You've read the reports, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are breaking pre-order records. They are also in very short supply. If you didn't order your new iPhone immediately chances are you won’t be getting it for weeks. On the plus side this gives you some valuable thinking time as the hype dies down. So in the cold light of day are the new iPhones worth the upgrade?
I have already written a detailed comparison of the iPhone 6 vs the iPhone 6 Plus and initial reviews are strong, but for many the bigger question is how well their existing iPhone stands up to
The Size Question - Bigger Screens Vs. Hindered Use One Handed
- iPhone 5 - 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm (4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in), 112 g (3.95 oz)
- iPhone 5S - 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm (4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in), 112g (3.95 oz)
- iPhone 6 - 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm (5.44 x 2.64 x 0.27 inches), 129g (4.55 oz)
- iPhone 6 Plus - 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1mm (6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches), 172g (6.07 oz)
Many iPhone owners have been proud that Apple hadn’t joined the size race of handsets running Android and Windows Phone, but it is now clear that going forward Apple also believes in big.
To successfully sell this Apple has made the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus remarkably thin but it is worth noting both are not only longer and wider than their predecessors, but a similar size to rivals with even larger screens.
For example the iPhone 6 similar footprint to the 5-inch Nexus 5 and the iPhone 6 Plus has a much larger footprint than the 5.5-inch LG G3 and close to the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4.
For hesitant upgraders an additional wrinkle is the layout of iOS. Core navigation buttons are located in the top left and right corners and, while Apple has expanded use of the swipe gesture, its primary workaround is ‘Reachability’ - a double tap of the home button which causes the whole screen to slide down so they can be reached.
Privately I’m sure Apple knows this isn’t the most elegant solution long term, but it will do for now. On the positive side having used a Nexus 5 for the last 11 months I can tell you adaption to a big screen phone happens fast. Much of it comes down to new muscle memory: you shift the phone around your palm rather than letting it sit still to reach all the corners.
The Displays - 4-inch Jumps to 4.7-inch And 5.5-inch
- iPhone 5 - 4 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 640 x 1136 pixels, 326 ppi
- iPhone 5S - 4 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 640 x 1136 pixels, 326 ppi
- iPhone 6 - 4.7 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 750 x 1334 pixels,326 ppi
- iPhone 6 Plus - 5.5 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 401 ppi
On the other hand the upsides of big screens are obvious: more information can be seen onscreen, keyboards can be bigger and watching video is vastly improved.
As for display quality, in opting for a rather unusual 750 x 1334 pixel native resolution the iPhone 6 doesn’t actually improve the pixel density of its screen compared to previous Retina Display iPhones which include the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5C and 5S. This was a shock given 1080p screens have been standard across many 4.7-inch and 5-inch phones for a long time, though Apple’s customary vibrant colours and responsive touchscreen mean it will still be a visual treat.
On the other hand the iPhone 6 Plus is where we see a real step up. The new iPhone phablet does make the jump to ‘Full HD’ 1080p and it delivers an increased 401 pixels per inch making it the model which will really make jaws drop for current iPhone owners. It is worth pointing out that the 5.5-inch LG G3 and 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4 actually offer even higher resolutions - a mind boggling 1440 x 2560 pixels for a 534 ppi and many claim to see the difference - but the iPhone 6 Plus display won’t let anyone down.
There was one controversy: the non-appearance of sapphire. Again on paper the benefits of sapphire are huge even if evidence for them was actually scant, but rumours of yield and shattering problems means it looks like we’ll have to wait for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
In sum for these big screens: if you use your phone one handed a lot then perhaps wait and see how Apple evolves iOS to help with this. Otherwise big screens are here to stay and in fairness they are simply better for more tasks than small ones, which is why phones are getting bigger in the first place.
Read more: iPhone 6: Owners Need To Adapt To 5 Big Changes
Design - Glass Vs. Metal, Angles Vs. Curves
On paper this should be an easy answer: metal is stronger than glass, so metal wins. In reality it is not quite so clear cut as both materials have different compositional pros and cons.
Glass is actually more scratch and scuff resistant than metal and it tends not to show the scuffs and scratches that it does pick up as much as metal. Ask any HTC One M8 or M7 owner about how their phones look months later to bear this out.
The flip side is metal obviously doesn’t shatter and ever since the iPhone 4 made the controversial switch to a glass front and rear their shattered backs have been a curse for owners. Personally this would sway me towards the new iPhones.
From a superficial point of view the new iPhones are also a radical departure from their predecessors. This hasn’t been wholly positive with leaked dummy units coming in for widespread criticism (particularly the protruding camera which Apple has actually hidden from marketing shots) and little changed in their design with the final units.
Despite this attitudes have changed markedly since the new iPhones were formally announced. The return of curved edges makes them feel better in hand, they are wonderfully balanced and the build quality is typically top notch. It has been noted that the new models do feel slippy in hand though and their protruding camera rings are a scratch risk so the argument for buying a protective case is still strong.
Features - Performance, NFC and Storage
- iPhone 5 - Apple A6 - 32bit, 1GB RAM, PowerVR SGX543MP3 GPU
- iPhone 5S - Apple A7 - 64bit, 1GB RAM, PowerVR G6430 GPU
- iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus - Apple A8, 64bit, 1GB RAM, PowerVR GX6650 GPU
Apple claimed both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S were twice as fast as their predecessors, but this time around the claims are more modest. Despite rumours to the contrary both the new iPhones pack identical hardware and Apple states this means a 20% faster CPU and 50% faster GPU than the iPhone 5S.
Cynics should not turn their noses up at this. The iPhone 5S is already a very fast phone and it is questionable how much faster iOS needs to run. The real benefit therefore will be in gaming where the extra graphical prowess can be witnessed and of course that will be better seen on their larger screens. How quickly games take advantage of the extra power, however, time will tell.
Ultimately while the new iPhones are faster, this isn’t a primary reason for purchase.
More interesting is the long awaited adoption of NFC. For now this will be locked to the Apple Pay service (itself launching only in October and initially restricted to the US), but it does have the potential to transform the payment industry. Whether that happens before the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S Plus remains to be seen.
More tangible is something else equally long awaited: the option of 128GB of storage. This comes at some cost and it is a shame that Apple didn’t bump the entry level storage from 16GB to 32GB (the 32GB option has disappeared completely) but with Apple never likely to offer expandable storage it will be a deal maker for those that need it.
Battery Life And Charging
- iPhone 5 - 1440 mAh battery capacity
- iPhone 5S - 1560 mAh battery capacity
- iPhone 6 - 1810 mAh battery capacity
- iPhone 6 Plus - 2915 mAh battery capacity
Wireless charging didn't make it into the new iPhones, which disappointed some, but in moving to their new larger sizes Apple has managed to fit both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with more capacious batteries.
The big winner here is the iPhone 6 Plus as the table above shows. It will survive even the heaviest use and still make it through the day with several days of more moderate use now a reality.
The iPhone 6 is less impressive with more modest capacity increases, but all day use is now widely reported. With battery problems haunting the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S and better battery life coming consistently top of the most wanted features the new iPhones’ improvements will be enough on their own to make wallets open.
Camera - Still 8 Megapixels, But Massively Improved
- iPhone 5 - 8MP, 1/3.2-inch sensor, f2.4 aperture, 1.2MP Front Camera
- iPhone 5S - 8MP, 1/3-inch sensor, f2.2 aperture, 1.2MP Front Camera
- iPhone 6 - 8MP, 1/3-inch sensor, f2.2 aperture, Focus Pixels, True Tone Flash, DIS, 1.2MP Front Camera
- iPhone 6 Plus - 8MP, 1/3-inch sensor, f2.2 aperture, Focus Pixels, True Tone Flash, OIS, 1.2MP Front Camera
Just look at the megapixels and little seems to have changed with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cameras as Apple decided to stay with the same eight megapixels iPhones have had since the iPhone 4S. Don’t be fooled, the new cameras are one of the best aspects of the new iPhone 6 models.
A headline feature is the introduction of ‘Focus Pixels’ which Apple says halves autofocus and facial recognition times while bringing continuous autofocus to video. An improved ‘True Tone Flash’ also delivers more natural lighting.
Another key aspect is the introduction of image stabilisation. Apple has actually been behind the curve here with ‘Optical Image Stabilisation’ (OIS) a common feature in many premium rivals. It is therefore no surprise to see OIS added to the iPhone 6 Plus camera and it smooths out video and reduces the shake when taking photos to give far clearer results.
The iPhone 6 doesn’t get the full OIS treatment, instead receiving a software equivalent called ‘Digital Image Stabilisation’ (appropriately shortened to DIS). Don’t be too disheartened though as early reviews indicate the results are still strong (the Forbes review of both phones is coming soon).
One unavoidable limitation? The 8 megapixel sensor is too small to enable 4K ‘Ultra HD’ video recording. This may upset owners of 4K TVs, though shooting Full HD 1080p at 60fps and a super slow motion 240fps 720p mode (versus 120fps on the iPhone 5S) should be decent compensation.
iOS 8 - Apple Pay And App Scaling
As a comparison primarily between hardware, I won’t be going into great depth on iOS 8 - discussion of the key new features can be found here. That said I will isolate three key areas as they will operate differently on the new iPhone 6es.
The first is Apple Pay. While the iPhone 5/5C and 5S will all have access to Apple’s impressive new payment service, the NFC chip added to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S will enable touch payments when Apple Pay rolls-out, starting with the US in October.
From an upgrade perspective this is likely to be a deal maker, but it is worth noting for reluctant customers that Apple Pay will take time to gain momentum and we probably won’t even see the best of it before the iPhone 6S/6S Plus arrive late in 2015. Changing the entire payments industry doesn’t happen overnight.
Secondly those desperate to get their hands on Apple Healthkit needn't stress if they missed out on the first batch of iPhone deliveries. Last minute delays have seen apps pulled and it won’t now appear until later in October so you aren't missing out.
Thirdly is apps. While apps will continue to look great on the older iPhones, until apps are adapted to take advantage of the larger, higher resolution iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screens they must be scaled. Apple has said a ‘desktop class scaler’ will stop the past problems seen with the previous bump to the Retina Display in the iPhone 4. It is true this improves matters, but it has been noted that some apps still look fuzzy (Gmail is picked out by many) so not everything will look great from the off.
Pricing
Carrier pricing has been dealt with in detail and it is worth noting that the best value purchasing an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus is to be had on contract.
This is best illustrated by the contract free price of the 128GB iPhone 6 Plus which costs more than a 128GB 11-inch MacBook Air. As such the sweet spot in both handsets is the 64GB option which can now found sitting in the same price bracket as the discontinued 32GB option in previous iPhone models.
As already mentioned, I would have loved to see Apple keep 32GB and make it the new baseline for the range, but in fairness bringing in 64GB at the 32GB price point and 128GB where 64GB once stood does make for tempting upgrade options. Which is where Apple is a master.
Read more: iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: What’s The Difference
Bottom Line
A new iPhone (and this year it is iPhones) can often be the cue to ditch your old iPhone at all costs. This will be even more tempting this year for users who have long waited for Apple to make handsets with larger screen sizes.
As ever, however, let common sense prevail. At launch previous iPhones have offered most upgrade value to users two generations back and this remains the case. Moreover the iPhone 5S hasn’t been left behind by the same seismic performance upgrades as recent iPhones have done to their predecessors.
That said every time Apple launches a new number (iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPhone 5) it has signalled a new and tempting form factor and this time the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus signal the biggest form factor and design changes of any iPhone to date.
Upgrading for many will be irresistible, but it is worth remembering those who stick with their existing phones will see them get a new lease of life with iOS 8. So if you're still sitting on the fence best spend some time with Apple’s radically overhauled software and then reassess.
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