EPAThe iPhone 6 Plus
Durban - Notice how it’s been a while since Apple has accused Samsung of copying its once-revolutionary iPhone? There was a time hardly a week would pass without the accusation being made, either in the media or a lawsuit.
What’s changed? For one, the charge simply isn’t true any more. Hasn’t been for years. More significantly, the notoriously snooty Cupertino, California company recently unveiled the iPhone 6 Plus, its entry into the oversized handset market, a category created almost single-handed by, irony of ironies, Samsung, with the launch of its comically huge – by 2011 standards – Galaxy Note.
Too big to be a phone, too small to be a tablet, the Note soon earned the awful, but enduring, nickname, “phablet”. Tech journalists, myself included, scoffed, but the public loved the Note and it went on to sell millions.
As successive generations of the Note sold even better, other phone makers scrambled to produce their own phablets. Apple – so used to others following its lead – was one of the last to do so, conceding eventually that this was a market segment it simply couldn’t afford to look down its nose at any more.
The iPhone 6 Plus is arguably the most beautiful big phone on the market, but after getting to spend some time with Samsung’s new flagship fourth generation Note 4 at its South African launch recently, I believe the Sammy offers a decidedly more compelling value proposition.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
Reason 1: The Samsung ecosystem
This has nothing to do with the device itself, but it’s so important I’ve put it first. The cost of data is a common gripe among smartphone users and Samsung has bundled 2GB of free Wi-Fi access at thousands of AlwaysOn hotspots around the country with the Note 4. If you drop your Note 4, and crack the screen, Samsung will collect and repair it free, giving you a loan unit to use while you wait. It’s a disappointing downgrade from the far more generous warranty on the Note 3, that also covered water damage and offered two repairs, but it’s still more than any other phone maker offers. And that’s just two of a long list of value-adds.
Reason 2: It’s got a stylus
Most casual users couldn’t be bothered about the stylus – or S-Pen as Samsung calls theirs – but power users can’t live without it. I grab mine literally every day to scribble longhand notes on my Note 3. On the Note 4 the S-Pen is now twice as responsive and unlocks a wealth of even cooler features including the kind of mouse-like features usually reserved for desktop computers, like selecting, dragging and dropping content between multiple windows.
Reason 3: Stunning screen
The screen on the iPhone 6 Plus is a thing of beauty, but it literally pales beside the Note 4’s 5.7-inch 2 560 x 1 440 – that’s four times HD resolution – Super AMOLED display.
The result is clearer and more vivid images with deep contrast, better viewing angles and response times as fast as a millionth of a second. The generous proportions also make for easier multi-tasking, with users able to choose how they access their applications with full, split or pop-up screens and easily change the size and positioning of apps on the screen with one intuitive swipe.
Reason 4: Practical design
The aluminium-bodied iPhone 6 Plus may just edge it out in the eye candy department, but the Note 4 is a lot more practical in my books. The Note’s metal rim and plush, leather-look back give it an upmarket look and feel, while making it significantly less slippery to grip than the iPhone. And because that back is removable, you can swop out the battery or upgrade the RAM with an SD card. The nifty Fast Charging feature juices your Note 4 from 0 to 50 percent in just 31 minutes, perfect for those pub or coffee shop top-ups.
My verdict
If you’re deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem and already own several iDevices, the Note 4 probably isn’t for you. The new iPhone’s camera also has a definite edge on the Note 4’s, despite the long-overdue introduction of optical image stabilisation and other nifty features. But for most people in the market for a premium device that combines all the best features of a smartphone, tablet and good old fashioned notebook and pen, the Note 4 is almost certainly what you’ve been looking for.
Price
Between R500 and R600 a month on contract. If you’re going the pre-paid route, don’t expect much change from R12 000.
Got any questions or comments? E-mail alanqcooper@gmail.com or follow @alanqcooper on Twitter.
Sunday Tribune
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