Damn, Anandtech pretty much destroyed all Android smartphones in their iPhone 6s review...

[mi7chy]

SMS is baked into Hangouts. Nearly everything is centered around Google Now. Even if you don't use gmail for your email, using the default email/calendar/contacts app for any email/services means data is extracted from them.

SMS info is wrong. You can use Google Messenger for SMS/MMS without signing in with Google account. SMS integration within Hangouts is optional and you have to check a box to enable it. Google Now is optional but makes no sense without Google authentication since it does correlation for the predictive notification. Except for Gmail that requires authentication pretty sure calendar/contacts don't and stores locally if you don't. Apple mines your data too and even has Beacon to track you and spam you with ads.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Anandtech is the last place on the internet I go looking for unbiased balanced reviews on. I mean when the owner is offered a job by Apple it stinks more then a hundred acres of manure, and the Apple reviews are notably very Pro Apple.

It's not surprising Apple fans praise them and their reviews.. Apple is notorious for refusing support and disliking sites that are negative or critical towards them, yet this site was so pro Apple they offered its owner a job! Yeah it's the least trusted Apple review site on the net in my opinion.

Thank you, was waiting for someone to finally bring up that very important point.

Anandtech was recently renamed iNandtech and are totally Apple biased.

But the site still rocks for us true PC Gaming geeks, to me Anandtech is a computer site, to help decide which Motherboard or VideoCard I should upgrade my rig with.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Anandtech is the last place on the internet I go looking for unbiased balanced reviews on. I mean when the owner is offered a job by Apple it stinks more then a hundred acres of manure, and the Apple reviews are notably very Pro Apple.

It's not surprising Apple fans praise them and their reviews.. Apple is notorious for refusing support and disliking sites that are negative or critical towards them, yet this site was so pro Apple they offered its owner a job! Yeah it's the least trusted Apple review site on the net in my opinion.

Ding ding ding... winner.

iNandTech is a complete waste for any meaningful articles related to mobile devices. I love how they gave the 6S a Gold Rating, saying how it is the best on the market, yet can't quantify anything other than the CPU (which is extremely good for iOS, no doubt). Everything else on the phone from the display, to RAM, to multicore processing power, to memory management, to price, to camera quality are all below top marks. Not saying the iPhone isn't a great package, but is it really the best package in all areas. No. No it isn't.

 

[gotluck]

What is a better all arounder than the iPhone 6s?

The plus has some competition I suppose

You really think the s6 shames the 6s through? Android isn't competing at that size anymore other than the s6. Sony as well but this year the 810 has been a problem.

 

[mi7chy]

iPhone 6S series is good for running synthetic benchmarks but not necessarily good for real world or extreme use.

 

[Dmunjal]

What is a better all arounder than the iPhone 6s?

The plus has some competition I suppose

You really think the s6 shames the 6s through? Android isn't competing at that size anymore other than the s6. Sony as well but this year the 810 has been a problem.

Google Nexus 6P, 5.7" 1440p screen, SD810 2.1 SoC, 128GB, 3GB RAM, 16MP camera, metal body, fingerprint sensor, stock Android, no bloat, front facing stereo speakers, USB-c for $650.

Compared to the 6S+ 128GB at $950.

 

[gotluck]

Google Nexus 6P, 5.7" 1440p screen, SD810 2.1 SoC, 128GB, 3GB RAM, 16MP camera, metal body, fingerprint sensor, stock Android, no bloat, front facing stereo speakers, USB-c for $650.

Compared to the 6S+ 128GB at $950.

Aye I certainly agree the 6p is a compelling alternative to the plus. If I wanted a phone that size it would be between the 6p and the plus.

I would argue the regular 6 is further away from its respective pack. 5x is a bit weak and Samsung hardware is great but I really don't care for their software. Sony is always a consideration for me but the 810 and their avoidance of the USA and lack of features like volte and WiFi calling in the states kept me away. Everything else high endish is phablet

 

[apolloa]

Google Nexus 6P, 5.7" 1440p screen, SD810 2.1 SoC, 128GB, 3GB RAM, 16MP camera, metal body, fingerprint sensor, stock Android, no bloat, front facing stereo speakers, USB-c for $650.

Compared to the 6S+ 128GB at $950.

No, the OP meant in it's size category, what phone is there that can compete with the iPhone 6S that is the same physical size? We have two currently, one is the Xperia Z5 Compact that has problems, the other is the One Plus X which has only just come out and relies on the utterly stupid invitation system for you to buy one.

IMO currently in it's size range the iPhone 6S has no competition. Not until Sony fix all the Z5 Compact issues anyway.

 

[I7guy]

iPhone 6S series is good for running synthetic benchmarks but not necessarily good for real world or extreme use.

Right, really doesn't do well for real world usage. Maybe you want to rehash some of the "tit-for-tat" differences between the two devices that are now present across many threads. I fully agree there is a difference in capabilities amongst the devices, but that is not necessarily a negative for some folks on either side.

 

[Dmunjal]

No, the OP meant in it's size category, what phone is there that can compete with the iPhone 6S that is the same physical size? We have two currently, one is the Xperia Z5 Compact that has problems, the other is the One Plus X which has only just come out and relies on the utterly stupid invitation system for you to buy one.

IMO currently in it's size range the iPhone 6S has no competition. Not until Sony fix all the Z5 Compact issues anyway.

Fair enough. But when you can get the 6P and all of its features for the SAME price as a base iPhone 6S 16GB, it's worth making room in your pocket for the bigger phone, no??

 

[I7guy]

Fair enough. But when you can get the 6P and all of its features for the SAME price as a base iPhone 6S 16GB, it's worth making room in your pocket for the bigger phone, no??

It depends if apple service, support, eco-system and updates for at least 4 years and what have you is worth the price difference. Yep, all that hardware sounds great and I wouldn't throw it out the door, but there is more to everything than all of that.

 

[gotluck]

Fair enough. But when you can get the 6P and all of its features for the SAME price as a base iPhone 6S 16GB, it's worth making room in your pocket for the bigger phone, no??

For some yes indeed

I'm just not going to compromise on size. One of my hard lines. Like no carrier phones either

I really wish there was a nexus 5p

 

[Andres Cantu]

Google Nexus 6P, 5.7" 1440p screen, SD810 2.1 SoC, 128GB, 3GB RAM, 16MP camera, metal body, fingerprint sensor, stock Android, no bloat, front facing stereo speakers, USB-c for $650.

Compared to the 6S+ 128GB at $950.

I agree to most of those features being equal to or better than the iPhone's in terms of specs (especially for the price) except for the Snapdragon 810. That has been the Achilles heel for Android devices this year.

I mean Qualcomm's Geekbench scores have remained basically static since the Snapdragon 800, which was released in late 2013. It's been two years and all they have released since was the 801, 805, and 810's with different versions. You can tell that the A7's 64-bit transition really hurt them, they were not prepared for it.

 

[MasterRyu2011]

Meh, most of his reasons are not compelling, even for a non-techie.

 

[Dmunjal]

It depends if apple service, support, eco-system and updates for at least 4 years and what have you is worth the price difference. Yep, all that hardware sounds great and I wouldn't throw it out the door, but there is more to everything than all of that.

Google Nexus service is top notch with advanced replacement and frequent updates for years straight from Google. No carrier or OEM delays. As for the ecosystem, the only thing you really lose is iMessage and FaceTime. Everything else is portable.

 

[Dmunjal]

I agree to most of those features being equal to or better than the iPhone's in terms of specs (especially for the price) except for the Snapdragon 810. That has been the Achilles heel for Android devices this year.

I mean Qualcomm's Geekbench scores have remained basically static since the Snapdragon 800, which was released in late 2013. It's been two years and all they have released since was the 801, 805, and 810's with different versions. You can tell that the A7's 64-bit transition really hurt them, they were not prepared for it.

The SD 810 2.1 supposedly solves the heat issues and performs better.

 

[I7guy]

Google Nexus service is top notch with advanced replacement and frequent updates for years straight from Google. No carrier or OEM delays. As for the ecosystem, the only thing you really lose is iMessage and FaceTime. Everything else is portable.

I would think some of that is more important to some along with some other things. (yeah I said "some" three times.) So speaking for myself the two you mentioned are important and I know there are cross-platform apps that do the same. But everybody has different needs, wants and requirements and people place different emphasis on different things other than straight hardware and price.

 

[Dmunjal]

I would think some of that is more important to some along with some other things. (yeah I said "some" three times.) So speaking for myself the two you mentioned are important and I know there are cross-platform apps that do the same. But everybody has different needs, wants and requirements and people place different emphasis on different things other than straight hardware and price.

Totally agree. Just wondering if those those two items are worth $300?

Most people I know have moved to Whatsapp and FB Messenger.

But FaceTime is definitely the best on the market. I wish Apple would open it up like Jobs promised.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Totally agree. Just wondering if those those two items are worth $300?

Most people I know have moved to Whatsapp and FB Messenger.

But FaceTime is definitely the best on the market. I wish Apple would open it up like Jobs promised.

I agree that Facetime is the best. Hangouts is still horrid for video calling! Can't firgue out why. Skype is ok, but quality can be hampered. If Facetime opened up to Android, I would pay for the app! I think a lot of Android/Windows users would plop down $4.99 to download Facetime. Imagine how many more billions Apple could make on just allowing that app onto Windows and Android.

 

[Dmunjal]

I agree that Facetime is the best. Hangouts is still horrid for video calling! Can't firgue out why. Skype is ok, but quality can be hampered. If Facetime opened up to Android, I would pay for the app! I think a lot of Android/Windows users would plop down $4.99 to download Facetime. Imagine how many more billions Apple could make on just allowing that app onto Windows and Android.

Five years and still waiting.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Right, really doesn't do well for real world usage. Maybe you want to rehash some of the "tit-for-tat" differences between the two devices that are now present across many threads. I fully agree there is a difference in capabilities amongst the devices, but that is not necessarily a negative for some folks on either side.

You won't get any answers there. I asked him to explain scrolling lag on iOS earlier in this thread and a few other occasions previously. He can't, so just claims there is lag and does a runner. He's just fishing for reactions most of the time.

 

[Floris]

Sounds like they were pretty spot on

 

[kasakka]

The SD 810 2.1 supposedly solves the heat issues and performs better.

It might solve throttling issues but it still gets hot. Even the Oneplus 2 and Sony Z5 Compact have lots of complaints about it getting hot and I have experienced this with the Z5C. Right now I won't buy anything with the 810 in it. Hopefully Qualcomm will do better with the 820.

 

[Savor]

Anantech is the new Gizmodo and BGR. If I want to read love letters to Apple products, I can go to those sites now.

Another website to avoid. Happy with video reviews from Android Authority, PocketNow, Phone Arena, Tech Radar, Clove, C4ETech, and so on and so on. I don't read written reviews anymore. I want them to show me what each devices are really like. I don't need personal opinions from a written review. It doesn't need to turn into a blog.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Anantech is the new Gizmodo and BGR. If I want to read love letters to Apple products, I can go to those sites now.

Another website to avoid. Happy with video reviews from Android Authority, PocketNow, Phone Arena, Tech Radar, Clove, C4ETech, and so on and so on. I don't read written reviews anymore. I want them to show me what each devices are really like. I don't need personal opinions from a written review. It doesn't need to turn into a blog.

You need to try and find a review not written by a human being. That might be rather difficult lol.

It's very hard to get somebody to review a mobile device that is totally impartial. We all have favourite features or preferred operating systems etc. Some reviewers do a good job of being fair, but they ultimately make some observations not everybody will agree with.