Samsung Galaxy Note 4 can beat Motorola Google Nexus 6

Samsung and Motorola are among the most dominant smartphone companies today. Over the years they have shown their creativity and superiority through their products. It would be interesting to see how their products compare with each other. Therefore, we have picked their two smartphone models  Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Motorola Google Nexus 6 for the direct spec-to-spec contest to help consumers make a smart decision while buying their smartphones.

Design & Colour

With a silver casing on all sides, small curved edges and a leather-based back panel, Note 4 has an elegant look which has a stylus along with the device. Nexus 6 with a metal casing on the sides, proper curves on the edges and a slightly bulging and dull-finish back panel has a youthful look. Also, both the devices come in different colors: Note 4 is available in Frost White, Charcoal Black, Bronze Gold and Blossom Pink while Nexus 6 is available in Midnight Blue and Cloud White. Since design and colour choice are a matter of personal preference, we leave the judgement to the customers.

Shape & Size

Generally speaking, both the devices are bigger looking. Specifically, Google Nexus 6 with dimensions such as 159.26x 82.98x10.06mm weighs 184g, while Galaxy Note 4 with dimensions of 153.5X78.6X8.5mm weighs 176g. While both have large display screens, there is minor difference in the screen size. Nexus 6 comes with 5.96 inch screen size with an AMOLED display where as Samsung’s Note 4 is 5.7inch, slightly smaller, but with a Super AMOLED display, which enables the user to view their smartphones without any difficulty from glaring lights and from wider angles. Both the devices have a resolution of 2560x1440. With comparable screen size and same resolution, the technology differentiator provides Note 4 a slight leg up.

Processor & OS

Both Google Nexus 6 and Galaxy Note 4 have a 3GB RAM and are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz Quad-Core processors. However, the difference shows up in the operating system (OS). While Samsung’s Note 4 runs on Android 4.4 Lollipop and can be upgraded to Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, Google Nexus 6 already running on Android 5.0 Lollipop is upgradable to Android 5.1.1. Also, Nexus 6 users would be enjoying an early Android M OS developer preview due to Google’s association with the smartphone. Moreover, Note 4 has an internal memory of 32GB that is expandable to 64GB through microSD, where as Nexus 6 has no expandable memory but is available in two variants with either 32 GB or 64GB internal space. Therefore, the only differentiator is relatively better operating system (OS), which provides Nexus 6 a leg up.

Battery & Cameras

Both the devices have a battery capacity of 3220 mAh. However, the main difference appears at the camera front that works in the favour of Galaxy Note 4, which has a 16MP primary (rear) camera and a 3.7MP secondary (front) camera for selfies. On the other hand, Google Nexus 6 has a 13MP primary camera and 2MP secondary camera. Both the smartphones have Smart Optical Image Stabilization that counter-balances camera shake and automatically extends exposure time in dark settings. Additionally, Note 4 also has the ability to perform split-screen multitasking that means the user can open and shift between applications with much ease.

Other Features

Both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.10 and single SIM slot, and support only Nano-SIM. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market.

Bottom Line

Both the devices are comparable in terms of RAM, processing power, battery capacity and several other features including connectivity. However, Nexus 6 comes with a slightly bigger screen size and the advantage of receiving OS updates earlier than the other brands. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 4 acquires a definite leg us in terms of Super AMOLED display technology and better cameras with split-screen multitasking feature.

For the price indication, we looked at the cost tag for the two devices in the Indian market, where Nexus 6 with 32GB costs around Rs.44,000 and with 64GB costs Rs.49,000. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 4 costs around Rs.42,000. Therefore, considering the specs and the price in the Indian market, we think Galaxy Note 4 has a sure leg up over Nexus 6, unless one has a specific preference for design and updates.  

Read More

In Africa, it’s Obi’s Leopard aiming at Samsung’s Galaxy

Samsung has been a global force to reckon with. It has consistently grown with the evolving smartphone market and pioneered the advent of the AMOLED display. On the other hand, relatively speaking, Obi Mobiles is a less than a year old smartphone company, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of PepsiCo and Apple, which is already begun to make its mark in Africa and Middle East. So, for today’s review, we have chosen two smartphone models from these two brands that are in the similar price range, i.e. Samsung’s GalaxyGrand Neo and Obi’s Leopard S502.

Look and Feel

Starting with the dimensions and weight, Galaxy Grand weighs 163g with dimensions 143.7x77.1x9.6mm whereas the Leopard weighs around the same at 164g with dimensions of 142.4x72.6x8.6mm that makes Obi’s Leopard a relatively slightly smaller, even sleeker, looking device. Leopard comes in black color with a brown top and bottom strip at the back, and its back is made of a blend of hard anodized metal and vacuum electroplating that looks good and is also resistant to wear. On the other hand, Samsung Grand offers wider color choice that includes white, black, orange and lime green.

Display

From the aforementioned physical dimensions, one would assume that Obi Leopard would have a smaller screen, however, interestingly both the devices have 5.0’’ display. The physical dimensions and the display screen size imply that though the viewing experience is same on both the devices, it is the overall size of the device that could impact customers’ decision. Would one prefer a smaller and slimmer smartphone than a bigger one if both the devices had the same screen size? Furthermore, Samsung’s screen technology is the Thin Film Transistor (TFT) whereas Obi’s Leopard runs of the TFT-IPS screen technology, which is superior to the TFT technology in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles. The resolution packed by Samsung’s Galaxy Neo is 480x800 pixels with a pixel density of 186ppi, which is on the lower end of pixel density. On the other hand, Obi’s Leopard has a qHD display with a resolution of 900x540 pixels. Therefore, Leopard has a leg up in terms of display technology and resolution over Samsung’s Grand Neo.

Processing Capacity

In terms of processing speed, both are neck to neck with the Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo clocking in 1.2GHz and Leopard clocking in 1.3Ghz on quad-cores. Samsung’s Grand runs of a Broadcom Spreadtrum chipset whereas Obi’s Leopard runs on a MediaTek chipset. Furthermore, operating system is Android on both models, however Leopard has Kitkat v4.4.2, a newer version of the OS, where as Grand Neo runs on the older version v4.2.2 (JellyBean), which once again gives Obi an edge over Samsung. Memory-wise, Samsung’s Galaxy Grand Neo is available in two capacities, 8GB and 16GB that are expandable to 64 GB through an external SD card. Similarly Obi Leopard is available in 8GB expandable to 32GB. Both models have 1 GB of RAM that ensures smooth running of the two smartphones.

Key Components

Obi Leopard has a definite leg up over Samsung Grand Neo as it contains 8MP primary (rear) and 5MP secondary (front) cameras, whereas Samsung’s Neo provides us with a mere 5MP primary camera and a VGA secondary camera. Moreover, both the models have the same battery capacity of 2100mAh.

Lets Sum It Up

This spec-to-spec comparison tells that both the devices have same display screen size, RAM, battery capacity and almost comparable processor; however, there are differences on other fronts. Obi Mobiles Leopard has advantage in terms of superior display technology and resolution, operating system (OS) and a definite leg up in cameras. On the other hand, Samsung offers the color choice and slight advantage in expandable memory. We also looked at the price tag in the Kenya market and discovered that Samsung’s Galaxy Neo is priced at around KSh14,000 whereas Obi’s Leopard is at around KSh12,000, which is a sure advantage Leopard.

Concluding Remark

In the end, it would come down to which specifications suit your needs better. If you are a video blogger keen on better viewing experience, use your front camera a lot and love to take selfies, then Obi’s Leopard would definitely be a better option as it comes with better display and superior cameras. On the other hand, if you are looking for higher memory then Samsung’s Neo could be a better choice.

Read More

Galaxy Note 4 vs Moto Turbo: Brand value vs specifications

Samsung and Motorola are two global players in the smartphone market. If Motorola has made a great comeback after facing near defeat, Samsung has pioneered the big screen smartphone movement. It would be interesting how the recovered Motorola is living up to the challenges put up by Samsung. Therefore, in this comparative review we decided to pick up a model from each of these two companies for a spec to spec match. The two smartphone models are Samsung Galaxy Note 4 which is a consistent refinement over its predecessors and Motorola Moto Turbo which claims stellar set of specifications. 

Let us begin with the look and feel of the two devices. In general, both the smartphones are a bit chunky and can be evidently felt in the pocket. While there is significant difference in the overall dimensions of the two devices, i.e. Galaxy Note 4 (153.5x78.6x8.5mm) and Moto Turbo (143.5x73.3x11.2mm), both the devices weigh exactly the same, 176gm. The overall dimensions reflect in the display screen size, which is 5.7” in case of Galaxy Note 4 and 5.2” in case of Moto Turbo. Since both the devices have Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) touch screens, the quality of visuals is the same. However, the larger display screen of Note 4 may slightly enhance the overall viewing experience, where as Moto Turbo may be easier to hold and to use by one hand only. 

Furthermore, the most notable design element in Galaxy Note 4 is the metal rim, which gives it a dignified and solid look, where as Moto Turbo has introduced a new material ballistic nylon which is essentially a thicker, tougher variant of synthetic nylon. The Moto Turbo is available only in a black colour, whereas the Galaxy Note 4 is available in black, white and copper.

On the performance front, both the devices are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7 GHz Quad-core processor which is among the fastest processors in the market and has 3GB RAM that allows for faster switching between various applications. However, the difference appears in the operating system (OS) and at the memory front. While Galaxy comes with Android v4.4.4 Kitkat OS which is upgradable to v5.0.1 Lollipop, Moto turbo runs on more advanced Android 5.0.2 Lollipop OS, which gives Moto a leg up over Galaxy. Also, Note 4 has an internal storage of 32 GB which is expandable to 128 GB via MicroSD, whereas Moto Turbo has a 64 GB internal storage, but without any MicroSD slot. 

Both Galaxy Note 4 and Moto Turbo boast of exceptionally powerful primary (rear) cameras. Samsung Galaxy comes with 16 MP primary (rear) camera that can record UHD 4K videos @ 30fps, where as Motorola Turbo can capture 21 MP in 4:3 screen modes and 15.5 MP in 16:9 screen modes and record UHD 4K videos @24fps with an additional feature of 720p slow motion video. However, Galaxy takes a clear lead with its secondary (front) camera of 3.7 MP which is only 2 MP in case of Moto, which means a clearer selfie with Galaxy.  

Moreover, both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac) and Bluetooth v4.0. Additionally, Note 4 comes with a single micro and Turbo with nano SIM slots. In terms of connectivity, both smartphones are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market. However, one of the major differences between Samsung Galaxy and Motorola Turbo is in terms of battery capacity. While Galaxy Note 4 has an impressive 3220mAh battery, Moto Turbo simply outshines Note 4 with a 3900mAh battery capacity.

In conclusion, we note that both the smartphone models come with impressive specifications and have their design strengths. Besides having similar display technology, resolution and RAM, there are differences too. Galaxy Note 4 has a larger display screen, the option of expanding memory and superior secondary camera. On the other hand, Moto Turbo comes with more advanced OS, twice as large internal memory, superior primary camera and a higher battery capacity. 

Furthermore, we looked at the prices in the Indian market for the two devices, where Galaxy Note 4 is priced at around INR 58,000, whereas Moto Turbo is exclusively available on Flipkart at around INR 42,000. Moto Turbo does offer an impressive specification and price combo, unless one is willing to pay significantly more for a larger display screen and better selfie experience, besides the design and brand consideration, which are a matter of individual preference. 

Read More