How might the iPhone 6 compare to  Nexus 5?

 

Design and build:

So far, Apple has been keen not to rock the boat too much when it comes to its iconic device design, so with successive iPhone handsets we’ve seen more or less the same shape, and although we’ve shifted from a glass back panel to an all aluminium one, the handset still looks more or less the same as it ever did. This isn’t a bad thing, of course, as Apple is clearly onto a winner in terms of aesthetics and build quality. What might change a bit though is the display: the iPhone 6 could be the first Apple smartphone to embrace Android-sized display proportions.
Apple is sure to want to keep the device as compact as possible, but if the rumours prove true of a display somewhere between 4.5-inches and 5-inches then we will, more than likely, see the chassis design change to some extent. While it’s unlikely that chassis enlargement is avoidable, Apple will probably want to keep the overall proportions as close to current iPhone size as it can, because it has always maintained the current size is optimal for usability.
One way of achieving this would be to opt for an edge-to-edge display design with only the narrowest of bezels, which would change the look of the font fascia quite dramatically.
Apple is almost certain to continue its Touch ID fingerprint scanning Home key as it has heavily invested in the technology and this will dictate the need to keep a physical Home button on the front of the phone. Very little has been said on other elements of exterior design but I would be tremendously surprised if Apple moved away from the aluminium-backed style it currently has.
In any event, you can be pretty sure the build quality will remain premium-grade and rewarding to get to grips with.
The Nexus 5 is a bit of an oddity, in the sense that photos of the device really don’t do it justice. In pictures, even the official press and product stills, it looks a little dull and uninspiring, but trust us, once you get one in your presence you’ll be surprised at how sleek this latest Google handset really is. The bodyshell is a nicely contoured design with some interesting shapes and it’s fabricated from soft-touch but robust-feeling polycarbonate. It’s suitably thin and lightweight with a narrow bezel around the display keeping things sharp.

Display:

As mentioned above, the iPhone 6 is thought to be the update where Apple will introduce a larger display, but currently the bracket of possible options is quite wide-ranging – anything from 4.5-inches to 5-inches, with the most recent whisperings pointing to 4.9-inches. Whether Apple will actually follow through on this is still very much up in the air, however, as the company has famously said many times in the past that 3.5-inches to 4-inches is an optimum size for usability. Backtracking now would be a loss of face and could prove controversial amongst the “true believers” – the fans who’ve long become accustomed to the smaller screen size and who are quite happy with it.
In any scenario, Apple will likely stick to its guns on keeping the image quality to a certain standard set by its “Retina” displays, current IPS LCD screens with a pixel density of around 330 pixels-per-inch (ppi). Apple has again maintained frequently that this is an optimum resolution for what the human eye can actually perceive from typical smartphone viewing distances and, again, changing its tune now could be problematic. Either way, you can be sure it’ll be a bright, sharp and colourful panel with fantastic image quality.
Other display rumours suggest Apple could be changing its tech from IPS LCD to so-called IGZO technology or, in some cases, OLED. This seems largely moot, however, when you consider that high-end displays from both LCD and OLED camps are more or less on a par these days when it comes to picture quality – the real factor is things like battery efficiency and it remains to be seen what Apple could do in this regard. A switch to OLED also opens up the possibility of using flexible OLED panels, which at this stage doesn’t enable a flexible form factor but couldn’t potentially allow more creative screen implementation – not least that hallowed edge-to-edge configuration.
Lastly, there’s some talk of Apple using Sapphire Glass for its display on the iPhone 6. Sapphire Glass is incredibly strong, and Apple already uses this material for its Touch ID buttons to ensure the delicate scanning technology underneath remains unscathed during use. This could mean cracked iPhone displays become a thing of the past rather than a commonly sighted occurrence.
The Nexus 5 has a very competitive display with LG’s “True HD” IPS+ LCD technology which provides some pretty sharp visual quality. It has a 1920 x 1080 pixel full HD resolution on a 4.95-inch panel at 445ppi. As you might expect of this setup, colour is incredibly rich, brightness is robust and it has great clarity too.

Software

Laurel or Hardy? Tom or Jerry? It comes down to a similar question between iOS and Android 4.4 KitKat, they both essentially do the same thing even if they look more than a little different.
Each has received a significant facelift recently, though iOS has changed more than Android in this regard. Both now feature multitasking carousels, drop-down quick-settings menus and expanded notifications screens which all make operation nice and easy.
They also each have access to massive libraries of apps, games and multimedia content, as well as various streaming services.
A big factor for many will be which system you’re invested in already. If you’ve spent years accumulating a vast catalogue of music on iTunes you’re unlikely to want to opt for Android, but Google’s Play portal is just as vibrant for content and if you’ve bought loads of films and tracks here then the Nexus 5 is an obvious choice.
iOS will change again for iOS 8 on the iPhone 6, but it’s unlikely that the changes will be as significant as those from iOS 6 to iOS 7. We could see Apple expand its Touch ID capabilities and add further to its multimedia services: iTunes Radio and Apple TV.

Processor and performance

Being a Nexus device, the Nexus 5 is incredibly well optimised for Android 4.4 KitKat, but on top of this it packs a powerful processor fit to handle even the most intensive tasks and content. It uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 quad-core Krait chip clocked at 2.3GHz with an Adreno 330 GPU and 2GB of RAM, and you can guarantee this will eat up any of the most intensive apps and games from Google Play, as well as demanding multitasking or multimedia streaming.
Apple’s iPhone 6 is sure to be in a similar position. Apple has now committed itself to 64-bit processor technology and while we have no idea what the next-gen chip will be called (A7X or A8, most likely), if the current-gen is anything to go by it’ll be plenty fast, even if it remains dual-core. By that point there should be more 64-bit apps in iOS’s ecosystem, bringing about better optimised performance overall. Apple’s app system is carefully curated and again you can rely on any app content available on iTunes running smoothly on the top-of-the-line iPhone handset.

Battery

Battery life is not exactly a strong-suit of the Nexus 5. It’s fairly average and will last you a day if you’re careful, but for more intensive use you’re looking at top-up charges the same as any other handset on the market save for a few titans like the Galaxy Note 3.
While Apple’s current iPhone is more battery-friendly than its previous models it’s still not exactly a superphone in this regard, but Apple has demonstrated some clever stuff with its subsequent iPad devices showing how it can squeeze longer life out of the same size cell. There’s hope that the same could happen with the iPhone 6.

Camera

Again, the camera aboard the Nexus 5 is arguably one of its weaker components. It’s not awful, but not particularly impressive either.
Conversely, the tweaked 8-megapixel iSight camera aboard the iPhone 5S has wowed plenty of reviewers and users across the globe, with professional photographers churning out some breathtaking imagery you might not believe was snapped on a phone at first.
If Apple uses this setup again on the iPhone 6 it will be a capable enough competitor, but it could improve its sensor tech even further and, if rumours prove true, could add a Lytro-like functionality to allow you to refocus anywhere on an image after it is captured.