iPhone 6 Plus too big?

[itjw]

This talk of "extra features" and "better battery life" is silly.

Have you ever taken a picture with an iPad? It NEEDS OIS. It's hard to keep something that big and wide steady, as will be the case for a lot of shots with the plus. Even cameras (regular cameras) don't have dimensions like the plus (for holding). OIS was a necessity not a "feature". There are no reviews indicating the pictures are any better, only that they. "Should" be, and that's not necessarily true. It'll be EASIER to use the 4.7 as a camera too.

The battery life argument is based solely on Apple estimates... Browse the forum folks. When do people EVER get those typically? It's rare, and when they do, they post a screenshot like a trophy it's so unusual.

I don't mind, because you can charge anywhere, but if you believe the bigger screen (requiring re-scaling by the way) and the bigger backlight is still going to allow "significantly better" battery, you're kidding yourself.

Instead, all the fanboys who trashed the Note as "gigantic" or as a silly "phablet" now want one. And why? Because of these " features "? Lol

Look, I didn't like the Note either, and the more I think about it the more I'm convinced the 4.7 is the way to go.

Get the iPhone Titanic if you want, but stop trying to rationalize its because of "features". You just wasn't the "plus" model. It's ok to admit that.

 

[robertopod1968]

The plus will be this year's gold iPhone. I think they are underestimating the demand. Shortages for sure!

 

[Kobra]

...all the fanboys who trashed the Note as "gigantic" or as a silly "phablet" now want one. And why? Because of these " features "? Lol

Are you talking to me? Are you taaalking to meee!?

...yes, you are!

Get the iPhone Titanic if you want, but stop trying to rationalize its because of "features". You just wasn't the "plus" model. It's ok to admit that.

Ok, I admit. The iPhone 6 Plus is not for me (after all)

 

[nilnova]

I was set on the 4.7" initially but then Apple had to be Apple and give the 5.5" some premium extras (OIS, better pixel density, battery life). Seen in that light the regular 6 becomes less desirable of an upgrade over the 5, which I have currently.

So I decided to do as others have done and print out the template. I also cut some cardboard to size (though not exact thickness), just to give a rough idea of the "one handability" of the device. One handedness obviously suffers quite a bit, but it seems it would be doable for certain things in a pinch. I wouldn't want it to be my primary use case, so I would have to transition to mostly using 2 hands. In general I am in a situation where that should not be an issue.

A plus to the 6 Plus (hah, see what I did there) is that I could potentially eliminate my iPad Mini, which I use primarily as an eBook reader. The 6 Plus would seem to fill that role quite well, at least for what I normally read, which are novels.

I also tried it in my front jeans pocket which is where I keep my 5, and it seems more or less OK for just general walking around. It should also be OK for sitting down, though I'd likely take it out of the pocket when possible because it would be less comfortable.

However, one issue I have anticipated is something one might consider mundane -- tying shoelaces. I tried out the cardboard cutout in my front pocket for this use case and I'm worried it's going to bend the device, possibly damaging it over time. It's kind of awkward.

I had an original generation iPod Nano which shattered just from this sort of thing. Obviously the materials have moved on quite a bit since then and I haven't had an issue with any subsequent device, but still.

Anyone with experience with large devices like this have any thoughts on that?

If I get the 6 Plus it would be my first phablet. I am nervous.

 

[Kobra]

The sooner people come to this conclusion the better. They can stop spending money on a tablet that will end up collecting dust.

My iPads sit around unused because my usage patterns are the same as yours and most of my friends for that matter. Fun when new, then the device becomes just another paper weight.

We are all different. Personally, I use my iPad a lot both at work and at home. As soon as I get home I put away my iPhone as well as my MacBook for charging. I leave the computer at home when I go on vacation or on a business trip. As has been the case ever since I bought my first iPad in April 2010.

Over the years I have learned to use the iPad more and more and my PC less and less. I'm always trying out new productivity apps so that I can move yet another task from the laptop to the iPad. Some things are better on a bigger laptop screen, but as app developers get better and better the laptop is more of a paperweight.

Meanwhile, I have always looked forward to an lighter and slimmer iPhone as a complement to my iPad and MacBook. A phone is a phone and should remain so, it is ideal to perform quick actions when you're on the go, but in my world it will not be able to replace an iPad.

We're all different and that's why they launched two models this year

 

[itjw]

Are you talking to me? Are you taaalking to meee!?

...yes, you are!


Ok, I admit. The iPhone 6 Plus is not for me (after all)

LOL thanks for being honest about it. I have mad respect for that.

I seriously thought I'd want the 5.5 (assuming, of course, they did something special with it, like allowed it to run iPad specific apps or something) but they DIDN'T do anything special at all (besides make it HUGE).

What they did do was just enough to make th people that need to follow the crowd and have the "best" iPhone pay an extra $100 for the privelege of getting something they were making fun of days earlier.

For that I really do applaud Apple. It's an amazing bit of marketing to herd the sheep by only offering OIS and a battery that will simply "keep up" with the extra resources it will need to power. It's incredible they were able to sell it based on that, but they are.

I'm still buying the 4.7

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Oh and I did forget about the "improved pixel density" (lol). You realize they did that so they could stop the "it doesn't have 1080p" crowd from complaining right? It holds no tangible benefit to the end user unless you hold the phablet an inch away from your face or play your games with a magnifying lens...

In fact, I'd bet $20 that if you were just using 20/20 vision at a foot or more's distance, no one would be able to tell the difference. I can't wait till they run those tests.

Retina is retina folks. The eye can't keep up with the display. Sorry to burst the bubble, but it could be 100000 ppi, and it isn't going to look better in normal use.

Again, it all goes back to the need to have the "best" even if it means no benefit to you at all. Apple is great at that.

In reality, if you want to talk about display quality (since they will both be S-RGB), the CONTRAST ratio is a better indicator of which will be "better"

And which model has the better contrast ratio?

The 4.7



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I was set on the 4.7" initially but then Apple had to be Apple and give the 5.5" some premium extras (OIS, better pixel density, battery life). Seen in that light the regular 6 becomes less desirable of an upgrade over the 5, which I have currently.

So I decided to do as others have done and print out the template. I also cut some cardboard to size (though not exact thickness), just to give a rough idea of the "one handability" of the device. One handedness obviously suffers quite a bit, but it seems it would be doable for certain things in a pinch. I wouldn't want it to be my primary use case, so I would have to transition to mostly using 2 hands. In general I am in a situation where that should not be an issue.

A plus to the 6 Plus (hah, see what I did there) is that I could potentially eliminate my iPad Mini, which I use primarily as an eBook reader. The 6 Plus would seem to fill that role quite well, at least for what I normally read, which are novels.

I also tried it in my front jeans pocket which is where I keep my 5, and it seems more or less OK for just general walking around. It should also be OK for sitting down, though I'd likely take it out of the pocket when possible because it would be less comfortable.

However, one issue I have anticipated is something one might consider mundane -- tying shoelaces. I tried out the cardboard cutout in my front pocket for this use case and I'm worried it's going to bend the device, possibly damaging it over time. It's kind of awkward.

I had an original generation iPod Nano which shattered just from this sort of thing. Obviously the materials have moved on quite a bit since then and I haven't had an issue with any subsequent device, but still.

Anyone with experience with large devices like this have any thoughts on that?

If I get the 6 Plus it would be my first phablet. I am nervous.

If you tie your shoelaces with a 5S in your pocket enough times, it will bend the device.

Electronics this thin were not made to withstand constant twisting force.

And (for those in the know) what multiplies force better than length? The 6/6+ are effectively better levers now that they're longer.

I'd be very careful doing ANYTHING with the 6+ in your pocket (besides staying upright of course, assuming it fits =)).

 

[iKimm]

What they did not tell you is in that video it is actually Andre the Giant handling the phones.

That was funny!!!

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4.7 seems to small and 5.5 too big for me. Having a really hard time deciding. A 5.0 would have been perfect!!!!

 

[Kissaragi]

I cut out a bit of mdf thats the same size as the plus and I'm glad I did. In my hand the plus is fine and the screen would be great but its just too uncomfortable in my jeans pocket to carry around.

 

[jbachandouris]

I was sure I was getting the 4.7, but I'm leaning towards the 5.5. The landscape mode is the most compelling feature to me. OIS is nice. I'll be sure by 3am.

I'll probably end up selling my iPad Air that I barely use.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

I want the 6+ but do think it is too big. And yes I was in that camp that laughed at phablets. I admit it.

A 5.0 would have been perfect. Or even better a smaller iphone combined with the apple watch. That would do the trick.

Still think ill go for the 6+

 

[King Shady]

I want the 6+ but do think it is too big. And yes I was in that camp that laughed at phablets. I admit it.

A 5.0 would have been perfect. Or even better a smaller iphone combined with the apple watch. That would do the trick.

Still think ill go for the 6+

Makes no sense whatsoever

 

[brig2221]

I'll admit, I have made fun of my sister in law and a friend at work for their giant sized phones (Samsung Notes I believe), and here I am vascillating back and forth as to which model I want (6 or 6+).

What's drawing me to the 6+ is the obvious, the enormous real estate of the screen. I have an iPad 4 on my nightstand next to bed, and I would bet 50%or more of my web browsing in bed is done on my iPhone 5 as it's there, light, and convenient. Having a 5.5" screen would probably push that percentage closer to 90%.

However, the phone is HUGE! I went into an AT&T store this morning and got my hands on an LG G3, which sports a 5.5" screen. The phone was definitely big, but I honestly thought it was manageable and possibly worth the tradeoff. All that said, the LG G3 had very small and minimized bezels above and below the screen, thus decreasing the total footprint of the phone to an extent. The iPhone 6+ has MUCH LARGER bezels above and below the screen, thus having an even larger footprint, really pushing the overall size of the phone as too much for me.

Had they made a special casing for the 6+ to really minimize the size of the phone outside of the screen (shrinking the bezels), I would probably be getting a 6+. As it is, it's just too large for me, so I will be getting a 4.7" iPhone 6.

 

[romeo0119]

Why is there even a thread to see which one you will buy? You buy whatever the karadashians are buying! Close this nonsense

 

[eoblaed]

For those that have tried the printable templates, make sure you haven't got a "scale to fit" or "fit to page" option set when printing. I printed them last night from Chrome and they came out way too small, something didn't seem right when I held them up to my iPhone 5.

When I printed out my templates, I used a measuring tape (the millimeter side) and compared the results to the dimensions posted on Apple's website to make sure I had something truly representative of the size. Did the same thing with the cardboard I used to back it with. Wanted something that was as close as possible to the actual thickness.

I'm still undecided.

 

[Surf Monkey]

Well, I'm thrilled that many people think the Plus is too big. Less chance they'll be sold out when I order mine.

 

[safetyobc]

I stopped by the AT&T store today and looked at both the LG G3 and the Note 3. The LG G3 was not too big for me at all. The Note was a little wider than the G3 it seemed. I'm almost 95% sure on the 6 Plus

 

[Altis]

OIS lets you dial back on the sensitivity gain, thus reducing noise.

You're right... I hadn't realized that ISO control is available under IOS 8. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to reduce the sensitivity to allow for a longer exposure (subject/background permitting).

Again, I do wish this was available on the 4.7" model, though. I don't really understand why they didn't.

 

[Dave245]

Well, I'm thrilled that many people think the Plus is too big. Less chance they'll be sold out when I order mine.

Genuine question, do you think that the iPhone 6 Plus will be able to fit in jeans pockets and be portable? i'm asking because i'm also interested in the Plus and portability for me is an issue, because i commute a lot.

 

[petvas]

Genuine question, do you think that the iPhone 6 Plus will be able to fit in jeans pockets and be portable? i'm asking because i'm also interested in the Plus and portability for me is an issue, because i commute a lot.

I had the M8 and it is a little bit smaller than the iPhone 6 plus. It could still fit into my pockets, but it felt uncomfortable, especially in my jacket pocket. The iPhone 6 plus is even taller and that would mean for me that it would be even for difficult to put it in my pockets. I would buy the plus, but I believe the 4,7 is the sweet spot. It offers a big display and doesn't sacrifice mobility.

 

[wesselya]

Agrred

I agree with this quote: "4.7 seems to small and 5.5 too big for me. Having a really hard time deciding. A 5.0 would have been perfect!!!! "


I just printed specs and made cut outs. I guess my 2 cents are that the 6 is a useless upgrade from the 5s. Yes its bigger but at a 17% screen increase it not worth the extra Mulla.

Now the 6 Plus. It is over sized. I would feel weird using it as a cellphone. I think I would use headphones for regular calls.

If you like me and text mostly and use apps and facetime this is the phone to go. I wouldn't want to pocket this think but then again in the car its in a cup holder and at work or hope its on the table.


When I walk my dog I hold my 5s mostly in had because I facetime or surf the web.

I wouldn't not want to exercise with this thing. If I did I would bust out an old ipod nano.

Thank you.

hope this helps

 

[brig2221]

I stopped by the AT&T store today and looked at both the LG G3 and the Note 3. The LG G3 was not too big for me at all. The Note was a little wider than the G3 it seemed. I'm almost 95% sure on the 6 Plus

I thought the same thing, but I then searched for side by side comparison pictures, and the 6+ is appreciably longer/taller due to having much larger bezels above and below the screen.

I would take an other look again lest you be surprise by an iPhone with a larger overall footprint than the LG G3. Not trying to talk you out of it by any means, just a friendly caution.

 

[MVPinFLA]

Like many people, I was wavering back and forth. I printed out the template and said "forget the Plus". When I went down to the Tmo store, everybody there had the 5.5 LG or Notes. They didn't look or feel too big to me. Now I am back to getting the Plus. My Plus case from Amazon arrives tomorrow, so then I will know if it really is too big. If so, I can always cancel the order.

 

[born2runak]

I'm still conflicted . I made some cut outs of both sizes from cardboard and taped coins to the larger cutout ( very comparable in size and weight to the plus with a case) and have been carrying it with me all day and occasionally pulling it out and using it as I would with my iph5. It honestly hasn't been surprisingly bad. Where I was leaning to the 4.7 , now I'm leaning to the 5.5. But then I take my iph 5 out of its case, ( which basically equals the size of the 4.7) and then the 4.7 looks good. For me , I wish we had a 5 inch option. The 4.7 doesn't feel like a big enough difference ( I can use it comfortably with one hand) but the 5.5 just seems unnecessarily big.
Does anyone know how a return would work with the online apple store? Would I have to send the 5.5 back and wait 3-4 weeks and be phone less ?

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The contrast ratio worries me as well

 

[Surf Monkey]

Genuine question, do you think that the iPhone 6 Plus will be able to fit in jeans pockets and be portable? i'm asking because i'm also interested in the Plus and portability for me is an issue, because i commute a lot.

I did the whole cardboard cutout thing and yes, I find it managable. The CARDBOARD mockup is on the edge but the actual device will, no doubt, be much more practical. Smooth edges and surfaces move more easily across fabric and feel smaller in the hand. Ultimately the height is the only real issue, as it (the template) pops out of the top of a back pocket, but in a front pocket, no problem.

I travel a fair amount. I used to take my MacBook. Then I replaced that with an iPad Air. Now I plan on leaving the iPad at home and taking only the 6 Plus. My iPhone 5 is too small for that and, MUCH more importantly, the battery life is just too short. The battery boost should make the Plus viable as an "away from a charger all day" machine.

I'm also a pro photographer/graphic artist, so the OIS actually means something to me in terms of photo quality (I use my iPhone camera a lot when I'm out of town in addition to my Fuji X-E2.) I can also really use the bigger screen and larger storage capacity with my X-E2/Nikon gear to download/edit/show work on the fly.

So, yeah. In short, I find the size (of template) to be totally managable, but bear in mind that my opinion is a little skewed because it hits so many of my other needs so head on. The size is really the last of my concerns.

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I thought the same thing, but I then searched for side by side comparison pictures, and the 6+ is appreciably longer/taller due to having much larger bezels above and below the screen.

That's because the proportions bezel to screen are exactly the same as the 6... and the 5 for that matter. The 6 Plus is a 6 if you could just drag a resize bar and scale it up.

 

[Dave245]

I did the whole cardboard cutout thing and yes, I find it managable. The CARDBOARD mockup is on the edge but the actual device will, no doubt, be much more practical. Smooth edges and surfaces move more easily across fabric and feel smaller in the hand. Ultimately the height is the only real issue, as it (the template) pops out of the top of a back pocket, but in a front pocket, no problem.

I travel a fair amount. I used to take my MacBook. Then I replaced that with an iPad Air. Now I plan on leaving the iPad at home and taking only the 6 Plus. My iPhone 5 is too small for that and, MUCH more importantly, the battery life is just too short. The battery boost should make the Plus viable as an "away from a charger all day" machine.

I'm also a pro photographer/graphic artist, so the OIS actually means something to me in terms of photo quality (I use my iPhone camera a lot when I'm out of town in addition to my Fuji X-E2.) I can also really use the bigger screen and larger storage capacity with my X-E2/Nikon gear to download/edit/show work on the fly.

So, yeah. In short, I find the size (of template) to be totally managable, but bear in mind that my opinion is a little skewed because it hits so many of my other needs so head on. The size is really the last of my concerns.

I'm a university student, and i travel a lot as well, my iPhone 5s works brilliantly, the only big screen phone i ever used was the Samsung Galaxy S4, but i sold it because i didn't like Android. I'm a film student so using a camera is of importance but so is portability, but also if the Plus was able to do the things my iPad does, i wouldn't need to take it into university as much, and therefore saving more room in my bag.