Follow the link in your order confirmation email to an order summary page. Looks like this :
I'm in the same Mobile Share 2GB plan! Are you using Next or doing a contract upgrade?
-
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Apple iPhone 6 [OT]
- Thread starter OriginalThinking
- Start date
I'm in the same Mobile Share 2GB plan! Are you using Next or doing a contract upgrade?
nikos
Member
UK's Independent posted its review early and immediately took it down. It was cached, but there's nothing we don't already know in the review and unfortunately there's no media. Figured I'd post it anyway.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ts-and-tech/iphone-6-plus-review-9736432.html
http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ts-and-tech/iphone-6-plus-review-9736432.html
The order status detail page? If so, I cannot find anything that looks like the above on the page.Follow the link in your order confirmation email to an order summary page. Looks like this :
OriginalThinking
Member
Honestly the fragmentation thing is a media narrative which really holds no water as it hasn't affected Android's growth. In fact Google have taken steps to combat the narrative anyway, by introducing key API's through Google Play Services rather than Android platform updates, Android One and Android Wear. It's generally used as an ill informed strawman argument to criticise Android without really understanding what "fragmentation" actually is.
I don't buy your argument about it not being a good ecosystem, or that an ecosystem is healthier based on a vertically integrated platform, mostly because you haven't constructed a solid argument but instead presented an opinion not really based on any kind of reality. They are different ways of approaching a problem each with inherent benefits and drawbacks.
I'm not really sure why you've suggested an argument that one phone will beat out Android for marketshare. I never argued that. What I did indicate is that Apple likely don't want a declining marketshare, or declining sales volumes (I don't foresee either). The iPhone will never sell more than Android phones in total especially as the iPhone is specifically priced and targeted as a premium device.
Eyeshield1625
Member
I can no longer cancel my att order.
Same here :O
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I wouldn't say fragmentation is a strawman, it certainly exists. But I think the issue of it is far less know as the platform has matured greatly and manufacturers are starting to slow down their need to push out so many flagship-esque phones.
As for market-share, you're absolutely right. There is no way iPhones will ever be able to compete with the sheer amount of sub-$100 Android or Windows phones. But they also probably don't care to.
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
Man, I could have wrote this immediately after the conference.
luknotluck
Member
On the apple website? Mine says preparing shipment.
Yes, from the apple website. Damn.
I was thinking that exact same thing. All they did was regurgitate the press conference.
Applesauce
Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Next 12. It's a nice deal for me since iPhones hold their value well if you don't fuck them up, so I paid my 32GB 5S off with the assumption I'd be able to sell it for more than what it cost to pay it off ($300-something). Hopefully this works out and I can do this every year and be free to change carriers if I want to.
luknotluck
Member
I ordered mine at around 3pm pacific time if that is any help.
Applesauce
Boom! Bitch-slapped!
You have to follow the link from the order confirmation email you get from AT&T, I never saw the option if I logged in directly to their website. It didn't matter in my case because the damn button didn't work and I had to call and do it over the phone. I changed my pre-order to Apple's site, who are nice enough not to charge you until your shit actually ships.
OriginalThinking
Member
Fragmentation is used as a strawman on a regular basis. Scare stories that Android will implode due to the differing versions and skins, screen sizes, resolutions and the varying manufacturers. None of which have proven to be true. Most developers target Android versions 4.0 and up, of which 88% of Android devices use and at last count 93% of devices had the latest Google Play Services installed. There are legitimate constructive criticisms to be made but it's not at all proven that the android platform distribution is hurting the Android ecosystem, which has only accelerated in the last 24 months.
I don't think it's necessarily true that Android domination is just because of the sub $100 market. While quite clearly Android dominates that segment, it's also arguable worldwide that Android holds the mid price sector and more than holds it's own in the high end though not through any one single device.
This is not a post ascertaining that Android is either superior or inferior to iOS, just one trying to shed reality on the situation rather than conforming to the popular and out of date narratives that often litter these platform discussions.
I apologize if I'm just being dense, but "www.att.com/wirelessorderstatus" is the only link besides the foot note stuff at the bottom and the return policy I'm seeing.
PeakPointMatrix
Member
So launch day is this Friday? Are stores usually equipped with show floor models on launch? Need to see the 6+ size in person before I commit...
Of course the credit card I preordered the 6s on AT&T at midnight for my upgrade was part of the Home Depot breach and Chase is sending me a new one although they said I can continue using the old one.
Sent them a message saying if I can just keep using the old one until I activate the new one.
The concerning part is AT&T's pending charges no longer appear on that credit card and aren't regular charges either.
Anyone else see their AT&T's pending leave their card(s)?
Sent them a message saying if I can just keep using the old one until I activate the new one.
The concerning part is AT&T's pending charges no longer appear on that credit card and aren't regular charges either.
Anyone else see their AT&T's pending leave their card(s)?
Android has a far greater variety of devices/price points. It isn't surprising that the platform has a larger userbase. It just makes mathematical sense.
What I appreciate about the IPhone platform, is I know what i'm getting. I know what the UI is. There isn't any manufacturer specific BS (just apple's BS). When you ask me what android is, i don't really have an answer.
Which is why I think android fans like the platform I think. they like the customizability.
Yeah, ATT's pending left my card a few days ago. I just assumed the first time was like a pre-auth charge or something and that they'll charge it again after it shipped.
Applesauce
Boom! Bitch-slapped!
Yeah mine was a different link.
https://www.wireless.att.com/business/order_status/index.jsp?orderId=
Copy and paste your order ID at the end, see if that works.
lol
nikos
Member
Yes, Apple stores will have them on display upon opening this Friday.
sweetvar26
Member
Wait, you lining up to pick up an already placed order or trying your chances to grab one on location?
OriginalThinking
Member
I'm not making an argument pro or against Android. Just debunking myths used to attack the platform. There are any number of reasons why people prefer iOS. There are also any number of reasons why people prefer Android.
I'd start a separate thread on the issue but we all know that it would be an exercise in futility as fanboys on both sides would reduce any attempt at debate into shouting matches based on misguided tropes and narratives used to justify their own point of view. When it comes to smartphones, objectivity tends to fly out the window.
Yeah, it has gotten fairly ridiculous. But as gamers we should be used to it.
It is no different than Sony vs Microsoft. Everyone just wants to fell justified in their purchasing choices. Or feel that they chose the "BEST"
Wow, thank you--appreciate it.
Says it cannot find the requested order, so whatever. Guess finding out if I could still cancel it just was not meant to be.
Distresssss
Member
Funny you say that because Nintendo would be instantly likened to Windows 8 mobile.
I agree that the whole Android ios debate is boring. They both do some pretty great things for different kinds of people.
Trying to grab one, couldn't get in on the reserve thing.
My iP6 order says the same on apple's site but after logging in to UPS mychoice, I could access the tracking number for it, it's supposedly going to arrive this Friday so I held it for a will call. Not sure how the tracking number showed up on my account though, lol.
Apple really should include a section/tool for Messages
Team Top Hat
Banned
Man...the iPhone 6 Plus is confirmed to have 1 GB RAM???
What the hell apple? =/
What the hell apple? =/
Distresssss
Member
Gotta save something for the 6s and 6+s
Nastrodamous
Member
Does IOS have something like google now?
LyleLanley
Banned
Siri has some of the functionality of Google Now but it doesn't have anything like flight tracking and info on your search history.
Nastrodamous
Member
does it do package tracking or sports scores?
Where is this confirmation?
Distresssss
Member
None so far but there is a reason Apple didn't mention it in their reveal.
They never reveal ram at their announcements for any iOS device. Also the only S upgrade to get a ram boost was the 3GS, I doubt we see a boost to 2gb until iPhone 7.
LyleLanley
Banned
It doesn't do package tracking, as for sports scores you can ask Siri for scores or pretty much any information about sports but it wont just have a list of your favorite teams like Google Now does.
Got the Shakes
Member
You also can setup Google Now through the Google Search app on iOS.
Keylime
ÏÎ¯Î»Ï á¼Î¾ÎµÏÎγλοÏÏον καί ÏεÏδολÏγον οá½Îº εἰÏÏν
The age of the larger phones are upon us, and Apple, as usual, is not leading the charge. Keeping true to the running theme, Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6+ are not the first to offer many of the new features being offered. Big HD screens and NFC payments have long been part of the competition. How does Apple's new lot compare to last year's model, and how does it stand against the competition?
An updated design and some modestly updated internals and camera, this year's iPhone is less about what's inside and more about what's outside.
The Exterior
Outside we have a new set of screens, with a 4.7" screen on the iPhone 6, and a 5.5" screen on the iPhone 6 Plus. Along with these new bigger screens, we get thinner phones to boot. The iPhone 6 runs at a stickly 6.9mm, and it's bigger brother the 6 Plus at smidge thicker at 7.1mm...this is a 10% and 7% reduction to the thickness. On paper this seems paltry, but I assure you that these thinner phones with their rounded edges feel great in your hand. True to Apple form, these phones just feel like a premium product.
Updated screens mean updated resolutions, and here we have a 1334 x 750 (326 PPI) iPhone 6, with a 1920 x 1080 (401 PPI) iPhone 6 Plus. In yet another game of catchup, Apple's new phones have finally entered the HD era. These screens are rocking what is called dual-domain pixels, which increases the viewing angles. You can look at your new phone from above, below, side to side and everything looks a good as ever. The screen's colors pop more, appear sharper and can be viewed from more extreme angles. The screens themselves, between the increased physical size and increased resolutions, are the stars of this generations iPhones.
Tracing further on the outside, we bump into the new protruding camera lenses and it's partner TrueTone flash. In what will forever be debated as "The thing that Jobs would never have let through", the camera update this year is just an updated sensor in both phones. In our experience with pictures, images looked just a hair sharper and a bit more clear in low light scenarios. Blemish to the back panel aside, the camera on these phones are still some of the best on the market, even if the specs don't show it. New to the iPhone 6 Plus only is Optical Image Stabilization, which help correct any movement done by the holder of the phone while taking pictures. This feature won't magically let you shake your phone wildly and still capture those precious moments with clarity, but in our tests the images taken by the 6 Plus were more often just that much clearer than it's iPhone 6 counterpart. A nice touch, but a confusing omission from the iPhone 6. You can already hear the keynote next year: "And now, coming to the iPhone 6S..." Fortunately when you lay the phone on it's back, the protruding lens doesn't seem to impede the feel of laying flat, and your phone won't noticeably rock back and forth to the touch.
The other item of much ire on the outside, and our last stop on this exterior tour, is the new bold antenna stripes acting as the header and footer to the back of these devices. There's no way to say this other than to say it: These new bars are not going to win any design contests. In combination with the updated carrier band support, however, both of these phones do very well getting signal on the go. In our testing we continuously were able to meet, and in a few instances exceed, the signal strength of other top competitors. Most people will only ever see these after opening the phone, and immediately cover it with a case, never to be seen again. If you opt for a naked device, hopefully you'll learn to love your new antenna stripes! "But my reception is great...!"
The Interior
With an A8 dual-core, 64-bit processor, Apple is boasting that users should see roughly a 25% increase in performance with this chipset for CPU and 50% increase on GPU compared to the current 5S. This is a less of an increase than models in the past (typically jumping by at least 2x historically), and because of this the phones largely feel exactly like the 5S in terms of performance.
Paired with this A8 is the newly minted M8 coprocessor, Apple's brain in charge of monitoring your movement, now adds a barometer to it's bag of tricks.
After much mystery online, we can confirm your worst fears as well: both iPhone models only have the same 1GB of RAM that it's predecessors have had. This stunning "hold your ground" stance by Apple is hard to swallow in the shadow of rival phones having 2GB and 3GB, especially considering how inconsequential the cost of RAM in these phones. It would have cost Apple $11 per phone for an extra GB of RAM using last years prices (which are probably even cheaper today), a small sum for a company with profit margins this large. While Apple does typically get more out of their hardware than their spec sheet would imply, having yet another year with only 1GB or RAM just wreaks of greed. As our tests will show, not all is well in the land of the 1GB iPhone in 2014.
Rounding out the last major item inside the new iPhones is the inclusion of NFC, to be used hand in hand with the newly introduced Apple Pay.
A modest upgrade in the A8, altitude tracking in the new M8, and the same amount of RAM...the spec sheet for these new iPhone's don't scream off the page. Our tests below will show you how this translates against the high resolution pixel pushing these devices require.
Also included in the iPhone 6 Plus is 2915 mAh battery, which pumps up the life of a charge from 20% to 220% depending on the activity. Obviously the big phone has more space for a big battery, but it's a shame that the iPhone 6 didn't see at least some significant change in this regard. Battery performance of the iPhone 6 is roughly on par (though slightly improved) over the 5S. Make sure to have your chargers handy if you aren't opting for the Plus model!
iOS 8
With the new iPhones comes iOS8. If we had to sum up this new release of iOS, it would be unification. Everything that Apple's been including over the years in iOS and on the Mac is all starting to work together in ways the truly do change the way you will use your devices (assuming you have more Apple products than just your phone!)
Starting things off is the new Continuity feature, and it's a game changer. Get a call on your iPhone? Pick it up and talk to them over your Mac. Editing a document on your iPad? Pick it up on your iPhone as you run out the door to make those final tweaks. With the introduction of Continuity, it feels more than ever that all of your Apple products are working in concert to make your life just that much better. I can't tell you how many times I've shed a tear over my personal iPhone 5S running iOS7 ringing across the room and my Macbook not picking it up now that I've experienced Continuity. It's scary how quickly it becomes an expectation of your everyday use, and it's a slum dunk feature.
The next major inclusion is the ability for applications to use Extensions. This enables a developer to extend (get it?!) the functionality of their application and push it into other applications. A notable example of this would be the popular password management software called 1Password. Before you had to always open up the 1Password application if you needed to fish out whatever password you needed for that webpage you're on. With Extensions, there is simply an icon you can press which opens a 1Password extension in Safari, allowing you to retrieve your password without ever having to leave the browser. The possibilities for this are endless, and we're excited to see where developers take this. Unfortunately at the time of this review, there are no major applications we can test this with.
Beyond these two tent-pole features, you can now send voice messages over iMessage, track your fitness and health data in Healthkit, add widgets to your notification center, install 3rd party keyboards and use Touch ID in applications to authenticate instead of using a password.
The last major addition to the lineup is the new Apple Pay service. By adding your credit and debit card information on the iPhone's Passbook, you can now pay at any NFC enabled retailer with the simple press of your finger on the Touch ID sensor. This feature isn't going to be activated at retailers until early October, however our experience at Apple's press event last week proved that it was a quick and seamless way to pay for things and a great step up from having to manually swipe a card.
iOS 8 really improves the day to day use of your devices, and we haven't even seen what developers can do with these updated tools. We have high expectations for what's to come!
Fortunately for people not upgrading to the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can install iOS8 on your 5S starting tomorrow and get all the benefits!
The Tests
Our Geekbench results showed a 1633 on the single-core and a 2920 on the multi-core tests. This is just about exactly a 25% increase in performance over last year 5S, and a very thin update in this bigger beefier phones.
What's disappointing with these results is really what the real-world performance hit becomes when you're dealing with the new screen sizes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Pushing around significantly more pixels doesn't come for free, and basically any gains provided by the updated A8 chip are sucked up just by the new screens. At the end of the day using an iPhone 6 feels just like using an iPhone 5S...with a bigger screen. While this certainly isn't the end of the world, we can't help but be disappointed that with all the new real-estate inside these phones that Apple didn't find a way to push the performance to a higher level.
Things take a slightly more frustrating turn when dealing with the iPhone 6 Plus, which is pushing more than double the total pixels of it's new iPhone 6 counterpart. During normal activities like browsing the web or reading your email or watching a video, there is no difference between the devices. The problem is going to be when heavy applications like video editing or games try and wrestle with the 6 Plus. Games specifically will almost certainly not attempt to run at native 1080p, but even running a game meant for the 1335 x 750 resolution screen of the iPhone 6 feels tangibly worse on the iPhone 6 Plus. We were hoping that an upclocked version of the A8 may have made it into the 6 Plus, but instead we're left with our phones gasping to keep up with their more nimble iPhone 6 brethren.
The performance gap between the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 will only truly be felt by those who are much more seasoned with iPhone usage or running heavy applications, but that Apple didn't do something to make the experiences on these two devices the same feels like yet another odd compromise that was made to get these phones on the market...which leads us to:
The conclusion
In what can only be called the generation of compromises, consumers are left with the hardest choice they've had to make if they are looking to get the new iPhone:
- Do they want a phone with a gigantic screen or one with a less gigantic screen?
- If they don't want a big screen are they OK with less battery life?
- Is getting the increased battery life and screen size worth taking a hit in performance?
- Will you hate yourself if you take a blurry photo with the iPhone 6 which would have been clearer on the 6 Plus?
- Can anyone live with those fucking antenna bars?!?
If you're in the market for an upgrade and have your eyes set on an iPhone, make no mistake that you can't go wrong with either the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus. Whichever device suits you will be a great device. It will feel great. It will run great software.
If you put a gun to our head and asked us if we'd say the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is a significant upgrade to the 5S...we'd be hard pressed to say yes.
These phones are a great evolutionary step from the 5S before it, but unfortunately the majority of the great features coming with the new phones comes in the form of iOS8, which can be installed on the 5S should you already have one.
While the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will remain at the top of the smartphone charts and continue to keep Apple at the forefront of industry...we're left asking ourselves "what if"...
Final Score: 8.5
An updated design and some modestly updated internals and camera, this year's iPhone is less about what's inside and more about what's outside.
The Exterior
Outside we have a new set of screens, with a 4.7" screen on the iPhone 6, and a 5.5" screen on the iPhone 6 Plus. Along with these new bigger screens, we get thinner phones to boot. The iPhone 6 runs at a stickly 6.9mm, and it's bigger brother the 6 Plus at smidge thicker at 7.1mm...this is a 10% and 7% reduction to the thickness. On paper this seems paltry, but I assure you that these thinner phones with their rounded edges feel great in your hand. True to Apple form, these phones just feel like a premium product.
Updated screens mean updated resolutions, and here we have a 1334 x 750 (326 PPI) iPhone 6, with a 1920 x 1080 (401 PPI) iPhone 6 Plus. In yet another game of catchup, Apple's new phones have finally entered the HD era. These screens are rocking what is called dual-domain pixels, which increases the viewing angles. You can look at your new phone from above, below, side to side and everything looks a good as ever. The screen's colors pop more, appear sharper and can be viewed from more extreme angles. The screens themselves, between the increased physical size and increased resolutions, are the stars of this generations iPhones.
Tracing further on the outside, we bump into the new protruding camera lenses and it's partner TrueTone flash. In what will forever be debated as "The thing that Jobs would never have let through", the camera update this year is just an updated sensor in both phones. In our experience with pictures, images looked just a hair sharper and a bit more clear in low light scenarios. Blemish to the back panel aside, the camera on these phones are still some of the best on the market, even if the specs don't show it. New to the iPhone 6 Plus only is Optical Image Stabilization, which help correct any movement done by the holder of the phone while taking pictures. This feature won't magically let you shake your phone wildly and still capture those precious moments with clarity, but in our tests the images taken by the 6 Plus were more often just that much clearer than it's iPhone 6 counterpart. A nice touch, but a confusing omission from the iPhone 6. You can already hear the keynote next year: "And now, coming to the iPhone 6S..." Fortunately when you lay the phone on it's back, the protruding lens doesn't seem to impede the feel of laying flat, and your phone won't noticeably rock back and forth to the touch.
The other item of much ire on the outside, and our last stop on this exterior tour, is the new bold antenna stripes acting as the header and footer to the back of these devices. There's no way to say this other than to say it: These new bars are not going to win any design contests. In combination with the updated carrier band support, however, both of these phones do very well getting signal on the go. In our testing we continuously were able to meet, and in a few instances exceed, the signal strength of other top competitors. Most people will only ever see these after opening the phone, and immediately cover it with a case, never to be seen again. If you opt for a naked device, hopefully you'll learn to love your new antenna stripes! "But my reception is great...!"
The Interior
With an A8 dual-core, 64-bit processor, Apple is boasting that users should see roughly a 25% increase in performance with this chipset for CPU and 50% increase on GPU compared to the current 5S. This is a less of an increase than models in the past (typically jumping by at least 2x historically), and because of this the phones largely feel exactly like the 5S in terms of performance.
Paired with this A8 is the newly minted M8 coprocessor, Apple's brain in charge of monitoring your movement, now adds a barometer to it's bag of tricks.
After much mystery online, we can confirm your worst fears as well: both iPhone models only have the same 1GB of RAM that it's predecessors have had. This stunning "hold your ground" stance by Apple is hard to swallow in the shadow of rival phones having 2GB and 3GB, especially considering how inconsequential the cost of RAM in these phones. It would have cost Apple $11 per phone for an extra GB of RAM using last years prices (which are probably even cheaper today), a small sum for a company with profit margins this large. While Apple does typically get more out of their hardware than their spec sheet would imply, having yet another year with only 1GB or RAM just wreaks of greed. As our tests will show, not all is well in the land of the 1GB iPhone in 2014.
Rounding out the last major item inside the new iPhones is the inclusion of NFC, to be used hand in hand with the newly introduced Apple Pay.
A modest upgrade in the A8, altitude tracking in the new M8, and the same amount of RAM...the spec sheet for these new iPhone's don't scream off the page. Our tests below will show you how this translates against the high resolution pixel pushing these devices require.
Also included in the iPhone 6 Plus is 2915 mAh battery, which pumps up the life of a charge from 20% to 220% depending on the activity. Obviously the big phone has more space for a big battery, but it's a shame that the iPhone 6 didn't see at least some significant change in this regard. Battery performance of the iPhone 6 is roughly on par (though slightly improved) over the 5S. Make sure to have your chargers handy if you aren't opting for the Plus model!
iOS 8
With the new iPhones comes iOS8. If we had to sum up this new release of iOS, it would be unification. Everything that Apple's been including over the years in iOS and on the Mac is all starting to work together in ways the truly do change the way you will use your devices (assuming you have more Apple products than just your phone!)
Starting things off is the new Continuity feature, and it's a game changer. Get a call on your iPhone? Pick it up and talk to them over your Mac. Editing a document on your iPad? Pick it up on your iPhone as you run out the door to make those final tweaks. With the introduction of Continuity, it feels more than ever that all of your Apple products are working in concert to make your life just that much better. I can't tell you how many times I've shed a tear over my personal iPhone 5S running iOS7 ringing across the room and my Macbook not picking it up now that I've experienced Continuity. It's scary how quickly it becomes an expectation of your everyday use, and it's a slum dunk feature.
The next major inclusion is the ability for applications to use Extensions. This enables a developer to extend (get it?!) the functionality of their application and push it into other applications. A notable example of this would be the popular password management software called 1Password. Before you had to always open up the 1Password application if you needed to fish out whatever password you needed for that webpage you're on. With Extensions, there is simply an icon you can press which opens a 1Password extension in Safari, allowing you to retrieve your password without ever having to leave the browser. The possibilities for this are endless, and we're excited to see where developers take this. Unfortunately at the time of this review, there are no major applications we can test this with.
Beyond these two tent-pole features, you can now send voice messages over iMessage, track your fitness and health data in Healthkit, add widgets to your notification center, install 3rd party keyboards and use Touch ID in applications to authenticate instead of using a password.
The last major addition to the lineup is the new Apple Pay service. By adding your credit and debit card information on the iPhone's Passbook, you can now pay at any NFC enabled retailer with the simple press of your finger on the Touch ID sensor. This feature isn't going to be activated at retailers until early October, however our experience at Apple's press event last week proved that it was a quick and seamless way to pay for things and a great step up from having to manually swipe a card.
iOS 8 really improves the day to day use of your devices, and we haven't even seen what developers can do with these updated tools. We have high expectations for what's to come!
Fortunately for people not upgrading to the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, you can install iOS8 on your 5S starting tomorrow and get all the benefits!
The Tests
Our Geekbench results showed a 1633 on the single-core and a 2920 on the multi-core tests. This is just about exactly a 25% increase in performance over last year 5S, and a very thin update in this bigger beefier phones.
What's disappointing with these results is really what the real-world performance hit becomes when you're dealing with the new screen sizes of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Pushing around significantly more pixels doesn't come for free, and basically any gains provided by the updated A8 chip are sucked up just by the new screens. At the end of the day using an iPhone 6 feels just like using an iPhone 5S...with a bigger screen. While this certainly isn't the end of the world, we can't help but be disappointed that with all the new real-estate inside these phones that Apple didn't find a way to push the performance to a higher level.
Things take a slightly more frustrating turn when dealing with the iPhone 6 Plus, which is pushing more than double the total pixels of it's new iPhone 6 counterpart. During normal activities like browsing the web or reading your email or watching a video, there is no difference between the devices. The problem is going to be when heavy applications like video editing or games try and wrestle with the 6 Plus. Games specifically will almost certainly not attempt to run at native 1080p, but even running a game meant for the 1335 x 750 resolution screen of the iPhone 6 feels tangibly worse on the iPhone 6 Plus. We were hoping that an upclocked version of the A8 may have made it into the 6 Plus, but instead we're left with our phones gasping to keep up with their more nimble iPhone 6 brethren.
The performance gap between the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 will only truly be felt by those who are much more seasoned with iPhone usage or running heavy applications, but that Apple didn't do something to make the experiences on these two devices the same feels like yet another odd compromise that was made to get these phones on the market...which leads us to:
The conclusion
In what can only be called the generation of compromises, consumers are left with the hardest choice they've had to make if they are looking to get the new iPhone:
- Do they want a phone with a gigantic screen or one with a less gigantic screen?
- If they don't want a big screen are they OK with less battery life?
- Is getting the increased battery life and screen size worth taking a hit in performance?
- Will you hate yourself if you take a blurry photo with the iPhone 6 which would have been clearer on the 6 Plus?
- Can anyone live with those fucking antenna bars?!?
If you're in the market for an upgrade and have your eyes set on an iPhone, make no mistake that you can't go wrong with either the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus. Whichever device suits you will be a great device. It will feel great. It will run great software.
If you put a gun to our head and asked us if we'd say the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is a significant upgrade to the 5S...we'd be hard pressed to say yes.
These phones are a great evolutionary step from the 5S before it, but unfortunately the majority of the great features coming with the new phones comes in the form of iOS8, which can be installed on the 5S should you already have one.
While the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will remain at the top of the smartphone charts and continue to keep Apple at the forefront of industry...we're left asking ourselves "what if"...
Final Score: 8.5