The iPhone 6 is ugly

[photomac]

its too generic! It looks like they only changed the back and left the front the same. Look too GENERIC! PERIOD! Apple could have put a little more thought into the front of the phone..... You know Im right!

 

[sonicrobby]

I wish the bands werent there of course, but honestly they dont bother me at all compared to the protruding camera.

 

[sunking101]

Are you seriously complaining about what looks like a 1mm ring protruding around the lens?

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Aside from looking like an afterthought, the protruding camera will affect stability when laid flat, affect use of the 'spirit' level (you can't even prop the phone on its side because the sides aren't flat), and the ring around the camera will get bashed about if you don't use a case. The lens cover may well be sapphire but the ring around it isn't.
Then there's the battery argument. If you make the casing slightly deeper so that the camera doesn't protrude, then you will be able to squeeze a larger battery in there. Win-win.

 

[XboxMySocks]

Aside from looking like an afterthought, the protruding camera will affect stability when laid flat, affect use of the 'spirit' level (you can't even prop the phone on its side because the sides aren't flat), and the ring around the camera will get bashed about if you don't use a case. The lens cover may well be sapphire but the ring around it isn't.
Then there's the battery argument. If you make the casing slightly deeper so that the camera doesn't protrude, then you will be able to squeeze a larger battery in there. Win-win.

I think you're greatly overstating the protrusion of that ring.

 

[sunking101]

I think you're greatly overstating the protrusion of that ring.

Just my opinion. I can't see the need for it, given that not having it results in positives.

 

[zbarvian]

I never found a protruding camera ugly for some reason. And the bands are kinda unattractive, but I like that the back is more of the colored metal rather than two-tone now. The phones are overall just as beautiful as every iPhone.

 

[Brandon263]

Apple could not stop the people from testifying about the iPhone 6's ugliness

Excerpts from reviews that testify to the new iPhones’ ugliness:

Nilay Patel, The Verge:

The back of the iPhone 6 Plus is a smooth aluminum, marred only by the protruding camera lens and an ugly set of of plastic lines at the top and bottom…

The iPhone 6 Plus is the first iPhone that looks and works better in a case — I’ve been using Apple’s leather sleeve and it makes the phone easier to hold, evens out that camera bump, and hides the weird lines on the back.

David Piece, The Verge

Apple opted to essentially outline the top and bottom of the phone’s back with small plastic stripes where wireless radios can transmit signal. It just looks bad, like someone drew on my phone with a marker. HTC’s simple, striped design on the One M8 is far better, and even Apple’s glass-strip-on-top-and-bottom approach on the 5S looked nicer.

Brad Molen, Engadget

Over the years, Apple's continued to fine-tune its reputation for building devices that combine solid build quality with a premium design. While these new iPhones generally continue that tradition, there are a couple quirks that are difficult to un-see. The first is the excessive use of antenna lines on the back. The two stripes stretching across the top and bottom sections enhance the look of the phone's rear -- much like the HTC One series -- but there are two unsightly lines that follow the upper and lower perimeter, and they stick out like a sore thumb. Secondly, though the phones got thinner, the camera module did not; the result is a lens that sticks out from the rest of the chassis, which increases the likelihood of the casing and lens getting scratched. …[These] detract from the device's beauty, not enhance it.

Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch

If Apple has faltered anywhere with design, it might be that protruding iSight camera lens on the back, which sticks out a tiny fraction of an inch thicker than the rest. It’s something that hasn’t yet caused me any issue in daily use, but it does seem like a potential area for grit build-up, and it also means that the phone will be resting on its lens when placed face-up on a flat surface – though that’s somewhat mitigated by the use of sapphire in the lens cover.

Lance Ulanoff, Mashable

The iPhone 6’s smooth profile is broken by the slightly protruding camera lens (instantly fixed by slipping the phone into one of Apple’s new, sleek leather or silicone cases) and a set of plastic lines that run horizontally across the back and near the top and bottom edges. I don't particularly care for these design elements…

Joshua Topolsky, Bloomberg Businessweek

…[W]hile the iPhone 5S stood out in a crowd of Android smartphones with its chamfered edges and Leica-esque controls, you might not know the iPhone 6 next to the latest Galaxy S5 or the HTC One. And while the design is still impressive, some details feel a bit off. The bold antenna lines that run around the back of the devices and the protruding camera lens make the phones seem slightly less disciplined compared with the company’s previous work.

 

[aPple nErd]

it looks like the original iPhone. (the space grey one) so it looks pretty cool!

 

[DVDxR]

I own a 3gs, 4, 5, and soon a 6+. Out of those, I have to say this is, design wise, my least favorite. The camera lens is a point off for sure, but the antenna lines are what really kills it for me. I get it, they are functional and to get the phone this thin a sacrifice had to be made. However, when talking purely about looks, well... it's not ugly, but it certainly isn't their best effort either. At the end of the day I think the 4 is still my favorite.

 

[Iphonedai]

loooks good to me

 

[Brandon263]

I own a 3gs, 4, 5, and soon a 6+. Out of those, I have to say this is, design wise, my least favorite. The camera lens is a point off for sure, but the antenna lines are what really kills it for me. I get it, they are functional and to get the phone this thin a sacrifice had to be made. However, when talking purely about looks, well... it's not ugly, but it certainly isn't their best effort either. At the end of the day I think the 4 is still my favorite.

Yep, here's hoping that the 6S or 7 will fix the antenna lines and protruding camera. I'm sticking with my 5S till then.

 

[Rizzm]

There was no "Whatever. It's fine." option so I had to go with the top choice.

The design isn't blowing me away but I don't dislike it. I MUCH prefer it over the disgusting two-tone on the 5 and 5s.

 

[myscrnnm]

I like the overall look (round edges, anodized aluminium back, curved LCD cover), but don't like the look of the antennas and the protruding camera lens. Although I think the antennas don't look that bad on the space gray due to less contrast.

But like you said, nothing that can't be fixed with a nice case to cover up the back and raise the camera when the phone is lying down.

 

[MacBOS]

I like the overall look (round edges, anodized aluminium back, curved LCD cover), but don't like the look of the antennas and the protruding camera lens. Although I think the antennas don't look that bad on the space gray due to less contrast.

But like you said, nothing that can't be fixed with a nice case to cover up the back and raise the camera when the phone is lying down.

i was about to right the exact same thing....

 

[King Shady]

Apple's best designed iPhones were the 4 / 4S in my opinion. When the 4 came out, everybody was BLOWN away. There was true innovation there. My second favorite iPhone would have to be the Gunmetal grey/black iPhone 5 ... It scratched easily but was so sleek and reminded me of the Batmobile or of a stealth bomber lol.

I definitely think Apple could have done a better job designed these series of iPhones by reducing bezel size and doing something with those antenna lines; though, I don't think they look bad at all.

Still excited for my Space Grey 6+, whenever it gets here haha

 

[Starfyre]

Aside from the bands and the thick bezels, it looks otherwise sleek. Then again, if it made those changes, it would make the phone closer to HTC.

 

[Gincoma]

Im skipping this year for the 6s + by then Ill get use to the rounded edges but for now I'm contempt with my iPhone 5s and still use Apple pay with the apple watch which I'm looking forward to that i must admit

 

[Brandon263]

From a MR member who just got his phone:

I just got back from the AT&T store to check out the new phones. I am still happy with my Space Gray choice since black looks classier but I was expecting the gray plastic to blend in well with the Space Gray aluminum. I was wrong. It looks more pronounced than the white plastic bands on the Gold model. It is hard to explain, but you can tell the gray plastic is...plastic...while on the Gold model, the white plastic looks more like a polycarbonate material.

Also the screen is a bit more hollow feeling than the 5, kinda like going from the iPad 3/4 to the iPad Air. BTW, if you research my post history you'll know I'm the biggest Apple fan in the world. Just wanted to convey some thoughts on the less positive aspects of the 6. Also wanted to give my thoughts on those who like me, thought the gray plastic bands would hide well.

 

[kmj2318]

I think we've gotten very used to the 5/5s. When I try to look at it versus the 6, I think the 6 is better. The glass panels on the 5/5s are much more obvious and awkward (especially with the new 5s colors), where the 6, the lines blend in more.

I think the 5 was a very compromised design. It tried to retain the design language of the band from the 4, but use different functionality (the 4 is probably the best design of all). I think the slate color was chosen mainly to hide how much the glass panels would stick out; they're playing coverup with this whole design. And it made it look more like stone than metal, which is quite unlike Jony Ive as he usually lets the material just be. Then it turned out the slate had problems, so they just changed the color, even though it wasn't their intention to have the glass stick out.

 

[MacFather]

Deleted.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I rather have aluminum on the back than glass though. Plus when it's in a case I don't even worry about the lens sticking out.

 

[nouveau-apple]

The funny thing about it is I haven't even really seen the big difference in the camera, like it's not that much better.

 

[cmdrdredd]

The funny thing about it is I haven't even really seen the big difference in the camera, like it's not that much better.

It's the same sensor and such. The biggest change is on the 6+ with OIS.

 

[/V\acpower]

2010: "Its closest kin is like a beautiful old Leica camera"


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2012: "The variances from product to product we now measure in microns"


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2014: Image


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It's not really fair to compare two computer generated images* that Apple use for their promo of the iPhone 4 and 5 with a shot probably taken by one reviewer of their review unit. It's a beautiful shot made in a little studio, but it's not at all the same kind of pictures that Apple use for their promo.

The iPhone 6 equivalent of the shot you posted for the 4 and 5 would be this :

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* Ok I don't know how Apple make their promo pictures, if there is a real product involved and a real camera, but it's clear that it is in a very controlled environment and that they are cleaned digitally eventually.

 

[ET iPhone Home]

It looks average to me and though I'm not wowed by it, I'm content, I think it could've been designed better. I love the concept photos better.