The repeated clamour and overnight queues for the latest iPhone models have been socially acceptable, yet logically ridiculous. And each time, Apple fanatics, with thick cash at hand, selflessly accept the seemingly another identical-looking iPhone unit while rejoicing for the faintest of upgrades. Apple iPhone 6 is not different. It commanded the same hullabaloo upon its launch, even with iPhone 6s already looming on the horizon. The iPhone 6 does come with more enhanced features, and the still elegant yet suddenly curved edges do have a bigger impact for the user. Apple iOS 8 proved unmatched with its offered interface, plus the virtual to real life integration of apps, like Apple Pay, keep getting bolder.
Look, Design, Feel (/10)
Apple iPhones have long adopted the thin and sleek look, and don’t seem to plan on deviating from it. Bending issues aside, it challenges iPhone 6’s 6.9mm thin unibody aluminium chassis strength versus human clumsiness. Admittedly, the slender phone feels good to hold. Comparing the 4.7-in screen to competitors’ 5-in screen is expected because of the expensive price, users demand bigger and larger everything. But it doesn’t make iPhone 6 any less functional, posh, and exclusive. Apple has maintained its developing strategy of not following the crowd, instead taking the less traversed path of unhurried grandeur.
A rounded curve is the most prominent modification. Many debate on how this adds or subtracts from the overall impact. The plastic strips at the back, placed on top and bottom, tried so hard to blend with the aluminium finish. Apple chose function over façade here as these help with picking better signals.
Minimal approach continues with the volume and mute buttons on the left side. The right side is populated with the newly positioned power button and Nano-SIM tray. Bottom side consists of the 3.5mm headphone jack, mic, speaker, and Lightning jack. The Lightning jack allows non-directional insertion of microUSB, which also adds points to Apple’s exclusivity and convenience to Apple product environs. Top side is clean as a whistle. iPhone 6’s front face has the 1.2MP camera for the much-needed selfies, sensors, 4.7” display screen with 750 x 1334 resolution, and the Home button/TouchID sensor at the bottom. The back side features the same 8MP camera and LED flash, but with better gears underneath. iPhone 6’s camera shoots, focuses, and stabilizes faster. It’s not about the megapixels after all, but the quality per photo.
Features (/10)
Those familiar with Apple iOS will enjoy the same smooth interface, along with several upgrades (Spotlight, Bluetooth integration, iCloud, battery status). The infamous Siri, which promises more precise results, has incorporated with Shazam for better song recognition. Additional features include accelerometer, proximity, barometer, compass, and messaging variants – SMS, MMS, Email, Push, Email, and iMessage. Storage skips 32GB, instead suggests 128GB, 16GB, and 64GB.
The TouchID (fingerprint recognition) promises privacy like no other. It allows customization and had been adapted for Apple Pay purchasing. User’s scanned fingerprint can easily authorize obtaining items from iTunes and App Store. This form of payment via Apple Pay is being expanded to include merchants of all categories, translating to non-virtual objects like food (restaurants), clothes, or services.
Connectivity (/10)
iPhone 6 supports various connectivity choices: 2G, 3G, LTE, WiFi 802.11 (dual band, hot spot), VoLTE, and HD Voice. Bluetooth v4.0 is of course included, and the optional NFC support via Apple Pay. Standard USB is a no-go, Lightning port (reversible connector) is available. Radio is also non-existent. You can source online radio instead via Apple iTunes.
Performance (/10)
The non-removable Li-Po battery resulted in some 31 hours of mix-use including calls, web surfing, videos, and standby. This fared better than most flagships recently launched.
Apple iPhone 6’s 8MP camera offers perfectly stabilized saturation, white balance, and sharpness. Macro shots deliver crisp images, while Panoramic photos reveal no visible stitching.
Display screen adequately counters day-time brightness. iPhone 6 gave excellent audio and video quality, but slacked on video support options.
The slightly protruding camera lens certainly breaks from the clean lined Apple stamp and annoys a lot of fanatics, but can be easily fixed by clothing the phone with a case.
Value for Money (/10)
Being Apple’s newest flagship, iPhone 6 aspires to be the ultimate offering and sets its price high to prove it. Value would be measured with the multi-tasks, entertainment, and convenience you get from the device. This much apps and options could cost several salaries for some, but in return, it can ease your virtual and social participation, sort your schedule to tremendous order, and the endless multimedia selections will leave you free of boredom guaranteed. If price is not an issue, surely everyone would want to have an iPhone 6.
Pros
- Great quality videos and photos with 8MP main camera
- Excellent overall performance
- Minimalist design
- Built-in Apple apps, iTouch, iOS 8
Cons
- Expensive
- Slippy aluminium body
- No 32GB storage option
- No 4K video support