Introduction.
In September 2014, Apple replaced its ever-popular iPhone 5 smartphone with the the all-new iPhone 6 series. The following review provides a comprehensive assessment of the new iPhone 6, comparing it to the previous generation iPhone and its bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus.
The Design and Aesthetics.
With curved edges on both the front and back, the iPhone 6 is comfortable to hold and slips easily into your pocket. When looking at the comparison to the left, the iPhone 5 already looks rigged. The iPhone 6 sports a metal chassis, which gives a it premium feel, but in my opinion the plastic signal strips on the back spoil what should have been a completely polished look.
The iPhone 6 is 5.44″ in height, 2.64″ in width and has a depth of just 6.99 mm, which makes it thinner than the previous generation iPhone, and one of the thinnest smartphones on the market. Due to its thin profile, the camera lens protrudes from the chassis, but it has a layer of protective sapphire glass to prevent lens scratching. There are 3 finishes to choose from: Space grey, gold and silver, all of which look sleek and compliment the design. If I was pushed to choose one then it would be the space grey!
The Display.
The iPhone 6 display is 4.7″ in size, with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. This isn’t quite HD, but a fantastically sharp resolution none the less.
There were rumors that Apple would use a sapphire display, but instead they opted for ion-strengthened glass with an improved polariser, which enhancers the screens performance. I love how sharp and crisp the display looks, and you can watch a film on the iPhone 6 in crystal clarity. The screen also has a photo aligned IPS liquid crystal display layer, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, which gives you an ultra responsive touchscreen and a well protected display.
An added feature for the iPhone 6 is Dual Domain Pixels, which gives you a wider viewing range. This is especially helpful when a group of people want to look at the display from different angles. This technology was not available on the previous generation iPhone and it makes all the difference when viewing images and videos with friends, family and colleagues.
The Cameras.
The front facing camera can be used for both photos and Face Time conversations, which is great for making video calls whilst on the move, and indeed selfies! Your FaceTime camera comes equipped with 1.2-megapixel lense, 720p HD video recording and improved face detection. I love FaceTime as you are not restricted to a PC or laptop for a video call.
The rear 8 megapixel iSight camera features a 1080p HD lens which takes amazingly sharp photos. the camera can record video footage up to 60fps, or 240fps for slow-motion filming. This camera has some great features ranging from image stabilisation, auto HDR (High Dynamic Range) for photos and exposure control. I especially love the panorama feature.
Below is a video that shows off the slow-motion capabilities of the iPhone 6, which was filmed by TechSource
Battery Life
Apple claims you can get up to 14 hours of talk time on 3G and up to 10 days of standby. I tested the battery life and managed to last almost 2 days without charging with what I class as ‘normal’ phone usage. This involved texting, calling, internet usage, gaming and films. Everyone’s user habits are different so battery life can vary, but when compared to the previous generation, the battery life has definitely improved.
iPhone 6 Technical Specifications
Operating System: Mac iOS 8
Chipset: A8 chip with M8 motion compressor and 64-bit architecture.
Product Weight and Dimensions: H: 5.44″, W: 2.64″, D: 0.27″, 4.55 ounces (129 grams)
Storage: 16/24/128GB
Display: 4.7-inch (diagonal) with an LED-backlit widescreen Multi‑Touch display with IPS technology, 1334-by-750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical), Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front.
iSight Camera: A new 8-megapixel iSight camera with Autofocus, Focus Pixels, an ƒ/2.2 aperture. Other features include True Tone flash, a Five-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, Auto HDR for photos and Photo geotagging.
FaceTime Camera: 1.2-megapixel photos (1280 by 960), ƒ/2.2 aperture, 720p HD video recording, Backside illumination sensor, Auto HDR for photos and videos, Improved face detection, Burst mode, Exposure Control.
Sensors: Touch ID, Barometer, Three-axis gyro, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor.
Battery: Talk time up to 14 hours on 3G, standby time up to 10 days (250 hours), internet usage up to 10 hours on 3G, 10 hours on 4G LTE, up to 11 hours on wi-fi. Video playback up to 11 hours & up to 50 hours audio playback.
Recommended Accessories
If you would like to personalise your iPhone 6, you can choose from a range of official protective cases that are available in a broad selection of colours, including black, white, pink, blue, green and red. Apple also gives you the option of a Silicone or Leather case, which you can purchase a directly from Apple’s website.
One of my favourite third party cases is the Neo Hybrid case from Spigen. This dual layer bumper style case really compliments the design of the iPhone 6, and there are some lovely colours available on their website. Its not the cheapest case, but you get what you pay for…
What Are the Pros and Cons?
Pros
A great design (as you would expect from Apple), with a polished look and premium feel
Excellent camera performance and the slow motion feature is very smooth
A lot of storage and nice choices of capacity to choose from
Cons
The camera is protrudes through the back, which makes it uneven when laid down on a table
The Apple price tag
Some users may prefer the 1080p screen on that features on the iPhone 6 plus
Conclusion
I love the subtle changes made to the latest design. The clarity of the display is very impressive, but if you are not put off by a bigger chassis then you may wish to opt for the iPhone 6 plus, which features a full 1080 HD resolution. The other issue for me is the price. Apple’s retail price for the iPhone 6 is £539 and £619 for the 6 Plus, which is on the expensive side in what is an increasingly crowded marketplace. However, when it comes to quality and design, in my opinion, there is nothing to rival the iPhone 6 on the market at the time of writing this review.
As with all iPhone revisions, the iPhone 6 is evolution, not revolution. But if it isn’t broke then why fix it? To conclude, the iPhone 6 comes highly recommended.
About The Author
Our IT Department is a London-based IT services organisation that provides a comprehensive range of IT Support services and project Management solutions for SMEs that use macs in a business environment. Find out more about our Mac Support services.
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