Nexus 6 or Samsung Galaxy Note 4 - Which one to get?

Both phones were amongst the most anticipated phones or "phablets" of 2014 along with Apple's new release of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus. With both phones setting you back a good £500-£550 on a sim free deal, you want to make sure that your decision is the right one for you.

Processors
Now both handsets have very similar internals with both packing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 clocked in at 2.7 GHz Quad-core CPU. This is recognised as the top CPU that was available at release but now the new LG G Flex 2 is reported to have the new 810 chipset. The Note 4 also has a Exynos 5433 model available which is the Korean version of the phone. On paper, the differences between the two chipsets is noticeable. Samsung's Exynos SoC features 8 cores while Qualcomm's 805 chip is working with half that at 4 cores. This may sound like the Exynos SoC is the better option however, the Snapdragon chip set runs at 2.7 GHz per core where as the Exynos variant runs at 1.3-1.9 GHz respectively. 
GPU
Now sticking to the Snapdragon chipsets which are present in both the Nexus 6 and the Note 4. They both are also packing the Adreno 420 GPU which enables them both to run their QHD displays up to 600MHz. This means that there isn't much difference between the two phones when it comes to the graphics and gaming but any differences would be a result of the OS and Samsung's beloved TouchWiz which everyone loves...

Operating System
Let me just put it out there now, if you are looking for the purist and most seamless android experience, the Nexus 6 is what should be arriving at your doorstep. With the Nexus 6 being first in line to any updates which Google puts out, you would have the advantage of experiencing these changes and improvements before anyone with other android phones. The latest version of Android which is the 5.0 Lollipop version is arguably the best and most pleasing to the eye that Google has put out to date. With animations and applications popping out from all corners of your screen, it is really a pleasurable experience which is modifiable to fit your needs. The Galaxy Note 4 which is also an Android device is still currently on the KitKat 4.4.4 version of the operating system but is believed to be upgrading to lollipop in the not too distant future.

Camera 
Now when it comes both cameras, the Galaxy Note 4 has a 16MP rear shooter whilst the Nexus 6 has a 13MP one. They both shoot in 4K 2160p at 30fps but the Note 4 is able to shoot 1080p at 60fps. The front facing cameras on both have gained upgrades from their predecessors with the Nexus equipped with a 2 MP camera and the Note 4 with a 3.7 MP shooter which is capable of shooting at 1440p.  With optical image stabilisation, both cameras perform very well in low light conditions along with HDR which brings out those shadows to gain a clearer image with less noise. Despite this, the Note 4 over all has a better camera which has better processing and produces sharper, more vibrant images which pops out at the user.

Note 4 Camera









Nexus 6 Camera








Battery Life
Despite both phones containing a 3220 mAh battery, the Note 4 will last you a lot longer than the Nexus 6 with there being around 5 hours of screen on time compared to the Nexus 6's 4 hours screen on time. Quick charging capabilities is available with both phones with the Nexus 6 getting 6 hours battery from a 15 minute charge and the Note 4 charging from 0 to 50% in half an hour.

I am still in debate with myself on which phone I should get as my new upgrade as there are notable benefits with having either device. Both phones have a decent build quality with stunning screens and powerful, flagship specs but unless you are looking for a fluid stock android performance, the Note 4 is the best of the two. I'm not sure whether to choose the operating system over the better phone or not but I guess there is always custom ROM's and launchers that are available.