Originally reviewed on 26 September 2014
What is the iPhone 6?
It's all about the size. The iPhone 6 and huge
iPhone 6 Plus
are Apple's reaction to ever increasing phone screens. Is
Apple too late to the party? Undoubtedly yes, but it might just have managed to be fashionably late.
One
of the key reasons
Samsung, HTC and others smartphone makers have eaten into iPhone sales
over the past two years is that they offer a
lot more screen for your money. The iPhone 6 now totes a 4.7-inch
screen. That's not big when compared to its closest rivals, and even
less so when placed next to the huge 5.5-inch display on the iPhone 6
Plus.
The iOS faithful have pining for a larger
screen and Apple has finally delivered. And while the screen is the
headline feature of the iPhone 6 there's a lot more to it than that.
There's a brand new super-slim design, a much faster processor and the
addition of
iOS 8.
And
sales figures, so far, have spoken. Apple turned out its most
profitable quarter ever following the launch of it's new phones and the
iPad Air 2.
Actually that's putting it lightly. Apple had the most profitable
quarter of any company ever and now tops the list of most valuable
companies in the world at $700 billion. That's twice the value of
Microsoft and Google combined.
It's not down to luck and marketing either, the iPhone 6 is a great phone. But these days there's
no shortage of those from the likes of Samsung, LG and HTC, while
cheaper contenders such as the
Motorola Moto X and
Google Nexus 5
have closed the gap on the flagships. Has Apple offered that little bit
of extra magic to launch it to the top of the premium smartphone pile?
Watch our iPhone 6 video
iPhone 6: Design
The
iPhone 6 opts for soft curves and seamless, chamfered joins between the
screen and the back, as opposed to the machined edges of the iPhone 5S.
Barring some plastic detailing on the rear that adds to the design and
which houses the antennas it’s all glass and metal.
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002e591/fa29/P9260291.jpg
It’s
not as striking as its predecessor. The square design and shiny edges
of the iPhone 5S stand out and it clearly distinguishes between the
chassis and the screen. It’s the same with the
iPad mini and
iPad Air, although they marry the diamond cut edges with rounded metal sides.
It
may not be as instantly arresting, but the iPhone 6 looks like it’s
been hewn from a single piece of metal and glass and fused seamlessly
together. The effect is particularly strong in the space grey finish and
with the screen turned off. It is a beautiful slab of black glass and
anodised aluminium. We feel the design is safe rather than
ground-breaking, though. The white bezel on the silver version ruins the
seamless effect a little – we’d go for space grey every time.
SEE ALSO: iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plusimage: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002e56c/a2b5/P1010014.jpg
As
always with Apple’s phones the iPhone 6 has superb balance, it feels
right in the hand regardless of orientation. The comfy edges are also a
lot easier on the palm than the sharper ones on the iPhone 5S and the
6.9mm thickness makes it feel sleek yet strong.
Some owners are
claiming that it may not be quite as robust as Apple hopes. Reports of
the iPhone 6 bending in pockets have surfaced. We’ve had it in the front
pocket of jeans and have not experienced any issues for the months
we've been using it or the iPhone 6 Plus. We're not talking super skinny jeans, but we've been cycling with it in tight
pockets and there's not been a bend in sight. In fact since the initial
furore we've heard very little about it. Unless you intend to use your
iPhone 6 as a see-saw we wouldn't worry about it at all.
We do
suggest you fork out for a case, though. Like all phones you run the
risk of smashing the screen if you drop it and iPhone 6 repairs don't
come cheap. Check out our selection of the
best iPhone 6 cases before you buy.
It’s big, but not too bigWhile
the iPhone 6 is bigger, it doesn't feel too big. Aside from being much
thinner and lighter at just 129g it’s very similar in size to the
original
HTC One,
one of our favourite phones of last year. If you have small hands you
might struggle to get to the top corners of the screen, but we had no
such problems.
SEE ALSO: iPhone 6 vs Samsung Galaxy S5image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002e5a2/e2c7/P9260321.jpg
There
is some help if you do find the screen of the iPhone 6 too big. Clunky
one-handed use features are available on some Android phones, but
they’ve never felt particularly intuitive. They often just shrink the
whole screen diagonally down. Apple has come up with a typically elegant
solution. Tap twice on the home button and the entire top of the screen
jumps down bringing all the hard to reach areas into your thumbs range.
It works on every app that works in portrait mode too, so you can
easily get to the address bar or a browser without a problem.
Realising
a power button at the top of the phone of this size doesn’t work Apple
has moved it. The power button is at the right edge, above the nano-SIM
tray. This makes it easy to access with your thumb, if you’re right
-anded or with your index finger if you’re a lefty. It works a lot
better than the top power button on the HTC One M8 which requires a
little juggling to get to if you’re not ET.
In all other
respects the layout of the iPhone 6 is the same as previous versions.
The slightly recessed volume buttons sit on the left just under the mute
toggle. The 3.5mm headphone jack resides at the bottom, with the
lightning port and six handsome holes for the speaker.
SEE ALSO: iOS 8 Tips, Tricks and Secretsimage: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002e5a3/168e/P9260323.jpg
There’s
only one area where the iPhone 6 deviates from the principles of
smooth, seamless design and that’s with the rear camera. To ensure no
compromise on image quality due to the slimness of the phone, Apple has
had to raise the camera slightly from the body. But it isn't anywhere
near as severe as some other phones. Put a case on and you won’t notice
this at all, but you will feel it when holding the phone in landscape.
Helpfully, the edges are lightly chamfered, which means it slips into
pockets without snagging at all.
image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/00002e5a4/9421/P9260326.jpg
All-in-all
the iPhone 6 has an accomplished design. It doesn't scream 'look at
me', instead it’s refined, elegant and ergonomic, great for long hours
of use, whether you’re gaming or visiting your favourite sites. Do we
like it more than the
HTC One M8’s design? The jury’s still deliberating; we have mixed views at the
TrustedReviews' offices.
There’s one final thing to talk about. The iPhone 6 is not water or dust resistant unlike the
Galaxy S5 or
Sony Xperia Z3. If that’s important for you then you’ll need to either opt for a waterproof case or go for one of the Android phones.
