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The iPhone 6 is the better iPhone

petvas

petvas

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
I have been using an iPhone 6 since day one and I loved it. Some time last December I thought it would be a good idea to get the iPhone 6 Plus to see how it feels, since I wanted to replace a lot of tablet functionality too.
I used my Plus for four months. Its size was never a problem for me. After a short iPhone break to test the latest HTC One (I do that every year) I decided to go back to the iPhone 6 and get rid of the iPhone 6 Plus. The reasons?
  • The iPhone 6 feels much better in the hand
  • One hand usage is much easier
  • The speakers are louder and of better quality (especially important to me since I am really spoiled by the HTC One M9)
  • Apps run faster and everything is generally smoother
  • It feels right, while the iPhone 6 Plus is more of an afterthought.
  • There hasn't been enough apps for me that really take care of the bigger screen.
Somehow I just think that the iPhone 6 is the better iPhone. Apple could have done so much more with the iPhone 6 Plus that I hope they will do now with the iPhone 6S Plus:
  • Optimize apps for the bigger screen estate
  • support split screen multitasking
  • make the phone faster
  • Give the device more RAM
  • Optimize the whole experience
What are your thoughts? Do you also think that Apple didn't optimize the iPhone 6 Plus?
I am not referring to its size. I don't care as much about it..
 
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canman4PM

canman4PM

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2012
299
30
Kelowna BC
My thoughts? Who the hell buys 3 smartphones in a year?? And buys the HTC every year just to see what it's like?? I thought my teenage son was bad for that sort of thing, buying a PS4 last year, 12 games, since (total paid, approx $1,400CAD) and offering the lot for $400 - but willing to take $350. Just this year he has gone through more cell phones AND cars than I have ever owned.
 
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The-Real-Deal82

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,921
24,810
Wales, United Kingdom
I prefer the iPhone 6 over the 6 plus but realise it is a subjective topic. The Plus is far too big as a phone for me and I carry an iPad a lot of the time so a bigger screen phone isn't needed.

Both devices have pro's that the other doesn't and cons that determine which is the better phone for the individual ;)
 
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frazzm737

frazzm737

macrumors regular
Feb 2, 2007
162
554
Arvada, Colorado
I prefer the iPhone 6 as the 6+ is too big for comfortable use as a phone. I think most women feel that way. I can't imagine how men can put the 6+ in a pocket--it would be almost too large for my purse.
 
pollaxe

pollaxe

macrumors 6502
Aug 13, 2010
271
61
West of England
I like my 6+ simply because I have enormous, Gollum-like hands and I can type more easily on it. I carry mine (in a rugged case) in my front jeans pocket or coat pocket when I'm out and about.

My other half, who is considerably shorter than me (and with much smaller hands) is quite happy with her 5s and found the 6 and 6+ too big for her hands.

So, I'd agree with The-Real-Deal82 above, it's all down to personal/individual needs/requirements etc. :)
 
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placidity44

placidity44

macrumors 6502
May 20, 2015
367
166
I sold my 6 for the 6 Plus just because I felt I was missing out...I really miss one handed use otherwise i'm extremely happy with it. After all this time with it the 6 seems so small to me and the 6 plus feels 6 sized. Half the time I forget i'm using a 6 plus. The OIS wasn't even a consideration for me since I rarely take a photograph. Not into the whole snapchat, instagram, Facebook, twitter thing. Don't have any social media accounts. Anyway the battery life has been absolutely incredible but I haven't used the side orientation at all. Can't tell a difference between screen resolutions. For most people the 6 is the phone to get but for me I like the 6 plus better. I will say my iPad Air 2 has barely been touched since I got my 6 Plus.
 
Sumter

Sumter

macrumors 6502
May 21, 2014
368
324
Since I spend a lot of time on my 6+ for watching videos and browsing the web, I prefer the bigger screen. Having big hands helps too. Also, the battery is simply amazing. Never had such good battery before with my previous phones... I also did not see any stuttering that bother me enough to notice. Mostly smooth, a small hic here and there in animations sometimes, nothing I truly care about.

This is a very personal opinion, but based on the reasons stated above, for me the iPhone 6+ is the better one. I've looked at and played with a 6 for a bit a while ago, I felt this was way too small for me now after having used to the bigger screen. At first I thought I was looking at a 5s until I noticed the curved glass..
 
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2

2IS

macrumors 68030
Jan 9, 2011
2,938
433
Your top two reasons are size related but you said size was never a problem. Sound like it was a problem based on your bullet points.

I have a 6 Plus and will agree the 6 is much easier to handle, especially one handed, but the benefits of the 6 Plus for me outweigh the negatives. I read tons of sports articles when I'm out to lunch and it's a pleasure to do it on the larger screen. Video is also more enjoyable and then there's the significantly longer run time.
 
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CEmajr

macrumors 601
Dec 18, 2012
4,462
1,259
Charlotte, NC
I'm pretty sure the speaker on the 6 Plus is louder than the 6. Otherwise your points are valid.

As for me I'm pretty torn as to which one I think is overall "better". The 6 performs better and feels better in the hand, plus I can go for runs with it comfortably in my shorts pocket. But the 6 Plus has a better, bigger screen, louder speaker, and an absolutely ridiculous battery life. The bigger screen makes reading books and websites as well as watching videos more pleasant. I don't have a problem with it fitting in the pockets or my regular clothing, just not good for my running shorts.

When the 6S/6S Plus come out I'm undecided on which size I'll go for but for now I'll stick with the 6 Plus.
 
petvas

petvas

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jul 20, 2006
5,479
1,808
Munich, Germany
CEmajr said:
I'm pretty sure the speaker on the 6 Plus is louder than the 6. Otherwise your points are valid.

As for me I'm pretty torn as to which one I think is overall "better". The 6 performs better and feels better in the hand, plus I can go for runs with it comfortably in my shorts pocket. But the 6 Plus has a better, bigger screen, louder speaker, and an absolutely ridiculous battery life. The bigger screen makes reading books and websites as well as watching videos more pleasant. I don't have a problem with it fitting in the pockets or my regular clothing, just not good for my running shorts.

When the 6S/6S Plus come out I'm undecided on which size I'll go for but for now I'll stick with the 6 Plus.
Click to expand...
Interesting about the speaker. I had the two side by side and tested them and hte 6 was louder and of better quality. Maybe it was pure luck?
 
N

nj-morris

macrumors 68000
Nov 30, 2014
1,897
803
UK
petvas said:
I have been using an iPhone 6 since day one and I loved it. Some time last December I thought it would be a good idea to get the iPhone 6 Plus to see how it feels, since I wanted to replace a lot of tablet functionality too.
I used my Plus for four months. Its size was never a problem for me. After a short iPhone break to test the latest HTC One (I do that every year) I decided to go back to the iPhone 6 and get rid of the iPhone 6 Plus. The reasons?
  • The iPhone 6 feels much better in the hand
  • One hand usage is much easier
  • The speakers are louder and of better quality (especially important to me since I am really spoiled by the HTC One M9)
  • Apps run faster and everything is generally smoother
  • It feels right, while the iPhone 6 Plus is more of an afterthought.
  • There hasn't been enough apps for me that really take care of the bigger screen.
Somehow I just think that the iPhone 6 is the better iPhone. Apple could have done so much more with the iPhone 6 Plus that I hope they will do now with the iPhone 6S Plus:
  • Optimize apps for the bigger screen estate
  • support split screen multitasking
  • make the phone faster
  • Give the device more RAM
  • Optimize the whole experience
What are your thoughts? Do you also think that Apple didn't optimize the iPhone 6 Plus?
I am not referring to its size. I don't care as much about it..
Click to expand...

I'm not attacking your opinions, but in my view, the 6 Plus is the perfect size for me. I tried one in the store, and I find one-handed use and general feel fine, which is kind of understandable looking at the size of my hands. And the real estate combined with the resolution is just heaven for me. It's nearly like using an iPad, but more concentrated. That said though, I think it's way too small for multitasking though. I have an iPad Air 2, so I will still have those capabilities, so I probably won't need it on the phone.
Can't wait till I'm legible for an upgrade in October, to get rid of my damn Z10.
 
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XTheLancerX

XTheLancerX

macrumors 68000
Aug 20, 2014
1,911
782
NY, USA
I don't think either is "better" than the other. They both suit different user preferences. I chose the regular iPhone 6 because it was more familiar in size. However, my next phone will presumably be an iPhone 7+ or iPhone 7S+. Currently, my main issues with the Plus are the poor performance because of the 1080p downscaling and 1GB of RAM. I don't have an issue really with the size, I actually quite like it. I think it could do with smaller bezels, however.

By 2016/2017, I'm sure they will have addressed all of these issues. The Plus may gain the display it was meant for, with a resolution of 2208x1242. This would improve performance because there would be no constant down sampling to 1920x1080. Apple probably went with 1920x1080 displays because of a shortage of supply, in the future this likely will be rectified. Oh, and the cherry on top is that I think they *may* switch to a 32/64/128 configuration. The current little trick was probably done to get many people to switch to the second tier, and get stuck with it (fill it up and not be able to go back down) allowing the 32GB base model to not bring many customers down again and affect profits. The people with 16GB are likely going to stay at the lowest tier anyway.
 
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