Nexus 6 vs Galaxy S5 Review: Specs, Features Comparison - Two Good Phones But One Stands Out

A comparison between the Nexus 6 and the Galaxy S5 shows that both phones have good features. However, as the Nexus 6 is a newer device it has even better features and specs.

Starting with size and design, the Nexus 6 is literally a "whale" of a phone as per its code name "Shamu." It measures a massive 6.27 inches in size compared to the 5.59 inches of the Galaxy S5. The Nexus 6 comes with a plastic back panel but has a metal band around its edge while the Galaxy S5 has a dimpled plastic back panel combined with a plastic edge.

In terms of display sizes, again the Nexus 6 is ahead with its AMOLED screen that measures 5.96 inches with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels and a pixel density of 493 pixels per inch. Compared to this, the Galaxy S5 has a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and a pixel density of 432 pixels per inch.

As far as specs go, since the Nexus 6 has a better chipset in the form of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 coupled with a Quad-core Krait 450 CPU clocked at 2.7 GHz and an Adreno 420 GPU. The Galaxy S5, on the other hand, has the older Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 chipset with a Quad-core Krait 400 CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz and an Adreno 330 GPU. As for RAM the Nexus 6 comes with 3GB while the Galaxy S5 has 2 GB.

Comparing their internal storage, the Nexus 6 comes in two versions -- 32 GB and 64 GB -- but does not have a microSD slot. The Galaxy S5 comes either with 16 GB or 32 GB. It has a microSD slot which can be used to increase its external memory up to 128 GB.

Price wise, the Nexus 6 can be purchased at $649 without a contract, while the Galaxy S5 has a tag of $550 without a contract.