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peterpan123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 24, 2014
275
12
In practice, how is the battery life of these two devices? I read a review saying that the iPhone could last 2 days with light use while the Note 5 needs to be recharged in a day. Is this really true? I wonder what "light use" means.
 

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,539
9,508
I've had iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S Plus and the Note 5...but I haven't had the iPhone 6S. But in terms of battery life, I'd put the iPhone 6S Plus #1. I think the Note 5 battery life will get better with Android 6.0 and doze mode. The only phone that I can recall with an amazing standby time (That's on par with the iPhone's) is the Nexus 6P. And, doze mode is the reasoning. But, the iPhone 6S Plus battery is simply...amazing. I ran Google Maps on my N5 along with my 6S Plus, and the N5 battery was decreasing a lot quicker than the iPhone. A positive for the N5 is very quick charging on their phones. I use the iPad charger on my iPhone, and it doesn't charge nearly as fast as the Samsung devices do! I hope Apple incorporates quick charging next year.
 

peterpan123

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 24, 2014
275
12
Thanks. Have you tried any stylus on the iPhone 6S Plus? How is it compared with the S-pen? From reviews, it seems that sometimes the Note 5 takes better photos but sometimes the iPhone 6S Plus...
 

nfl46

macrumors G3
Oct 5, 2008
8,539
9,508
Thanks. Have you tried any stylus on the iPhone 6S Plus? How is it compared with the S-pen? From reviews, it seems that sometimes the Note 5 takes better photos but sometimes the iPhone 6S Plus...
No, I haven't tried a stylus on the iPhone. The S-Pen on the Note 5 is really good! As far as pictures go, hmm, it's close between the 6S Plus and Note 5. I'll say this: you can't go wrong with either camera. They're both really, really good! The Note 5 camera software is A LOT more customizable, though.
 

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
804
UK
I have an S6 Edge+, and it really isn't the best in terms of standby drain. It's been getting better recently, but still doesn't compete with the iPhone.
The Galaxy charges a lot quicker, which is a strong advantage.

EDIT: Also as nfl46 says, the Galaxy should get better with Marshmallow
 

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,370
8,952
a better place
I had the Note 5 and have the S6 Edge+ as well as the 6S+

The Note 5 / Edge+ are good. Normal day I would get around 4-4.5 hours SOT, on great days 5 hours but on other days 2.5-3hrs SOT despite my usage never really changing.

Android has always regardless of OEM, Skin or Stock had somewhat sporadic or inconsistency in its battery life.

The 6S+ is more consistent. You'll get same 5.5+ SOT daily without much change.

The Nexus 6P gets around same battery life as Note 5 / Edge + despite a bigger battery and Marshmallow so I wouldn't expect the OS update to change much battery wise on the Note 5 or Edge+ tbh. It's also just as sporadic / inconsistent. Some days 4 hours SOT, occasionally 5, sometimes 3....
 

Benched08

macrumors regular
Oct 24, 2014
131
123
I had the Note 5 and have the S6 Edge+ as well as the 6S+

The Note 5 / Edge+ are good. Normal day I would get around 4-4.5 hours SOT, on great days 5 hours but on other days 2.5-3hrs SOT despite my usage never really changing.

Android has always regardless of OEM, Skin or Stock had somewhat sporadic or inconsistency in its battery life.

The 6S+ is more consistent. You'll get same 5.5+ SOT daily without much change.

The Nexus 6P gets around same battery life as Note 5 / Edge + despite a bigger battery and Marshmallow so I wouldn't expect the OS update to change much battery wise on the Note 5 or Edge+ tbh. It's also just as sporadic / inconsistent. Some days 4 hours SOT, occasionally 5, sometimes 3....

This is exactly my experience coming off a S6E+.
 

aneftp

macrumors 601
Jul 28, 2007
4,374
570
The real issue is rogue apps draining battery even when u disable a lot of background running and notification.

The only way to truly compare note 5 and iPhone 6s Plus is to restore to new. Don't install any apps And disable everything if possible from Samsung bloat ware.
 

Blaze4G

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2015
1,300
1,177
The real issue is rogue apps draining battery even when u disable a lot of background running and notification.

The only way to truly compare note 5 and iPhone 6s Plus is to restore to new. Don't install any apps And disable everything if possible from Samsung bloat ware.
I don't think this is a good idea. You want real world test. No one is going to buy a phone and not install any apps. I know there are more apps on Android that goes rogue but that just a part of it. What would be fair is same carrier, same installed apps.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
I just got a Note 5, been using it for a couple of days. My iPhone 6+ has MUCH better battery life. I'm surprised because my Note 4 and the 6s+ were almost the same. My 6s+ I can have it running Waze for 3-4 hours, 1-2 hours of streaming music, using it on and off all day to browse and take calls, check messages, etc and at the end of the day it would still have 50-60%, the Note 4 would have been maybe 45-55%, but the Note 5 has been at 20-30%. Maybe it needs to be broken in though as it's only been a few days.
 

okrelax

macrumors member
Mar 2, 2014
59
0
i used the note 5 during the samsung ultimate trial, which was around the time i had my iPhone 6, and the battery was slightly worse than my iPhone 6. this was after turning off many, many services and doing my best to optimize the software as much as I could. with that being said, it doesn't come close to the 6s plus, otherwise i would strongly consider switching to android.
 

jamesrick80

macrumors 68030
Sep 12, 2014
2,665
2,218
My S6 edge plus lasts me all day around 9 to 12 hours on medium brightness or even less brightness since it's so bright to me. I also use the gear vr often and get about 5 to 6 hours on that alone before having to charge. Most Samsung users do more with there phone which does take a toll on the battery but that's what quick charging is for. Also, I don't even use app optimization so my numbers could be better.
 

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,460
6,788
Germany
My S6 edge plus lasts me all day around 9 to 12 hours on medium brightness or even less brightness since it's so bright to me. I also use the gear vr often and get about 5 to 6 hours on that alone before having to charge. Most Samsung users do more with there phone which does take a toll on the battery but that's what quick charging is for. Also, I don't even use app optimization so my numbers could be better.

That's a pretty bold statement.
 

The Game 161

macrumors Nehalem
Dec 15, 2010
30,991
20,172
UK
Guess depends what he means by more

I'm a power user and I do the same from when I used Samsung phones to my iPhone. Just not using the widget side of things
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
I have both phones.......My IP6s+ battery lasts longer than my N5 battery. The fact that IOS on the iphone hardware is better optimised is the biggest thing. The screen and software are the biggest battery drain but the N5 has better hardware.
But my N5 offers me more functionality as well.
 
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BlueGoldAce

macrumors 68000
Oct 11, 2011
1,951
1,455
My S6 edge plus lasts me all day around 9 to 12 hours on medium brightness or even less brightness since it's so bright to me. I also use the gear vr often and get about 5 to 6 hours on that alone before having to charge. Most Samsung users do more with there phone which does take a toll on the battery but that's what quick charging is for. Also, I don't even use app optimization so my numbers could be better.

That's a pretty bold statement.

Yeah, bold and incorrect. I am not sure where people get there information from. Most likely they think it up, it sounds good, and they say it?

I use my iPhone 6s Plus for more than I ever used any other phone. While the note 5 can do "more" out of the box with its software, its all in how you use it. There are a few apps in iOS that I use all day, everyday.

It varies from individual to individual. I know some samsung users (now iPhone users, but that is a different story, and isn't a testament to one phone or the other) that had no idea what their phone was capable of.

I mean, i guess such statement is in line with this forum. Yesterday, some guy, on one o the front page news conversations, stated "no one wants an android, but they can't all afford an iPhone". I called him out on it, and he proceeded to "prove" me wrong and demonstrate that, obviously, everyone would have an iPhone if they could. He sure proved me wrong.....

Man, I realize I am ranting more and more on this forum. I guess I need to get better at ignoring post, my apologies.

OP; the iPhone 6s Plus gets better battery life than the note 5. Its the first phone in a while that can get me through a whole day, everyday, 95% of the time, without a charge. That being said, fast charge on the note 5 is a big plus.
 

lowendlinux

macrumors 603
Sep 24, 2014
5,460
6,788
Germany
Yeah, bold and incorrect. I am not sure where people get there information from. Most likely they think it up, it sounds good, and they say it?

I use my iPhone 6s Plus for more than I ever used any other phone. While the note 5 can do "more" out of the box with its software, its all in how you use it. There are a few apps in iOS that I use all day, everyday.

It varies from individual to individual. I know some samsung users (now iPhone users, but that is a different story, and isn't a testament to one phone or the other) that had no idea what their phone was capable of.

I mean, i guess such statement is in line with this forum. Yesterday, some guy, on one o the front page news conversations, stated "no one wants an android, but they can't all afford an iPhone". I called him out on it, and he proceeded to "prove" me wrong and demonstrate that, obviously, everyone would have an iPhone if they could. He sure proved me wrong.....

Man, I realize I am ranting more and more on this forum. I guess I need to get better at ignoring post, my apologies.

OP; the iPhone 6s Plus gets better battery life than the note 5. Its the first phone in a while that can get me through a whole day, everyday, 95% of the time, without a charge. That being said, fast charge on the note 5 is a big plus.
That guy was a bit out there o just ignored it but sir cheese kept on him
 

jamesrick80

macrumors 68030
Sep 12, 2014
2,665
2,218
Yeah, bold and incorrect. I am not sure where people get there information from. Most likely they think it up, it sounds good, and they say it?

I use my iPhone 6s Plus for more than I ever used any other phone. While the note 5 can do "more" out of the box with its software, its all in how you use it. There are a few apps in iOS that I use all day, everyday.

It varies from individual to individual. I know some samsung users (now iPhone users, but that is a different story, and isn't a testament to one phone or the other) that had no idea what their phone was capable of.

I mean, i guess such statement is in line with this forum. Yesterday, some guy, on one o the front page news conversations, stated "no one wants an android, but they can't all afford an iPhone". I called him out on it, and he proceeded to "prove" me wrong and demonstrate that, obviously, everyone would have an iPhone if they could. He sure proved me wrong.....

Man, I realize I am ranting more and more on this forum. I guess I need to get better at ignoring post, my apologies.

OP; the iPhone 6s Plus gets better battery life than the note 5. Its the first phone in a while that can get me through a whole day, everyday, 95% of the time, without a charge. That being said, fast charge on the note 5 is a big plus.
S6 edge plus lasts longer than the note 5 for me at least...I guess it does vary by people's usage and what everyone has running; my battery results will differ from others. My brother has the note 5 and I surely know I outlast him. My s6 edge plus is actually the longest lasting battery I ever had with a Samsung phone. I know some people whose iPhones 6s plus only gives them 5 to 6 hours but I bet they are the ones having it on very high brightness and streaming alot. Also, I only have location "on" when necessary so that helps too....
 
Last edited:

nviz22

Cancelled
Jun 24, 2013
5,277
3,071
I think the iPhone has a better signal, so that makes it stronger with retaining LTE over the N5.
 

nj1266

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2012
632
137
Long Beach, CA
I just acquired a 6s Plus. On my first charge I got 7.7 hours SOT, 11 hours and 45 minutes usage time and 27 hours and 20 minutes stand by time with 3% left in the battery. It impressed the heck out of me.

Today I used the navigation function (Maps and Google Maps) for two and a half hours w/o charging and still had 50% to go when I got home.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
I just acquired a 6s Plus. On my first charge I got 7.7 hours SOT, 11 hours and 45 minutes usage time and 27 hours and 20 minutes stand by time with 3% left in the battery. It impressed the heck out of me.

Today I used the navigation function (Maps and Google Maps) for two and a half hours w/o charging and still had 50% to go when I got home.
What did you use to measure SOT?
 

Tinmania

macrumors 68040
Aug 8, 2011
3,528
1,016
Aridzona
S6 edge plus lasts longer than the note 5 for me at least...I guess it does vary by people's usage and what everyone has running; my battery results will differ from others. My brother has the note 5 and I surely know I outlast him. My s6 edge plus is actually the longest lasting battery I ever had with a Samsung phone. I know some people whose iPhones 6s plus only gives them 5 to 6 hours but I bet they are the ones having it on very high brightness and streaming alot. Also, I only have location "on" when necessary so that helps too....
To sum it up, you have nothing to back up your assertion. ;)



Mike
 
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nj1266

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2012
632
137
Long Beach, CA
What did you use to measure SOT?

Go to battery and click on the watch face icon on the right. It will give you the screen time per app. Then I added all the screen times for every app that I used for the last 24 hours. A PITA to do, but I hope there will be a Cydia tweak that will add all the screen time in the future. For the life of me, I do not understand why Apple did not added a rectangle at the bottom that sums up total screen time. They already have usage and stand by. How hard would it have been to add total screen time.
 

jamezr

macrumors P6
Aug 7, 2011
16,077
19,072
US
Go to battery and click on the watch face icon on the right. It will give you the screen time per app. Then I added all the screen times for every app that I used for the last 24 hours. A PITA to do, but I hope there will be a Cydia tweak that will add all the screen time in the future. For the life of me, I do not understand why Apple did not added a rectangle at the bottom that sums up total screen time. They already have usage and stand by. How hard would it have been to add total screen time.
Sorry but that is in no way accurate. There is no reliable way to measure SOT on IOS devices. Just the fact that I can open an app like facebook and spend a few minutes in the app. Then close it and open another and the screen times are not accurate. I tested it on my iphone 6s+.
I think my iphone 6s+ gets better battery life than my N5 does. But not the 7.7 hours you listed.
 
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bkends35

macrumors 6502a
Feb 24, 2013
941
422
USA
My S6 edge+ is getting horrific battery life with all bloat disabled, all apps closed. My 6s is much better. Hopefully is changes, but for now, it sucks.
 
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