ts nearly two weeks ago that the iPhone 6 Plus has officially launched. One of Apple’s strongest competitors is still Samsung and especially the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 might be the closest competitor for the 6 plus. Now its time for the HeavyWeight ChampionShip the iPhone 6 Plus vs Galaxy Note 3. We review the iPhone 6Plus vs Galaxy Note 3 and tell you which device should get the title.

The Galaxy Note 3 is now already one year old, but its still the phone to be beaten by the iPhone 6 Plus. Even with the launch of the Galaxy Note 4 coming soon, at the moment the Galaxy Note 3 is the phone to beat for Apple’s largest iPhone to date, the iPhone 6 Plus.

Let’s see which phone will win in our Quick iPhone 6 Plus vs Galaxy Note 3 Review  !

Design

When it comes to design the iPhone 6 Plus Design Concept did not change much from the iPhone 5s, except of size of course. The 6Plus still has the typical round Apple Home Button, rounded corners and antenna lines on the back that we know already. I guess Apple did not want to change a winning concept, and well see if they are right with that.

The Galaxy Note 3 is already the third phablet for Samsung. That Samsung has more experience in building large phones shows clearly with the Note 3. Especially the Ratio of Screen to overall size is better with the Galaxy Note 3 compared to the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 Plus has a slight disadvantage on this point.

The extreme large bezels that are necessary on the iPhone 6 Plus for the Touch ID Home Button and to keep the Design Form clean, make the iPhone 6 actually much larger then it needs to be. That means that the iPhone 6 Plus is larger then the Galaxy Note 3, while having a 0.2 inch smaller screen. The Galaxy Note 3 is a tad thicker then the iPhone, and still manages to look more compact because of this design advantage.

The Galaxy Note 3 combines a plastic build with sports fake leather on the back that seems to be polarizing users, especially the stiching lines on the edges. While the Faux leather is up to your taste though, objectively it does give the Note 3 a very good grip in your hand.

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a completely metal build, which gives a very Premium impression, as we are used to by Apple. There are already a few drop tests out there and it seems that the iPhone is very durable and stable device. Overall the phone gives a good grip, especially compared to the Galaxy 3 the metal body is more slippery. Also the iPhone 6 Plus sports a Protruding Camera, so the device will not sit still on even surfaces.

Overall the iPhone 6 Plus might have the more aesthetically pleasing design, the Galaxy Note 3 has a bigger screen in a smaller Case, which might be even more important then overall design at this phone size.

Iphone 6 Plus vs Galaxy Note 3 Display

The biggest difference in displays of iPhone 6 plus vs Galaxy Note 3 is the used technology. The Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 5.7 inch display with a FULL HD Super AMOLED Display. One the Super AMOLED Screen offers extremely vibrant colors and deeply saturated black tones, while the iPhone comes with a 5.5 inch FULL HD LCD Screen, with a tad less saturated colors.

This Color difference is significant even for every day usage, but in the end its more a matter of personal taste and preference. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 sports the option to tone down the color saturation though, so the device is more flexible.

Both displays are on top of their game though with excellent colors, great viewing angles and very good brightness levels. While the Galaxy NOTE’S Super AMOLED might have a slight edge, both the LCD and the Super AMOLED are the under best what is on the market today, at least to the Note 4 launch next month.

Iphone 6Plus vs Galaxy Note 3 Specs and Performance

If you compare the iPhone 6 Plus and Galaxy Note 3 purely on Specs, the Note 3 has of course better specs. We cant forget though that we are talking about two very different Operating Systems and Platforms. In general it would not be fair to judge the performance of iPhone purely based on Specs.

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with a Dual Core A8 64BIT Processor and only 1GB of RAM, but this is enough to make the device extremely fast for the user experience and apps. The difference to the iPhone 5s is definitely significant. The Note 3 is one year old, but the combination of QuadCore Snapdragon 800 and 3GB of RAM let the Galaxy Note 3 easily handle most of your tasks. To be honest some more optimization on Android Software side would make the Note 3 run even better.

The iPhone comes in 16GB, 64GB or 128GB Storage Versions with no extendable memory available. As always Apple earns top dollar with those storage versions. The highest internal memory Version of the Note 3 is at 64GB, but the Galaxy Note 3 is extendable memory via Micro SD, so User can easily extend the memory up to 128GB without spending too much.

On a lot of Anroid Phones and on the Note Series as well, NFC Chips have been a standard for a long time. Apple just integrated NFC now with their new Iphone, the NFC chip is limited to usage for Apple Pay Service though.

Similiar to the iPhone 5S the 6Plus phone comes with a Fingerprint Scanner in the Home Button, which is an advantage if you are security conscious. So far the Samsung S5 is the only other Samsung device who has the Fingerprint Scanner, so Note Series Fans have to wait for the Note 4 to use it.

In terms of battery life the Note 3 is one of the best devices on the market, it will be interesting to see how the iPhone 6Plus performs. The Battery of the Note 3 is 300mAH bigger so probably it will last longer then the 6Plus. As well the Note 3 Plus battery is removable, while the iPhone’s isnt, so a spare battery can be another advantage of the Note 3.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs iPhone 6Plus Camera

The Galaxy Note 3 sports a 13MP Main Camera, that does a excellent job especially in daylight. Pictures have crisp colors, great details and realistic color reproduction. The Camera is also able to take great macros, good videos and you get a ton of more features with the Note 3 Camera.

In LowLight Conditions though the Note 3 Camera has its limits, which is a problem you can find on many smartphones these days, even high priced ones. Especially the missing OIS on the NOTE 3 can not prevent noise on low light conditions.

Apple decided to go again with an 8MP Shooter as the main camera for the Apple iPhone 6Plus, but with a completely new sensor. The iPhone Camera uses a technology called Focus Pixels, which dramatically reduce shutter lag. That means that the iPhone 6 Plus Camera is able to focus instantly, which makes shooting pictures much more efficient in a lot of situations. Additionally you get Optical Image Stabilization on the 6 Plus, which is missing on the Galaxy Note 3.

If you compare the Iphone 6 Camera to other smartphones, 8MP is definitely on the lower end of the range. If you want larger pics with more detail you should choose the Note 3. If you are after high image quality even in low light conditions and blazing fast shutter speed, go for the iPhone 6 Plus.

Software

Most of the Galaxy Note 3 Features and Apps make use of the S Pen Stylus. The most popular features like Air Command, S Note, Handwriting Recognition or the Scrapbook are all made workable throught the S Pen Stylus in the Note 3.

A very useful featue which iOS8 has not incorporated yet, is the Multi Window feature, where you can open and use two apps at the same time. That is especially efficient with the great size of the Galaxy Note 5.7″ Screen. With Floating Apps feature you you fix your favorite Apps like the S Note directly on the display for easy access.

While it might need some time to get used to it, the S Pen Stylus is actually incredibly useful, especially when precision is important for you. And there are even applications that are not immediately obvious. The S-Pen Stylus and the drawing option is a great tool if you have small kids that want to play and draw. Also its great if you like to take handwritten notes.

The iPhone 6 Plus comes with iOS8. Apple’s iOS8 Design is not that different from the last iOS7 in terms of design but sports a lot of features that actually bring it closer to Android in terms of functionality. On iOS8 you get features like custom keyboards, widgets, highly improved auto correct and an Application battery usage statistics. All very useful features. Also if you should be using a Macbook, or iPad the Option to start your work on your Mac and just continue working on your other devices or vice versa is a great feature. You need to have multiple Apple Devices though to enjoy these features.

Overall in terms of Software Samsung makes better use of its experience with larger screens. The Note 3 is a very efficient productivity device with multitasking features and the Integration of the Stylus. While iOS8 is super smooth and very competent, the iPhone 6 Plus does not really make use of the larger screen estate. Its still “just” a bigger version of the iPhone 6 and 5s.

Summary of iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3

Its very hard to say which one is the winner after just a quick look at both phones, but lets see the advantages that each one brings. The Galaxy Note 3 has a larger screen at more compact build, micro-sd slot and exchangable battery, higher specs and the Stylus Pen inclusive all useful Apps and features. The iPhone 6 Plus has a Premium Design, additional Fingerprint Scanner, a Great Camera for high quality shots and a highly optimized OS.

Which phone do you think comes out on top ? Do you like the iPhone 6 plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 more?