivirus apps that are available on the Play Store.

Customization

iPhone 6S: If simplicity is your thing, then iOS is the place to be. Apps can be rearranged, wallpapers can be changed and widgets can be placed on the notification pane. But if you want to tweak every little detail of the phone, you’ll have to find a way to jailbreak it -- a method to bypass the limitations put in place by Apple.

Note 5: Like many Android devices, the Note 5, running Android Lollipop, can be easily customized in more ways than iPhone. You can put widgets on the home screen, change default apps and even pick custom app launchers without jumping through hoops.