Apple has two new iPhones debuting today, including the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 is the heir apparent to the flagship line of Apple smartphones, as it comes in at the same price point as the iPhone 5s, but Apple has done something new this year by introducing a premium priced iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 is still plenty premium, however, and its 4.7-inch screen is likely going to be a better fit for most users, which is why it earns our vote as the best smartphone currently available.
Video Review
Basics
- 4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 display, 326 ppi with 1400:1 contrast
- 16, 64 or 128GB storage
- A8 processor (64-bit)
- 8MP iSight camera (rear) with 1.5 micron pixels, 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera (front)
- Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi
- 20-band LTE support
- MSRP: 16GB for $199 on contract/$649 contract free; 64GB for $299 on contract/$749 contract free; 128GB for $399 on contract/$849 contract free
- Product info page
Pros
- The best mobile camera, made better
- Industrial design beats all previous iPhones
Cons
- Rounded edges could mean the phone’s a little less easy to grip
Design
Apple has outdone itself with the iPhone 6’s design – despite gaining a significant amount of screen real estate, it doesn’t feel huge compared to its predecessor, and it’s still a very easy device to use one-handed. The new, thinner case means it weighs just over half an ounce more than the iPhone 5s, and the even weight distribution across a broader surface area means it isn’t noticeably heavier than the older phone. It manages to make the 5 and 5s feel downright chunky, in fact, which is incredible.
The camera also has better and more accurate face detection, which can pick up smaller faces and is also better able to pick up closed eyes and smiles when you’re using burst mode and it’s trying to suss out the best capture from a large series. The camera can also now create high-resolution panorama shots, which adjust exposure automatically as you go depending on variances in light, producing stunning results with total resolution of up to 43 megapixels.
Video capture on Apple’s iPhone 6 is also fantastic, and the stabilization techniques they use to make video shot in even the shakiest scenarios appear more stable are truly impressive, as you can see in the video sample below, which was shot while I walked my dog (with no effort to achieve a smooth gait).
Battery
The iPhone 6 uses improved battery tech, and it shows – in practice, I’d get about a day and a half, normal use. Overall, though, it’s rated by Apple pretty closely on most scores when compared to the 5s, offering similar hour ratings when it comes to media playback, browsing and standby, but claiming an additional four hours of talk time. In actual real-world use, it fared better than my iPhone 5s in terms of operating time on a single charge, but the iPhone 5s I was testing against is also a year old at this point.
Still, it doesn’t feel like you need to be miserly with respect to power when you’re using the iPhone 6, and even if you’re using all the background activity tracking bells and whistles, it should more than get you through the average day with juice intact.
Bottom Line
The iPhone 6 is the best smartphone available. It offers improvements in almost every way that matters, and it delivers those in a striking new design that balances consumer demand for larger screens with a thin, light and durable case. It’s Apple’s most attractive phone, visually, and the 4.7-inch size is going to be more generally appealing than the iPhone 6 Plus’ larger proportions.
More than anything, the selling point here is that Apple has managed to recapture the energy and excitement that came with the original iPhone with the new iPhone 6. It feels like a return to form in all the right ways, in addition to packing a ton of new features like Apple Pay that light the path for what Apple as a company is to become. For users, though, it’s all about delivering the best computer you can keep in your pocket, and that’s exactly what the iPhone 6 is.
