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The Problem with the iPhone 6 Plus

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Original poster
Aug 28, 2013
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Outside of a number of things, like:

  • Weird bugs (try typing in landscape mode in Mail... the text is cut off for me)
  • Low volume from ear speaker for phone calls
  • It may be weak and bend too easily (compare to Note 3)
  • It's very big and awkward

Here's the major problem: It's a tweener.

What does that mean? It's such an odd size that it's effectively, in some ways, in between a full size tablet and a smartphone. No, it's not as big as a 7" tablet, a size typically used as the benchmark for tweeners. But it approaches tweener territory. And what does this really mean?

It means that Apps need to be designed specifically for it.

Right now, the lack of Apps is a huge issue for me. Everything is blown up and looks like crap. Facebook, banking Apps, everything. iOS does not do this well: it just blows everything up, including the text. It's pixelated and looks like garbage. This is in some ways even worse than Android, and I hate Android.

This is fragmentation. Tim Cook and company should have done a lot more to prepare a better App showing out of the gate. And they should have done a deeper dive into iOS to deal with better scaling. I know to be patient as developers change their Apps and the 5S was a screen jump from previous iPhones, but there's the problem:

It's a tweener, and it needs more customized design when it comes to Apps.

The 5S was easy: it was just another row. The interfaces of Apps didn't really change at all. There was just a bit more vertical room for content. The 6 Plus is different because it's so fundamentally different as to be a huge leap in screen size both width and height wise. For example, Apple has introduced split screen in things like Mail, Reminders, etc. The problem is, it doesn't work very well because it's trying to do things that a large screen full size iPad does and it doesn't translate/work very well. And just blowing up the same interface from the smaller screened iPhones (e.g., 5S) doesn't translate either.

I believe this is going to be a challenge and it's not clear what the results will be, or when the situation will improve dramatically. But my opinion is that the 6 Plus is a different category of device and developers simply cannot just make the same interface for a 5S/6 over to the Plus.
 
simple. open the ipad apps up to the iphone plus, and just downscale. boom. next topic?
 
Korican100 said:
simple. open the ipad apps up to the iphone plus, and just downscale. boom. next topic?
Click to expand...

That's the problem: the screen isn't big enough for that either. It's its own category and needs unique designs. This, I predict, is going to be a huge problem and nobody's really talking about it.
 
I originally purchased a 6 (got it on launch day) and I thought I was happy with it, but seeing the demo models of the 6+ made me a little jealous of the big screen. Yesterday I happened to see 6+ stock at my local apple store, so I purchased a 6+ for in store pickup and I've been using the 6+ for about 24 hours now. I definitely have mixed feelings about it.

Like you said, it's kind of in between. I use an iPad Mini retina and I spent some time considering whether or not the 6+ could replace it, but ultimately I decided no. I've been using the 6+ almost exclusively for the past day, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's a fun new device. The screen really isn't big enough to use for everything that I use the iPad for. However, one thing I liked about the iPad mini was that it was very portable and easy to take with me. If I decide to keep the 6+ then I might need to consider getting a full size iPad next time and just take it with me less often.

However, with the big screen on the 6+ comes a big heavy phone. There are some times when having that big screen is really helpful. I had a dr's appointment this morning and it was pretty nice to be able to do some web browsing on the bigger screen as I sat and waited. That's something that I probably wouldn't have bothered to bring even the iPad mini for. The problem is that there are a lot of other times when a big screen isn't necessary, but you still have the extra weight and size to deal with all the time. It was much less convenient to just whip the phone out to send a quick text to my wife as I walked into the and out of the doctors. It's easier to use with one hand than I anticipated, but it's still a bit of a pain to use for those quick little things you do with a phone all day.

Also, like you said, stretched apps look downright ridiculous on the the 6+. It was noticeable and slightly annoying on the 6, but the 6+ is much worse. I'm not too worried about that, though, as I'm imagining that a lot of apps will be designed to support the native resolution of the 6+ in the coming weeks and months.
 
BrettDS said:
I originally purchased a 6 (got it on launch day) and I thought I was happy with it, but seeing the demo models of the 6+ made me a little jealous of the big screen. Yesterday I happened to see 6+ stock at my local apple store, so I purchased a 6+ for in store pickup and I've been using the 6+ for about 24 hours now. I definitely have mixed feelings about it.

Like you said, it's kind of in between. I use an iPad Mini retina and I spent some time considering whether or not the 6+ could replace it, but ultimately I decided no. I've been using the 6+ almost exclusively for the past day, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's a fun new device. The screen really isn't big enough to use for everything that I use the iPad for. However, one thing I liked about the iPad mini was that it was very portable and easy to take with me. If I decide to keep the 6+ then I might need to consider getting a full size iPad next time and just take it with me less often.

However, with the big screen on the 6+ comes a big heavy phone. There are some times when having that big screen is really helpful. I had a dr's appointment this morning and it was pretty nice to be able to do some web browsing on the bigger screen as I sat and waited. That's something that I probably wouldn't have bothered to bring even the iPad mini for. The problem is that there are a lot of other times when a big screen isn't necessary, but you still have the extra weight and size to deal with all the time. It was much less convenient to just whip the phone out to send a quick text to my wife as I walked into the and out of the doctors. It's easier to use with one hand than I anticipated, but it's still a bit of a pain to use for those quick little things you do with a phone all day.

Also, like you said, stretched apps look downright ridiculous on the the 6+. It was noticeable and slightly annoying on the 6, but the 6+ is much worse. I'm not too worried about that, though, as I'm imagining that a lot of apps will be designed to support the native resolution of the 6+ in the coming weeks and months.
Click to expand...

If someone was on the fence between the 6 plus and the 6. And their concerns were if the plus was to big - would you recommend the regular 6?
 
Korican100 said:
If someone was on the fence between the 6 plus and the 6. And their concerns were if the plus was to big - would you recommend the regular 6?
Click to expand...

I pre ordered the 6+ (which should be here any minute) but after seeing it in person my first thought was it is too big. I went on Saturday and got a 6. I have been using it for a few days now and feel that the 6 is still not easy to use with one hand and find that I am still aways using two hands anyways. Also, after using my finace 6+ a little over the weekend it is big but you get use to it.

In summary don't let the size scare you if you are torn between the 6+ and 6. I am keeping my 6+ and returning the 6 this week.
 
Korican100 said:
If someone was on the fence between the 6 plus and the 6. And their concerns were if the plus was to big - would you recommend the regular 6?
Click to expand...

Like I said... I own both phones right now and I'm still on the fence;) I really think that what it will ultimately boil down to is the fact that the 6+ is definitely a bit of a pain to use for quick every day tasks... just whipping out the phone and sending a quick text or checking the email that just came in. It's possible (for the most part) to use one handed, although it's a bit of a pain, but it's also big and heavy and just a pain to whip out and use.

But when you're sitting down with it for a while for web browsing or work or whatever, then the size and weight doesn't bother me too much and the big screen is really wonderful.

So at this point I need to decide if it's worth dealing with the inconvenience of having a big phone all the time just to enjoy the large screen some of the time.

Now, that said, the screen on the 6 is definitely a nice step up from the screen on the 5/5S. For the three days I was using the 6 I was enjoying the screen size upgrade. So even if you do decide to go with the 6 you'll still get a nice bigger screen than what you're used to.
 
Hopefully the 6 plus will be able to shine next year. It seems rushed and half baked.
 
Well, the phone has not been out a week yet, so it's no surprise there is no real utilizing of the real estate yet. The apps will come, and I think that upon the arrival of iOS9, the distinction between iPad and iPhone apps will cease due to the Plus being able to function like an iPad in most forms and function.
 
Bobo03 said:
Hopefully the 6 plus will be able to shine next year. It seems rushed and half baked.
Click to expand...

Not at all. There is ALWAYS a delay between a hardware release and apps catching up to it. Right now, Apple has a sizable backlog of apps waiting for approval. This also happened with the launch of retina screens in the iPhone, the move to the 4" screens in the 5, and the iPad Mini launch.

There is nothing "rushed and half baked" about the 6, just gotta let the App Store catch up to the backlog of apps.
 
BrettDS said:
So at this point I need to decide if it's worth dealing with the inconvenience of having a big phone all the time just to enjoy the large screen some of the time.
Click to expand...

This is very well put, and it's the exact same decision I was grappling with over the last few days. Ultimately I decided to return my 6 Plus for a regular 6, and I'm very happy I chose to do so. But it was very difficult for me to give the 6 Plus back. I loved that phone but I had to face the fact that for my lifestyle, it just wouldn't have been practical.
 
I think being creative with changed real estate is something that great interface designers get paid to do. Based on significant time with both iOS and Android it is my belief that the top UI/UX designers tend to still focus on iOS apps.

So...

Until proven otherwise, I will choose the more optimistic of the plausible outcomes and give benefit of the doubt to these folks who have earned it: In other words, I anticipate the best UI/UX designers in the world will continue to be just that and handle this new design with success just like their proven track records have shown in the past.
 
lordofthereef said:
Why not? (serious question).

My understanding is that it already has the iPad UI, basically. It has about the same pixels as the iPad mini retina.
Click to expand...

The problem is that most ipad apps were designed for a screen the size of the full size iPad. With the iPad mini there are a few apps that when shrunk down to an 8 inch screen have buttons that are starting to get a bit small to be convenient. If you shrink them down even more then you'll definitely have issues with things being too small and close together.
 
BrettDS said:
So at this point I need to decide if it's worth dealing with the inconvenience of having a big phone all the time just to enjoy the large screen some of the time.
Click to expand...

I love everything you are saying in this post. I bought the 6. While I was waiting at the dentist playing with my 6, I thought man a big screen would be so useful right now. So I went to the Apple store three times considering an exchange and played with the 6+. But ultimately I think I'm going to stick with the 6, because what you said was spot on.
 
BrettDS said:
The problem is that most ipad apps were designed for a screen the size of the full size iPad. With the iPad mini there are a few apps that when shrunk down to an 8 inch screen have buttons that are starting to get a bit small to be convenient. If you shrink them down even more then you'll definitely have issues with things being too small and close together.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean.

Surely there would be some apps that would be problematic, but all? I am not certain of this. We don't use a ton of apps on our mini, but I am confident everything we do use would work fine.

Honestly, I don't see these phones as any different than when Apple launched the iPad (original). If there is a market, developers will adapt. And adapting isn;t quite as complicated as I think some people may believe. :)
 
lordofthereef said:
Honestly, I don't see these phones as any different than when Apple launched the iPad (original). If there is a market, developers will adapt. And adapting isn;t quite as complicated as I think some people may believe. :)
Click to expand...

I have no doubt about this. I think the question just becomes whether apple allows iPad apps to run on the phablet and the iPad apps adapt to run on the smaller screen or if apple continues to just allow iPhone apps to run on the 6+ and the iPhone apps adapt to take advantage of the larger screen. Either way adaptation will happen and we'll start to see some pretty cool apps soon:)
 
I would have expected apps like pages to be optimized though from day one. When I turn pages horizontally the keyboard takes up most of the screen, so there is about two lines of space for text. This isn't true though vertically, which does look nice.
 
cmanbrazil said:
I would have expected apps like pages to be optimized though from day one. When I turn pages horizontally the keyboard takes up most of the screen, so there is about two lines of space for text. This isn't true though vertically, which does look nice.
Click to expand...

Pages and the other iWork and iLife apps have been updated. The horizontal keyboard is pretty big no matter what though. Some third party keyboard allow you to shrink the keyboard vertically a bit. Fleksy is one and minuum lets you shrink it way down.
 
Personally I find the Plus a little large (although I have it and I love it for many reasons). But the 4.7" doesn't seem like quite enough screen for me. Quite frankly, 1920x1080 is overkill, I seriously doubt most people could tell the difference watching video, and most games are not going to render natively for the Plus screen anyway, they will scale up.

What I really want is something in-between the 2 models they've given us. What I wish they had done is (taking into account power efficiency and developer scale factors):

Small: 4.5" screen at 1334x750 @2X (340 ppi)
Large: 5.2" screen at 1472x828 @2X (325 ppi)

I think that would have eliminated a few problems people are having:

1) Liked the small (4") form factor, even 4.7" is too big. 4.5" might be close enough to be manageable.

2) Find the Plus a little too large, unwieldy, uncomfortable for pockets.

3) Larger phone taking a performance hit because of the high pixel count in the Plus. They mostly compensated for it, but that always comes at the cost of size and weight, battery life, and battery charge time (larger batteries take longer to charge).

4) I hate to mention it, but maybe the bending thing. Smaller-screen phones are harder to bend with the same materials. I know, it's stupid, people shouldn't sit on their phones but well...they do and Apple is going to be made to look bad for it, rightly or wrongly.
 
From what I understand, Xcode has made it much easier for developers to transition to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sizes. I think it's called "auto layout" or something like that. Additionally, many apps have iPad versions, so elements from that can be brought over for the Plus. I think the majority of my dad-to-day apps will be updated by Thanksgiving. The major annoying issue for me is that legacy apps have taller keyboards, which means I get thrown off when I switch over to type something in Tweetbot, for example.
 
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