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We take a look at how the iPhone 6 phablet rumours compare to Samsung's Galaxy Note 3
Now I know what you’re thinking: the iPhone 6 vs the Galaxy Note 3? They’re like chalk and cheese. Why bother comparing them? Well, to an extent that’s true, but the rumours about the iPhone 6 (and at the moment that is literally all we have to go on) are increasingly suggesting we’ll see a bigger, phablet-like iPhone in late 2014.
The iPhone 6 is suspected to be the first handset issued by Apple to embrace a larger display. Current rumours suggest Apple is testing a variety of sizes, anywhere from between 4.5 to 5.2-inches. It’s also highly likely we’ll see a dual-launch, just as we did with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.
Just how – or, if – Apple will address the phablet question remains to be seen, although there are plenty of sources claiming multiple display sizes for the company’s next-generation handset: maybe a “normal-sized” iPhone and a brand new “large iPhone”. Either way – the idea of a larger iPhone, whatever Apple ends up doing in the end, is a pretty tantilising prospect.
So with that in mind, I thought we’d have a look at what the rumours say about this potential Note 3 style iPhone 6 and how it compares to Samsung’s current champion.
As usual for our rumour comparisons, please bear in mind that this is largely going to be based on gossip circulating on the web of varying levels of believability and from sources of varying levels of trustworthiness. This shouldn’t be considered absolute, it’s merely a discussion about interesting possibilities.
So without further ado, let’s get to it.
Design, build and display
According to the latest batch of reports out of China, and a few older mumblings too, Apple will be creating a larger-screened handset in 2014 which may be called the iPhone 6, though some are now calling it the iPhone Air in light of the new iPad Air’s name change.
While some sources suggest it could be a 4.8-inch device, hardly phablet territory, there’s also talk of anywhere between 5-inches and 6-inches, though it has been implied there may be multiple models just as we saw with the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. We may be looking at a 4.8-inch “standard” model to replace the iPhone 5S and a larger 5-inch-6-inch model as a phablet competitor.
Consistently with rumours of Apple implementing larger screens there’s a lot of talk surroundingedge-to-edge displays with extremely thin bezels and cramming the touchscreen into as small a chassis as possible. For one thing, this is happening more and more with Apple rivals, including Samsung devices, and for another Apple has done it with the iPad Mini and iPad Air. It’s a good way for Apple to keep its handset from getting too unwieldy while implementing that larger screen so many consumers seem to want.
I’d still expect to see a thin and relatively lightweight aluminium-backed chassis and a reappearance of Apple’s Touch ID Home button. Generally the phone should be just as well-made and feature familiar Apple stylistic touches, trading on the iPhone brand’s premium image, just on a larger scale and with a massive screen.
What about the tech on offer? Well there’s a lot of talk suggesting Apple might switch from its current IPS LCD setup, earlier we’ve seen mention of IGZO screens but most recently Apple has reportedly taken an interest in high-end OLED panels. Will Apple continue to keep the pixel density at around the 326 pixels-per-inch (ppi) mark? Well if it goes for a larger 5-inch plus screen it’ll certainly need to consider going full HD 1080p to keep this level of clarity.
Another rumour claims Apple will aim to reinforce the display to make it much more durable than ever before. Currently it uses Gorilla Glass, which is still prone to breaking when dropped, but Apple may be looking at expanding its use of Sapphire Glass, which is currently used for the camera port and Touch ID Home key, to cover the entire display in the ultra-tough material. Sapphire Glass is thought to be two and a half times stronger than Gorilla Glass and is said to be able to smash concrete without shattering.
A new Apple patent suggests the next iPhone could feature a wrap-around Sapphire Glass display, designed as a hollow "tube". This could be implemented similarly to concept renders we've seen before, where the whole phone is glass capped at each end with another material (probably aluminium, in Apple's case).
Another patent also points to Apple experimenting with "quantum dot" screen tech for more natural colour reproduction.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 is already there of course with its 5.7-inch Super AMOLED, full HD 1080p resolution and 386ppi pixel density which offers fantastic visual quality, sharpness, colour, contrast and brightness, as well as good viewing angles. The screen is larger than its predecessor’s 5.3-inch display but the phone is more or less the same size while being thinner, lighter and better balanced with a slim bezel. While Samsung’s build quality is good it doesn’t embrace premium feel materials in the same way Apple does and although the soft-touch faux leather plastic rear-panel is an improvement on the old glossy finish it’s still not quite up there with Apple’s stylish build. Still, the Galaxy Note 3 is unquestionably an attractive phone to look at, but I have a feeling Apple’s iPhone phablet will come out on top here.
iPhone 6: Predictions, Predictions, Predictions
We know there will be an iPhone in 2014 and it’s likely to be called either the iPhone 6 or iPhone Air. It’s also looking pretty certain Apple will be following suit on last years dual-iPhone handset release. Rumours suggest there will be two versions available with two different sized screens: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch. Even the smallest version is more than half an inch bigger than the current version.
The outer design of the handset looks like it’ll still be build out of high-end materials, no plastic here. It’s bound to be one of the thinnest handsets we’ve ever seen too, rumour is Apple is working on an ultra-thin battery to make it all possible.
Both handsets are bound to feature TouchID features alongside an A8 processor and probably 1GB of RAM as well. iOS 8 will probably come as standard as well. That’ll bring about a load of health and fitness features as well as some neat ideas with TouchID. Storage wise we may also see the biggest iPhone option yet, 128GB. If not, you can still expect to see the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions on sale.
For all the full up to date run down on the iPhone 6, head over to this article. We’ve collated every rumour worth noting and built a pretty solid picture of what the handset will look like when it’s unleashed on the world.
Storage, connectivity and hardware
Samsung offers its usual selection of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage options together withmicroSD support for cards up to 64GB. Apple has traditionally not offered microSD and also hits the same internal storage options. One question hovering over the iPhone 6/ iPhone Air phablet is whether or not the larger size will allow Apple to squeeze in a 128GB variant. The company has demonstrated it’s rather fond of this higher-capacity storage option adding it to both its full-size iPad and iPad Mini ranges, which makes me think it’ll put it in the iPhone 6 as well.
Connectivity is pretty standardised for high-end devices at this point – as many 4G LTE bands as you can cram in, full 3G with HSPA+, a range of Wi-Fi options, GPS and Bluetooth. Apple tends to shy away from MHL and NFC and has introduced its own iBeacons alternative for the latter, and of course it uses the proprietary Lightning connector in place of microUSB. I’d expect none of this to change on the next handset.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 uses microUSB, MHL, NFC, DLNA and infrared in addition to the standard stuff.
I’d expect Apple’s Touch ID Home button to make a return on the next flagship. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 doesn’t have an equivalent, but whether you value a fingerprint scanner will of course dictate who the winner is in this regard.
Battery
Bigger phones tend to mean bigger battery packs, which in turn help to get more life from a single charge. Samsung has certainly delivered on this front once again with the Galaxy Note 3, which packs a 3,200mAh removable cell, allowing you to hot-swap replacements if you wish.
The iPhone 6 will likely continue as a sealed unit and I’m sure Apple will take advantage of the larger chassis by putting a bigger battery in there. Even though it doesn’t actually need to, as the most recent batch of iDevices has demonstrated. Apple’s used the same sized battery in the iPhone 5S as its predecessor but has squeezed a longer lifespan out of it. On the larger iPad Air it actually has a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor and still offers longer battery life. Such is Apple’s ability to optimise.
Combining this optimisation with a larger cell should make an iPhone 6 phablet quite impressive.
Camera
The camera aboard Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 is way more capable than its fairly humble sounding spec would suggest and it is, for me, one of the standout features of the device. It sports a 13-megapixel back-illuminated sensor (BSI), LED flash, digital image stabilisation and both 1080p and 2160p (4K/Ultra HD) video recording. Image quality is excellent with really nice colour saturation, detail and clarity, plus it’s a tremendously easy to use point-and-shoot camera.
Apple’s also made big improvements to the iPhone 5S’s camera while keeping a relatively modest spec sheet. It’s still an 8-megapixel iSight BSI configuration but the sensor has been enlarged and tweaked for greater light sensitivity. A number of back-end modifications have improved the camera’s ability to adapt and configure to shooting conditions and part of this is the True Tone dual LED flash with both amber and white LEDs, which can adapt to improve colours.
Not much has been said at this point about what camera capabilities the iPhone 6 could have. Potentially Apple may stick to its guns and simply tweak its existing 8-megapixel setup, which is currently wowing users and critics the world over. Of course we may also see Apple bumping up to a 13-megapixel sensor.
What has been said is rather interesting though. Apple is reportedly working on implementing a "Lytro" like 3D sensor for the iPhone 6. Lytro technology enables users to capture an image and dynamically alter the focal point at a later date - this can be done repeatedly and at any time.
The obvious benefit of this kind of technology inside the iPhone 6 is it allows users to "fire and forget" on a photo opportunity and then tweak it for a perfect image later.
Software
Samsung’s been dealing with larger screen real-estate for a while now and has honed its phablet software pretty nicely. This includes some of the best multitasking currently available in the mobile space, thanks to a combination of default Android multitasking, windowed applications and the ability to split the screen between two apps.
Apart from this the Galaxy Note 3 enjoys all the usual Android perks.
Apple has made massive improvements to iOS 7 in terms of functionality, but it is difficult to imagine how the company might adjust things for iOS 8. On its tablets, Apple considers having apps optimised for the larger display to be a major bonus, but there doesn’t seem to be much thought given to multi-app screen sharing.
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