VERDICT
Apple made a big leap forward with the iPhone 6 - one of the best phones it's ever created.
PROS:
- Great design
- Better battery
- Improved keyboard
CONS:
- Still pricey
- Screen too low-res
Update: iPhone 6 prices have dropped and it's getting the iOS 10 update next month. It's not as fast or as powerful as that new iPhone 7 , but our review reflects how ti goes against the similar iPhone SE .
Why do we have the Apple iPhone 6? Well, back in 2013, despite record sales, the Cupertino brand was heading for a fall. The brand had been trading on the same phone for four years, and something big was needed to keep it current.
So with that, the iPhone 6, and its bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus , were born to keep Apple at the sharp end of a market that was starting to lust after powerful, big-screen smartphones with clever and premium design.
- Compare: all the best iPhone 6 deals
The iPhone 6 certainly addresses a number of the problems Apple had developed, coming with a much larger screen (although not dramatically increasing the size of the phone) a boosted processor, better camera, improved battery and, crucially, overhauled design. Much of the ground work that went into the iPhone 6S was done here, with the iPhone 6.
This is the sixth iPhone I've reviewed, and there's a distinct sense that this one is really rather different.
I wrote in 2013 that Apple was becoming more aware that the time when it could define what consumers would buy in the smartphone was ending - and with the 4.7-inch screen, it clearly had to admit defeat in the smaller screen market.
There will be some who will miss that 4-inch screen size, maintaining that they don'twant a bigger display on their phone - but nearly all of those people won't have spent any appreciable time with a larger device, and I believe that a good portion of you thinking you need a smaller phone will quickly come to appreciate the power a bigger handset brings, without compromising quality.
Apple's now appeased those longing for a new 4-inch handheld though, with the launch of the iPhone SE. It sports the specs of the iPhone 6S, uses the body of the now-discontinued iPhone 5S and sports a lower price tag than the iPhone 6, giving the latter some tough new competition.
iPhone 6 review
But while the iPhone 6 has answered a lot of the problems I've had with previous iterations of Apple's handsets, there are some issues that still swirled when I handled the phone for the first time - and many of them persist even now that the iPhone 6 has been superseded.
Why did Apple decide to not join the masses with a really high-res screen? Why is the iPhone 6 still one of the most expensive phones on the market? Has Apple done enough to improve the quite dire battery life of previous models, especially at a time when many high-end Android phones are easily chugging through a day's hard use without thirsting for a charger's caress?
Let's take a quick look at the price - and it's not pretty.
At launch you were looking at $649 or £539 for the 16GB version, $750 or £619 for the 64GB option and $850 or £699 for the 128GB model.
That's since dropped to US$549 (£459, AU$929) for the 16GB version and US$649 (£539, AU$1,079) for the 64GB option, with the 128GB handset having been discontinued with the arrival of the iPhone 6S .
That's about as much as you'd pay for a brand new Android flagship just a few months after launch, yet the iPhone 6 is no longer the top model in its range.
Then you've got the iPhone SE which has the same features as the newer iPhone 6S for $150 (£100, AU$250) less than the iPhone 6. You'll have to compromise on screen size, but you could get a better phone for less. Don't forget, the iPhone 7 is rumored to be on its way in September, too.
iPhone 6 review
Design
Let's take a look at the first thing most people will wonder about before picking up the iPhone 6: how will it actually feel in the hand?
This is a big departure for Apple, marking a time when it's admitted that the industrial, sharp design of the last four iPhone models is a little outdated and needs to up the ergonomics to really compete.
Well, with the Apple iPhone 6 we're looking at one of the thinnest and sleekest handsets in the market - still. It's got a strong combination of metal back (which feels exceptionally premium, borrowing bucketloads of design language from theiPad Air ) and the way the screen curves into the chassis gives it a slight lozenge feel.
iPhone 6 review
The iPhone 6 looks the business, and at 6.9mm thin it's very nice to hold, though theSamsung Galaxy S6 has since edged it out at 6.8mm thick. I do still feel that phones that push harder on ergonomics are a better choice though - the HTC One M9 bows out at the back and fits in the palm a little better - but that's quibbling. This iPhone just feels really well made.
Apple has always favoured a flatter phone than the rest of the market though, and placed on a desk it looks great. It does feel great in the hand too, but as said others impress more if I'm being hyper-critical.
There's also the issue of the large plastic strips that flow through the top and bottom of the device. Given metal is a nightmare material to try and get radio signal to penetrate, these are clearly there to offset that.
iPhone 6 review
While the plastic does seem to give good signal performance for the most part, it's nothing amazing, and to my eyes they're a little unsightly and ruin the sleek back of the iPhone 6; their presence seems at odds with Apple's design ethos.
The other big design change is to the power button, which has now been moved to the right-hand side of the phone. This makes a lot of sense and, given the phone is now a larger device at 138.1 x 67 x 6.9mm, hitting the top of the handset is a much harder task, so moving the button is the right thing to do.
The improved messaging experience through iMessage is good, but I still wish there was some more consistency in using the features to non-Apple devices. I like WhatsApp, but the fact that iMessage is now doing a lot of the same things built-in is favourable.
If only it could be installed on Android phones to make my life simpler when talking to others during iPhone use... that's not too much to ask, right, Apple? Have a word with Google. Patch things up. I'm sure you can still be friends. After all, you can now get Apple Music on the Google Play Store.
Internet
The internet browsing experience on the iPhone 6 isn't vastly different than before, although iOS 8 and iOS 9 have brought a few changes.
I really like being able to swipe back and forth to move through web pages (and this trick works on both Chrome and Safari, although with the former it lets you swipe through tabs, not pages) and with the default browser I liked getting a prompt when Reading Mode was available - it generally only seemed to pop up when I could use it effectively.
I always see the option to save articles for later and intend to use it more - yet I still go back to Pocket time and again. I can't explain why, as it's actually more convoluted, but the fact that Apple's inbuilt system hasn't lured me means it probably needs to be more prominent.
The iPhone 6 entered the market at a time when the rest of the competition not only already had its big players in place, a couple had even brought out iPhone-specific competitors in readiness. Then a new crop of 2015 heavyweights arrived, and duly impressed; what's more, they're now available for a price similar to that of a brand new iPhone 6, or even less.
So if you're stuck between the iPhone 6 and the rest of the smartphone gang, here's a frankly excellent round-up of how it compares to the other phones you might be quietly eyeing.
Samsung Galaxy S6
Galaxy S6
Samsung has long been seen as Apple's main competitor and with the move to a premium design for the Galaxy S6 it's a view that's never been more justified.
A 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 display leaves it both bigger and higher resolution than the iPhone 6 and it's got an incredible 16MP camera, though Apple's snapper is far from lacking.
For the first time ever on a Samsung handset the Galaxy S6 comes very close to the iPhone 6's build quality too, with a metal frame and glass back that look and feel worthy of a flagship.
Samsung has even delivered a convincing alternative to Touch ID and neither the Galaxy S6 nor the iPhone 6 is lacking for power. The iPhone 6 arguably edges it for design, but the Galaxy S6 wins on specs.
- Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy S6
HTC One M9
HTC One M9
If any phone looks better than the iPhone 6 it's the HTC One M9, a handset which is almost as much a work of art as a piece of tech.
A slick interface and a whole lot of power help it go blow for blow with the iPhone 6 as well and the two handsets have similar battery lives.
HTC's upgraded the camera on its phone to a 20.7MP one, dwarfing the 8MP snapper on the iPhone 6, though megapixels aren't everything and in practice both handsets should keep smartphone snappers happy, but the HTC One M9 does have Apple beat with its 4 UltraPixel front-facing camera.
Our biggest issue with the HTC One M9 is simply that it's far too similar to the HTC One M8 , but we're not comparing it to the M8 here and judged purely as an iPhone 6 competitor it stands up well.
- Read our review of the HTC One M9
Sony Xperia Z5 / Z5 Compact
Sony Xperia Z3
I've often been confused as to what Sony's doing with launching so many flagship phones, but there's no doubt that the Z5, and the Z5 Compact, are brilliant handsets that represent the best Sony has to offer.
Both are very similar; in fact, barring battery, screen size / res and price, they're identical in functionality. Both have very powerful cameras that will suit the photographer who likes more power at their fingertips, and both have very clear and bright screens.
There's also the fact both can offer Remote Play for a PS4 - it's a unique proposition that will entice plenty of users, and while Apple's got the lead in the mobile gaming market, this move will attract those that already have a PS4.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
I'd argue that the Z5 Compact is the real iPhone 6 competitor here: it's got a similar screen size (4.6-inch compared to the 4.7-inch of the iPhone 6) and a similar resolution too, while offering great specs to match (and beat) Apple in many ways, including expandable memory.
However, both the Z5 Compact and Z5 are cheaper than the iPhone 6 - with the former quite significantly so. If you're looking for a smaller phone, I'd give that one a look along with the new iPhone. It's a little more complicated to use, but very easy to learn and offers more raw power.
- Read our reviews of the Sony Xperia Z5 and Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
iPhone SE
iPhone SE
Its screen may be smaller at 4 inches, and its design my have been taken directly from the iPhone 5S , but on the inside the iPhone SE is a much better propsition than the iPhone 6.
That's becuase the iPhone SE is packed with the same internals as the iPhone 6S, including its A9 processor and 12MP iSight camera. Then there's the fact the SE is $150 (£100, AU$250) cheaper than the iPhone 6.
If you can cope without the extra 0.7 inches of screen the iPhone 6 affords, the iPhone SE gives you much better value for money.
iPhone 6
"Craftmanship. The perfect smartphone, with a perfect operating system, with elegant design. The best phone out there."
That was the response of someone when I asked how they thought Tim Cook would answer the question "Why does the iPhone 6 cost so much more than the rest of the competitor phones?" around the time of the phone's launch.
It's still a question worth asking, given that the iPhone 6 continues to cost as much as many current Android flagships. I still feel that answer would be pretty close to the mark, though.
It's a more in-depth answer than 'the Apple logo on the back', which a lot of people assume is the reason you've got to pay more for an iPhone. That answer would explain why Apple thinks it can charge more for the phone, but doesn't go any way to explaining what it is that makes it feel the need to keep the price so high.
In fact, price is the main thing that plays on my mind whenever I use the iPhone 6 these days. Is this mid-range phone still worth such a high price?
However, before I give my thoughts on that, let's first take a look at what makes this phone special: an improved design, a better camera, and an upgraded battery compared to its predecessor.
A faster CPU, better graphical power, stronger health sensors and a slicker and more intuitive UI. The iPhone 6 represents Apple's last big jump in smartphone design, and one that makes this a very impressive phone indeed.
But is that worth the extra money?
We liked
A lot of people still think it's acceptable to compare phones based on a spec sheet. It's not. It's about the experience, the relationship one has with a phone day after day, and that's something Apple has nailed year after year: the feeling you get when you first pick one up.
The design of the iPhone 6 is brilliant. It feels like a potted down version of the iPad Air, which itself was one of the best-designed bits of tech I've ever held. I'm not a fan of the plastic strips on the top and bottom of the phone - I'd have preferred these to be blocks of colour - but that aside, it feels great in the palm. And it's a design that remains relevant through the iPhone 6S.
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab-s-1253129/review
The battery life upgrade is a real plus too. Yes, it falls a little under hard use, not to mention after more than a year of working, but the main problem with the 5S was the fact the phone would be useless by the end of the working day even when not put under a lot of strain; that problem seems to have been resolved.
The camera quietly impresses, and the new modes are helpful at times, if not always useful. While it irritates that there's no 16:9 mode for snapping, the results are still almost always something I'd want to share.
We disliked
The iPhone 6 is still a sensational handset, but not flawless. There are two issues that have to be raised.
The first is the screen. It's a tricky one, as it could sound like I'm being rather hypocritical given my point about not basing a feeling about a phone on a spec sheet.
But the lower-res screen is noticeable next to most other Full HD phones in the iPhone 6's class. Sure, day to day you won't notice the fuzzier text, the slightly rougher pictures; but given that you'll be paying more for a new iPhone 6 than for many newer Android flagships, I can't condone Apple not working out a way to get a Full HD display on this phone.
It's not like it's new technology either: the HTC One M7 had a similarly sized display back in 2013 and it was Full HD. It looked great back then, so why has Apple not managed the same thing now?
I can't think it's to do with battery life, but if it is, then the phone should have been made thicker; 6.9mm with the rounded back feels nice in the hand, but a mm or two thicker wouldn't have gone amiss if the thing I was looking at had a better display - after all, Apple did just that to squeeze in the iPhone 6S's arguably superfluous 3D Touch feature.
iPhone 6
And secondly, there's the issue of price. Again. The Apple iPhone 6 is still too expensive for me, even after the post-iPhone 6S price cut.
Every year I get to this point in the review of that year's iPhone and wonder: "Am I'm missing something? Should I be giving the iPhone a pass while castigating Android or Windows Phones for the same thing?"
But I still can't find a tangible reason for the extra cost. We're not talking a single pound / dollar or two; it's a big difference in price on contract. The materials used are premium, yes, but they're not necessarily making the best design out there.
The iCloud drive stuff is good, the operating system is sleek, but there's nothing here (beyond the phone being a very good all-rounder) that gives me a quick answer when someone asks me "Why is the iPhone more expensive?"
To me, that's a problem - and one I can't just ignore because 'people' will pay it. Were there nothing else wrong here, then perhaps it could be glossed over, giving the choice to the buyer, but as the phone isn't - and wasn't - market-leading in a number of ways, the price rankles heavily.
Verdict
When I first picked up the iPhone 6 I thought this was going to be a hard review to write. Had Apple just changed the shape but kept the same inherent problems? Was there actually enough new stuff to make it a phone that really helped the company leap forward?
The answer is: the Apple iPhone 6 is a brilliant phone. Its release marked the first time I'd even considered using an iPhone as my daily device, thanks to the larger screen, better keyboard and, most importantly, the upgraded battery life.
However, the price is still off-putting and the screen, while perfectly fine (and sometimes impressive) in day to day use will still irritate me, knowing that I've not got the best experience for my money.
But that's the only bugbear I have with the Apple iPhone 6. It still feels amazing in the hand. Apple has somehow made a phone too thin (even for Apple to top) and turned it into a positive. The operating system is smarter and more intuitive than ever, and that's without even factoring in the strong ecosystem of apps and media that Apple users get.
So while the iPhone 6 might not be the most powerful, most attractive, best at photography or best for battery life, Apple has put it all together in a way that, if you can forgive the persistently high price (and that's a big if), offers a phone that should still be at the sharp end of your consideration for your next smartphone if you're not willing to splash out £500-plus.
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