A phone is better than the sum of its parts. It's more than a numbers game. A Samsung phone still gives you a Samsung experience. That much is as true as it's ever been. For example - what does having more RAM actually do for one on a day to day basis given Samsungs horrible memory management?
Nexus or bust as far as Android goes, imo.
Thanks for your input, that is why I asked.
The biggest issues I have with my Nexus 5 is the terrible battery life. After getting a work given iPhone 6 Plus I love the bigger screen and much longer lasting battery life (iOS withstanding)
However none of the reviews for the Note 5 say anything about poorly managed memory on the device. I am curious where you are getting this from? The base layer OS is Android so it manages all the memory. I certainly never had any issues with 5.1.1 and memory management.
Again two phones with the same screens, one with a larger battery (6P), slower SOC (6P), less RAM (6P), (better "memory managed" as you say) yet still manages less battery life on a day to day basis.
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Google-Nexus-6P-Review_id4110
Maybe all the flagship phones of the past 6 months will get another shoot out once 6.0 is on them.
They both look like great phone. Just trying to get other info before dropping $700-500 on a new device.