Head To Head: Samsung Galaxy S6 Vs. iPhone 6

Samsung Versus Apple

Unlike its predecessors, Samsung's newest phone, the Galaxy S6, is meant to appeal to the high-end customer base through its edgy, curved display screen offerings, trendy aluminum base and Gorilla glass design.

But analysts say the phone, released in the U.S. on Friday, has a striking resemblance to the iPhone 6, the latest smartphone to be released by Samsung competitor Apple.

CRN put the two phones head to head to see what similarities and innovative features Samsung brings to the table with the Galaxy S6.

10. Display

The Galaxy S6 features a slim, seamless full metal and glass construction and quad HD high-pixel density display with Super AMOLED for lower power consumption and a thinner frame. While the Galaxy S6 contains a flat panel, the phone's more expensive counterpart, the Galaxy S6 Edge, contains a panel that is curved at the vertical edges of the phone.

This high-end manufacturing is similar to the iPhone 6's high-contrast, dual-domain pixels in its HD Retina display, with parallel metal and glass material. However, the iPhone 6 lacks the curved display feature that the Galaxy S6 Edge touts.

9. Size

Large phone screens are becoming increasingly popular for high-end smartphones, according to analysts, and the bigger screens of both the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 reflect this trend.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge both flaunt screens that are 5.1 inches, which is a bit bigger than the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch screen. However, the iPhone 6 Plus, a "phablet" that prides itself on its larger size, is bigger than both devices, with a 5.5-inch display.

8. Chip

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge both contain an Exynos 14nm 64-bit Octa Core chip, while the iPhone 6 sticks with Apple's A8 20 nm 64-bit ARM-based SoC with an M8 motion co-processor.

Previous Samsung smartphone models like the Galaxy S5 utilized Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 SoC with a 32-bit quad-core processor.

7. Material

Both the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6 are made from top-of-the-line materials, with an underlying body construction of aluminum and Gorilla Glass 4 panel around the frame.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge have markedly upgraded high-end materials from their predecessors in the Galaxy S series, which were mainly manufactured with cheaper plastic materials. Analysts have praised the new high-end material as an upgrade for Samsung.

Additionally, both phones are offered in a variety of colors.

6. Storage

Samsung and Apple's smartphones offer similar storage options that are not completely the same. The Galaxy S6 offers 32 GB, 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage options. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 offers 16-GB, 64-GB and 128-GB options for storage.

However, neither the Galaxy S6 nor the iPhone 6 offers a micro SD card for extra storage.

5. Camera

Samsung's Galaxy S6 features front and rear cameras with F1.9 lenses and high-resolution sensors. These cameras includes a Quick Launch feature, allowing users quick access to the camera from any screen by clicking the home key button, along with features like virtual shot, fast and slow motion, and selective focus.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 features its iSight camera with an Apple-designed video encoder and image signal processor built into the A8 chip. This camera supports features like new Focus Pixels, improved face detection and enhanced noise reduction.

4. Operating System

Predictably, the Galaxy S6 is powered by Android's latest Lollipop OS 5.0.2 version, while the iPhone 6 runs on iOS 8 and can be upgraded to 8.3. Analysts praise iOS because of its features like AirDrop and Handoff, enabling simple sharing features among the iPhone, iPad and other devices.

Analysts expressed worries about the Galaxy S6's Android OS, which in the past has come with clutter and unneeded tools and menu options that weakened the user experience. However, Samsung seems to have worked to hold back some of these unnecessary tools in its latest software version in Galaxy S6, according to analysts.

3. Features

The Galaxy S6 comes with a variety of new features. Its biggest asset is its wireless charging, with any wireless pad available in markets supporting WPC 1.1 and PMA 1.0 standards and protocols for different power transfer avenues.

In addition, Samsung has announced that its payment feature, Samsung Pay, which comes after the company purchased Burlington, Mass.-based payment NFC system LoopPay, would launch on Galaxy S6 during the second half of the year. This puts Samsung on the same level as Apple Pay, which comes pre-installed on the iPhone 6.

In a similar feature to the iPhone 6's Touch ID, Samsung's Galaxy S6 offers a PayPal-certified fingerprint sensor.

2. Battery life

Samsung's Galaxy S6 contains a non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery, allowing for longer talk time, but holding up to just over one day of battery life. Analysts said that battery life could be better for Samsung's new flagship phone.

The iPhone 6, meanwhile, contains a non-removable Li-Po 1810 MAh battery enabling up to 14 hours of 3G talk and 10 hours of 3G browsing. Both phones have embedded batteries, which means that users can't trade out the battery when they need extra power.

1. Price

Price-wise, the Galaxy S6 and iPhone 6 are similar. The Galaxy S6 with 32 GB costs $199.99 with a two-year contract at retail stores, while the Galaxy S6 Edge with 32 GB costs $299.99. At retail stores the Galaxy S5 with 16 GB costs around $100.

Meanwhile, pricing for the iPhone 6, released in September 2014, begins at $199, and the iPhone 6 Plus prices start at $299.