Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Thinking about returning my iPhone 6.

L

Lactoes

macrumors member
Original poster
May 18, 2011
42
11
My leap from iPhone 4 to 5 was huuuuuge.

But now that I've had the 6 for a week, it just doesn't feel like that much of an improvement over the 5. And I'm thinking about returning it.

Am I crazy? I'm not looking to be convinced not to return it (and this certainly isn't an anti-Apple thread - hold your pitchforks), just looking for input from others in a similar situation - who knows, maybe I'm missing something big!

Some of the expectations that weren't met:
- The camera just doesn't seem that much better, especially in lower light. I'm aware of the tech specs and bumps in both the 5s and the 6, but I think I'm OK with my 5. No, I don't expect any phone to compete with my DSLR. But I felt like, two gens later, I'd definitely see the improvements.)
- Battery life seems maybe only 10% better. I thought I would definitely see a bigger boost compared to a 2 year old device.
- Touch ID isn't as flawless as I was hoping, even after using multiple entries for my main unlocking fingers.
- Not really an expectation, but Apple Pay doesn't have enough critical mass to swing me yet. Not enough retailers near me take it for it to be an issue. That may change, but until NFC/AP can let me leave my wallet at home, I can wait.


What I do like:
- Slo-mo video.
- For whatever reason, WiFi performance seems better.
- Obviously, it's all around snappier.
- 64GB of storage compared to my 5's 32GB!
- Selling my 5 for ~$200 pays for my 6 (got it for $204).

And this last point is kind of the sticking point - why wouldn't I keep the 6 if it's practically an even trade? I think the only argument would be to wait for the 6S, and then get on the "S" upgrade cycle (since obviously with the 6, I'll have to wait for the 7 due to my 2yr contract).
 
No don't return it. The spec jump is very big. And if you plan on keeping the phone for a long time you will see deffernt differences between the 5 an 6. The biggest will be battery life and how well he is physicaly runs on the phone. The 6 runs the 64bit chip while he 5 dose not and with each iOS update you will see you 5 getting worse and worse. And to your point about waiting for the 6s. It will be not really that big a jump if you feelt that the 6 wasn't a big jump. I mean the s gen is usually only a m slight bump. I don't think its worth waiting for if you are on a 5. This is just my thoughts.
 
If you had the 5s, I'd say wait for the 6s. But with it being an even trade, I feel that the 6 is a significant enough upgrade to be worth keeping for two years.
 
Thanks for your story! As a European iPhone 5 owner I'm on the fence of buying a 6.
The thoughts you summed up are exactly my concerns. Not to mention apple pay in Europe might only start somewhere next year earliest!

I'm still not convinced this upgrade is worth it.

Don't believe in specs, the experience with the device is everything.
 
Do you have a reason to go back to the 5 or 5S? Do you prefer the smaller form factor or something else about it? If not, stay with the 6. The biggest difference between the 5/5S and the 6 is obviously the size. With that come improvements in battery life thanks to a larger battery. Other changes are noticeable but not as drastic. So, other than the larger screen, the overall experience is about the same right now. This may change over time as developers design apps around the more powerful processor and larger screen.
 
Lactoes said:
My leap from iPhone 4 to 5 was huuuuuge.

But now that I've had the 6 for a week, it just doesn't feel like that much of an improvement over the 5. And I'm thinking about returning it.

Am I crazy? I'm not looking to be convinced not to return it (and this certainly isn't an anti-Apple thread - hold your pitchforks), just looking for input from others in a similar situation - who knows, maybe I'm missing something big!

Some of the expectations that weren't met:
- The camera just doesn't seem that much better, especially in lower light. I'm aware of the tech specs and bumps in both the 5s and the 6, but I think I'm OK with my 5. No, I don't expect any phone to compete with my DSLR. But I felt like, two gens later, I'd definitely see the improvements.)
- Battery life seems maybe only 10% better. I thought I would definitely see a bigger boost compared to a 2 year old device.
- Touch ID isn't as flawless as I was hoping, even after using multiple entries for my main unlocking fingers.
- Not really an expectation, but Apple Pay doesn't have enough critical mass to swing me yet. Not enough retailers near me take it for it to be an issue. That may change, but until NFC/AP can let me leave my wallet at home, I can wait.


What I do like:
- Slo-mo video.
- For whatever reason, WiFi performance seems better.
- Obviously, it's all around snappier.
- 64GB of storage compared to my 5's 32GB!
- Selling my 5 for ~$200 pays for my 6 (got it for $204).

And this last point is kind of the sticking point - why wouldn't I keep the 6 if it's practically an even trade? I think the only argument would be to wait for the 6S, and then get on the "S" upgrade cycle (since obviously with the 6, I'll have to wait for the 7 due to my 2yr contract).
Click to expand...

This is pretty much my exact thought process right now, being an iPhone 5 user on the "standard" upgrade cycle as opposed to the "S" cycle. I'm eligible to upgrade on Dec. 29, but I'm strongly considering holding out and getting on the S upgrade cycle. I've already waited this long, and like you mentioned, there just haven't been enough "gotta have it" upgrades from the 5 to the 6 to really sway me. That's not to say that the 6 isn't a superior phone - it is. I just don't know if it is worth upgrading if I'm happy with my 5 as it is (aside from the terrible battery life I'm getting at this point - though I think replacement batteries can be had for pretty cheap).
 
I also want to thank OP for raising this issue. I haven't made the jump from 5 to 6 yet, but he summarized the same concerns I am considering. I love the new technology but given my 2 year upgrade cycle, I am not sure the 6 justifies the upgrade. Don't get me wrong, I think the 6 is a great phone, but I guess I was hoping for a "no brainer" reason to upgrade, and given all the pros and cons, am not sure it is there. I guess the technology is reaching the point where the wow factor isn't quite as easy to achieve. I know this has been rehashed over and over, but had the phone been a little thicker (no bend-gate) along with a larger battery, it probably would have done it for me.
 
The leap from the 5S to the 6 didnt feel like too much of a change really at all besides few obvious welcome changes, but I have switched since to the 6 Plus from the 6, and I have to say the Plus is absolutely incredible and feels like a major big upgrade to iPhone(the screen and battery on the Plus is simply just absolutely fantastic and dramatically better then what Apple has ever offered in the past) and that going to the 6 Plus from the 6 alone feels like a awesome nice upgrade and from the 5s to the 6 Plus is defitnetly absolutely a big difference and feel and change and feels like a very awesome upgrade

----------
Lactoes said:
My leap from iPhone 4 to 5 was huuuuuge.

But now that I've had the 6 for a week, it just doesn't feel like that much of an improvement over the 5. And I'm thinking about returning it.

Am I crazy? I'm not looking to be convinced not to return it (and this certainly isn't an anti-Apple thread - hold your pitchforks), just looking for input from others in a similar situation - who knows, maybe I'm missing something big!

Some of the expectations that weren't met:
- The camera just doesn't seem that much better, especially in lower light. I'm aware of the tech specs and bumps in both the 5s and the 6, but I think I'm OK with my 5. No, I don't expect any phone to compete with my DSLR. But I felt like, two gens later, I'd definitely see the improvements.)
- Battery life seems maybe only 10% better. I thought I would definitely see a bigger boost compared to a 2 year old device.
- Touch ID isn't as flawless as I was hoping, even after using multiple entries for my main unlocking fingers.
- Not really an expectation, but Apple Pay doesn't have enough critical mass to swing me yet. Not enough retailers near me take it for it to be an issue. That may change, but until NFC/AP can let me leave my wallet at home, I can wait.


What I do like:
- Slo-mo video.
- For whatever reason, WiFi performance seems better.
- Obviously, it's all around snappier.
- 64GB of storage compared to my 5's 32GB!
- Selling my 5 for ~$200 pays for my 6 (got it for $204).

And this last point is kind of the sticking point - why wouldn't I keep the 6 if it's practically an even trade? I think the only argument would be to wait for the 6S, and then get on the "S" upgrade cycle (since obviously with the 6, I'll have to wait for the 7 due to my 2yr contract).
Click to expand...

Keep it, by February 2015 all apps and app updates submitted have to have 64 bit support, which means 35-40% speed boost increase in apps that dont use 64 bit code (plenty to name that dont use 64 bit code yet ; Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube , Google Maps, bunch others) so roughly around 30% speed boost increase for 5S and 35-40% faster applications for 6/6 Plus

for Touch ID my advice and tip to you is register your same finger twice in Touch ID, it makes it tons more accurate and much more consistent and essentially works "perfect" for me after doing this trick, try it

Lastly download a good camera app like Camera+, it really does make a difference..
 
It's true that the iPhone 6 is a major disappointment. Most were hoping for more RAM, a bigger screen, better battery life and a substantial camera improvement. Really, the upgrade this time 'round is the screen. That's it.
Sure benchmarks show a performance increase but in real world use they aren't really noticeable at all. Oh and Apple Pay, meh. That's hardly a reason to drop $$$$s on the i6.

Despite all this, the bigger screen IS a fantastic thing and for that reason only the i6 slays all older iPhones. However, if you can live with the 4" screen then an iPhone 5 isn't much different.
 
The best way to make a change in this competitive Smartphone market is to do plenty of research, plenty of comparisons, plus a thorough assessment of your present and future usage.

Evaluate the pros and cons of Android and iOS, then choose accordingly.
 
Not a troll post, but have you considered Android?

Just sayin', I used nothing but an iPhone since the 3G, and they kinda started blending together. What I was really craving was change.
 
Tsuchiya said:
Not a troll post, but have you considered Android?

Just sayin', I used nothing but an iPhone since the 3G, and they kinda started blending together. What I was really craving was change.
Click to expand...

Been there and done that. Android is not the answer. Open platform seems nice until you have to deal with lag, forced closes, conflicts, lock-ups, etc. They may not be there on the day you buy the phone, but the come eventually.
 
Then wait until the 6s/7 if you feel like you're not getting your money's worth. The iPhone 5 is still a capable phone and has almost all of the features of iOS 8.
 
The main point of the 6 was to move the platform up to the larger screen size, and introduce Apple Pay. The A8 processor has a bump up in processor performance, but the real improvement was cutting the power consumption in half.

This allowed for the 6 to stay at roughly the same weight as the 5s, while powering a larger screen, processing double the graphics resolution, increasing the battery life, and decreasing the device thickness (which IMO partially offsets the larger screen size when it comes to one-handed operation).

If Apple follows the Intel-esque "tick-tock" pattern that they've established, the "6s" will likely come with a much bigger performance bump and a new microarchitecture, while keeping the power consumption roughly the same. This would mirror how the 5s doubled the processor performance of the 5 and switched over to a different microarchitecture, while keeping most of the other internal components identical.

As stated elsewhere, Apple will begin mandating 64-bit support for new apps submitted to the App Store in a few months. Given how the A7 and A8 processors are similar in performance, while sharing the same amount of RAM, this line in the sand will begin to impact the developer support for older devices as 64-bit iOS devices become the majority of the user base.

That said, you're probably okay waiting out another year if the 6 is not enough of an improvement for you.
 
golftime said:
Been there and done that. Android is not the answer. Open platform seems nice until you have to deal with lag, forced closes, conflicts, lock-ups, etc. They may not be there on the day you buy the phone, but the come eventually.
Click to expand...

Funny, didn't experience any of that in the two years I was with Android. My 6+ with iOS8 on the other hand...hmm...
 
Is returning the 6 and getting the 6 Plus an option?

It sure would "feel" a lot different than your 5. And some of the spec bumps may be even more noticable. Obviously, the screen and battery for example.
 
Bahroo said:
The leap from the 5S to the 6 didnt feel like too much of a change really at all besides few obvious welcome changes, but I have switched since to the 6 Plus from the 6, and I have to say the Plus is absolutely incredible and feels like a major big upgrade to iPhone(the screen and battery on the Plus is simply just absolutely fantastic and dramatically better then what Apple has ever offered in the past) and that going to the 6 Plus from the 6 alone feels like a awesome nice upgrade and from the 5s to the 6 Plus is defitnetly absolutely a big difference and feel and change and feels like a very awesome upgrade

----------



Keep it, by February 2015 all apps and app updates submitted have to have 64 bit support, which means 35-40% speed boost increase in apps that dont use 64 bit code (plenty to name that dont use 64 bit code yet ; Netflix, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube , Google Maps, bunch others) so roughly around 30% speed boost increase for 5S and 35-40% faster applications for 6/6 Plus

for Touch ID my advice and tip to you is register your same finger twice in Touch ID, it makes it tons more accurate and much more consistent and essentially works "perfect" for me after doing this trick, try it

Lastly download a good camera app like Camera+, it really does make a difference..
Click to expand...
Very nice tip "register your same finger twice.." it's really helps, never thought about it .
 
I have 5s and now 6 plus. I also didn t notice anything besides the screen. Btw 5s and 6 I would stick with 5s, but 6 plus' screen size is enough to keep it. Why not try it?
 
Tsuchiya said:
Funny, didn't experience any of that in the two years I was with Android. My 6+ with iOS8 on the other hand...hmm...
Click to expand...
It probably depends on which Android device you ended up using.

As for OP, if you don't need the upgrade than I would just stick with what you have and maybe get the 6S or even wait for the 7.
 
The biggest upgrade for me was the fingerprint sensor. Touch ID. It works for me every time without fail. I never put a password into my phone because it was a pain to input every time I left my phone alone for 10 minutes. So I went without. Another reason is I have kids with iDevices. Using Find My iPhone under the Touch ID version means I don't have to input my Apple ID every time I want to track a child (or my wife's shopping habits - lol). Just open the app and the map appears. I LOVE my 6 and I came from a lovely black 5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back