Huawei Nexus 6P vs Galaxy Note 5 – beast to rule them all

In a matter of days, Google will be revealing the Nexus 6P, the first device that the company is releasing in conjunction with Huawei, one of the biggest Chinese smartphone manufacturers in the world. Dubbing the device Nexus 6P came from a handful of leaked benchmark results, as well as leaked images that reveal what the handset will look like when it is launched. The Nexus 6P release date is set for September 29, when Google will be unveiling its new line-up of Nexus devices. The Nexus 6P release will be accompanied by the LG Nexus 5X release, and maybe even a new Nexus 7 2015 tablet launch.

With Google focusing on making stock Android the best user experience by combining the software with custom-made hardware designed specifically for power users, companies like Apple and Samsung are most likely worried about the launch event. The entire Android community has been looking forward to the event of next week, especially because last year’s Nexus launch was not as impressive as they had hoped it would be. The Nexus 6 was perceived as too big and too expensive for the target audience that Google wanted to bring over, while the HTC Nexus 9 came off as an average tablet with little more than high-end audio quality to offer.

Google is revamping things this year, as it has taken on Huawei as the entirely new partner in the business. The Nexus 6P will represent a joint effort between the two companies to make a relatively affordable, yet high-end smartphone that demonstrates how stock Android should work in the smartphone industry. But Google and Huawei have stark competition to go up against from both Apple and Samsung.

A few weeks ago, Apple launched the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, while Samsung this Summer unveiled the brand new Galaxy Note 5 and its edgy cousin, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus. These four flagships smartphones are the biggest threat to the Nexus 6P and vice versa. iOS and Apple fans are also curious about the new phone and many have even put off ordering the iPhone 6S Plus in order to wait and see what Huawei and Google have to offer.

Apparently, the Nexus 6P will have quite a lot to offer when it is launched and many fans as well as skeptics think that this time around, the new device will have significant impact on the world of Android smartphones as a whole and will help Google gain more market share. Topping Apple at this time still sounds impossible, but let’s see what kind of shot the Nexus 6P has by comparing it to one of the most well-received devices of the year, the Galaxy Note 5.

Although the Galaxy Note 5 isn’t too much of an upgrade compared to last year’s Galaxy Note 4, Samsung worked its butt off to introduce features that would be appealing to fans, and wireless fast charging is the best example in this case. The Galaxy Note 5 is the fastest charging device on the market when you’re thinking about wireless charging, and that adds a lot of appeal to the phone, even though many would have still chosen a removable battery instead.

The Nexus 6P will also feature wireless charging, but we don’t know how fast it will be. Quick Charge 2.0 will be on board thanks to the Snapdragon 810 CPU that Huawei and Google are using in the new device, which is pretty cool since it means the Nexus 6P battery can be charged to 80 % in about half an hour. The wireless charging feature is not a sure thing, as skeptics believe Google won’t be implementing it in the smartphone, but we hope to see it anyway.

When speaking about the Galaxy Note 5 and Nexus 6P, one thing the two devices will definitely have in common is screen real-estate. The Nexus 6P display will measure 5.7 inches and will feature a QHD resolution IPS LCD panel, which will be similar to the 5.7-inch QHD Super AMOLED panel that Samsung used in the Galaxy Note 5. While Samsung’s device is most likely going to be crowned the smartphone with the best display, the Nexus 6P display might hold some surprises of its own. The Super AMOLED panels that Samsung makes are considered the best ones on the market, so Google will have a tough time topping that.

Nonetheless, the massive high-resolution screen of the Nexus 6P will definitely provide for a high-end user experience that will let users view 4K video without a hitch and support high-end 3D games beautifully. The experience with high-resolution displays is highly appreciated in the community of Android fans, although many believe QHD resolution does not yet have its rightful place in the industry. Since it’s more expensive and the human eye can rarely tell the difference, some say an FHD resolution would be a more sensible choice that would also keep the Nexus 6P price down.

Since we’re on the topic of pricing, lets get that out of the way. Fact of the matter is that the Nexus 6P price is a mystery and will remain as such for a couple more days. Rumor has it that the Nexus 6P price will be closer to the iPhone 6S price than anything else, as analysts as well as industry insiders suggest to expect a price tag between $550 and $750 for the Nexus 6P. While we do hope for the flagship to be more affordable, leaks point towards a more premium price, with the Nexus 5X being marketed as the more affordable option. The iPhone 6S Plus price is set at $750 for the base model, and that’s a good price to get inspired by.

Although it might end up being a bit more expensive, the Nexus 6P price will still be within the relatively decent limits, similarly to the newly launched Huawei Mate S. If that costs about $600, we should expect a similar price tag to be slapped on Google’s flagship too. The Nexus 5X price will be closer to the OnePlus 2 price tag, as sources tell us to expect the base model to cost around $350 unlocked, which is a rather appealing price for such a future-proof phone.

Performance is going to be the highlight of the Nexus family this year, and the Nexus 6P is no exception to that. When introducing Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google made it clear that a visual overhaul is not what the update is about, rather improving performance and adding new features, as well as optimizing the entire user experience. With that in mind, Google is going to outfit the Nexus 6P with top-notch hardware.

Leaked Nexus 6P specs reflect that ideology as benchmark results list the Snapdragon 810 and 4 GB RAM in the specs sheet. Although there are doubts about the Snapdragon 810 living up to expectations, most people who have tried devices that are already using the SoC have expressed a positive opinion towards it, with only a handful of mentions of overheating issues. With the updated software and hardware, the chipset should be able to offer seamless performance on stock Android.

Samsung went with in-house processors for the Galaxy Note 5, which proved to be a very good decision. People were already impressed with the performance of the Galaxy S6, but the Galaxy Note 5 really proved that the South Korean smartphone giant knows that it’s doing when it comes to CPU. Although the company will most likely turn to Qualcomm in the future, too, the Galaxy Note 5 comes with an octa core Exynos processor that is equipped with fast charging and fast LTE. It’s backed by 4 GB RAM and performance results for the handset are exemplary.

For the Nexus 6P to surpass the performance of the Galaxy Note 5, software and hardware will have to work together seamless. Huawei has a good track record when it comes to performance, so expectations are very high. Seeing as stock Android is much easier to handle by hardware, performance might end up being even better on the Nexus 6P than the Galaxy Note 5, which has the burden of TouchWiz on top, which might slow down the user experience on occasion. Nonetheless, Samsung did a great job with TouchWiz features that make use of the new S Pen stylus, so Google has got its work cut out for it.

When it comes to cameras, Samsung has been the leader for the past few years, with users saying that their phones manage to top all the other smartphones out there when it comes to the camera performance. As such, the Galaxy Note 5 features a 16 MP camera with optical image stabilization, autofocus and dual-tone LED flash. The front camera measures 5 MP. 4K recording and a neat camera app filled with tools complete the setup of the Note 5.

The Nexus 6P will have an unusual camera setup, judging by the leaked information and photos. Huawei and Google slapped a dual camera on the device, most likely comprised of a depth sensor and a 16 MP camera with OIS and autofocus, as well as a dual-tone flash. The front camera will most likely be a wide-angle 5 MP sensor and unfortunately, it won’t have a flash. The rear camera will benefit from new features and tools, though, such as 4K recording, slow-mo recording and a manual mode like none other.

The Galaxy Note 5 can take stunning images that even the iPhone 6S Plus can’t surpass, which is quite admirable. Just like the Galaxy Note 4 before it, the Note 5 demonstrates that a smartphone can actually come close to DSLRs when it comes to user experience and picture quality. Of course the two cannot be called equals as professional photographers agree, but that doesn’t mean Samsung didn’t do a good job. The Nexus 6P has stark competition, so we’re curious to see if the camera will be better than with previous devices (which weren’t renowned for their camera performance).

Nexus 6P features also include a fingerprint sensor, but no heart rate sensor and stylus, which means the Galaxy Note 5 might take the lead in this field. Nonetheless, NCF, Bluetooth 4.1, fast charging, fitness tracking, gesture control, voice control, palm rejection and USB Type C are all said to be part of the Nexus 6P feature list. While the Galaxy Note 5 has all of this and more, and boasts with a very good battery life, too, its weak point is software. That’s where the Nexus 6P needs to excel in order to surpass the Note 5 at least in popularity.

Although the Nexus 6P release date is still to come, we already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Based on the hundreds of leaks and photos that flooded the internet in the past few weeks, the Nexus 6P is going to be a beast at performance. With that being said, all that remains is to wait for the event to get all the official information about the new handset family and find out more about pricing and availability. Until then, those of you who are thinking of getting the Note 5 should wait just a couple more days because they might change their minds.

[update] Nexus 6P features have multiplied, as FCC documents confirm the presence of a microSD card slot on the device. How’s the Note 5 going to size up next to that? Although many might applaud the reported addition of the slot, others might expect a worse performance because of it.