The iPhone 6 – How Does it Stack Up Against the Competition?

The iPhone 6 is positioned to do well upon its launch, judging solely by the level of media interest, public trust, and recognition the brand has achieved over the years. The early-to-mid September release date that Apple usually uses for the iPhone every year should also help it gain sales in anticipation of the holiday season.

However, while this year's iPhone brings some unique features and changes that are certainly worthy of praise, other major smartphone manufacturers are doing their best to create devices that are worthy of being called “iPhone killers.”

Samsung, HTC, and LG have already released, or are going to soon release, devices that are comparable to, and in some aspects superior to, the upcoming iPhone 6, based on what we know about it so far.

Considering the interesting developments in the smartphone market, we've decided to conduct a brief comparison of the iPhone 6's leading competition. We'll give each phone a brief competitive overview and an overall score (max: 70) based on 7 main factors: display quality, processor power, storage space, camera quality, battery life, special features, and price.

Competitor #1 - LG G3

The LG G3 is the surprise underdog this year, but a number of factors make it the fan favorite and so-called “smartphone everybody has been waiting for.” Is it better than the iPhone 6? Let's look at the scores:

• Display Quality - 10

Few people expected LG to shock us this year with what has turned out to be perhaps the most impressive display in the history of mobile devices, let alone smartphones - a 5.5-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440) screen that packs an unparalleled pixel density of 538 pixels per inch.

• Processor Power – 9

With a Snapdragon 801 8974-AC quad core chipset that clocks in at 2.5 GHz, the G3 is as fast as the fastest smartphones on the market, but it doesn't provide a performance increase remarkable enough to earn a perfect score in the processor department.

• Storage Space and Memory – 8

The LG G3 comes with 32GB of built-in storage space and supports storage expansion using MicroSD, MicroSDHC, and MicroSDXC chips up to 128 GB in size. There's also a lesser version available that comes with 16GB storage and 2 GB RAM.

• Camera Quality – 10

The G3 comes with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera that features Optical Image Stabilization, Autofocus, Touch to Focus, HDR mode, and voice activated controls. The built-in camcorder can capture video in stunning 4K (3840x2160) resolution.

• Battery Life – 10

The G3's battery life is yet another area in which it shines, with an impressive battery capacity of 3000 mAh. To put that into perspective, that gives you a talk time of up to 19 hours before the battery runs out. It also has built-in wireless charging capabilities.

• Special Features – 7

With 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM installed, and a slim bezel design that makes the 5.5-inch display feel much smaller than it really is, the G3 makes a perfect mobile multitasker. The KNOCK code unlock feature has returned from the G2 and is also pretty neat.

• Price – 10

The G3 can be purchased without a contract at the full retail price of about $599, or with a contract at the price of $199. That's pretty cheap when you consider the prices of the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Alpha, both of which are expected to be in the $900-$1000 range without a contract.

Overall Score: 64

Competitor #2 – Samsung S5

Samsung is not content to let the iPhone 6 reign over its previous flagship, the Galaxy S5. Instead, they're launching the metal-bodied Galaxy Alpha to take on Apple's latest device at some point in September. Still, there's a possibility that the iPhone 6 will be released first, which would leave the S5 competing as the flagship for Samsung on launch day.

Since we don't yet know whether the Alpha will be ready to compete with the iPhone 6 when it is launched, and since these two phones are perhaps the most anticipated devices in this year's smartphone race, we've given them a more in-depth comparison of their own. Also, the Galaxy Alpha is being called a souped-up version of the S5, and was initially referred to as the “Galaxy S5 Prime” in some circles, so for now let's see how the S5 itself scores:

• Display Quality – 9

The S5 sports a Full HD (1080x1920) Super AMOLED capacitative touchscreen that is capable of displaying up to 16 million colors, with an impressive pixel density of 432 ppi.

• Processor Power – 8

Like the G3, the S5 carries a Snapdragon 801 with a 2.5 GHz clockspeed, which gives it comparable performance. However, the S5 only has 2GB of RAM, so it gets one point less in the processor power department.

• Storage Space - 8

The S5 comes in two variations – 16GB and 32GB. It also supports microSD cards up to 128 GB in size. However, some reports have indicated that the device is packed with a decent amount of bloatware that can clog up the 16GB version.

• Camera Quality - 9

The 16-megapixel camera can take photos in resolutions up to 5312x2988 and features image stabilization, HDR, and phase detection autofocus. The camcorder can record video at up to 2160p resolution at 30 frames per second.

• Battery Life – 9

The Lithium-Ion battery has a capacity of 2800 mAh, and can last up to 21 hours worth of talk time or 67 hours worth of music playing time.

• Special Features – 10

The S5 has the unique advantage of being waterproof – it can safely be submerged as deep as 1 metre under water for 30 minutes at a time. It also has a built-in heart monitor, and a PayPal-approved fingerprint sensor for fast identity verification during online payment transactions.

• Price – 9

At a retail price of about $600 without a contract, the S5 is in the same price range you would expect from a flagship smartphone. Still, it is a bit cheaper than the new generation of super smartphones that are running in the $900+ range.

Overall Score: 62

Competitor #3 – HTC One M8

The underestimated and underrated HTC One M8 has some interesting features to consider as well.

• Display Quality – 9

The Super LCD3 Full HD (1090 x 1920) display is very similar to that of the S5, with a total color count of more than 16 million and a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch.

• Processor Power – 7

The US version of the One M8 is equipped with a quad-core 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 801 chipset, giving it similar performance to the S5, despite it running on Windows 8.1 Phone instead of Android.

• Storage Space – 8

Comes in two variations – 16GB and 32GB. Has a MicroSD expansion slot for cards up to 128GB in size.

• Camera Quality – 8

With a dual 4-megapixel camera that can capture images in resolutions up to 2688x1520, the One M8's camera is not quite as impressive as the cameras its competitors have. However, the front-facing camera has a 5-megapixel lens with HDR capabilities, so this phone might be one of the best for taking high resolution selfies.

• Battery Life – 8

Although the battery has a decent capacity at 2600mAh, it is non-removable, which may be a turnoff for some consumers.

• Special Features – 9

The phone features superb stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers in an HTC BoomSound audio system. It's also worth reiterating that the M8 runs on Windows Phone 8.1, which may be a plus for some people.

• Price – 8

At $670 full price without a contract, it is slightly more expensive than the competition, but with a contract it is pretty much the same at $199 per month.

Overall Score: 57

Competitor # 4 – The iPhone 6

Now that we've showed you what the iPhone 6 is up against, let's see how it compares to the competition you've become familiar with.

• Display Quality – 10

The iPhone 6 will have a unique screen resolution of 1704 x 906, which on the standard 4.7-inch version equates to a pixel density of 416 ppi. Although that's not the highest ppi out there, when combined with IPS display technology it will probably be visually on par with any display on the market. There will be two display sizes to choose form 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch, but the latter probably won;t become available until 2015.

• Processor Power – 10

The new quad-core A8 chip is expected to be the first Apple chipset to reach the 2.0GHz mark, but being that Apple is famous for making software that doesn't overburden hardware, the new chip will probably make iOS 8 even more responsive than previous versions.

• Storage Space – 10

The iPhone 6 will be available in multiple variations up to 64 GB, and there are even rumors that suggest a 128 GB edition may become available in the 5.5-inch version.

• Camera Quality – 9

With a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera that supports Optical Image Stabilization, the new iPhone delivers in the camera department, but it falls just shy of the G3's 16-megapixel camera.

• Battery Life – 8

The battery has a capacity of 1,810 mAh, which is lower than the other competitors on this list. This isn't surprising considering we've come to expect relatively short battery run times for the iPhone series.

• Special Features – 10

The Apple App Store, plus iOS 8 and its newly added features make the iPhone 6 tough to compete with in any market. The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is also a cool extra.

• Price – 8

Rumors suggest that the new iPhone 6 will cost more than previous version of the iPhone, especially the 5.5-inch edition, which could cost in upwards of $900 without a contract. However, with a contract the phone should only cost you about $299, which is reasonable considering that this is Apple's flagship offering.

Overall Score: 64

Conclusion

It was a tough decision, but ultimately we felt the iPhone 6 is roughly tied with the LG G3, both with an overall score of 64 out of 70. The G3 is clearly the phone to beat in the Android market though. The iPhone's special features, storage space, and process power scores give it the edge it needs to make up for the fact that the G3 has excellent scores in display quality, battery life, and camera quality.