Review: Smaller iPhone 6 proves bigger isn’t always better

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The iPhone 6 is as good as gold. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Performance

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
With Apple’s new A8 processor, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are built for speed. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew

The A8 processor in the 6 (and 6 Plus) is Apple’s second-generation 64-bit mobile chip, which brings desktop-class processing to mobile devices.

It’s based on a 1.4GHz dual-core Cyclone processor, which combines processing power and graphics, making it a so-called “system-on-a-chip.” It’s blazing fast running iOS 8, which is optimized for the 64-bit system.

As with many second-generation devices, there have been some improvements.

GeekBench
The iPhone 6 kills it in Geekbench’s benchmark tests. Screengrab: Cult of Mac

The A8 packs an incredible 2 billion transistors on a tiny 89-square-millimeter die, built using a 20nm process. It includes a built-in graphics processing unit (Apple hasn’t disclosed the details). Apple says the A8 is 25 percent faster than the A7, while being 50 percent more efficient. It’s also physically smaller.

The iPhone 6 is noticeably quick at lots of things. In everyday use, there’s absolutely no stutter or delay when launching apps, rotating the screen, playing games and loading webpages. It makes for a fast, smooth, seamless experience.

Take the Camera app — there’s no delay no matter what you’re trying to do. It switches seamlessly between modes, instantly applies live filters, and records slo-mo 1080p 720p video at 240 frames per second.

In the Geekbench 3 benchmark test, the iPhone 6 I tested rated 1,613 on the single-core score and 2,884 in the multi-score score. That’s a step up from last year’s 5s (1,394 and 2,511 respectively) and surprisingly, even better than the scores my colleague Killian got with the 6 Plus (which scored a slightly lower 1,592 and 2,846).

But both phones blow away their Android-powered rivals. The OnePlus One, for instance, achieves a single-core score of 971, and a multi-core score of 2,647 in the same Geekbench 3 test. The Galaxy S5 achieves scores of 912 and 2,737. The HTC One M8 scores 910 and 2,666. And the LG G3 scores 904 and 2,257.

LTE and Wi-Fi

SpeedSmart_iPhone_6
The iPhone 6 delivers the data. Screengrab: Cult of Mac

The 6 has an improved LTE radio that can pull data down at up to 150 Mbps, which is more than three times faster than your typical 45Mbps broadband connection to most homes. It’s not the fastest out there: The iPhone 6 supports Cat 4, which tops out at 150 Mbps, while some newer Android handsets like the LG G3 support Cat 6, which goes up to 300 Mbps. But Apple has always been conservative with the latest/greatest networking gear, preferring to stay at least one generation behind in favor of efficient, battery-friendly hardware.

I ran some tests on AT&T’s network in San Francisco. The iPhone 6 was twice as fast as my home Wi-Fi (approximately 60Mbps on LTE versus about 30Mbps on Wi-Fi), and it marginally beat out my old iPhone 5s.

Of course, speeds on the different networks are determined mostly by the speed offered by the carrier or broadband provider, so they don’t push the actual capabilities of the handset. But I was impressed nonetheless.

The Wi-Fi radio has also been updated, adding support for 802.11ac, which is up to 3 times faster than with 802.11n. Look at the speeds obtained by Twitter user Richy Rich, who says he’s getting a mind-boggling 227Mbps download speed on his new iPhone 6, while his older 5s caps out around 85 or 90Mbps. “iPhone 6 updated WiFi radio is everything,” he tweeted.

Call quality

The iPhone 6 call quality has been just fine so far. No dropped calls, no stutters or glitches. The speaker is loud and clear. Speakerphone is my favorite, and every conversation I’ve had has been loud and clear. Even in a noisy environment, the microphone does a good job of picking up my voice and isolating background noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0qF-qru0t8&feature=youtu.be

Battery

The most important measure of performance is battery life. The iPhone 6 has a rather modest 1,810 milliampere-hour battery, which some tech experts have criticized for being too small for a phone with such a large screen. The 6’s battery is only a bit bigger than the 1,560 mAh battery in the iPhone 5s. In contrast, the iPhone 6 Plus packs a ginormous 2,915 mAh battery.

But Apple seems to have achieved something remarkable. The iPhone 6’s battery outperforms most of its Android rivals by a big margin, according to tests done by AnandTech, the geekiest of geek sites that performs exhaustive (and usually definitive) tests on new technology.

In my tests, the iPhone 6 ran for 7.5 hours on a single charge while I hammered on it relentlessly. This may not sound great, but I think it’s pretty good. I charged it up and used it constantly for 7.5 hours before the screen went blank. That’s constant usage — watching videos, playing games, making calls, running benchmarks. In real-world usage, where it’ll sit in a pocket or bag for most of the day, it’s easily more than a full day’s charge.

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