Galaxy Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus for the next two years?

[Tsuchiya]

Ok so genuine question. I'm a week in to my two year contract with my iPhone 6 Plus and I'm beginning to wonder how the phone will last from now until the end of 2016.

For starters I don't really care about resell value. After two years you're not going to get much either way and I usually pass my devices on to family members instead.

My iPhone has Apple Care+ and from experience I'm comfortable in the knowledge that any issues would get taken care of.

My worry is that Apple haven't exactly made this thing future proof. Having worked at an Apple Store and being a previous iPhone user before this, I've seen first hand how horribly iPhones can age.

This is where the Galaxy Note 4 comes in. Despite the lack of support my time with a Galaxy S4 has been great. The hardware is reliable and even now it feels reasonably zippy. My previous iPhones were showing their age at two years. I still use it occasionally as a lot of my content is still on there and the AMOLED display is just so damn vibrant. The overpowered Note 4 should get two years out of it comfortably.

Then it comes down to Android. Honestly I'm comfortable with both OSs, but it frustrates me when I can't do something as straight forward as share content directly to WhatsApp in iOS. Not to mention that two months after release some apps (such as WhatsApp) look comically blown up on the 6 Plus. Exclusive apps aside, the Android versions of the main apps I use work just as well if not better (thanks to their optimised size), I'm not really seeing the "polish" people bang on about. Small things like notifications are also handled better in Android etc.

To finish off this rather long post, just wanted to add that I really like my 6 Plus, it's a great phone. But I'm not sure how I feel about using it for the next two years.

tl;dr: both phones seem great but if it were you, which would you be comfortable using for the next 24 months?

Disclaimer: No, I am not being paid by Samsung to post this

 

[oldhifi]

I just came back to a IPhone 6 from a Note 3. I will never go back to Android. to many crap aps you don't use.

 

[spriter]

Probably not what you want to hear but it's really down to you if you think iOS isn't up to it, etc. You must have known you'd be keeping your next buy for two years, and that the Note 4 was a few weeks away, so what was your original reasoning for going 6 Plus?

I decided on Note 4 over 6 Plus as it does more things what I need at the moment. And, if I'm honest, the constant reloading Safari tabs because of 1GB RAM really annoyed me after a year of it on the 5S and rMini. To me they future proofed some aspects (CPU) but neglected an obvious issue (at least in Safari). Then they went and upped the iPad Air to 2GB

You could argue the Note 4, at least the Snapdragon version, is not so future proof either at 32-bit. I suspect both will be showing their age quite a bit in 24 months. No 4K video on iPhones would concern me a bit, too.

And that's why you probably should be interested in resale price - to sell for maximum just before the 2015 editions appear. Upgrading each year will should help you keep up-to-date.

As for me, I doubt I'd be able to keep either for more than one year.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

I just came back to a IPhone 6 from a Note 3. I will never go back to Android. to many crap aps you don't use.

Which means you don't fully understand how to use android....you can disable apps. You can't do this on iOS.

Op

Had the six plus for about twenty one days, then I switched to the note 4. I agree with you, the six plus is not as future proof as the note 4. I love my note 4.

I will eventually get a nexus 6, and decide between the two phones. I don't think you will regret either phone, but in my opinion, and that of several tech sites, the note 4 is the superior phone this generation.

 

[Tsuchiya]

Probably not what you want to hear but it's really down to you if you think iOS isn't up to it, etc. You must have known you'd be keeping your next buy for two years, and that the Note 4 was a few weeks away, so what was your original reasoning for going 6 Plus?

I decided on Note 4 over 6 Plus as it does more things what I need at the moment. And, if I'm honest, the constant reloading Safari tabs because of 1GB RAM really annoyed me after a year of it on the 5S and rMini. To me they future proofed some aspects (CPU) but neglected an obvious issue (at least in Safari). Then they went and upped the iPad Air to 2GB

You could argue the Note 4, at least the Snapdragon version, is not so future proof either at 32-bit. I suspect both will be showing their age quite a bit in 24 months. No 4K video on iPhones would concern me a bit, too.

And that's why you probably should be interested in resale price - to sell for maximum just before the 2015 editions appear. Upgrading each year will should help you keep up-to-date.

As for me, I doubt I'd be able to keep either for more than one year.

I was on the fence about both phones, and debated their individual benefits and weaknesses. I leaned towards the iPhone in the end for a combination of reasons. Great product support, integration with my mostly Apple ecosystem and surprisingly price. Through a work connection my plan for a 128GB is slightly less than the equivalent Note 4 one.

I think I might have to visit a Samsung store this week and spend some more time with a Note 4 now that I can compare them.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Probably not what you want to hear but it's really down to you if you think iOS isn't up to it, etc. You must have known you'd be keeping your next buy for two years, and that the Note 4 was a few weeks away, so what was your original reasoning for going 6 Plus?

I decided on Note 4 over 6 Plus as it does more things what I need at the moment. And, if I'm honest, the constant reloading Safari tabs because of 1GB RAM really annoyed me after a year of it on the 5S and rMini. To me they future proofed some aspects (CPU) but neglected an obvious issue (at least in Safari). Then they went and upped the iPad Air to 2GB

You could argue the Note 4, at least the Snapdragon version, is not so future proof either at 32-bit. I suspect both will be showing their age quite a bit in 24 months. No 4K video on iPhones would concern me a bit, too.

And that's why you probably should be interested in resale price - to sell for maximum just before the 2015 editions appear. Upgrading each year will should help you keep up-to-date.

As for me, I doubt I'd be able to keep either for more than one year.

Wouldn't worry about the future proof of the note 4. Same processor as the nexus 6. Both phones will be fine for two years.

 

[MRU]

Galaxy Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus for the next two years?

Both will be fine, though you will likely continue to get software updates and new OS support much sooner and more reliably with the iPhone 6 than Note 4. Samsung take their time and add carriers into the mix and Samsung's android updates are laborious protracted affairs, or often simply do not arrive.... That would be my bigger concern two years in than anything 'now'...


Edit... though if we are talking about using the device 'now' rather than in two years - the Note 4 is the better phablet.

 

[OceanView]

Personally I think the iPhone 6+ is 2 years behind to begin with.
Not sure how your gonna be able to use it for 2 more.
Note 4 can easily last 2 years or more. Not sure what else will come out in the next few years that will make you want to upgrade from the note 4.
I'm planning on using mine for the next 2-3 years.

 

[nviz22]

Ok so genuine question. I'm a week in to my two year contract with my iPhone 6 Plus and I'm beginning to wonder how the phone will last from now until the end of 2016.

For starters I don't really care about resell value. After two years you're not going to get much either way and I usually pass my devices on to family members instead.

My iPhone has Apple Care+ and from experience I'm comfortable in the knowledge that any issues would get taken care of.

My worry is that Apple haven't exactly made this thing future proof. Having worked at an Apple Store and being a previous iPhone user before this, I've seen first hand how horribly iPhones can age.

This is where the Galaxy Note 4 comes in. Despite the lack of support my time with a Galaxy S4 has been great. The hardware is reliable and even now it feels reasonably zippy. My previous iPhones were showing their age at two years. I still use it occasionally as a lot of my content is still on there and the AMOLED display is just so damn vibrant. The overpowered Note 4 should get two years out of it comfortably.

Then it comes down to Android. Honestly I'm comfortable with both OSs, but it frustrates me when I can't do something as straight forward as share content directly to WhatsApp in iOS. Not to mention that two months after release some apps (such as WhatsApp) look comically blown up on the 6 Plus. Exclusive apps aside, the Android versions of the main apps I use work just as well if not better (thanks to their optimised size), I'm not really seeing the "polish" people bang on about. Small things like notifications are also handled better in Android etc.

To finish off this rather long post, just wanted to add that I really like my 6 Plus, it's a great phone. But I'm not sure how I feel about using it for the next two years.

tl;dr: both phones seem great but if it were you, which would you be comfortable using for the next 24 months?

Disclaimer: No, I am not being paid by Samsung to post this

Since you're familiar with both OSes, forget Apple. iOS is a crutch for so many users because they need "user friendly" stuff. I hate that euphemism since it means either too lazy to learn, not capable of learning, or lacking the time to learn. When I used an iPhone 5S for a week, it was like going back in time. No predictive dialing like spelling "John" with numbers and his number will come up. Not as many camera editing features as well at least compared to my GS5. Using iTunes just to change a ringtone is frustrating as well since it creates an unnecessary step or two because Apple likes to close off their OS. The 5S screen is way too small for me to adjust to as well, but that's taken care of by the 6 and 6+, but the 6+ bezel is too damn big. What's the point of "iOS widgets" if they're none available because the lack of development? iOS 8 has had too many bugs from the start. NFC is limited to Apple Pay so far and you can only use one specific expensive Smart Watch in the future to get the full fledged software. The iPhone battery regresses quick as well. Since it's a unibody phone, it's even more a pain in the butt without Apple Care, but you have that at least. Expandable storage means an SD card to most cell phone OEMs, but to Apple it means a $100 extra surcharge to include more ROM memory. 1 GB of RAM is too paltry for higher end multi tasking. iOS doesn't really do multi-tasking well enough because several OEMs have exclusives that outdo iOS so far: Samsung and LG use dual windows. Samsung has the S-Pen. Don't forget that Material is a fresh redesign on most Android skins or pure Android as well. This includes the apps you use as well. Using the ART run time will increase Android's speed and consistency. Apple may be faster because it doesn't have to push as many pixels, as many features, etc. Once Dalvik is taken out, ART will blow it away. Samsung is the better bet since it has the S-Pen, a better camera, more RAM to help with multi-tasking (no multi-window on Apple devices with less than 2 GB of RAM), a better and brighter screen, better battery life, expandable storage, more memory for base models, different camera editing features the 6/6+ don't have, more smart watch support, quick charge support, download booster, ultra power saving mode, good support from the OEM and devs, a better looking device, more bang for your buck, and it has more dynamic software. I have an iPad though, so I feel like iOS is only better on tablets because of the app selection and using iMessage to talk to friends and family abroad.

 

[jamezr]

If you are going to get a phablet....why not get one with phablet features?
The Note 4 offers so much more functionality. It has a larger screen with a smaller footprint and better ergonomics IMHO. Then the S-Pen cannot be rivaled at all!

 

[stonyboys]

My iPhone 5 is still lightning fast after 2 years. I'm sticking to iOS 7 however.

The one thing I can say is that apple gives 4 years of software support for it's phones. The 4S will be 4 years old next fall when ios9 drops support for it. Not sure how samsung operates when it comes to updates but this is something to consider.

 

[burgman]

Reading posts on a tech forum about the unicorn "Futureproof" is very odd. Is this not wanting any major evolution during your contract? I can't stand Samsung software, having used it, on several phones, last one S5. Like the OP, I switched to a 6+ with Applecare+. I upgrade every year and the resale is always better with IPhones. Once Apple works out the software kinks the 6+ is about perfect for me. The added benefit of convenient quick customer service with Apple is also important to me. I'm hoping Microsoft gets it together in the next two years with Windows phone, that is where I will move if they do.

 

[mi7chy]

DRAM is the biggest limiter of future proofing. If the 6+ had 2GB like the Air 2 then it would be somewhat of a wash but with only 1GB it's less future proof than a 2012 Note II with 2GB that should be goid for another two years. There are also the benefits of OLED and precision pen and Android is more stable than iOS 8.x with my phone currently at 1009 hours of uptime.

 

[I7guy]

DRAM is the biggest limiter of future proofing. If the 6+ had 2GB like the Air 2 then it would be somewhat of a wash but with only 1GB it's less future proof than a 2012 Note II with 2GB that should be goid for another two years. There are also the benefits of OLED and precision pen and Android is more stable than iOS 8.x with my phone currently at 1009 hours of uptime.

The 6+ can be expected to have a 4 year life with updates. I would say that's very future proofed. Of course if you requirement are a mobile device with 2 gig ram and a pen that lets the iphone out.

 

[Shanghaichica]

The 6+ can be expected to have a 4 year life with updates. I would say that's very future proofed. Of course if you requirement are a mobile device with 2 gig ram and a pen that lets the iphone out.

Well the op is only asking for the next two years. The note 4 will be supported with software for the next two years.

 

[Twixt]

Screen size and definition : similar
Camera : similar as well
OS : there is nothing you can do with iOS you cant do with Android and vice versa
Memory: Note + SD Card similar to 128GB 6+
I see 3 main differences:
stylus, removable battery and iTunes vs drag and drop

It is really up to you which criteria you think is more relevant

 

[TimelessOne]

I just came back to a IPhone 6 from a Note 3. I will never go back to Android. to many crap aps you don't use.

And I can say the same thing about iOS. I see many people with a folder called Apple crap. They shove all the bloat were into there that they do not want but can not remove. Compare to android I can disable any of the bloat and it will not appear in my app drawer and all it will be is a few kb file that is a link to the play store version to download for an update whee the real app is. Since it is disabled it never appears and not an issue.

Let's face it 99% of the apps out there regardless of platform is crap.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Screen size and definition : similar

Camera : similar as well

OS : there is nothing you can do with iOS you cant do with Android and vice versa

Memory: Note + SD Card similar to 128GB 6+

I see 3 main differences:

stylus, removable battery and iTunes vs drag and drop



It is really up to you which criteria you think is more relevant

You can do more with android. Torrent downloads, location based profiles, taskr....the list goes on and on.

That may not matter....but there is a difference.

 

[I7guy]

And I can say the same thing about iOS. I see many people with a folder called Apple crap. They shove all the bloat were into there that they do not want but can not remove. Compare to android I can disable any of the bloat and it will not appear in my app drawer and all it will be is a few kb file that is a link to the play store version to download for an update whee the real app is. Since it is disabled it never appears and not an issue.

Let's face it 99% of the apps out there regardless of platform is crap.

There is no reason for Apple to push bloat ware. They have done their homework and have a suite of useful apps. You can consider any application you don't use to be bloat. Heck some people can consider the phone app to be bloat.

 

[TimelessOne]

There is no reason for Apple to push bloat ware. They have done their homework and have a suite of useful apps. You can consider any application you don't use to be bloat. Heck some people can consider the phone app to be bloat.

Considering more people than not I see the Apple crap folder than not yes would cause me to call it apple bloat were. It is pushing apple services

 

[jamesrick80]

No offense but the iPhone 6 plus is limited by the A8X processor and gpu, if it had the A8X of the iPad air 2 it would've been future proof...so go for the note 4 since you can do anything you would wanna do with the note 4.

 

[mib1800]

There is no reason for Apple to push bloat ware. They have done their homework and have a suite of useful apps. You can consider any application you don't use to be bloat. Heck some people can consider the phone app to be bloat.

The why need to reserve a ridiculous 5gb for use with firmware upgrade. Or why force people to use apple built in apps which can be considered bloat ware for those who want to use some thing else.

 

[jamezr]

There is no reason for Apple to push bloat ware. They have done their homework and have a suite of useful apps. You can consider any application you don't use to be bloat. Heck some people can consider the phone app to be bloat.

or say the stocks app......i wonder how many people actually ever used that one......

 

[Zwhaler]

to many crap aps you don't use.

you know those can be disabled right? Yeah there were a lot of them lol! I have over a page (25) disabled bloat apps. Not a good reason to return a phone imo...

To the OP I would highly recommend the Note 4. First of all the camera is amazing. 4K video is really really cool. Using developer options to disable all transition animations speeds things up. I enjoy the user accessible filesystem as well to actually, you know, manage attachments. qHD screen rips on the iPhone 6 and AMOLED is superior to the 6 Plus's in my eyes and I've used both.

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No offense but the iPhone 6 plus is limited by the A8X processor and gpu, if it had the A8X of the iPad air 2 it would've been future proof...so go for the note 4 since you can do anything you would wanna do with the note 4.

Agreed, A8X and 2GB RAM. But Apple is saving for the next gen...

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There is no reason for Apple to push bloat ware. They have done their homework and have a suite of useful apps. You can consider any application you don't use to be bloat. Heck some people can consider the phone app to be bloat.

He has a point. I had a folder for the pointless apps... Game Center, Reminders, Passbook, Newsstand, iBooks, Health, FaceTime, iTunes Store, Stocks. Sure not all of those are pointless to a lot of folks. But why can't I delete them? Apple are control freaks! Same thing why can't I customize quick settings or Control Center the way I want... and why isn't there a location services quick setting? Makes no logical sense.

 

[I7guy]

you know those can be disabled right? Yeah there were a lot of them lol! I have over a page (25) disabled bloat apps. Not a good reason to return a phone imo...

To the OP I would highly recommend the Note 4. First of all the camera is amazing. 4K video is really really cool. Using developer options to disable all transition animations speeds things up. I enjoy the user accessible filesystem as well to actually, you know, manage attachments. qHD screen rips on the iPhone 6 and AMOLED is superior to the 6 Plus's in my eyes and I've used both.

----------



Agreed, A8X and 2GB RAM. But Apple is saving for the next gen...

----------



He has a point. I had a folder for the pointless apps... Game Center, Reminders, Passbook, Newsstand, iBooks, Health, FaceTime, iTunes Store, Stocks. Sure not all of those are pointless to a lot of folks. But why can't I delete them? Apple are control freaks! Same thing why can't I customize quick settings or Control Center the way I want... and why isn't there a location services quick setting? Makes no logical sense.

Those "pointless" apps, I use them all. As far as why they can't be deleted...contact Apple feedback.