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If there's one thing that really grinds my gears in the smartphone world, it's the crusade for a pure Android experience and glorifying the Nexus brand. On October 16th, Google announced the Nexus 6 phablet and the Nexus 9 tablet. Many in the tech world are instantly declaring this the best smartphone ever. But, and I cannot stress this enough, the Nexus 6 is equal or inferior to the Galaxy Note 4 in almost every way.
On many levels, these two devices are exactly the same. They both have the same processor and RAM and the same screen resolution with (basically) the same pixels per square inch. Both have the same size battery with equivalent fast charging capabilities. The Nexus 6 claims 6 hours of battery life after 15 minutes of charging and the Note 4 claims a half full battery after 30 minutes of charging.
But the Note 4 trumps the Nexus 6 in a few key areas: Camera, Multi-Tasking and Extra Features.
Camera
No one can argue the high quality of Samsung's camera optics in its flagship smartphones. On the flip side, no one can argue against Motorola's track record of mediocrity with smartphone cameras. The Nexus 6 will have a 13 megapixel camera with OIS while the Note 4 will have a 16 megapixel camera, also with OIS. It's not about those extra 3 megapixels, it's about the whole package; software, lenses, module, etc. I'll believe a Nexus phone can equal the picture quality of the Note 4 when I see it (or when pigs fly, first class).Multi-Tasking
The new Android operating system, code-named Lollipop, is going to be awesome. You can not deny Google's vanilla Android experience is overall better than most, if not all, manufacture skins. But true, powerful multi-tasking has only been accomplished by Samsung, not Google. Samsung was able to do this by employing the "let's see what sticks" philosophy. It's definitely not the most elegant pathway to innovation, but it works. On the Galaxy Note 4, you can easily have two apps running at the same time on the same screen. Granted, this is not true for all applications, but all the important ones are covered like, Youtube, Chrome, Messaging, Facebook, Twitter, Hangouts, Maps and Calendar (among others). Quite frankly, in an environment where every company is incorporating each other's best features into their own smartphones (and suing left and right), how has NO OTHER manufacture copied Samsung's Multi-Window approach??? And with so much screen space on the Nexus 6, this phone is screaming for some real Samsung multi-tasking.
Extra Features
The extra "fluff" of the Galaxy Note 4 starts with the S-Pen and includes such features as fingerprint scanning, heart rate monitor, Air Gestures, Eye Tracking, Tool Box, One Hand Usability and others. The Nexus 6 has none of these features. Even the iPhone 6 Plus can stand up to fingerprint scanning and One Hand Usability. Nexus fanatics might argue "Who really needs that fluff?" But I believe in a more open mentality of "Why Not?"
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Conclusion
As a disclaimer, I have not purchased a Galaxy Note 4 yet and I am not saying the Galaxy Note 4 is the best smartphone that is or ever will be. I just want to make sure people don't wait blindly for a Nexus 6 device that cannot truly standout from the competition.
