introduction
Apple caved to market pressure and created a phablet. This may sound as blasphemy but it's not the first time Cupertino is seen reacting to rivals getting too confident, too aggressive - too close for comfort. The first iPad mini had to respond back in its time to the rise of the compact Android tablets. That was different though - and not in a way perhaps that Apple will like.The iPad mini was very much in a league of its own, by virtue of its screen size and aspect ratio. The phablet, on the other hand, is dragged into a tougher game away from home. For the first time, Apple is playing by someone else's rules. They're in it to win though. Second year in a row, users will be choosing from a pair, but this time it's a pair that doesn't have a straightforward first choice this time around. It's an iPhone and a bigger - better? - version of it.
The iPhone 6 Plus marks the biggest leap in iPhones since the iPhone 4 and will have implications for the iPads as well. With a large 5.5" screen to straddle the difference between the iPhone and the iPad Air.
Apple iPhone 6 Plus official images
Apple abandoned scaling the original 320 x 480 resolution by various factors and jumped to an industry standard of 1080p. This means that for the first time the iPhone can show FullHD video at 1:1 and also represents the first jump in pixel density since the iPhone 4 (even the smaller iPhone 6 is still at 326ppi).
The screen is the defining feature of the iPhone 6 Plus but another important update is the addition of Optical Image Stabilization to the camera, which has otherwise only seen iterative updates for the last four years.
Key features:
- Metal unibody, 7.1mm slim, 172g of weight
- LTE connectivity (Cat. 4, 150Mbps downlink)
- 5.5" 1,080 x 1,920 LED-backlit IPS LCD with 401 ppi pixel density
- Apple iOS 8; iPad-like split-screen functionality
- Dual-core 1.4 GHz Apple A8 chipset, M8 motion co-processor, PowerVR GX6450 GPU, 1GB of RAM
- 8MP F/2.2 camera with True tone LED flash, Optical Image Stabilization, phase detection auto focus, 1080p@30fps and @60fps video recording, 720p@120fps and 240fps video recording, 1.2MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with BSI sensor and HDR mode.
- 16/64/128GB of built-in storage
- Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button
- 2,915mAh battery
Main disadvantages:
- Hard to use single-handedly, unimpressive screen to body ratio (6" Androids fit in the same footprint)
- No microSD slot
- Pricey memory upgrades, 32GB version should be standard for such an expensive phone
- No user-replaceable battery
- Protruding camera lens makes the phone wobble if you don't have a case on
- Camera is still merely 8MP four years in a row (granted, it's getting better every with every new generation)
- No 4K video and video sound is still mono
- No enhanced resistance to liquids or dust
- NFC functionality limited to Apple Pay
- Rather pricey for a flagship (without carrier subsidies) that misses some of the extras of the competition, such as stereo speakers, wireless charging, an infrared port, or FM radio
Also, changes between generations are generally small, such is the Apple way. This means the camera kept its still and video resolution and it still can't record stereo. The chipset was sped up a bit, but only about 20%, not as nearly as big a jump as between last generations.
The largest iPhone yet
Apple introduced a new design with the Sixes, an aluminum unibody with rounded sides and corners. Comparisons with the iPod touch are inescapable - the design isn't old (though not exactly new either) but it proved to have a weak point - causing it to bend in people's pockets.
The Tim Cook era is seeing Apple venture into new territories but with the iPhone 6 Plus it finds itself in a house built by Android, the house of phablets. Has the company changed enough to successfully upscale iOS to 5.5 inches? iPads certainly work great but there's more to it than that. Let's start exploring.
Unboxing the Apple iPhone 6 Plus
The Apple iPhone 6 Plus came in a large white box with the usual accessories: a 1A charger, a detachable Lightning cable, a pair of EarPods and a SIM eject tool.
Big white box with the standard assortment of accessories
We read reports that using a more powerful charger can fill up the battery faster so we decided to investigate. We used a 2.4A iPad Air charger and a tool to measure the power draw. It showed that the iPhone 6 Plus takes in 1.25A from the iPad charger and 1A from its own and other chargers. Overall, that shaves off 25% of the charge time if you have an iPad charger at hand.
Apple iPhone 6 Plus 360-degree spin
The Apple iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm and weighs 172g. For comparison a 5.5" LG G3 measures 146.3 x 74.6 x 8.9mm, while a 6" Huawei Ascend Mate7 measures 157 x 81 x 7.9mm. That's another way of saying that Apple's design is rather tall for the screen size.Design and hardware
The original iPhone featured a rounded aluminum body and Apple returned to metal with the iPhone 4 design (but with a glass back). The iPhone 5 dropped the glass in favor of an aluminum unibody but kept the flat sides of the iPhone 4.
Original iPhone • iPhone 6 Plus
We've come almost a full circle now with an aluminum iPhone with rounded sides, though with years of improvements to the manufacturing process the iPhone 6 Plus and its smaller sibling appear closer to the iPod touch and the new iPads.
Even with all that, the new design is a cause for excitement - the iPhone 6 Plus is impressively thin for a device its size and doesn't feel heavy despite its all-metal body. What it does feel is large, though Apple expects a lot of Android converts who will feel right at home with the form factor.
Even big hands can struggle with the iPhone 6 Plus
It's long-time iPhone users that will have the toughest time to adjust. The Plus is too big for one-handed use but it's not an iPad mini 2 so it will feel cramped at first for two-handed use. As numerous large Androids have demonstrated users accustomed to it.
iPhone 6 Plus size comparison with the LG G3 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (right)
The front of the device is Ion-strengthened glass, which is rounded at its edges. That design has proved beneficial when swiping gestures are involved. Since iOS puts the Back button in the top left (that was the standard until now) we suspect that the swipe Back gesture will see a lot more use, especially on the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhones are available in Space Gray, Silver and Gold and we have to say the Gray version look gorgeous, while the Silver (which has a white front) looks a bit cheap. As usual, Gold is an acquired taste.
Ion-strengthened glass with beveled sides
The curve of the screen's sides continues fairly smoothly down the aluminum sides of the device, which curve around to the flat back. This makes the handset feel a bit thinner than it is.
The 7.1mm thin chassis feels exquisite - slightly thinner than the iPad Air and mini 2 and perfectly machined, it feels worthy of the price tag (but we'll talk money for the conclusion).
That said the combination of a slim body and rounded sides make the device slippery - aluminum never offered the best grip, but we feel more comfortable holding the iPhone 5s. Of course, a large part of that is the massive size compared to the old model.
iPhone in three sizes: 4" iPhone 5s, 4.7" iPhone 6 and 5.5" iPhone 6 Plus
A flaw that users discovered after owning the 6 Plus for barely a week is that it has a structural weak point where the volume buttons are - the drilling for the buttons weakens the aluminum chassis enough for the phablet to bend in pockets.
Below the screen is the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which has improved slightly since its introduction last year but, true to self, Apple doesn't give away much detail. Touch ID finally comes into its own with the introduction of NFC-based Apple Pay but more on that later.
Above the screen is the earpiece, the ambient light and proximity sensors, plus an aging 1.2MP camera. Apple moved it to the side of the earpiece from its previous central position and widened the aperture to f/2.2 (from f/2.4) but we were hoping for 1080p videos and higher-resolution selfies.
The new position of the front-facing camera • the improved Touch ID fingerprint sensor
As usual, the Mute switch is above the volume rocker on the left side of the phablet.
The right side of the iPhone 6 Plus is the new place for the Power button. With the new devices (especially the Plus) much taller than their predecessors this move makes complete sense. Below the power button is the nanoSIM card tray, which requires a tool (or at least a paper clip to open).
Volume rocker and Mute switch • repositioned Power key and the nanoSIM card slot
This leaves the top bare, as the 3.5mm audio jack was moved several generations ago to the bottom of the device, near the Lightning port. Also is the loudspeaker grille and the main microphone.
The bare top • 3.5mm audio jack, microphone, Lightning port and the loudspeaker
The back of the iPhone 6 Plus is made of a sheet of aluminum, plastic ridges splitting it at the top and bottom (for radio transmission reasons) but this time around the dividing lines are much thicker and more visible.
They proved a bit controversial but not nearly as the camera, which protrudes from the back for the first time in iPhone history. This raises practical concerns as the camera is more exposed to scratches (it is protected by sapphire glass though) and it makes the iPhone wobble on a level surface. It also puts the opposing corner of the device under bigger risk of getting scratched.
The big news about the camera is that it now features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), exclusive to the 6 Plus in the iPhone family (though Windows Phone and Android got there first). We'll discuss the implications of OIS in the dedicated camera chapter.
The flash is circular but still comprises of two LEDs of different color, Apple's True tone flash. Between it and the camera is the secondary mic, as we complained earlier Apple still records only mono audio in videos.
A protruding camera with Optical Image Stabilization
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