OnePlus 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Best flagship in 2015

The OnePlus 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 are probably the most disputed smartphones released this year. They are both great devices, flagship devices of their manufacturers and they both compete for the same title. The flagship device of 2015. Their price isn’t exactly the same, so that might be the decisive aspect of whether one or the other will get the title. Apart from that, we decided to present their specs and compare the OnePlus 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S6.

OnePlus 2

The OnePlus 2 was released this summer, only a few months behind the Samsung Galaxy S6. The OnePlus 2 has a simple design, with rounded edges and a physical button under the screen. It also features two capacitive buttons on each side of the home button. The OnePlus 2 is not exactly a small device, given its 15.18 cm height, 7.49 cm width and 0.99 cm thickness. It weighs 175 g, so the OnePlus 2 is not extremely light either. Users will find a 5.5- inches, 1080p display on the OnePlus 2, with Oxygen 2.1 UI. The LTPS LCD display of the OnePlus 2 is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, both for aspect and durability. It has a 401 ppi pixel density which is decent, but it could also be better.

The OnePlus 2 runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. It is powered by an octa- core Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset. The OnePlus 2 also features a Adreno 430 GPU in order to ensure the high- quality of graphics. The OnePlus 2 comes in two different variants: one of them includes 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB internal storage. The other version of the OnePlus 2 includes 4 GB of Ram and 64 GB of internal storage. Neither version offers the possibility to extend the storage. They both lack a card slot, so the internal storage is all users will get.

The camera system of the OnePlus 2 consists in a 13 MP back camera and a 5 MP secondary camera. The back camera offers optical image stabilization, laser autofocus and dual- LED flash. It also features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama mode and HDR.  As far as the video feature goes, the OnePlus 2 is able to record 2160p, 30fps and 720p, 120fps videos. The selfie camera is a 5 MP one with 1080p, without a flash, but still able to deliver decent images.

The OnePlus 2 offers a 11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity- wise. It also features a Type- C reversible connector. The OnePlus 2 also offers some extra features, including an accelerometer, a gyro sensor, proximity sensor and a compass. One great feature of the OnePlus 2 consists in its battery. The OnePlus 2 is equipped with a non- removable 3300 mAh battery which should ensure a quite good battery life. It will definitely take your through the day on one charge.

All these features, plus its rather low price, starting at $329 (£239) for the 16GB version, make the OnePlus 2 a serious contestant for the Best Flagship in 2015 title.

• CPU – Quad-core 1.56 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57 /Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
• GPU – Adreno 430
• DISPLAY – Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 5.5 inches, LTPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density)
• MEMORY – 16 GB, 3 GB RAM
  64 GB, 4 GB RAM,  no card slot
• BATTERY – Non-removable Li-Po 3300 mAh battery
• CAMERA –13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, optical image stabilization, laser autofocus, dual-LED flash; Secondary camera 5 MP, 1080p
• VIDEO – 2160p@30fps, 720p@120fps
• BODY – 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.9 mm (5.98 x 2.95 x 0.39 in)
• WEIGHT – 175 g (6.17 oz)
• WIRELESS – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot

Samsung Galaxy S6

Samsung’s flagship device is definitely the S6 this year. It was released in April and although other great devices were also released this year, after the Samsung Galaxy S6, it is still in the charts. This is probably due to the slim design of the Galaxy S6. Measuring 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 in) and weighing only 138 g, it is one of the thinnest smartphones out there. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is extremely eye- catching with its rounded edges. The Metal and glass body also attracts attention, giving the Galaxy S6 both a premium look and feel. The display of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is a 5.1- inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with TouchWiz UI and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. With 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution, the Galaxy S6 has a 577 ppi pixel density, which is one of the greatest pixel densities available at this time. Due to this feature, the Galaxy S6 offers a clear , beautiful image.

Out of the box, the Galaxy S6 runs on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, upgradable to 5.1.1 Lollipop. Probably the Android 6.0 Marshmallow will also become available for the Galaxy S6 soon. The Galaxy S6 is powered by an octa- core Exynos 7420 chipset and features a Mali-T760MP8 GPU. It inludes 3 GB of RAM, just as the smaller version of the OnePlus 2. But when it comes to storage, the Galaxy S6 also offers a 128 GB version, unlike the OnePlus 2. The Galaxy S6 doesn’t have a card slot, so, just like the OnePlus 2, its internal storage can’t be extended.

The back camera of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is one of the best available on the market now. The 16 MP camera is a lot more accurate than the One Plus Two’s 13 MP one. It also has optical image stabilization, autofocus and LED flash. Alongside the Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection and panorama features, also offered by the One Plus Two, the Galaxy S6 also has the Auto HDR mode for video. It supports 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, dual-video recording. The secondary camera of the Galaxy S6 is also better then the one the OnePlus 2 is equipped with. Although it’s also a 5 MP one, it also offers dual video call, Auto HDR and support higher quality video at 1440p@30fps.

The wireless connection offered by the Galaxy S6 is similar to that featured by the OnePlus 2. In addition Samsung also offers NFC, a IR blaster, a heart rate monitor and faster 4G (Cat 6 300Mbps against Cat 4 150Mbps). Unlike the OnePlus 2, the Galaxy doesn’t have a Type- C reversible connector, instead it offers microUSB v2.0 and USB Host. The Galaxy S6 also features wireless charging, S-Voice natural language commands and dictation, smart stay and OneDrive. The battery of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is lower- capacity than the OnePlus 2’s, it’s only a non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery. Samsung probably had to compromise in order to keep the slim figure of the Galaxy S6, and looking at it we think they weren’t wrong to take this decision.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is priced higher than the OnePlus 2. It started out costing  £599, now it can be purchased for less, but it is still more expensive than the OnePlus 2.

• CPU – Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 /Exynos 7420
• GPU – Mali-T760MP8
• DISPLAY – Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 5.1 inches, Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors, 1440 x 2560 pixels (~577 ppi pixel density)
• MEMORY – 32/64/128 GB, 3 GB RAM, no card slot
• BATTERY – Non-removable Li-Ion 2550 mAh battery
• CAMERA –16 MP, 2988 x 5312 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, LED flash;  Secondary camera 5 MP, 1440p, dual video call, Auto HDR
• VIDEO – 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, dual-video rec.
• BODY – 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm (5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 in)
• WEIGHT – 138 g (4.87 oz)
• WIRELESS – Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot.

The Best Flagship in 2015 is…

We have to admit that the OnePlus 2 was a pleasant surprise, both due to its looks and its specs sheet. It is powered by a great processor, it has enough RAM, almost enough internal storage and a decent set of cameras. The price of the OnePlus 2 also makes it more affordable than the Samsung Galaxy S6, and we are sure that this will count a lot in customer’s eyes. But we can’t get over the premium feel and look of the Samsung Galaxy S6. It also has more storage and greater camera than the OnePlus 2. The image quality of its display is far more better than the OnePlus 2’s. It is true, it has a smaller battery than the OnePlus 2, but due to this it can be extremely slim and attractive, so there is a good excuse for its shorter battery life. If the Samsung Galaxy S6 didn’t lower its price, the OnePlus 2 would deifintely win the battle. But now that the prices have grown closer, we think that the title should go to the Samsung Galaxy S6.