Apple’s New iPhones: The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Jason O. Gilbert, Yahoo

On Tuesday afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the biggest iPhone in the device’s seven-year history.

And then, five seconds later, he announced an even larger one.

Yes, Apple unveiled two new iPhones on Tuesday — the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus — both of them with the biggest displays of any smartphone in Apple history. The iPhone 6 features a screen measuring 4.7 inches diagonally, while the iPhone 6 Plus is even larger, at 5.5 inches.

Both the devices feature rounded edges and are slightly slimmer than the iPhone 5s. Apple also says battery life has been improved on both devices, and both come with improved cameras.

Apple also announced a new program called Apple Pay, which will allow owners of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to pay at the register by tapping their iPhones. The new iPhones contain an NFC chip, which allows for so-called contactless payments. Apple’s Passbook app can now store your credit cards securely and you can choose which card you want to use at the register. Apple says it does not store information about what you buy or where you buy it.

Apple also unveiled an entirely new device that works with the iPhone: The Apple Watch. The Apple Watch will come in two sizes (large and small) and in three different styles. The watch connects to an iPhone 5 or newer and lets you send messages, track your fitness levels and daily steps, and more.

The Watch will start at $350 and will be available in “early 2015.”

The larger screen size is the most notable change about this year’s iPhones. From the first iPhone in 2007 through the iPhone 4s in 2011, Apple maintained a display size of 3.5 inches, measured from one corner to its diagonal. In 2012, with the iPhone 5, it increased the display to 4.0 inches; last year’s iPhone 5s maintained that size. This year’s bump to 4.7 and 5.5 inches represents another large jump and brings Apple’s flagship devices closer in screen real estate to Samsung’s Galaxy S5 (a 5-inch screen) and Galaxy Note 4 (5.7 inches).

Apple fans have long defended the company’s refusal to bump up the screen size, deriding its competitors as unwieldy and unpocketable. Samsung, however, appears to have had success in the past several years in part by offering smartphones with generous screen sizes. Surveys have consistently found that shoppers lust after larger screens and that device owners with larger screens enjoyed having the roomier display for reading text, typing, and watching videos (even though the phones may look a little goofy in their front pockets).

Apple has been under increasing pressure from financial analysts to up the screen size of its smartphones. Despite record sales in each successive year, Apple has not dominated the smartphone market in countries like China and India, where shoppers have flocked to devices with larger screens from companies like Samsung and LG. The bigger iPhones are seen as an attempt to appeal to those potential customers, who would have otherwise dismissed the iPhone as unrealistically small.

The iPhone 6 will start at $199 for a 16GB version, $299 for a 64GB version, and $399 for a new 128GB version. The iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 for the 16GB version.

Both phones will go on sale on September 19th and will be available for preorder on September 12th.
 

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
I guess Samsung is looking pretty "innovative" right now. I love my NOTE.......
 

MadFloyd

Member Sponsor
May 30, 2010
3,076
774
1,700
Mass
I love my Note 3, but I have to admit I was might impressed with what I saw today. I WANT THAT WATCH badly. Too bad it means I would have to switch phones...
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
I think the watch will be a hit. Looks to be nothing close to it out there, while appearing to be eminently useful with capabilities that will only grow over time. Looks like they came up w/a unique interface/information/communication platform. And the hardware probably gets much sexier when you get your hands on it.

I'm surprised that there is no 5S sized phone w/6 capabilities as the 5S is likely the best-selling phone of all-time. Market research must have made them very confident to skip it.
 

Peter Breuninger

[Industry Expert] Member Sponsor
Jul 20, 2010
1,231
4
0
Guys!

You will love the big screen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I live my life on it.
 

jfrech

VIP/Donor
Sep 3, 2012
2,152
749
1,160
Austin
I'm in for the 6plus too !
 

rblnr

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 3, 2010
2,151
291
1,170
NYC/NJ
Don't know if I can handle 6 plus :)

I'm a front pocket guy. 6'll do for me.
 

Alrainbow

Well-Known Member
Dec 11, 2013
3,189
1,387
450
I have two phones. One is the iPhone 5 a d the other a note 3. The note is too big for me. It serves it's purpose but not like the iPhone. At 57 I do need reading glasses and my font is standard size. So this leaves why the bigger iPhone
So as a iPhone 6 is about what galaxy 5 is it just might be the right choice for me. The plus is just too big for one hand operation. As much as I disliked Steve jobs for not making the phone bigger he was right .
Al
 

wilson1

Well-Known Member
Jun 14, 2010
104
0
401
Pleasanton, CA
Plus have a bigger battery for longer hrs, and optical stabilization for the camera to mention 2 items not on the iph 6
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
6,455
29
405
:)

A few months ago, a big screen was seen as an impediment by the Apple crowd. The same crowd wants as large a screen as possible ..now that Apple has bowed to the prevalent market trend.

Now I must say that I am impressed by the 6 and 6 Plus or at least what I have seen from it. I need to hold them and they compare to my trusty HTC One which a jewel in itself, I need to compare carefully the M8 (mine is the previous M7) and the Apple 6 wares.

The iWatch is an interesting item though and may force my decision toward Apple. I like watches and this one looks like a real watch. Live it to Apple to get the intricate of design right. Need sto put my hands on all three (6, 6 PLus, iWatch) , will make the decision then...
 

Jazzhead

VIP/Donor
Aug 26, 2012
1,466
108
985
Am an apple user , but have to say that Apple seems to be playing catch up where the phones are concerned .
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing