Since the first week of September, fanboys have been lining up outside Apple Inc.’s retail stores even before the Cupertino, CA giant revealed its latest handset. It’s a practice in patience to earn the bragging rights of being among the first to purchase the newest of iDevices, paying off for many when Apple launched the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Those that weren’t able to get their hands on either of these new handsets will have to wait until October, as they’ve already sold out.

So what makes the new iPhone 6 Plus so special, and can it compete with the range of phablets already available in the market? (See how the iPhone 6 compares to the other flagship smartphones of 2014 here.)

iPhone 6 Plus vs. Other Phablets

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Design and Dimensions

 

Apple iPhone 6 Plus:

Like the iPhone 6, the Plus uses an ion-strengthened cover glass that is rounded on the edges and curves to seamlessly connect with the anodized aluminum enclosure on the back. Available in gold, silver and space gray, the iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1mm in height, with a width of 77.8mm, a depth of 7.1mm, and weighs 172g.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4:

Uses an aluminum frame, chamfered edges, faux-leather back, and will come in white, black, gold and pink. It measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm, and weighs 176g.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge:

Uses an aluminum frame, chamfered edges, one side of the screen is curved, faux-leather back cover, available in black and white and measures 151.3 x 82.4 x 8.3mm, 174g.

LG G3:

Comes in Metallic Black, Silk White, Shine Gold, measures 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9 mm, 148g.

HTC One Max:

Comes in  comes in Silver, Black, Gold, measures 164.5 x 82.5 x 10.29mm, 217g.

Nokia Lumia 1520:

Has polycarbonate body, comes in yellow, white, black, red, green and measures 162.8 mm x 85.4 mm x 8.7 mm, 206g.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra:

Uses an Omni-Balance design comprised of tempered glass on both front and back covers with aluminum frame, comes in black, white, purple, measures 179 x 92 x 6.5 mm, 212g.

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Display

 

Apple iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5-inch LED-backlit widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 5.7-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1440 x 2560 pixels, 515 ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: 5.6 inch (141.9mm) Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440 + 160)

LG G3: 5.5″ Quad HD (2560 X 1440) IPS, 538 pixels per inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3

HTC One Max: 5.9 inch, Full HD 1080p

Nokia Lumia 1520: 6” TrueColor Full HD (1920 x 1080), ClearBlack display, Corning Gorilla Glass 2, 368 ppi

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: 6.4 -inch Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 344 ppi pixel density, Triluminos Display for mobile

Camera

 

Apple iPhone 6 Plus: 8MP iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, Autofocus with Focus Pixels, True Tone Flash, uses optical image stabilization, which makes use of the phone’s gyroscope for better image stabilization and faster focusing, new burst mode; 1.2MP FaceTime camera

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Primary camera – 16 MP, 3456 x 4608 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash; Secondary camera – 3.7 MP, 1080p@30fps

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: Primary – 16MP autofocus camera with smart OIS; Secondary – 3.7MP camera with f/1.9 aperture

LG G3: Primary camera – 13MP Optical Image Stabilization+ with Laser Auto Focus, Dual Flash; Secondary camera – 2.1 MP

HTC One Max: Primary – HTC 4MP UltraPixel Camera, Secondary – 2.1 MP, 88° wide angle lens with HDR capability

Nokia Lumia 1520: Primary – 20 MP PureView, dual LED flash, Secondary – 1.2 MP wide-angle HD camera

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Primary – 8MP camera with auto focus, Secondary – 2MP camera

Internal Components

 

Apple iPhone 6 Plus: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a standby time of 384 hours, available in 16/64/128GB, A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, M8 motion coprocessor, runs iOS 8.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 3,220mAh removable battery, 32GB of internal memory, upgradable to up to 128GB by microSD,  3GB RAM, 2.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 with a 600MHz Adreno 420 GPU, runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: 3,000mAh, Fast Charging battery, 32/64GB Internal memory, micro SD slot up to 64GB, 3GB RAM, Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor, runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

LG G3: 3,000mAh  removable battery with optional wireless charging, 32GB, upgradable to up to 2TB microSD, 3GB RAM, 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

HTC One Max: 3300 mAh embedded battery, 32GB, upgradable to up to 64GB by microSD, 2GB RAM, 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, runs Android with HTC Sense 5.5.

Nokia Lumia 1520: 3400 mAh with wireless charging, 16/32 GB, supports up to 64GB microSD, 2GB RAM, 7GB cloud storage, 2.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, runs Windows Phone OS.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra:  3050 mAh embedded battery, up to 16GB, expandable to up to 64GB with SDXC, 2.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8974 Quad Core, Adreno 330 GPU, runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Special features

 

Apple iPhone 6 Plus: Apple Pay via new NFC chip, new Health app, Touch ID for security, Siri, barometer, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, SpO2, fingerprint scanner, fast charging feature, S Pen – pressure sensitivity has been doubled and has a new calligraphy mode, Multi Window, Ultra Power Saving Mode.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, gesture, UV, heart rate, SpO2, fingerprint scanner, fast charging feature, S Pen – pressure sensitivity has been doubled and has a new calligraphy mode, Multi Window, Ultra Power Saving Mode.

LG G3: Laser auto focus, gesture shutter, Knock Code security, Smart Cleaning – to help clean infrequently used apps, smart keyboard that learns your typing style with an adjustable size, and facilitates quick editing.

HTC One Max: Gyro sensor, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Fingerprint scanner, HTC BoomSound, HTC Zoe, HTC BlinkFeed.

Nokia Lumia 1520: Automatic screen brightness adjustment, Battery saver feature, Energy efficient charger, Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Waterproof IP55 and IP58, you can use a ballpoint pen or pencil as a stylus, multi-tasking apps, easy-toggle keyboard, Stamina mode for longer battery life.

 

The Verdict

 

While Apple introduced several new features to the iPhone 6 Plus, such as Apple Pay, most of these perks are not revolutionary to the market, and have been available on Android handsets for two-plus years. As for the iPhone 6 Plus’ increased screen size, good for Apple, but again, it’s been done before.

Also, the iPhone 6 Plus still lacks true multitasking for operating multiple apps on a single screen, such as watching a video while sending emails.

So it seems the iPhone 6 Plus is likely to appeal most to existing Apple users, offering comparable features to other phablets available on the market. For those anxious to have a larger handset with Apple’s mobile operating system, the iPhone 6 Plus is a welcome addition. For those seeking the best phablet on the market, Samsung’s Galaxy line remains a viable contender.