Nexus 6P review

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+/Galaxy S7 Edge

Samsung is an old hand at phablets, so it's no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ and newer - and slightly smaller - Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge present the Nexus 6P with some stiff competition.

The name might be a bit of a mouthful and with a 5.7-inch screen the S6 Edge+ is too, but what a screen it is. Like the Nexus 6P it's QHD, but unlike the 6P it's also curved, leaving it looking absolutely gorgeous.

Sadly, those curves are little more than eye candy and the S6 Edge+ is pricier than the Nexus 6P, but with a stylish metal and glass build, a class-leading 16MP snapper, a powerful octa-core processor, 4G of RAM and a fingerprint scanner it goes a long way towards justifying its price tag.

It's more powerful and more stylish than the Nexus 6P and it also has better photographic chops, but with underwhelming battery life, a high price and a more cluttered take on Android than the 6P's stock offering it won't be a better buy for everyone.

Meanwhile the Galaxy S7 Edge offers up a more palm-friendly 5.5-inch dual-curved display in a far more compact body and even more power stuffed under the hood. It'll cost you an arm and a leg though.

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge review | Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ review

iPhone 6S Plus

The iPhone 6S Plus is Apple's second stab at a phablet and it's quite an achievement. It's actually barely a phablet by Android standards, and certainly smaller than the Nexus 6P at 5.5 inches. At 1080 x 1920 it's also not as sharp, but it's bright, clear and vibrant, so you probably won't miss the extra pixels too much.

It also sports 3D Touch, which hasn't reached its full potential yet, but is still an exciting new way to interact with the phone.

With a decent camera, a premium design and slick performance too the iPhone 6S Plus doesn't feel particularly lacking in any area. But it's a lot more expensive than the Nexus 6P and if you want a true phablet it's a little on the small side.

• Read our full iPhone 6S Plus review

Moto X Style

The Moto X Style is another 5.7-incher with a QHD screen and like the Nexus 6P it's fairly affordable for a flagship.

It's got a lot going for it too, with strong performance, a bright and vibrant screen, a good camera, powerful speakers and Moto Maker customisations, allowing you to create a good looking handset that fits your own style.

Like many recent smartphones the battery life is a bit on the low side and at 11.1mm thick it's a little chunky. But otherwise it's a strong and stylish alternative to the Nexus 6P and with near stock Android on board the interface is pretty similar to Google and Huawei's latest offering too.

• Read our full Moto X Style review

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Samsung's other phablet of 2015 is a slightly different proposition to the Nexus 6P, as not only is it a lot more expensive, but with an included S Pen Stylus it asks to be used in a different way.

Jotting notes, sketching and even working feel a little more viable on it, making it less of an oversized phone and more of a genuine productivity tool.

Stylus aside the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is a good looking handset, with a metal and glass build, and with an octa-core processor and 4GB of RAM it's one of the most powerful phones around too.

It's also capable of taking a great photo and its 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560 screen is as good as we've come to expect from Samsung.

Other than the high price and the fact that you flat out can't buy it in a lot of places the Galaxy Note 5 is better in most ways than the Nexus 6P, but it's not as good value.

• Read our full Samsung Galaxy Note 5 review

Nexus 5X

The Nexus 6P isn't the only 2015 Nexus handset, as we also got the Nexus 5X. This is aimed at a very different audience though. For a start with its 5.2-inch 1080 x 1920 screen it's not a phablet.

It's also lower end than the Nexus 6P, with a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB of RAM, a plastic build and just a 5MP front-facing camera, where the Nexus 6P has an 8MP one.

The rear camera is the same spec though, it has the same fingerprint scanner, the same stock build of Android Marshmallow and a lower price tag.

If you're after stock Android but don't want a phablet or can't stretch to the Nexus 6P then the Nexus 5X is a great option, but it's no flagship.

• Read our full Nexus 5X review