There are countless other reviews of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus online, many of which laboriously compare each and every tech spec to all the other phones on the market. If you’d like to delve into an especially thorough point-by-point examination, I recommend this 11-page opus from our sister site TechRadar. In light of that, I’m going to skip the tech talk and get straight to the point: iPhone 6 is awesome. Shocker, huh? Wait, I’ve got another one for you: it’s the best iPhone ever made. Gasp!
Neither statement should come as a surprise, since every iPhone has been better than the last. As you would expect, the iPhone 6 takes better pictures, has a faster processor, is thinner, etc. None of these areas show drastic improvement, but they’re noticeably better. Like I said, all of this is what you’d expect from a new iPhone, so I’m going to focus on what you can’t predict as easily; what — when it comes down to it — matters most: how it feels to hold and operate in everyday use.
The biggest changes with this year’s models are size and shape. The iPhone 6 Plus has clearly made the biggest jump in this area, but even the standard 4.7-inch model feels a lot larger in the hand than previous versions. That’s because this is the first iPhone that can’t be entirely operated in one hand. Your thumb can almost reach the opposite top corner, but you need to shift your grip to do so. It’s totally workable, even if using the phone this way isn’t quite as comfortable as before, and I’m pretty sure the trade-off is worth it. I’ll have to live with the phone a little longer to be sure, but I think it will be hard to go back to the smaller screen once I’m used to iPhone 6; my 5s already seems small to me now.
The extra screen space is not only prettier and easier to look at, but it is sometimes used to fit in some extra functionality. The Home screen, for example, has room for an extra row of apps. And when held sideways, the keyboard gains two new columns of keys that include arrow keys, an undo button, and quick access to periods and commas. Or if simply seeing your phone better is the priority, you can select Zoom view in Settings to blow everything up.
Screen size is ultimately the only thing you need to look at when considering iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus — do you want a bigger screen, and if so, how big do you want it? The Plus has a couple unique selling points: optical image stabilization for photos and videos, and select apps that more closely resemble their iPad counterparts with split-screen view or a few extra onscreen details. But for me, I have to be able to fit a phone in my pocket. The regular iPhone 6 has plenty of room in my loose jeans pocket, but the Plus pokes out a little when I sit down. It’s the perfect size for a purse, though.
To be honest, neither phone is a real game-changer. In fact, varying competing phones could give you a bigger screen, higher resolution, longer battery life, or a faster processor. But none of those phones do it all; they each have at least one significant flaw, whereas Apple’s devices are at least “great” in every area. Plus, they run iOS 8, a massive advantage over Android or anything else in my book.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is a lovely phone, but if you’re not yet eligible for an upgrade, I wouldn’t sweat it. The Plus is probably more compelling if you’ve been waiting for Apple to enter the phablet race. There really isn’t anything significant to complain about with either, so if you’re able to upgrade, treat yourself and enjoy life.
Be sure to check out our iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Buyer’s Guide, plus our list of 50 iOS 8 Tips and Tricks.
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