There seems to be recurring theme we are dealing with here: the American giant comes up with a smartphone planned to impress and mere months later the hype turns to the next big thing. The same thing happened with the iPhone 6. Apple took a considerable turn from its previous device designs and came out with something people had been eagerly awaiting for ever since rumors of the sixth version of the iPhone ever started travelling around.
The result? The company’s latest addition to a long family of phones brings new challenges to the table of the smartphone market. The improvements are definitely tangible and a pretty big leap in comparison to the iPhone 5, when it was first released.
The iPhone 6 comes in to show off the most powerful Apple processor, an upgraded camera, a battery to make its host proud and numerous upgrades.
Taking Apple users’ demands for a larger device to compete with its Android rival in consideration, the company had two options: give in to the demands and go for a device that would lightly step into the field of phablets, or maintain the organization’s belief and apply their technology to feasibly-sized phones. The verdict turned out to be a definite “Why not both?” from Apple, giving their users the power to choose between a still-larger-than-iPhone 5 4.7” screen and the staggering 5.5” display iPhone 6 Plus.
The tech specifications are not different between the two versions of the iPhone 6, but naturally the experience slightly differs between the classic version and the Plus.
Design
So for the first time since the iPhone 3GS, the design has reverted to rounded edges to compliment the new release, which make the phone pleasant to hold. The reason Apple has been wary of larger screens until now is the downside of having to use both hands to be able to operate it properly and make use of even the most basic features such as texting. Luckily, the classic version of the iPhone 6 shows off a larger display and still holds on to that belief by letting you use the device in every way you see fit – be it texting, taking photos, reading or using apps.
The iPhone 6 is certainly the thinnest version ever made with a thickness of 0.27” in comparison to iPhone 5’s 0.30”, and still rates as one of the thinnest phones on the market. Its back is a combination of metal and plastic strips that are not the most iPhone-y thing you’ve ever seen but serves its purpose of improving the signal.
The screen of the iPhone 6 is made of shatter proof glass with an oleophobic coating, wrapped around the edges with a rounded material to make the device resistant to the occasional water droplets or wisps of dust.
The buttons seem to have been shuffled around a bit as well. The power key has been moved from the top of the phone to the right side, which makes this the first time Apple changes the classic position of the power button for so many of its devices (I’m thinking iPods here). All the keys seem to have been raised, which makes using them a little easier than before and the design for the volume buttons has been changed into thin, elongated keys that are easier to press than the iPhone 5’s round ones, very noticeable trait especially when a plastic or rubber case comes into play.
While it’s somewhat understandable why you would switch the headphone port from the top of the phone to the bottom – the way it happened with the iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 transition – next to the device’s speakers, I think I speak for quite a few iPhone users out there when I say that seeing the port still there for the latest Apple mobile device release upset me in the slightest.
The camera of this version of the iPhone stands out. Literally. In order to keep the phone as thin as possible while not sacrificing camera quality, Apple seems to have chosen to let it peek out of the back of the phone. It is not an upsetting feature, despite strangely unfamiliar to people used to the iPhone design. The lens of the camera is covered with sapphire glass to prevent scratches on its surface even if you place it down on a rough material.
Both the classic iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come in 3 colors only – Silver, Gold and Space Gray – strangely skipping on the usual black model. The capacity of the phone deviates from the 16/32/64 classes that we have got used to, and instead goes for a 16, 64 and 128 GB of memory capacity respectively.
iPhone 6 Price
The price of the phone ranges from $649 for the lowest memory capacity of the normal iPhone 6 model and goes up to $949 for the high-end iPhone 6 Plus, if you wish to purchase it outside of contract. If you’re ready to start with a new mobile company or simply upgrading, most carriers will offer a considerable discount on purchasing it, taking it as low as $199.
Processor & Camera
The iPhone 6’s processor is definitely a hike up the processor social ladder. The A8 chip built on second-generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, which is estimated at approximately 25% speed increase in comparison to the iPhone 5s. The A8 is made on a 20 nanometer process and contains 2 billion transistors. In spite of that being twice as much as its predecessor, A7, it has been reduced in size by 13% and has 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM included in the package. The iPhone 6 is the only Apple product that includes the A8 processor right now, with the exception of the iPad Air 2 that incorporates the A8X variant, released on October 16th this year.
The camera of the iPhone 6 models does not put up much of a fight in the face of Samsung and Sony rivals when it comes to megapixel capacity, Apple having decided to stick to the 8MP camera while competitors go as high as 21. But it’s not all about the sensors when it comes to quality photos and videos – the quality feels like a bit of an overhaul over the iPhone 5 from several perspectives.
One of them is the focus power of the camera – the new device incorporates a feature called Phase Detection Autofocus that works a little differently when it comes to detecting light sources. In essence that means the camera takes less time to autofocus and give way to crisp-clear photos in no time. There is a technical difference between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,
the latter coming with an optical image stabilization feature. Its purpose is to reduce the amount of blur that results from shaking hand movements, and also seems to be doing better in low-light environments as well. In comparison to its predecessor, iPhone 6 does a way better job at capturing photos, detailing images in high-color palette and really showing off some impressive quality. While it’s a very good camera, it still falls short from some of the competitors’ devices, such as the Galaxy S5.
The front facing camera hasn’t gone anywhere and comes with several improvements itself, the most important being along the lines of the application that accompanies it. You can now select filters before taking a photo and the HDR mode will take care of your photos in low light environments.
Display & Keyboard
iPhones have never had a problem with the display, actually making it ahead of most other phones way before rival devices would incorporate the technology to prove otherwise. Color accuracy has not changed much since the previous model, but greyscale and contrast seemed to have received slight uplifts. Resolution is still not the strongest feature of Apple phones: the iPhone 6’s 1,344 x 750 resolution may be higher than the 1,136 x 640 one of the iPhone 5/5S but proves to be scoring the same pixel density (326ppi).
The aspect ratio remains the same 16×9 we got used to but due to the extra 0.7” of the screen, you can now fit more applications per page than ever, the grid being a 6×4 now. The iPhone 6 Plus however does it better; not only does it have a higher pixel density, scoring 406 ppi, but the 1,920 x 1,080 resolution is certainly a big step outside of the regular comfort zone that is iPhone displays. The usual HD Retina Display that the Apple products have been spoiling us with for years is just as wondrous as ever, keeping your display visible no matter what angle you are looking at your screen from.
In addition, the iPhone 6 is also introducing dual-domain pixels, a feature which arranges the display’s subpixels in a manner that will reduce the contrast you normally get when viewing the display from an angle. Simply said, the display is just as bright and colorful whether you are looking at your phone from the side, or straight on.
The new version seems to be trying to make as good use of the larger display as humanly possible – features such as display zoom and the one-handed mode are meant to make your life easier in your transition to the iPhone 6. The display zoom magnifies your icons, text and a few other parts of the UI while the one-handed mode will bring content to your hand instead of you having to stretch all the way for it. Certainly not something you’re meant to use all the time as it tends to become confusing or inefficient, but surely handy.
The keyboard isn’t in the slightest different from what we got accustomed to until you flip the phone over and go in landscape mode. Suddenly, you will be able to notice a series of punctuation marks and options on the side of the regular keyboard, making your typing easier than before, not having to open the symbols menu for every single basic mark. Not the hugest surprise considering this is iOS 8’s doing, but it certainly feels like the upgrade was meant for the newest iPhone.
Battery Life & Other Details
Let’s face it: battery life is a touchy subject when it comes to smartphones. Considering they basically fulfill most things a lower-end computer would, we involuntarily begin tapping at them for prolonged amounts of time, whether we’re talking emailing, texting, reading news, watching media or taking photos. That proves to be quite a problem when you start realizing that you are starting to run low on battery before you’re even halfway through the day.
The iPhone 6 really tries to give a helping hand to keeping your device alive for as long as possible, its new technology promising 50% less power usage on the processor alone and a better battery altogether. There’s no denying it, the phone does last longer than what we are used to, going as far as 12 hours on medium amount of usage. Take it up a notch however, and the batter will be drawing its last breaths surprisingly soon. The technology, in all respects, is heavily improved from the earlier versions of the iPhone, we are just “not there yet” when it comes to making our 16-hour long mobile usage dream come true.
The sound quality of the iPhone 6 is really booming over the iPhone 5S, though the latter was far from complain-worthy. The speakers are powerful and give off a crisp sound, even off the bottom of the phone. There are updates in the works in what regards the high-res audio file support, making 24-bit, 192Khz possible. The fact that Apple decided to boost the memory capacity to up to 128GB will only make it easier for you if listening to music and watching videos is your preferred past-time.
Verdict
There are plenty of reasons for which we could call the iPhone 6 the best phone of the year but we’re not going to go there as it all falls down to preference for most part. Either way, the phone definitely delivers where it aims to – excellent quality, great hardware, beautifully designed and comfortable.
Roxanne Briean
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