Samsung Galaxy S6 Active vs iPhone 14 Plus: A Generational Clash
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The iPhone 14 Plus is the clear winner overall. While the S6 Active boasts impressive endurance, the iPhone's superior performance, camera, display, and modern features make it a far more compelling choice for most users. The S6 Active's appeal lies primarily in its ruggedness and extended battery life for very specific use cases.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy S6 active | Apple iPhone 14 Plus |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 29, 40 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2886, A2888 |
| 5G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2886, A2888 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat6 300/50 Mbps | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 70, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2887 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2015, June. Released 2015, June | 2022, September 07 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2022, October 07 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | - | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 146.8 x 73.4 x 8.6 mm (5.78 x 2.89 x 0.34 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.8 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.31 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time; International)· eSIM + eSIM (8 or more, max 2 at a time; USA)· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 170 g (6.00 oz) | 203 g (7.16 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) MIL-STD-810G compliant salt, dust, humidity, rain, vibration, solar radiation, transport and thermal shock resistant | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 4 | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1440 x 2560 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~576 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.1 inches, 71.7 cm2 (~66.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Super AMOLED | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53) | Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard) |
| Chipset | Exynos 7420 Octa (14 nm) | Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Mali-T760MP8 | Apple GPU (5-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop), upgradable to 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), TouchWiz UI | iOS 16, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 32GB 3GB RAM, 64GB 3GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 2.0 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 12 MP, f/1.5, 26mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.9µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide) |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Single | 16 MP, f/1.9, 28mm (wide), 1/2.6", 1.12µm, AF | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., OIS, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | - | HDR |
| Single | 5 MP, f/1.9, 22mm (wide) | 12 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 4.1, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| ANT+ S-Voice natural language commands and dictation | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 15W wired Wireless (Qi) (market dependent) | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update |
| Music play | Up to 57 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 504 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 24 h (3G) | - |
| Type | Li-Ion 3500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 4323 mAh (16.68 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | White, Gray | Midnight, Purple, Starlight, Blue, Red, Yellow |
| Models | SM-G890A | A2886, A2632, A2885, A2888, A2887, iphone14,8 |
| Price | About 350 EUR | € 391.58 / $ 329.97 / £ 335.00 |
| SAR | 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body) | 1.14 W/kg (head) 1.15 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.48 W/kg (head) 0.42 W/kg (body) | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 109h | Endurance rating 102h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -24.7 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 797976 (v9) GeekBench: 4582 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Samsung Galaxy S6 active
- Extremely durable
- Long battery life (endurance rating)
- Water and dust resistant (IP68)
- Expandable storage (microSD)
- Outdated processor
- Low-resolution display
- Poor camera quality
- Slow charging
- Limited software updates
Apple iPhone 14 Plus
- Powerful A15 Bionic chip
- Excellent camera system
- Vibrant and bright display
- Fast charging (PD2.0)
- MagSafe wireless charging
- Modern iOS ecosystem
- No expandable storage
- Can be expensive
- Repair costs can be high
Display Comparison
The iPhone 14 Plus's display is a significant upgrade. Its 797 nits max brightness and infinite contrast ratio offer a far more vibrant and detailed viewing experience than the S6 Active's older, less bright screen. Color accuracy and overall visual quality are also noticeably better on the iPhone.
Camera Comparison
The iPhone 14 Plus's camera system is vastly superior. It offers better image quality, improved low-light performance, and advanced features like Cinematic mode. The S6 Active's camera is functional but significantly outdated by today's standards.
Performance
The iPhone 14 Plus's A15 Bionic chip utterly dominates the S6 Active's Exynos 7420. App loading times, multitasking, and gaming performance are dramatically faster on the iPhone. The A15 Bionic's efficiency also contributes to smoother overall operation.
Battery Life
While the S6 Active's endurance rating is surprisingly high (109h), the iPhone 14 Plus's larger battery and efficient chip provide excellent real-world battery life. The iPhone also supports faster charging (PD2.0) and MagSafe wireless charging.
Buying Guide
Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active? Those needing a truly rugged phone for extreme conditions and prioritizing long battery life above all else. Who should buy the Apple iPhone 14 Plus? Anyone seeking a premium smartphone experience with a fantastic camera, powerful performance, and a vibrant display, and who is invested in the Apple ecosystem.