First iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Reviews: 'Thin and Sexy', 'Bigger and Better', Impressive Battery Life Up to 2 Days

[anarche]

Good questions, I'm in the same boat, but will wait for the 6S. Our 4S gets the boot, though.

I can't decide whether to get the iPhone 6 or not.

Right now, I'm using the 5S 16GB. It's a great phone, feels perfect in the hand, offers all the performance I need. However, I have longed for a larger screen iPhone for a long time. Also, as apps are continuously growing in size and I take more pictures than ever due to the great camera, 16GB is getting cramped. I find myself having to delete apps and photos A LOT.

That said, I was pretty much set on getting the 6 in a larger storage configuration. Rumors suggested that 32GB would be the new standard size. Now Apple made a dick-move to keep the 16GB while completely removing 32GB. I would have much preferred if Apple made 32GB the baseline, or if they would have made it cheaper to upgrade from 16 to 32.

I guess you can't have the cake and eat it.

So, the iPhone 6 would get a bit more pricey than I had hoped. But, I'm fine with paying plenty of money as long as I get the best phone out there. However, I do feel that Apple has taken plenty of shortcuts with the new iPhone 6, some of which include:

* Protruding camera
* Disgusting antenna bands
* Large bezels all around the phone, making the 4.7" iPhone nearly as large as the 5.1" GS5.
* Not much improved battery life
* No sapphire screen
* No Full-HD display in the iPhone 6
* UI which doesn't really utilize the larger screen of the iPhone 6

What are the odds that Apple will correct some of these points, come the iPhone 6S?

Right now, I can't make my mind up.

 

[jlabute]

buried

Hmmm 1 1/2 days for the 6. At least that's better than current battery life, would have loved 2 days but I don't need a huge phone. Got my iPad Air and nMac Pro6,1 D700 w/ dual 27" LED LCD's, don't need a phablet.

Awesome news on the battery life on both though!

I was watching a movie called "Buried" the other night. A guy with a blackberry Buried alive in a coffin under-ground... had to rely on battery life. lol. You never know when you'll need precious battery life. As the battery ages, it will get worse. Considering the specs on the A8 chip and the increase in battery capacity... it doesn't seem like a large gain.

 

[iososx]

Hey Mikey they like it.

That's because "they" were all well known Apple shills.

No one is saying it's not a good phone, but these people have a long history of cherry picking the best features to talk about, while conveniently overlooking any shortcomings.

Glowing reviews are essential to strong sales, Steve Jobs hand picked, schmoozed and rewarded these writers to guarantee the great reviews they'd write at each product launch.

In addition they are the chosen ones that get hand picked devices, double checked for quality and proper functionality by Apple beforehand. A fact that's been documented in the past.

 

[crashoverride77]

Very disappointed in the absence of a RAM figure. Any reviews tried opening up a bunch of tabs in Safari, and some other apps and see how often tabs/apps have to reload? Because that's what matters as opposed to a tech spec number. I wouldn't trust what apps would report at this stage.

I have heard that ios 8 made changes to it. Not that the tabs don't reload but if they do reload it's much faster and you are taking back to where you left of. We will find out in 1-2 hours.

 

[cdmoore74]

Now I can understand the up scaling effect for apps not designed for the 5.5” display but what about new 1080p apps used on the smaller displays? If the iPhone scaler blows everything up to fit will it shrink everything down going in the opposite direction? Or will developers have to make a 3.5”, 4”, 4.7” and 5.5” version of the apps into one download?

 

[whiteboytrash]

Lets compare iphone to iphone. According to engadget "In our video-playback tests, the 6 lasted 10 hours and 19 minutes; that's actually worse than the 5s results from last year, which managed to go for 10:50. The iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, still had 14 percent battery left when the 6 died."

Intesting that there isnt much difference with double the battery size of the 5s. It seems that the screen is a battery hog. Theres so much praised from sites how iOS is optimized. People talk a lot of crap about how androids are battery hungry with its unoptimized software and big screen. Im waiting for anandtech review as they give detailed specs test.

This particular battery test is so silly. Because no one ever watches video for 10 hours straight. They may watch it for 30 minutes or 2 hours or 15 times for 2 minute periods over 8 hours. They also do many other functions in and around watching video and have background processes running.

When one talks of iOS optimisation, that means the OS is optimised in a way that people use their phones - by cross performing functions at intermittent intervals over the course of a specific timeframe.

A 10 hours of video test means absolutely nothing for regular phone functionality.

 

[Moto G]

What is SoC? Keep seeing people mention it

 

[blairh]

It blows my mind how few of these reviews even mention one of the most important factors for me. The performance of the speaker.

 

[rGiskard]

Looks like the 6+ falls short of the competition, especially the LG G3.

Ive doesn't do ergonomics, all he knows is thinner. So now we have a really thin, wide, and tall iPhone that's miserable to hold.

Just a few highlights of the G3, to show what Apple's missing:

• Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen (534 ppi)
• Ergonomic design with curved back to fit the hand
• 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery (not only does a curved back hold easier, it permits a humongous battery!)
• Accessible battery. Just open the back and slap a fresh one in.
• 2.5GHz Quad-Core CPU
• 3GB RAM

Clad that sucker in aloominium and load iOS 8 on it, and it's YEARS ahead of Apple's iPhones.

Aside from the specs, what bothers me the most is the ergonomics. With Jobs gone, Apple could choose to focus on ergonomics, yet they remain mired in thin.

 

[Moto G]

Looks like the 6+ falls short of the competition, especially the LG G3.

Ive doesn't do ergonomics, all he knows is thinner. So now we have a really thin, wide, and tall iPhone that's miserable to hold.

Just a few highlights of the G3, to show what Apple's missing:

• Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen (534 ppi)
• Ergonomic design with curved back to fit the hand
• 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery (not only does a curved back hold easier, it permits a humongous battery!)
• Accessible battery. Just open the back and slap a fresh one in.
• 2.5GHz Quad-Core CPU
• 3GB RAM

Clad that sucker in aloominium and load iOS 8 on it, and it's YEARS ahead of Apple's iPhones.

Aside from the specs, what bothers me the most is the ergonomics. With Jobs gone, Apple could choose to focus on ergonomics, yet they remain mired in thin.

Oh man, a spec counter. It seems you took intentional and conscious effort on seeing the negative, even where there isn't any to see.

Next...

 

[whiteboytrash]

Looks like the 6+ falls short of the competition, especially the LG G3.

Ive doesn't do ergonomics, all he knows is thinner. So now we have a really thin, wide, and tall iPhone that's miserable to hold.

Just a few highlights of the G3, to show what Apple's missing:

• Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen (534 ppi)
• Ergonomic design with curved back to fit the hand
• 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery (not only does a curved back hold easier, it permits a humongous battery!)
• Accessible battery. Just open the back and slap a fresh one in.
• 2.5GHz Quad-Core CPU
• 3GB RAM

Clad that sucker in aloominium and load iOS 8 on it, and it's YEARS ahead of Apple's iPhones.

Aside from the specs, what bothers me the most is the ergonomics. With Jobs gone, Apple could choose to focus on ergonomics, yet they remain mired in thin.

Do you actually know what the word 'ergonomics' actually means?

Based on that, I’m not sure you’re in position to making comment on what’s best!

 

[sransari]

hmmm...my order status is STILL showing "preparing for shipment" for delivery on 9/19 with no tracking # Anyone else still have this same status with a 9/19 delivery? Seems to be cutting it close if it's going to get here on 9/19. I was also hoping to have the tracking # so I can arrange for pickup at the UPS facility at 8:30 AM.

 

[Mr Fusion]

Indefensible? You make it sound like Apple is denying food to babies. There is no morality play here. The fact is Apple, being a for profit business doesn't have to defend such marketing decisions unless they turn out to be a flop. Based on preorders that doesn't seem to be the case. The memory options in pure economic theory appear to be efficiently priced and having the effect Apple intended.

For those offended there are other phones that present a better value.

Well said PR man. Ever get tired of carrying the flag?

 

[0092762]

Looks like the 6+ falls short of the competition, especially the LG G3.

Ive doesn't do ergonomics, all he knows is thinner. So now we have a really thin, wide, and tall iPhone that's miserable to hold.

Just a few highlights of the G3, to show what Apple's missing:

• Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440) screen (534 ppi)
• Ergonomic design with curved back to fit the hand
• 3000 mAh Li-Ion battery (not only does a curved back hold easier, it permits a humongous battery!)
• Accessible battery. Just open the back and slap a fresh one in.
• 2.5GHz Quad-Core CPU
• 3GB RAM

Clad that sucker in aloominium and load iOS 8 on it, and it's YEARS ahead of Apple's iPhones.

Aside from the specs, what bothers me the most is the ergonomics. With Jobs gone, Apple could choose to focus on ergonomics, yet they remain mired in thin.

1. Like you will be able to notice the difference between 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 at that screen size and viewing distance. You won't.
2. iPhone is also very ergonomic
3. 6+ battery is similar capacity (rumored)
4. Removable battery is a definite plus over the iPhone
5. Smoked by dual core 1.4 A8 on the iPhone. Don't believe in the Mhz myth.
6. Different OS's and RAM usage scenarios.

 

[3282868]

I was watching a movie called "Buried" the other night. A guy with a blackberry Buried alive in a coffin under-ground... had to rely on battery life. lol. You never know when you'll need precious battery life. As the battery ages, it will get worse. Considering the specs on the A8 chip and the increase in battery capacity... it doesn't seem like a large gain.

Yes! Ryan Reynolds was the only actor, I remember reading he spent hours a day for weeks in a makeshift coffin filming. Got great reviews, one of the few films of his I liked. Had claustrophobia for days lol (the ending was brutal).

If there's ever a case for better battery life, this is it. Would be a funny commercial to spoof it with a mobile device, end it with "Don't get buried by your battery" - fade out.

 

[jlabute]

size is not an issue

heck, I have methods to even use my Nexus 7 with one hand... so it has to be easy with the larger iPhone. or at least just a minor learning curve to re-train fingers

 

[juannacho]

I wish that they would get rid of the home button. The 6 Plus is bigger than the competition with the same size screen and harder to use one handed than it could be. One of the reviews also stated that the rounded edges make it more slippery than the 5S which is more squared edges.

I can live with the extra height for the trade off of getting the Touch ID jazz. The top being the same height though just seems a bit like a stubborn "iPhones are always symmetrical top & bottom" from Mr Ive.

Height wise, all the top needs is the speaker, camera and light sensor, which could all be in a row and occupy just a few mm. Like the LG G3 in fact... Still, not complaining. I guess the extra space squeezes an extra hour of battery in!?!

 

[3282868]

I bit OT, but I'm really considering venturing away from an iPhone. Nothing against it, I've been using them since the first release, just feel a change might be in order.

I have a 5S running iOS 8 (developer), so I'm not in a rush, but interested to read some unbiased opinions. I don't want a "phablet", 4.7" is large enough. My media is DRM free aside from app's (of course, different platform) and some movies (use my iPad Air, nMac Pro6,1 and Mac Mini HTPC for media). Are there third party app's that "bridge" syncing with iTunes or would I be SOL?

 

[kerrikins]

"The iPhone doesn't feel like quite a revolutionary device. It feels like Apple playing catch up."

- The Verge

Pretty much sums it up, unfortunately.

Yet here and elsewhere people say that this is too ~positive~ and that these reviewers are paid by Apple, etc.

I'm really curious as to what these people wanted to happen to be happy with the review...

I bit OT, but I'm really considering venturing away from an iPhone. Nothing against it, I've been using them since the first release, just feel a change might be in order.

You might be better off in the 'alternatives to iOS' section.

 

[jlabute]

objective means to test

It blows my mind how few of these reviews even mention one of the most important factors for me. The performance of the speaker.

We would need a means to test it objectively with a audio/spectrum analyzer or something to give us an absolute indication of how it performs with respect to previous speakers. Would be nice to still have peoples impression though of the speaker. I agree.

 

[Keirasplace]

Looks like the 6+ falls short of the competition, especially the LG G3.

You do know the G3's reviews haven't been that stellar, most people have recommended the much cheaper G2 instead. The G2 for the price IS a great buy.

Anyway,

The Apple CPU will have the best benchmark single core, 100% sure, and probably even multicore (which way less useful past 2 cores) despite having a very low clock speed (its obviously underclocked), and since it seemingly doesn't trottle (because its underclocked), hugely better benchmarks for actual intense use. I'm waiting for Androidy to whine about that one.

Most people that have actually used the G3 said the screen resolution is overkill (you don't see a difference) and its dim and the colour not precise. It kills the battery too. So, what's the point of this.

You seem to have little clue what ergonomic actually means. They're all flat slabs with minor differences in border shape and button placement and some slight dimensional differences. Main advantage is 6+'s thinness coupled with smouther edges makes it quite easy to hold, beyond that hey, comes down to personal preference.

Since the 6+ seemingly has an incredibly stingy CPU tightly integrated with the OS, it could pass all other phones even with a smaller battery.

I've never even slapped on a new battery even if feature phones (when I could). Having to open the phone because it killed its battery is basically a real crappy design. Better to make it last longer... Which apple seemingly has put a good effort doing this time.

If you use your phone enough that your running your battery down every day, maybe carrying a 10000 battery pack that can recharge your phone when you're not using it, is the way to go. That way you could play tombaider all day long on your phone without changing the battery 3 or 4 times.

Android needs more Ram just to function decently. You know that, yet you put that in for well... Who knows what reason really. The Note 3 was sluggish (so says reviews) despite having gobs of Ram.

 

[scottw324]

No, make it virtual. Of course I have no idea if that's even possible, but the home button takes up a lot of room. That's why the 6+ is bigger than it's competition. Another user suggested putting the Touch ID in the Apple logo on the back.

----------



Sapphire screen and 2GB of RAM.

Or just shorten up the top bezel while leaving the bottom the same size for the Home Button/TouchID. I don't really care if the top is shorter than the bottom.....and this is coming from someone that is typically OCD when it comes to stuff being symetrical.

As for the Apple Logo on the back, I was kind of hoping for it to glow when the screen was on this time, like the Macbooks.

 

[Keirasplace]

That's because "they" were all well known Apple shills.

No one is saying it's not a good phone, but these people have a long history of cherry picking the best features to talk about, while conveniently overlooking any shortcomings.

Glowing reviews are essential to strong sales, Steve Jobs hand picked, schmoozed and rewarded these writers to guarantee the great reviews they'd write at each product launch.

In addition they are the chosen ones that get hand picked devices, double checked for quality and proper functionality by Apple beforehand. A fact that's been documented in the past.

Right... Hundreds of different reviewers are all shills... Same reviewers couldn't be bought by Samsung spending 10 times more than Apple on marketing? Does that sound logical?

I so love the conspiracy angle of everyone in the whole world being for Apple, or havng been bought buy Apple... Man, they are sooo "evil"!

That those poor hundreds of Android manufacturers, including Samsung the gentle giant and that small underdog company Google, can't possibly have the resources to do anything against Apple... Their kung fu must be weak, poor them! What will they do?

The whole scenario reeks of insanity! Especially considering that immense efforts those hundreds of companies put in selling their wares.

 

[chupachup]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]


At its September 9 iPhone event, Apple provided multiple publications with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review units. The embargo has now lifted on review posts, so we have gathered some of the relevant excerpts from each site in order to highlight general release reactions to Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

Apple's two new devices are essentially identical in design aside from the difference in screen size and the battery life/optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus, so we've chosen to combine the device reviews into one post.

Image​

Brad Molen, Engadget:
David Pierce/Nilay Patel (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Verge:

YouTube: video​

Walt Mossberg/Lauren Goode (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Re/code:Jim Dalrymple, The Loopavid Pogue, Yahooarrell Etherington (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), TechCrunch:Other reviews:

Stuart Miles (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Pocket-lint
Gareth Beavis (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), TechRadar
Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal
Molly Wood, The New York Times
Edward Baig, USA Today
Joshua Topolsky, Bloomberg
Harry McCracken, Fast Company
Lance Ulanoff (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Mashable
Charles Arthur (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Guardian
David Phelan (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Independent
Matt Hill (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), T3
Jason Snell, Macworld
John Gruber, Daring Fireball
Vincent Nguyen, SlashGear

Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available to the public beginning on Friday, September 19. Apple is currently accepting pre-orders for the devices in its online store, but shipping estimates for the iPhone 6 are at 7 to 10 days while estimates for the 6 Plus are at 3 to 4 weeks.

Article Link: First iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Reviews: 'Thin and Sexy', 'Bigger and Better', Impressive Battery Life Up to 2 Days

Josh Topolsky said he could barely make it through a day on iPhone 6. I am sure the iPhone 6 won't have any better battery than the 5s, which means bad.

He said

I experienced several days during the review period where I barely made it to the charger before the phone lost power.

So the title of this thread is very misleading.

There will never be an iPhone with good battery life.

 

[Keirasplace]

Don't know how a small sensor camera with only 8MP will beat other cameras from manufacturers which have more expertise on the area, like Nokia, Sony and Samsung (yes, Samsung has a good reputation on mirrorless cameras).

Now Panasonic announced a mirrorless camera inside an almost smartphone-sized case. Can't understand how reputed review sites can be so biased to ignore the existence of Nokia, Sony, Samsung and the recently announced killer cameraphone from Panasonic.

http://www.gsmarena.com/panasonic_lumix_smart_camera_cm1-6675.php

Actual result don't count in your book? If the 6+ camera is exceptional, its exceptional. They did beat Samsung's cameras in previous phone according to all reviews.

Nokia made fine smart phone cameras for static shots that were DOG SLOW. Speed to focus and make a shot is a major spec in all modern cameras.

Whining about Apple having a top camera doesn't change the facts.

The sensors are from Sony BTW. Oh, and SOny is bleading money, so the fact that their tech winds up in a Iphone is not that surprising; they need Apple'S money.

Also, Apple controls its own Soc which they seemingly dedicated a great deal of to its camera. That's why it has the best speed between shots and speed to focus in the business. That's not something a camera maker can casually do.

As for lumix being a cameraphone "killer", I'll see it when it actually comes out. Lets see how it does with the non camera part too...