At this point, the Galaxy Note line needs little introduction. After all, the Galaxy Note is Samsung’s biggest success in mobile. While Apple redefined the smartphone and tablet segment, Samsung defined the phablet segment. Despite widespread skepticism, the original Galaxy Note was a massive success. Combined with the Galaxy S2, 2011 was a watershed year for Samsung as they leapfrogged other Android OEMs. Since then, we’ve seen continuous improvement from year to year with each Galaxy Note. While there were competitors, Samsung managed to hold on to their first-mover advantage for multiple generations. However, with the release of Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus we see one of the first significant threats to Samsung’s dominance of this segment.

The Galaxy Note 4 is Samsung’s latest iteration of the Galaxy Note phablet, and on the surface Samsung has put their best foot forward. With the highest bin of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433, the latest generation AMOLED display, a 16MP camera with OIS, and a new design, the Galaxy Note 4 encompasses some of the best hardware that Samsung can deliver. I won’t spend too much time here, but the spec sheet below should cover most of the key points.

  Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Samsung Galaxy Note 4
SoC 2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800 2.7 GHz Snapdragon 805
RAM/NAND 3 GB LPDDR3, 32/64GB NAND + microSD 3GB LPDDR3, 32GB NAND + microSD
Display 5.7” 1080p Super AMOLED 5.7” 1440p Super AMOLED
Network 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x25 IP block UE Category 4 LTE) 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Qualcomm MDM9x35 UE Category 6 LTE)
Dimensions 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm, 168 grams 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, 176 grams
Camera 13MP Rear Facing, 1/3.06" CMOS size (Sony IMX135), 2.1MP FFC 16MP Rear Facing w/ OIS, 1/2.6" CMOS size (Sony IMX240), F/2.0, 3.7MP FFC w/ F/1.9 aperture
Battery 3200 mAh, 3.8V, 12.1 Whr 3220 mAh, 3.85V, 12.397 Whr
OS Android 4.4.2 with TouchWiz UX Android 4.4.4 with TouchWiz UX
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.0, USB3.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC 802.11a/b/g/n/ac + BT 4.1, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS, MHL, DLNA, NFC
SIM Size MicroSIM MicroSIM

While all of these things are easily discovered, the most immediate impressions always come from the design of the phone. In this respect, Samsung has done a surprisingly good job. On the front of the phone, we see a relatively standard design for Samsung. This entails a pattern on underneath the glass, which appears to be a bit shimmery in nature, along with dark black pinstripes. This causes a noticeable pattern in the capacitive buttons when lit, as with the LED notification light. There’s the standard earpiece and Samsung logo on top of the display, and a home button on the bottom, which serves as a fingerprint scanner as well. This home button is noticeably clicky in nature, and feels much better than the Galaxy Note 3’s home button.

On the sides, we see a similar level of improvement. The volume rocker, which is on the left side, and power button, which is on the right side, feel fantastic in comparison to most phones, and is quite close to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in feel. Unlike most Galaxy smartphones, we see an aluminum frame that runs all along the side of the phone, which also has a chamfered edge to eliminate sharp edges. In this area, Samsung has made serious strides as the frame really helps to make for a better in-hand feel that far exceeds what we saw with the Galaxy Note 3 or even the Galaxy S5. Along the top of the frame are cutouts for the 3.5mm headphone jack and IR port which enables TV remote functionality. Along the bottom of the frame, we see the microUSB 2.0 port. While this is technically a regression from the microUSB 3.0 port in speed and power delivery, I suspect compatibility issues and the ungainly design of the microUSB 3.0 standard justified a move back, at least until USB Type-C is ready for shipping devices.

On the back of the phone, we see some more changes. Instead of the downward-firing speakers of the Galaxy Note 3, we see that the speaker has been moved to the back of the phone. The design of the back cover is more an evolution of the Note 3’s back cover than the Galaxy S5’s, which has a noticeable faux leather pattern although the feel is closer to soft touch plastic. There’s also no stitching to try and make it seem more like leather. Instead, at the edges it seems to meet with the metal frame. A similar level of fit and finish is seen around the LED flash module, which is now flush with the back cover instead of sunk into the phone as with the Galaxy S5.

Overall, the design of the Galaxy Note 4 is massively improved. While it isn’t quite as amazing as the rounded design of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it’s one of the best designs I’ve seen for a phone with a removable back cover. The only complaint I have is that Samsung should use a flat black pattern under the glass to accentuate the high contrast of the AMOLED display, but this is quite minor in nature.

Software: TouchWiz UX
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  • beck2050 - Friday, October 17, 2014 - link

    Most reviewers have given the nod to the Samsung display especially in outdoor situations. Battery life has been extended as well and exceeds the iphone 6 plus by a good margin. Seems the writer is a bit biased.
  • tralalalalalala40 - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link

    lols, if it doesn't fit your world view it's flawed. writers use most scientific methodology.
  • KuyaMarkEduard - Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - link

    This post is intended to the non-tech-savvy folks who may have come into this website to get as much information as they can to possibly make the wisest decision by choosing the most right, the best, and the greatest smartphone that is most worthy for their hard-earned money, for their utmost delectation, pleasure, and satisfaction! You can rest-assure that the information you are going to read and find here in this post is cautiously, guardedly, and very conservatively researched and compiled for you to really know and obtain the most accurate and straightforward info pertaining to this two phones; so that you will not be deceived in this review which the intention only is to promote Apple's iPhone 6 plus, and striving at His best to knockdown Samsung's Galaxy Note 4, in the most clever ways possible! Just a piece of advice…, when it comes to the iPhone 6 plus and the Galaxy Note 4, do not trust and believe any types of review from this camouflaged Apple website whether it is for or against, coz it would certainly gonna be very, and I mean, very deceitful one, all for the much-much favor of the iPhone 6 plus, in as much anticipation of the greatest and the uttermost downfall of the Galaxy Note 4!…

    •5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED® display
    •Enhanced S Pen™ with more precision and functions
    •Front Camera 3.7MP + F1.9 / normal Selfie mode (90º), Wide selfie mode (120º)
    •16MP rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization

    Premium Screen;
    (Quad HD Super AMOLED Display);
    Our Best Entertainment Display:

    Our 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED® display features more pixels per inch than any other display we’ve made. That means images are clearer, brighter and more captivating than ever before. And now you can capture video in the same high resolution as the display so your personal videos look better than ever before.
    Enjoy crystal clear images beyond the limits of the human eye.
    The precise color saturation and the high contrast of 5.7'' Quad HD Super AMOLED display will drive you to feel the fluent and vivid color as if you are looking with the naked eye.
    High resolution boasts tremendous viewing experience.
    Truly optimized for web-browsing and e-booking.

    Advanced S Pen;
    Improved touch & feel like a pen;
    Jot It All Down with the S Pen™:

    S Pen offers an improved digital handwriting experience through enhanced pressure sensitivity.
    Enrich you writing through more precise expression.
    Do more than ever before with the new, enhanced S Pen. The S Pen makes it easy to jot things down anytime with Action Memo™ and it's like a mouse for your phone, making it easy to highlight, cut, copy and paste whatever you want, on any screen.
    Also, when you don’t feel like using the keyboard, you can handwrite your emails and text messages and have your words converted into text instantly. ††

    Photo Note;
    A new way to take notes:

    Make your own notes. Take photos with Photo Note and instantly convert analog to digital.
    You can edit notes, change colors, and put in additional memos with S Pen easily.

    Bright and Clear images;
    With Advanced Camera:

    Fit More Into Your Photos.
    The Galaxy Note® 4 has a wide-angle, 3.7MP front-facing camera so you can capture crisper selfies with all of your friends and more of your background. And when you want to photograph anything else, the Galaxy Note 4 comes equipped with a 16MP rear camera with built-in Optical Image Stabilization. So, even when you zoom in, the details in your photo remain in focus.
    No worries in the dark, still capture the best moments.
    Shoot brighter and clearer images using Rear and Front camera. 3.7MP front-facing F1.9 lens camera, and a 16MP Smart OIS back camera provides you the best results for every moment of your life even in dark surroundings.

    Fast charging, high capacity;
    Shortened recharge, lengthened use:

    Fast Charging to Keep You Moving.
    With the new Adaptive Fast Charging, your battery can go from zero up to 50% in about 30 minutes, so you can spend less time connected to an outlet and more time connecting with people you care about. And when your battery is running low, use Ultra Power Saving Mode to extend your power—even at 10%, you can still receive calls and texts for up to 24 hours.*
    Thanks to charging speed improvement, waiting times of Galaxy Note 4 have decreased significantly. Go from zero to 50% in around 30 minutes - usually a 55-minute process. All you have to do is plug in and get dressed after taking a relaxing shower. If you're running out of your time, use Ultra Power Saving mode.

    Free Flowing and Natural multitasking;
    Intuitive, for more convenience:

    Multi-window, Gain flexibility by managing multiple applications at once on a single screen using simple gestures.
    Do More at the Same Time.
    Multi Window™ lets you open more than one app at a time on the same screen. You can browse the Internet while you post your vacation photos. You can even open one app on top of another, making it easier to move between apps.†

    Operating System

    Android OS, v4.4.4 (KitKat out-of-the-box with TouchWiz Nature UX 3.0)

    Form Factor
    Touch Bar

    Body
    Dimensions 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm (6.04 x 3.09 x 0.33 in)
    Weight 176 g (6.21 oz.)

    Compatible Devices
    Gear Circle, Gear Fit Manager, Gear Manager, Gear VR

    Camera

    Camera resolution (Front)
    CMOS 3.7MP w/ f1.9 with Selfie modes (90 & 120º) and 1440p Ultra High-definition video recording

    Camera resolution (Rear)
    CMOS 16 MP, 5312 x 2988 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash

    Features
    Optical Image Stabilization; Rear Facing Camera: Beauty Face, Shot & More, Rear-cam selfie, Selective Focus, Virtual Tour, Dual Camera, Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, Real-time HDR

    Front-Facing Camera:
    Selfie, Wide Selfie

    Video Recording Resolution
    UHD 4K (3840 x 2160p)@30fps, FHD 1920 x 1080p@60fps, FHD 1920 x 1080p@30fps, and HD 1280 x 720p@120fps
    Optical stabilization, dual-video recording

    Main Camera - Flash
    LED Flash

    Main Camera - Auto Focus
    Auto Focus with Smart Optical Image Stabilization

    Battery*

    Talk Time
    Up to 37hours
    Music Play Time
    Upto 80hours
    Internet Use Time
    3G: Upto 11hours; LTE: Upto 11hours; Wi-Fi: Upto 12hours
    Video Play Time
    Up to 14hours
    Source:
    http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones/SM-N9...
    ---
    Endurance rating
    87h
    Talk Time
    Upto 28hours 34minutes
    Web browsing
    Upto 10hours 44minutes
    Video playback
    Upto 17hours 25minutes
    Source:
    http://www.gsmarena.com/battery-test.php3

    Battery Type and Size
    Lithium-ion–removable battery, 3220 milliampere-hours (mA.h), 3.85 volts, 12.4 watt-hours (Wh), Fast Charging (Adaptive Fast Charging (AFC), & QC2.0)

    Memory

    Internal Memory
    3GB RAM; 32GB ROM**

    External Memory/microSD™ Capacity
    MicroSD™ (Up to 128GB)

    SDHC/SHD SD Card
    microSD™ (up to 128GB)

    Network

    Frequencies and Data Type
    CDMA Data ‐ 1x and EVDO Rev0/RevA
    2G CDMA: CDMA800, USPCS1900; GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
    3G (CDMA): 800 / 1900 MHz; HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
    4G LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600; B2 / B4 / B5 / B12 / B17

    Multi-SIM no

    SIM Size
    Micro-SIM (3FF)

    Connectivity

    GPRS Yes
    EDGE Yes
    Speed
    HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA; LTE, Cat4, 50 Mbps UL, 150 Mbps DL (N910C)
    HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA; LTE, Cat6, 50 Mbps UL, 300 Mbps DL (N910S)
    WLAN
    Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 2.4G+5GHz, VHT80 MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
    Bluetooth
    v4.1, A2DP, EDR, LE
    DLNA yes
    NFC Yes
    Infrared port Yes
    Download booster yes
    USB
    microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3), USB Host, USB On-the-go
    Ant+ Yes
    Bluetooth Profiles
    A2DP, AVRCP, DI, HFP, HID, HOGP, HSP, MAP, OPP, PAN, PBAP
    Headphone jack
    3.5mm Stereo
    TV-out via MHL A/V link
    Yes
    Location Technology
    GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, Beidou
    PC Sync.
    KIES

    Chipset

    Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 (SM-N910S)
    Exynos 5433 (SM-N910C)

    CPU

    Processor Speed, Type

    Quad-core 2.7 GHz Krait 450 (SM-N910S)
    Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A57 (SM-N910C)

    GPU

    Adreno 420 (SM-N910S)
    Mali-T760 (SM-N910C)

    Display

    Main Display Resolution
    2560 x 1440 (Quad HD), (515 ppi pixel density)

    Main Display Size
    5.7" Quad HD Super AMOLED®, capacitive touchscreen with curved Gorilla Glass 3

    Main Display Technology
    Capacitive touchscreen, Super AMOLED®

    Color Depth
    16M

    Sunlight contrast ratio
    4.033

    Multitouch
    Yes

    Protection
    Corning Gorilla Glass 3

    S Pen Support
    Air Command (Action Memo, Smart Select, Image Clip, Screen Write) S Note, Photo Note, Direct Pen Input, Pen Select, AirView

    Features

    Alert types
    Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones

    Loudspeaker Yes

    Java
    Yes, via Java MIDP emulator

    S-Voice natural language commands and dictation
    Yes

    Air gestures yes

    Fingerprint scanner with PayPal support and private mode access
    Yes/yes/yes

    Messaging
    SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM

    Browser
    HTML5

    IR port for remote control functionality yes

    S Pen stylus
    Yes (15 g, Hovering 15 mm, Pressure level 2,048)

    Enhanced Multi-window – multitasking support
    Yes/yes

    Dropbox with free (50 GB cloud storage) yes

    Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic yes

    Business/Enterprise
    Yes

    Premium Camera
    Yes

    MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player
    Yes...
    MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
    Yes...
    Photo/video editor yes/yes
    Document editor yes
    Voice memo/dial/commands
    Yes/yes/yes
    Enabled for 4G LTE
    Yes

    Audio

    Features

    Ultra High Quality Audio (~192KHz, 24 bit) support
    Adapt Sound
    Sound Alive
    Wise Voice 2.0
    Extra Volume 2.0
    3 Mics (Directional Voice Recording)

    Audio Playing Format

    MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC / AAC+/eAAC+, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR-NB/WB, AWB, Vorbis, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA

    Video

    Features

    Recording & Playback:

    High-Definition 1280 x 720p@120fps
    Full High-Definition 1920 x 1080p@30fps
    Full High-Definition 1920 x 1080p@60fps
    Ultra High-Definition 3840 x 2160@30fps

    Video Playing Format:

    MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

    Video Playing Resolutions

    Ultra High-Definition 4K (3840 x 2160p)@30fps, Full High-Definition 1920 x 1080p@60fps, Full High-Definition 1920 x 1080p@30fps,High-Definition 1280 x 720p@120fps

    Fun & Entertainment

    IR Remote Control; Multi Window™; Ultra Power Saving Mode; Voice Recorder: Normal Mode, Interview Mode, Meeting Mode, Voice Memo; S Health 3.5; Dynamic Lock Screen; Briefing; Google Mobile Services: Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube

    Business & Office

    SAFE™ with KNOX™
    Yes

    Sensors

    Accelerometer;
    Gyroscope;
    Proximity sensor;
    Fingerprint Sensor;
    Magnetometer (compass);
    Geomagnetic Sensor;
    Barometer;
    Gesture Recognition & control sensor;
    RGB (red, green and blue) Sensor;
    Hall-Effect Sensor;
    UV (ultraviolet) sensor;
    HR (heart-rate) monitor;
    Pulse Oximeter (SpO2) sensor
  • snake2332 - Thursday, October 23, 2014 - link

    Umm, wow, thanks for the copy & paste specs.
  • clzcxcml - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link

    they support n910c and n910u exynos7 t - moblie 4 g?
  • KuyaMarkEduard - Saturday, October 18, 2014 - link

    Here we go… As I have predicted in my post in the iPhone/bend 6 Plus promotion A.K.A. review! You’ll certainly be able to find more, I can no-longer stand in this hypocritical, Apple dummy website! Just take-a-look, and see what I mean:

    "Overall, the design of the Galaxy Note 4 is massively improved. While it isn’t quite as amazing as the rounded design of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it’s one of the best designs I’ve seen for a phone with a removable back cover."

    "Unfortunately, those with poor handwriting will likely find that they cannot write as quickly as one may prefer in order to have accurate transcription, but when these features work they really are quite useful and cool."

    "Unfortunately, the use of this function continues to be a bit clunky as it doesn’t seem to be aware of whether the previous application supported multi-window."

    "While Samsung undoubtedly has a good vision for what they want from the phablet experience, the implementation isn’t quite there."

    "Samsung has also implemented dual-pane landscape views for certain applications, but it seems a bit strange that this wasn’t implemented in the settings menu either."

    "While implementing such views is certainly dependent upon developer support, there is a level of inconsistency that comes from stock Samsung applications that affects the overall polish of the experience."

    "There are also floating windows for some applications, which can help with one-handed usability but are mostly a way of improving multitasking functionality."

    "There really isn’t much lag in most places but I have noticed that the multitasking menu has a rather long latency when compared to most other phones."

    "This causes a noticeable drop in the speed at which I can multitask on a phone."

    "Most people shouldn’t have any issues with TouchWiz at this point, although I suspect that the “option overload” in some parts of the UI will confuse users in general."

    "Samsung is likely in a bind here as they once again have to try and keep features and behavior that upgrading users will expect while also accommodating for users new to Samsung devices."

    "Samsung in general continues to ship TouchWiz with a massive number of software features that (might be of use), such as the one-handed usability gesture that automatically shrinks the display to keep content within reach of one thumb."

    "Most people should find themselves quite content with the TouchWiz UX even if there are odd bugs here and there."
    "While the Note 4's software is definitely more functional, Apple ships a more polished software stack with the iPhone 6 Plus." Ohs.

    "As one can see above, the Galaxy Note 4 has a noticeable uplift in battery life when compared to the Galaxy S5 and lasts significantly longer than the Galaxy Note 3."
    "It doesn’t last quite as long as the ("iPhone 6 Plus"), but few people should have issues getting through a full day of intensive use." Indeed?

    "The iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4 are quite close in overal quality, but looking at the brick building on the right of the image shows that the iPhone 6 Plus is maintaining a higher level of detail in this scene." Really?

    "Due to unforseen circumstances, the WiFi performance test will be a bit delayed but unlike on iOS there shouldn't be any real issue when attempting to use iperf." Uh-Oh…

    "Overall, one shouldn’t have any significant issues with the software but Apple definitely has an edge in the polish department, even if the functionality isn’t as extensive." AWESOME!

    "While there are still some issues with purple smearing and green tints to some level of grayscale, the AMOLED display is an equal to the 1080p display in the iPhone 6 Plus." LIAR…

    "In this department, the Galaxy Note 4 does provide a level of improvement when compared to the Galaxy S5, but the higher resolution of the display means that battery life will slightly trail behind the iPhone 6 Plus." deceiver!

    "The use of OIS also makes it possible to go from the rather poor low light experience that we saw with the Galaxy S5 to a competitive one in the Note 4."

    "While it isn't quite as good as the iPhone 6 Plus in low light, it makes up for it with higher resolution for daytime photography and similar situations where the 1.1 micron pixels aren't really a limitation." And MUCH-MUCH-MORE! Such a fabricator!

    Do you still think that this website has a moral left in it? If I may suggest, can the domain name of this site be changed into something like [www.anandtech_apple.com] or something similar? because instead of siting all the features, capabilities, and the overall usefulness of the device, they are instead, looking flaws or things that they can use to either directly, or, for some obvious reason, indirectly, humiliate the Galaxy Note 4, while gracefully with utmost cleverness of course…, hoisting and praising the iPhone/Bend 6 Plus! And how do you call that?, a review?; or, a double-edged sword like while striving at His best to somehow, knockdown the Note 4; on the other hand, lifting-up and promoting the iPhone/Bend 6 Plus!
  • beck2050 - Monday, October 20, 2014 - link

    I have now used a Note 4 in reality. It blows the iphone 6 plus screen away! Much better outdoors.
    You are 100% right. This guy was clearly shilling for Apple. The Note 4 software is fast and silky. What"polish" is this writer mumbling about?
  • KuyaMarkEduard - Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - link

    This post is intended to the non-tech-savvy folks who may have come into this website to get as much information as they can to possibly make the wisest decision by choosing the most right, the best, and the greatest smartphone that is most worthy for their hard-earned money, for their utmost delectation, pleasure, and satisfaction! You can rest-assure that the information you are going to read and find here in this post is cautiously, guardedly, and very conservatively researched and compiled for you to really know and obtain the most accurate and straightforward info pertaining to this two phones; so that you will not be deceived in this review which the intention only is to promote Apple's iPhone 6 plus, and striving at His best to knockdown Samsung's Galaxy Note 4, in the most clever ways possible! Just a piece of advice…, when it comes to the iPhone 6 plus and the Galaxy Note 4, do not trust and believe any types of review from this camouflaged Apple website whether it is for or against, coz it would certainly gonna be very, and I mean, very deceitful one, all for the much-much favor of the iPhone 6 plus, in as much anticipation of the greatest and the uttermost downfall of the Galaxy Note 4!…

    iPhone 6 Plus

    Capacity:

    Internal
    16GB
    64GB
    128GB
    Memory card slot No
    1 GB RAM

    Weight and Dimensions

    6.22 inches (158.1 mm)
    3.06 inches (77.8 mm)
    0.28 inch
    (7.1 mm)

    Weight: 6.07 ounces (172 grams)

    Display

    Retina HD display
    5.5-inch (diagonal), capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors, LED-backlit widescreen Multi‑Touch display with IPS-LCD technology
    1920-by-1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi
    Contrast ratio: 1361 (nominal), 3.023 (sunlight)
    Shatter proof glass yes
    500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
    Full sRGB standard
    Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles
    Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front
    Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
    Display Zoom
    Reachability

    Other/Common smartphone features

    Alert types
    Vibration, proprietary ringtones
    Loudspeaker
    Yes (Voice 67dB / Noise 65dB / Ring 66dB; Noise -94dB / Crosstalk -72dB)
    Messaging
    iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
    Browser HTML5 (Safari)
    Java No
    Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic yes
    Siri natural language commands and dictation yes
    iCloud cloud service yes
    iCloud Keychain yes
    TV-out yes
    Maps yes
    iBooks PDF reader yes
    Audio/video player/editor yes/yes
    Organizer yes
    Document viewer/editor yes/yes
    Photo viewer/editor yes/yes
    Voice memo/dial/command yes/yes/yes
    Predictive text input yes

    Chipset

    A8 chip with 64-bit architecture
    M8 motion coprocessor

    CPU

    Dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based)

    GPU

    PowerVR GX6450 (quad-core graphics)

    iSight Camera

    New 8-megapixel (3264 x 2448 pixels), iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels
    Autofocus with Focus Pixels
    ƒ/2.2 aperture
    Optical image stabilization
    True Tone flash
    Five-element lens
    Hybrid IR filter
    Backside illumination sensor
    Sapphire crystal lens cover
    Auto image stabilization
    Auto HDR for photos
    Improved face detection
    Exposure control
    Panorama (up to 43 megapixels)
    Burst mode
    Tap to focus
    Photo geotagging
    Timer mode

    Video Recording

    1080p HD video recording (30 fps or 60 fps)
    True Tone flash
    720p Slowmo video (120 fps or 240 fps)
    Time-lapse video
    Cinematic video stabilization
    Continuous autofocus video
    Take still photos while recording video
    Improved face detection
    3x zoom
    Video geotagging

    FaceTime HD Camera

    1.2-megapixel photos (1280 by 960)
    ƒ/2.2 aperture
    720p HD video recording
    Backside illumination sensor
    Auto HDR for photos and videos
    Improved face detection
    Burst mode
    Exposure control
    Timer mode

    Touch ID

    Fingerprint identity sensor built into the Home button

    Apple Pay

    Pay your wallet. Without the wallet.

    Paying in stores or within apps has never been easier. Gone are the days of searching for your wallet. The wasted moments finding the right card. Now payments happen with a single touch.
    Apple Pay will change how you pay with breakthrough contactless payment technology and unique security features built right into the devices you have with you every day. So you can use your iPhone to pay in a simple, secure, and private way.
    Coming in October
    An easier way to pay.
    One touch to pay with Touch ID. Now paying in stores happens in one natural motion — there’s no need to open an app or even wake your display thanks to the innovative Near Field Communication antenna in iPhone 6. To pay, just hold your iPhone near the contactless reader with your finger on Touch ID. You don’t even have to look at the screen to know your payment information was successfully sent. A subtle vibration and beep lets you know.
    Convenient checkout. On iPhone, you can also use Apple Pay to pay with a single touch in apps. Checking out is as easy as selecting “Apple Pay” and placing your finger on the Touch ID.
    UberTargetPanera Bread
    Setup is simple. Passbook already stores your boarding passes, tickets, coupons, and more. Now it can store your credit and debit cards, too. To get started, you can add the credit or debit card from your iTunes account to Passbook by simply entering the card security code.
    To add a new card on iPhone, use your iSight camera to enter your card information. Or simply type it in manually. The first card you add automatically becomes your default payment card, but you can go to Passbook anytime to pay with a different card or select a new default in Settings.
    More secure payments.
    Every time you hand over your credit or debit card to pay, your card number and identity are visible. With Apple Pay, instead of using your actual credit and debit card numbers when you add your card to Passbook, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element, a dedicated chip in iPhone. These numbers are never stored on Apple servers. And when you make a purchase, the Device Account Number, along with a transaction-specific dynamic security code, is used to process your payment. So your actual credit or debit card numbers are never shared by Apple with merchants or transmitted with payment.
    Protect your accounts. Even if you lose your device. If your iPhone is ever lost or stolen, you can use Find My iPhone to quickly put your device in Lost Mode so nothing is accessible, or you can wipe your iPhone clean completely.
    Keep your purchases private.
    Apple doesn’t save your transaction information. With Apple Pay, your payments are private. Apple doesn’t store the details of your transactions so they can’t be tied back to you. Your most recent purchases are kept in Passbook for your convenience, but that’s as far as it goes.
    Keep your cards in your wallet. Since you never have to show your credit or debit card, you never reveal your name, card number, or security code to the cashier when you pay in a store. This additional layer of privacy helps ensure that your information stays where it belongs. With you.
    The major credit cards. With the same major benefits.
    Apple Pay works with most of the major credit and debit cards from the top U.S. banks. Just add your participating cards to Passbook and you’ll continue to get all the rewards, benefits, and security of your cards.
    Visa
    Master Card
    American Express
    Participating Banks.
    Add your debit and credit cards from these banks.*
    American Express
    Bank Of America
    Capital One
    Chase
    Citi
    Wells Fargo
    Coming later this year.
    Barclays
    Navy Federal Credit Union
    PNC
    USAA
    US Bank
    Accepted at 220,000 stores. And counting.
    Apple Pay lets you use iPhone 6 or Apple Watch to pay in over 220,000 stores accepting contactless payments. You can even make purchases within participating apps on iPhone 6. And there are more stores and apps to come.
    Look for this icon at checkout.
    Use Apple Pay in these stores.
    Aeropostale
    Apple
    Babies'R'Us
    BJs
    Bloomingdale's
    Champs
    Chevron
    Duane Reade
    Extra Mile
    Foot Locker
    Foot Action
    House of Hoops
    Kids Foot Locker
    Lady Foot Locker
    Macy's
    McDonalds
    Nike
    Office Depot
    Panera Bread
    Petco
    Radioshack
    Run by Foot Locker
    Six02
    Sports Authority
    Subway
    Texaco
    Toys'R'Us
    Unleashed
    Walgreens
    Wegmans
    Whole Foods
    Coming later this year.
    Anthropologie
    Disney
    Free People
    Petsmart
    Sephora
    Staples
    Urban Outfitters
    Disney Parks
    Use Apple Pay in these apps.
    Airbnb
    Apple
    Chairish
    Disney
    Fancy
    Groupon
    Hotel Tonight
    Houzz
    Instacart
    Lyft
    MLB
    Open Table
    Panera Bread
    Spring
    Staples
    Target
    Tickets
    Uber
    Coming later this year.
    Eventbrite
    Jackthreads
    Levis Stadium
    Sephora
    Starbucks
    Stubhub

    Cellular and Wireless

    Model A1522 (GSM)*

    UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)

    Model A1522 (CDMA)*

    CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)

    Model A1524*

    CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
    TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
    GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
    FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)
    TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41)

    802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
    Bluetooth 4.0, A2DP, LE
    NFC
    Yes (Apple Pay only)

    Location

    Assisted GPS and GLONASS
    Digital compass
    Wi‑Fi
    Cellular
    iBeacon microlocation

    Video Calling

    FaceTime video
    Initiate video calls over Wi‑Fi or cellular to any FaceTime-enabled device
    FaceTime over cellular uses H.264/H.265

    Audio Calling

    FaceTime audio
    iPhone 6 to any FaceTime audio-enabled device over Wi‑Fi or cellular
    Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
    Wi‑Fi calling

    Audio Playback

    Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
    User-configurable maximum volume limit

    TV and Video

    AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later)
    Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
    Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 4.2 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format.

    Intelligent Assistant

    Siri. Your wish is its command.

    Siri lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. Siri is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it.
    It understands what you say. It knows what you mean.
    Talk to Siri as you would to a person. Say something like “Tell my wife I’m running late” or “Remind me to call the vet.” Siri not only understands what you say, it’s smart enough to know what you mean. So when you ask “Any good burger joints around here?” Siri will reply “I found a number of burger restaurants near you.” Then you can say “Hmm. How about tacos?” Siri remembers that you just asked about restaurants, so it will look for Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood. And Siri is proactive, so it will question you until it finds what you’re looking for.
    It helps you do the things you do everyday.
    Siri makes everyday tasks less tasking. It figures out which apps to use for which requests, and it finds answers to queries through sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha. It plays the songs you want to hear, gives you directions, wakes you up, even tells you the score of last night’s game.
    All you have to do is ask.
    Identify a song with Shazam.
    Ask Siri to “Shazam this” and it will tell you what song is playing around you.
    Buy movies, books and apps.
    You can find and purchase content from iTunes or iBooks — simply ask for the title you’re looking for and it will take you shopping.
    Know the score.
    Ask Siri for baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer scores as well as schedules, rosters, and stats.
    Choose a movie.
    Ask Siri to get showtimes, buy tickets from Fandango, look up movie facts, play trailers, show you reviews, and more.
    Find a restaurant.
    Ask Siri to search by different criteria or a combination. Siri gets you photos, reviews, and reservations.
    Post to Facebook.
    Ask Siri to update your Facebook status and post a comment.
    Send a tweet.
    Twitter integration means you can ask Siri to tweet for you.
    Launch an app.
    You can ask Siri to open apps. Just say something like “Play Angry Birds” or “Open Photos.”
    Set reminders.
    Tell Siri what you need to do. Even say when and where you need reminding.
    Send a text.
    Say who it’s for and how the message should read, and Siri writes and sends your text.
    Check the weather.
    Siri gives you the forecast for where you are or for anywhere you’re curious about.
    Find information.
    Ask Siri almost anything and it finds the answer using sources like Yelp and WolframAlpha.
    Schedule meetings.
    Say who, what, where, and when. Siri puts it on your calendar and sends an invitation.
    Send an email.
    Ask Siri to write and send email. It can even send an email to more than one person.
    Find a contact.
    Say a name, and Siri finds the address, phone number, and other details from your contacts.
    Set an alarm.
    Tell Siri to set an alarm for a particular time. You can ask it to set as many as you need.
    Get directions.
    Ask something like “Where’s Apple?” and Siri tells you the address and how to get there.
    Track your stocks.
    Just say the company name and Siri keeps you up to date with stock details.
    Set the timer.
    Tell Siri how much time you need, and it alerts you when time’s up.
    Ask Siri about Siri.
    Ask “what can you do?” And Siri tells you exactly that.
    iOS takes dictation.
    Here’s another amazing way to get things done: just use your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard. Then say what you want to say and iPhone listens. Tap done, and iPhone converts your words into text. Use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web, and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write and send Instagrams.
    Eyes free.
    Apple is working with car manufacturers to integrate Siri into select voice control systems. Through the voice command button on your steering wheel, you’ll be able to ask Siri questions without taking your eyes off the road. To minimize distractions even more, your iOS device’s screen won’t light up. With the Eyes Free feature, ask Siri to call people, select and play music, hear and compose text messages, use Maps and get directions, read your notifications, find calendar information, add reminders, and more. It’s just another way Siri helps you get things done, even when you’re behind the wheel.

    External Buttons and Connectors

    Home/Touch ID sensor
    Volume up/down
    Ring/silent
    On/off
    Sleep/wake
    Microphone
    Lightning connector
    3.5-mm stereo
    headphone minijack
    Built-in speaker

    Power and Battery

    Built-in / Non-removable 2915 milliampere-hours (mAh) 11.1 Watt-hours (Wh) rechargeable lithium-ion battery
    Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
    Talk time: Up to 24 hours on 3G
    Internet use: Up to 12 hours on 3G, up to 12 hours on LTE, up to 12 hours on Wi‑Fi
    HD Video Playback: Up to 14 hours
    Audio playback: Up to 80 hours
    Standby time: Up to 16 days (384 hours)

    Source:
    https://www.apple.com/iphone-6/specs/
    ---
    Endurance rating
    79hours
    Talk time
    23hours;49minutes
    Web browsing
    9hours;05minutes
    Video playback
    11hours;15minutes

    Source:
    http://www.gsmarena.com/battery-test.php3?idPhone=...

    Sensors

    Touch ID
    Barometer
    Three-axis gyro
    Accelerometer
    Proximity sensor
    Ambient light sensor

    Operating System

    iOS 8 (upgradable to iOS 8.0.2 and beyond)

    With amazing new capabilities and updates to features you use every day, iOS 8 is the biggest iOS release ever.
    iOS 8 includes:

    •AirDrop
    •Family Sharing
    •Notification Center
    •AirPlay
    •iCloud Drive
    •QuickType keyboard
    •CarPlay
    •iTunes Radio
    •Siri
    •Control Center
    •Multitasking
    •Spotlight Search

    Built-in Apps

    Camera
    Photos
    Health
    Messages
    Phone
    FaceTime
    Mail
    Music
    Passbook
    Safari
    Maps
    Siri
    Calendar
    iTunes Store
    App Store
    Notes
    Contacts
    iBooks
    Game Center
    Weather
    Reminders
    Voice Memos
    Clock
    Videos
    Stocks
    Calculator
    Newsstand
    Compass
    Podcasts

    Free Apps from Apple

    iMovie
    Pages
    Keynote
    Numbers
    iTunes U
    GarageBand
    Apple Store
    Trailers
    Remote
    Find My iPhone
    Find My Friends

    Headphones

    Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic
    Storage and travel case

    SIM Card

    Nano-SIM

    Connector

    Lightning

    Rating for Hearing Aids

    iPhone 6 Plus (Model A1522, A1524): M3, T4

    Mail Attachment Support

    Viewable document types

    .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics

    System Requirements

    Apple ID (required for some features)

    Internet access

    Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:

    •Mac: OS X v10.6.8 or later
    •PC: Windows 8; Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
    •iTunes 11.4 or later

    Environmental Requirements

    Operating ambient temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
    Nonoperating temperature:-4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
    Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
    Operating altitude: tested up to 10,000 feet (3000 m)

    Languages

    Language support

    English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional, Traditional Hong Kong), French (Canada, France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish (Mexico, Spain), Arabic, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

    QuickType keyboard support

    English (Australia, Canada, India, UK, U.S.), Chinese - Simplified (Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke), Chinese - Traditional (Cangjie, Handwriting, Pinyin, Stroke, Sucheng, Zhuyin), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese (Kana, Romaji), Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Cherokee, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Emoji, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, Flemish, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Serbian (Cyrillic, Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese

    QuickType keyboard support with predictive input

    English (Australia, Canada, India, UK, U.S.), Chinese (Simplified, Traditional), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Thai

    Siri languages

    English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland China, Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong)

    Dictation languages

    English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), Spanish (Mexico, Spain, U.S.), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian (Italy, Switzerland), Japanese, Korean, Mandarin (Mainland China, Taiwan), Cantonese (Hong Kong), Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Swedish, Turkish, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

    Definition dictionary support

    English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Thai, Turkish

    Bilingual dictionary support

    Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

    Spell check

    English (Australia, Canada, UK, U.S.), French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil, Portugal), Russian, Swedish, Turkish
  • KuyaMarkEduard - Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - link

    I am just being fair, and just! proving to you, that I am by-all-means, not a Samsung fanboy; but, a true, techno fanboy! It just so happen that Samsung with its Galaxy Note 4, is truly on the upperhand.
  • snake2332 - Thursday, October 23, 2014 - link

    Dude, stop posting giant lists of specs. You're coming off as a conspiracy nut anyway, so no one is going to listen to you. Even though I agree that the review feels a little bit Apple-fanboyishy, it's not a totally inaccurate review.

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