What is the iPhone 6 Plus?
Like the fashion industry in the 90's, it was once inconceivable that Apple could go for a plus size model. But the success of big Android phones like the Galaxy Note 3 and upcoming Note 4 has told. Apple has resolutely stuck to its guns for years, but now it has finally capitulated.
The iPhone 6 Plus is just like the iPhone 6, but really big. There are a few other small differences, but the main is its huge 5.5-inch screen. But why now? Yes, Samsung’s Galaxy Note series has something to do with it, but so does the companion device that Apple announced with the iPhones – the Apple Watch. With an Apple Watch on your wrist you won’t need to pull the iPhone 6 Plus out of your pocket or bag all the time.
Bottom line, the iPhone 6 Plus displays Apple’s key strengths once again. Quality fit and finish, outstanding screen fidelity and a great all round camera are all present, but there’s no escaping how big it is. iPhone 5S owners will likely baulk at its heft, but anyone concerned by its size shouldn't write it off. Read on to find out why.
A 5.5-inch iPhone. It's something which will send a shudder down the spines of a collective of die-hard Apple fans, a handset some thought we'd never see from the Cupertino-based outfit.
Yet here I am, staring down the barrel of the biggest iPhone in history - the iPhone 6 Plus.
It arrived alongside the iPhone 6 - Apple's new flagship smartphone - which measures 4.7 inches, making it more welcoming to a wider array of palms than the supersized iPhone 6 Plus.
Many of you, especially those of an Android persuasion, may be wondering what all the fuss is about. After all the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 turned up with a 5.5-inch display over two years ago.
Take a moment to glance at the history of the iPhone though, and you'll see why the iPhone 6 Plus is such a big deal.
It's hard to imagine a phone more eagerly anticipated than the iPhone 6. After the design revolution that was the iPhone 4, the much-anticipated iPhone 5 disappointed some with its modest visual update. People craved a phone with looks significantly different than what had come before, and so those expectations shifted to the iPhone 6.
In many ways, the iPhone 6 delivers on those design expectations (and in many other ways, as you can see in our full iPhone 6 review here), but if you're really longing for something totally different, look to the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 Plus is significantly larger, noticeably thinner, and -- perhaps most importantly -- offers far more endurance on a single charge than any previous iPhone.
The iPhone 6 Plus is a great phone, but it isn't for everybody. I hate the word "phablet" (literally, "phone" plus "tablet"), but you can't deny that's exactly what the 6 Plus is. Its 5.5-inch, 1080p IPS LCD deftly straddles the chasm that existed between the former 4-inch iPhone 5S and the 7.9-inch iPad Mini. While the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 fits in the same gap, the 6 Plus sits right in the sweet spot for those who'd like a little tablet in their smartphone.
Of course, you also pay more for the experience. Available in the US on two-year contracts from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, the 16GB version will set you back $299, with 64GB at $399 and the top-end 128GB costing $499. Contract-free on T-Mobile, it costs $749, $849 or $949 respectively.
iPhone 6 Plus: Design
The iPhone 6 Plus looks huge compared to some other 5.5-inch phones like the LG G3. LG worked hard to make that phone as compact as possible and achieved something of a miracle. Apple, on the other hand, has used the same design that the iPhone 6 possesses and it doesn’t work quite as well with the larger size.
The main problem is the large top and bottom bezel. They’re big and they make the phone look chunkier than it could be. The effect is offset by the fact that the iPhone 6 Plus is thin at just 7.1mm. It also comes with a typically accomplished design. The glass and aluminium back merge seamlessly together. The iPhone 6 Plus feels great in your hand, like a smooth pebble you can skip across a lake. If you are feeling particularly flush that is.
It’s well balanced and light too at just 172g. You’ll happily hold it for hours and that screen is perfect for browsing the internet or watching movies on the hoof.
The size means that you’ll struggle to reach the whole screen, though. You will need a crash course in hand yoga to get your thumbs across to some areas of the screen if you want to use the iPhone 6 Plus one-handed. Apple has thought of this issue and has added a feature to the iPhone 6 Plus that brings the top of the screen closer to your digits.
Tap the home button twice and the active area of the screen drops, giving you access to address or search bars. Unlike on the iPhone 6, which is much slimmer, this doesn’t resolve all the issues caused by a big phone. You’ll still find it a bit of a stretch to get to the sides of the screen unless you’ve got big hands, particularly when texting where most people will need to use both hands to be comfortable. Still, it’s an elegant solution that makes using the iPhone 6 Plus easier.
Just as on the iPhone 6, the 6 Plus has the power button on the right hand side, about an inch and a half from the top. It’s reachable but it would have been better if it was a little lower down. It’s the same story with the volume buttons on the left.
Despite the slightly awkward location of the side buttons the iPhone 6 Plus handles well even when you’re using it one handed. It feels like a premium product – no-one can quite match Apple’s superb build quality. The iPhone 6 Plus manages to feel both solid and soft at the same time.
There is one area where Apple couldn’t quite get everything to fit smoothly into the body of the 6 Plus. The camera juts out of the back so it can fit the sensor with the addition of optical image stabilisation. It only comes out slightly and the edges are chamfered, which means it doesn't snag on material as you put it in your pocket.
They better be large pockets, though. The 158.1mm tall, 77.8mm wide and 7.1mm thick body fits into tight jeans, but not with much to spare. It’s more than a centimetre taller than the LG G3 but is almost 2mm thinner, which helps it slide into pockets, but it is larger than other phones with the same size screen.
For that reason the iPhone 6 Plus isn’t quite the design triumph we’ve come to expect from Apple. It’s very well made and feels great in hand, but is just a bit too big. LG has shown with the LG G3 that a 5.5-inch screen can be fit into a body that feels more like a phone than a phablet. It feels as if Apple could have tried harder to make a design was bespoke to this size, rather than larger version of the iPhone 6.
So, if you’re happy with the size of your current iPhone, or if you struggle with larger phones, then you should go for the iPhone 6 as opposed to its bigger brother. It’s a lot more pocketable and decent step up from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
If you do opt for iPhone 6 Plus, though, it’s worth also considering the leather case Apple sells. It adds a little bulk but provides a super grippy surface to ensure you don’t fumble your phone. The larger phone is little slippery thanks to its curved corners and greater width.
SIM-free the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus carries a lofty price tag of $749, £619, AU$999 - and that's just the start.
Apple has ditched the 32GB variant for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the next storage level coming in at 64GB, and for the 5.5-inch iPhone that equals $849, £699, AU$1129.
The good news for storage fans is that Apple has finally introduced a 128GB model - which may quieten those whining about the lack of a microSD slot - but it will cost you a small fortune. $949, £789, AU$1249 to be exact.
That makes the iPhone 6 Plus comfortably more expensive than rival phablets including the LG G3, OnePlus One, Nokia Lumia 1520 and I suspect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 when it goes on sale too, if not on a par.
It's big, it's expensive and it's likely to play second fiddle to the iPhone 6 - so is the iPhone 6 Plus worth considering? Read on to find out.
Like the fashion industry in the 90's, it was once inconceivable that Apple could go for a plus size model. But the success of big Android phones like the Galaxy Note 3 and upcoming Note 4 has told. Apple has resolutely stuck to its guns for years, but now it has finally capitulated.
The iPhone 6 Plus is just like the iPhone 6, but really big. There are a few other small differences, but the main is its huge 5.5-inch screen. But why now? Yes, Samsung’s Galaxy Note series has something to do with it, but so does the companion device that Apple announced with the iPhones – the Apple Watch. With an Apple Watch on your wrist you won’t need to pull the iPhone 6 Plus out of your pocket or bag all the time.
A 5.5-inch iPhone. It's something which will send a shudder down the spines of a collective of die-hard Apple fans, a handset some thought we'd never see from the Cupertino-based outfit.
Yet here I am, staring down the barrel of the biggest iPhone in history - the iPhone 6 Plus.
It arrived alongside the iPhone 6 - Apple's new flagship smartphone - which measures 4.7 inches, making it more welcoming to a wider array of palms than the supersized iPhone 6 Plus.
Many of you, especially those of an Android persuasion, may be wondering what all the fuss is about. After all the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 turned up with a 5.5-inch display over two years ago.
Take a moment to glance at the history of the iPhone though, and you'll see why the iPhone 6 Plus is such a big deal.
It's hard to imagine a phone more eagerly anticipated than the iPhone 6. After the design revolution that was the iPhone 4, the much-anticipated iPhone 5 disappointed some with its modest visual update. People craved a phone with looks significantly different than what had come before, and so those expectations shifted to the iPhone 6.
In many ways, the iPhone 6 delivers on those design expectations (and in many other ways, as you can see in our full iPhone 6 review here), but if you're really longing for something totally different, look to the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 Plus is significantly larger, noticeably thinner, and -- perhaps most importantly -- offers far more endurance on a single charge than any previous iPhone.
The iPhone 6 Plus is a great phone, but it isn't for everybody. I hate the word "phablet" (literally, "phone" plus "tablet"), but you can't deny that's exactly what the 6 Plus is. Its 5.5-inch, 1080p IPS LCD deftly straddles the chasm that existed between the former 4-inch iPhone 5S and the 7.9-inch iPad Mini. While the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 fits in the same gap, the 6 Plus sits right in the sweet spot for those who'd like a little tablet in their smartphone.
iPhone 6 Plus: Design
The iPhone 6 Plus looks huge compared to some other 5.5-inch phones like the LG G3. LG worked hard to make that phone as compact as possible and achieved something of a miracle. Apple, on the other hand, has used the same design that the iPhone 6 possesses and it doesn’t work quite as well with the larger size.
The main problem is the large top and bottom bezel. They’re big and they make the phone look chunkier than it could be. The effect is offset by the fact that the iPhone 6 Plus is thin at just 7.1mm. It also comes with a typically accomplished design. The glass and aluminium back merge seamlessly together. The iPhone 6 Plus feels great in your hand, like a smooth pebble you can skip across a lake. If you are feeling particularly flush that is.
It’s well balanced and light too at just 172g. You’ll happily hold it for hours and that screen is perfect for browsing the internet or watching movies on the hoof.
The size means that you’ll struggle to reach the whole screen, though. You will need a crash course in hand yoga to get your thumbs across to some areas of the screen if you want to use the iPhone 6 Plus one-handed. Apple has thought of this issue and has added a feature to the iPhone 6 Plus that brings the top of the screen closer to your digits.
Tap the home button twice and the active area of the screen drops, giving you access to address or search bars. Unlike on the iPhone 6, which is much slimmer, this doesn’t resolve all the issues caused by a big phone. You’ll still find it a bit of a stretch to get to the sides of the screen unless you’ve got big hands, particularly when texting where most people will need to use both hands to be comfortable. Still, it’s an elegant solution that makes using the iPhone 6 Plus easier.
Despite the slightly awkward location of the side buttons the iPhone 6 Plus handles well even when you’re using it one handed. It feels like a premium product – no-one can quite match Apple’s superb build quality. The iPhone 6 Plus manages to feel both solid and soft at the same time.
There is one area where Apple couldn’t quite get everything to fit smoothly into the body of the 6 Plus. The camera juts out of the back so it can fit the sensor with the addition of optical image stabilisation. It only comes out slightly and the edges are chamfered, which means it doesn't snag on material as you put it in your pocket.
They better be large pockets, though. The 158.1mm tall, 77.8mm wide and 7.1mm thick body fits into tight jeans, but not with much to spare. It’s more than a centimetre taller than the LG G3 but is almost 2mm thinner, which helps it slide into pockets, but it is larger than other phones with the same size screen.
For that reason the iPhone 6 Plus isn’t quite the design triumph we’ve come to expect from Apple. It’s very well made and feels great in hand, but is just a bit too big. LG has shown with the LG G3 that a 5.5-inch screen can be fit into a body that feels more like a phone than a phablet. It feels as if Apple could have tried harder to make a design was bespoke to this size, rather than larger version of the iPhone 6.
So, if you’re happy with the size of your current iPhone, or if you struggle with larger phones, then you should go for the iPhone 6 as opposed to its bigger brother. It’s a lot more pocketable and decent step up from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
If you do opt for iPhone 6 Plus, though, it’s worth also considering the leather case Apple sells. It adds a little bulk but provides a super grippy surface to ensure you don’t fumble your phone. The larger phone is little slippery thanks to its curved corners and greater width.
SIM-free the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus carries a lofty price tag of $749, £619, AU$999 - and that's just the start.
Apple has ditched the 32GB variant for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the next storage level coming in at 64GB, and for the 5.5-inch iPhone that equals $849, £699, AU$1129.
The good news for storage fans is that Apple has finally introduced a 128GB model - which may quieten those whining about the lack of a microSD slot - but it will cost you a small fortune. $949, £789, AU$1249 to be exact.
That makes the iPhone 6 Plus comfortably more expensive than rival phablets including the LG G3, OnePlus One, Nokia Lumia 1520 and I suspect the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 when it goes on sale too, if not on a par.
It's big, it's expensive and it's likely to play second fiddle to the iPhone 6 - so is the iPhone 6 Plus worth considering? Read on to find out.
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