The first reviews of Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been published today, with most critics impressed by the company’s newest smartphone. That said, their reception of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is mixed: some journalists are very taken with it, but others believe it is too big — or at least that the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is a better size.
We’ve skimmed the internet to bring you the most important comments and analysis from what has already been published.
“[The iPhone 6 is] the best smartphone you can buy” — Recode
That’s according to Recode founder and veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg. One thing Mossberg did struggle with initially was the larger size of the iPhone 6, he actually dropped the device in a fall that damaged the screen, but still it gains his recommendation as “the best smartphone you can buy”.
Mossberg’s Recode colleague Lauren Goode has never quite found a phablet that she liked, until the iPhone 6 Plus. Interestingly, she found that battery would last a day and a half, although it wasn’t portable and didn’t fit in her pocket.
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“The iPhone 6 Plus camera is the best smartphone camera I’ve ever used” — The Verge
The Verge’s Nilay Patel waxes lyrical about the iPhone 6 and its camera — he also notes that the ‘Reachability’ feature is easier to understand than one-hand mode in the Samsung Galaxy Note. That said, he acknowledges that the device isn’t perfect yet, though he fully believes that it could become his primary phone and tablet, replacing a need to use either the iPad or iPad Mini.
Patel’s colleague David Pierce concludes that the iPhone 6 is very likely the best smartphone on the market today.
“Finally the larger iPhone that people want” — The Guardian
The Guardian’s Charles Arthur says Apple has “a beautifully made phone that finally reaches the screen size that many have hankered for from an iPhone,” but he notes that it is expensive, particularly if purchased unlocked.
Despite his initial expectation, he appreciates the larger screen and would often reach for the iPhone 6 Plus over the iPhone 6. He admits that picking a device between the two “could be surprisingly difficult” — “[the iPhone 6 Plus] is large, yet the extra screen space is a boon. But that also makes it unwieldy, and could increase the risk of dropping it.”
“I was consistently blown away by the photos” — TechCrunch
Former TNWer Matthew Panzarino took the two new devices to Disneyworld — as he once did with Google Glass. This excellent post looks at the real-life use cases of both phones, and in particular how both fair on camera and image quality.
“The results are great, no matter which you shoot with,” Panzarino says. “I was consistently blown away with the low-light performance of both models.”
Panzarino found different uses for both phones — the iPhone 6 Plus is particularly suited to gaming and other tablet-related activity. Oh and he created his own covers for the devices (to keep them incognito) using Samsung cases and scissors. Fun.
“The easiest and most satisfying upgrade yet” — The Loop
Independent Apple blogger Jim Dalrymple believes the choice between the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is “the most personal” decision Apple has given its customers. For him, the iPhone 6 is “probably the easiest and most satisfying upgrade” thanks to its larger screen and improved display.
Dalrymple admits that he had negative feelings about the prospect of a larger iPhone, but he was won over by the iPhone 6 Plus. However, his personal choice is the iPhone 6 due to its smaller form factor.
“I still can’t imagine walking around with a device as big as the iPhone 6 Plus to my ear, talking on the phone. That would just look silly,” he writes.
New phones work well, but iOS 8 is the star — New York Times
NYT’s Molly Wood has plenty of praise for iOS 8, and the clever way that Apple has used it inside its two new phones. “The slim new iPhones aren’t a big-screen slam-dunk, but they work well, as we have come to expect from Apple,” she concludes.
“The most comfortable smartphone I’ve ever held” — Wall Street Journal
The WSJ’s Geoffrey Fowler believes Apple has leveled the field with Samsung, which pioneered the idea of larger smartphones — furthermore, he claims that the iPhone is “the most comfortable” smartphone he’s ever handled. He praises the new device’s camera and predicts that no-one will want to go back to smaller iPhones from now, although he wishes that Apple had equipped both devices with a longer-lasting (or removable) battery, as Samsung does.
“I have no desire to use an iPhone 6 Plus as my personal phone.” — Daring Fireball
John Gruber found the iPhone 6 Plus too big for his own preferences, despite calling it a “remarkable and striking device.” He also had trouble adjusting to the size of the iPhone 6 over the past week, but he expects to get used to it “with a few more weeks.”
Other notable reviews:
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review: bigger and better, but with stiffer competition [Engadget]
- iPhone 6 Review: Meet The New Best Smartphone and iPhone 6 Plus Review: The First Truly Well-Designed Big Smartphone [TechCrunch]
- Baig: iPhones 6 and 6 Plus are a very big deal [USA Today]
- iPhone 6 Plus: The Review and iPhone 6: The Review [Mashable]
- The iPhone grows up [CNET]
- iPhone 6 Plus review: bigger is beautiful [The Telegraph]
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Review: Big vs. Extremely Big [Bloomberg Businessweek]
- Reviewed: iPhone 6 Is a Thin, Sexy Phone with a Killer Camera [Yahoo]
- iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus review: Bigger is in fact better (in the right hands) [Macworld]
- iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus reviews [Pocket-lint]
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