After claiming no one would buy big phones during his iPhone 4 reveal in 2010, Steve Jobs made it pretty clear Apple had no interest in making a substantially larger smartphone anytime soon. But fast-forward to 2014, and the company Jobs founded in his parents’ garage has been forced to do just that.
Having watched customers flock to Android in pursuit of bigger screens, Apple could no longer ignore our demands. It had to build new iPhones that would win back users it lost, and prevent any more from wandering.
And boy has Apple done that in style.
With the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has built its biggest and best smartphones to date. These are not just incremental upgrades; they are brand new devices that are improved in almost every way. They have incredible new designs, faster processors and better cameras.
I’ve been using the 6 Plus since it went on sale Friday morning, and having put it through its paces all weekend, I’m sure this is by far the best super-sized smartphone you can buy right now.
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Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.
125 responses to “Review: iPhone 6 Plus slays its giant Android rivals”
iPhone 6 Plus is the best super-sized smartphone you can buy right (now).
Very true.. Note 4 is still not out for sales :v
I’m not convinced the Note 4 will get the traction you’re thinking because of ‘specs’ at this point.
It’s a fairly even playing field. People will have a preference, but it’s a personal taste question at this point. The days of old where it would be clear are over really.
I’ve never bought into the Apple vs Google BS anyway. I’ve used both, prefer Apple.. Friend have a mix of Android and Apple products. /shrug. Whatever fits your lifestyle .. Their are jerks that call people names based on what device they use.. I always thought that was extremely stupid and childish..
Could not agree with you more. Both android and ios are excellent platforms and the phones are amazing. If you are simply not amazed at the technology and the ability you have in your hands, you have failed to understand it.
And we should never discount Windows Phone in the conversation. Lumia 1520 as a phablet is equally good to any current offering by iOS and Android. The app gap that tech publication continues to harp on IMHO is merely a personal perception by the writers most of the time. Just because that several unique speciality app is not available on the platform does not mean it is crippled.
WIndows phones? They still make those? I thought they discontinued them just like the Zune and Surface RT.
Agree wholeheartedly with this. The hate from both sides is asinine. There are some great phones out there but I prefer iOS over Android. It isn’t about the phone as much as the operating system for me.
110% agree! These two companies aren’t even competing with each other. Google is and always has been an ad company. All of their (awesome) services, Android included, are built around acquiring users in an effort to pitch ads. I don’t think they give a hoot if you’re using iOS or Android as long as you’re using Gmail, hangouts etc.
Apple has always been a hardware company. They offer some very good services to support selling hardware.
Anyone who is spewing hate toward a phone or operating system is an idiot.
So True, I don’t see what ppl get of calling ppl names over a phone. Really!!. It’s all about prefence and what a person like but not everyone has an adult mind.
The iPhone camera sounds as if it lags behind the Note 4 based on specs.
Currently trying to decide between iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4.
Just switched to Mac from Windows and lean to iPhone only because of compatibility issues. I have my 4s still so time to upgrade but decision is tough with upcoming Note 4
Specs do not matter in a camera, only real performance does. The image sensor, focusing and low-light performance far outweighs the megapixel count. Think about it, even with a high resolution photo, if it looks like crap you just have a bigger piece. :P
+1
I’m a photo geek and I could not agree more with that. People who think 12 Mpix can be fit in a sensor as large as half a small fingernail and give acceptable results fail to understand the basics of photography.
I use a gopro 1 for my surfing, because it is way more efficient in low light that the 2 (haven’t tested the 3).
I used a 8 Mpix 30D years after 12 Mpix cameras were out. Then used a 12Mpix 5D for years, while 24Mpix were already out. And know my 21Mpix 5D mk2 still totally owns 24Mpix sony in low light, hands down.
Specs need to be understood. Pixels don’t mean s*** ;)
now* not know
Of course mp do count! If you have a good sensor 8mp camera and a bad sensor 12mp camera, yes the 8mp could be better. But if you have a good sensor 21mp camera and a good sensor too, 8mp camera of course the 21mp will be better, otherwise you should still use your 8mp 30d and leave the beautiful 21mp 5DMK2 alone!
Agreed, more pixels does not mean better image. It does, however, lead to color saturation. For those who are not into photography, please take a read. Check out the Canon Powershot A95 and A80. Great point & shoots.
http://digital-photography-school.com/aperture/
Respectfully, more pixels do not lead to color saturation. (I think you meant *more* color saturation). The only think more pixels lead to is… more pixels — which doesn’t necessarily mean a better picture. :-)
Read it wrong. Sorry, ignore this.
You didn’t read it correctly.
Re-read, then give yourself a slap.
No, TO a Macbook from Windows PC.
Oops. I indeed read it wrong. Glad I came back. Apologies.
Specs like megapixel counts don’t matter if the rest of hardware and software is not optimized.
I’m still having trouble giving up my Canon 1N film camera, so I am not well versed in digital. Sometimes it’s nice to just use my phone for quick pics and my 4s isn’t really that good.
I’ve read some about the camera lens on the 6 protruding. Is it really an issue?
It’s really not an issue, I bought a case for my iPhone 6 and so there’s that big pocket area around the camera anyways so it doesn’t really effect anything. Unless I’m mistaken the issue people have with the protruding camera is that they just don’t like the way it looks or don’t use a case and get ocd when they lay it on the table and it slightly wobbles when touched.. It’s silly really.
But yeah I totally agree with the article this camera on my iPhone 6 is wowing people and makes them want to upgrade. So I can only imagine how the 6+ must be with its image stabilization.
I had 4s for the last 3 years. My new 6 is leaps and bounds better. There are a lot of reviews already out on iPhone 6/6+ camera. The verge had one recently.
As for the protruding camera lens. It hasn’t caused me too much bother. Supposedly the lens cover is made of sapphire so it shouldn’t scratch easily.
I was concerned about scratching the lens. Appearance isn’t an issue. And I use a case too.
If you use the case, then you wouldn’t have any camera hump. It shouldn’t scratch.
You should check out the 6/6Plus camera review from the photographer touring Iceland, posted here on CoM last Thursday. The quality of photos is superb. Also I spent the weekend in Montreal at a festival shooting pictures and video of bands with my 6Plus, and from first hand results, the camera is amazing. Its especially impressive in low level light, and at how accurately the autofocus maintains clarity during low light filming.
I’m with you Laura Horton. I’ve got 4s and trying to filter out the BS between 6 and Note 4. It would seem that the Note 4 beats Iphone in nearly all specs. I don’t know if Note is prone to bugs, crashes..etc. If it is It’s not worth changing. I like the Iphone but hate to allow them to be 2 years behind technically and charge more for it. If the Note 4 is part of a dependable, intuitive experience, in a non captive eco system……than maybe it’s time to stop following the sheep to the slaughter.
Both my adult kids switched from iPhones to Galaxy Note 3 and Mega and love them and have no regrets.
I’ve had iPhones for so long I’m warring with making the change.
The Note 3 has beautiful screen resolution and colors and fast processor. Puts the 4s to shame.
It would be nice to have a chance to try out both 6Plus and Note4.
Apple makes a great product but no longer leads in innovation. The early iphones were amazing and very revolutionary. They changed the industry. But over the past 2 years Apple has been playing catch-up and the iphone 6 is no different. There is nothing in the iphone 6 that isn’t already out and available on other phones. Give me a battery that lasts for 2+ days. Give me wireless charging. Give me waterproof, give me the ability to make google maps my default map. Come on Apple, pick it up or you’re going to get left behind!
“Come on Apple, pick it up or you’re going to get left behind!”
You must not have any access to news sources wherever you are located. Let me fill you in…Apple just sold more phones during an opening weekend than they ever have.
Everything he said was true no matter how many phones were sold.
There are certainly Apple fans, myself included that are happy with the iPhone, but I make no delusions that Apple has fallen behind.
Android has bigger screens that are usable because you can place icons anywhere on the screen and they have a back button at the bottom where you can reach it. Apple’s double home click to bring down the display to where you can reach it is janky and not very well thought through. That is just one of many missteps Apple has made recently.
I absolutely love the double tap feature. Allows me to use the phone without adjusting my grip. I’m glad I don’t have to scroll through 10 home screens to find my apps because I inly want icons in the bottom two rows.
Phablets are better used with two hands no matter what. It’s nice that an effort was made to make it usable with one hand on both platforms, but really, two hands is the way to go with phablets.
Go outside, the day light might open your eyes. Who’s the real troll..who are you to say it’s not true. Who gave you such powers to judge and be little people of opinion. Who assigned you fruit defender. Steve? Are you of such dellusions that you are actually liked as a person…I shall now judge yee as you have judged others…
And so does Justin Bieber and all Michael Bay movies..
Err Thats not inovation…
I dont understand your logic. Innovation has nothing to do with having the highest numbers in specs. Nor does adding useless new technology that isn’t perfected for the end user. As far as innovation goes they are at the top of their game. They came up with a thinner design all while keeping the same features as the previous version. Even making things better, faster, and bigger. You may want wireless charging and waterproof but that really isn’t necessary. At least not at a large scale. I will admit the the OS does need more polishing, like even more features for the bigger screens but I haven’t lost hope and know that with more time good things will come.
Being thinner is a useless feature. Better battery life, wireless charging and water resistance are features you can actually use and most people would gladly sacrifice the 1mm extra thinness to get it.
What really sets iPhone apart is the build quality, you only have to hold one in your hand and see with your eyes that the fit and finish and build quality is significantly better than anything the completion has to offer, that alone is worth the premium price.
I just wish the iOS was as full featured as Android.
I fully agree with you about the thinness. I’d be okay with it being as thick as a 5 or even a 4. But having my device water resistant is not really a need especially since most iPhones will survive quick drops into water. Wireless charging is not mature enough for Apple to include yet. Its basically a connector-less dock right now, and not completely wireless. As for software, it could have more features in that department but right now it would basically just be borrowing ideas from jailbreak tweaks and Android. Now thats not a bad thing but not really innovation either.
The Apple watch has the magnetic wireless charging puck and I wonder how strong that magnet is. I think it would be really cool to be able to mount that puck on your cars dash and plop the phone on there.
Its not wireless as the magnet has a wire connecting it to a power source. It’s merely connector less why can’t people understand this? If there is no wire there would still be a dock like station to charge which is still not fully wireless either.
Well obviously. It means wireless from the device to the charger or as you say connector-less but its been branded as wireless Qi charging and has been on Android Nexus for a while.
Even a wireless router has a line in, I don’t think anyone actually believes that wireless charging would not involve a wire somewhere in the process, the power to your house has to come from somewhere, that is a battle Tesla lost to Edison a looong time ago.
A wireless router can connect more than one device wirelessly to the internet, that is different as no computer/devices need to be on or near the router please don’t accept thatl. It is what it is wireless charging right now is a gimmick. It will be wireless one-day but right now people who believe its wireless and buy into it is funding their research until they can achieve true wireless charging.
If you’ve ever used android, you’d see the effects of being able to customise it. It kills battery life. Apple have been anal about protecting that and for a good reason. You only need read the vitriol from those who have had individual battery issues. Replicate that across the board and there would be a shitstorm of hate and mocking from the opposition. One thing android can’t do is beat Apple on battery life, it never will. That’s a trade off I’m happy to live with.
Right after Apple’s announcement of the iPhone 6 a friend did me the favor of allowing me to try a Nexus 5, told me to give it a chance before buying the new iPhone.
2 weeks ago I was an Apple evangelist and now I am nearly an Android convert.
To say Android is the superior OS is an understatement.
Every single annoying quirk in iOS is corrected in Android, things you never even knew about when living in the Apple bubble. You seriously have no idea what you are missing.
I now know why fandroids throw so much dislike on Apple, its because its vaulted statis is clearly not warranted.
Apple makes some seriously hardcore hardware but their software and services suck. All the while Apple fans are oblivious and actually defend its limitations.
As for customization effecting battery life, that is a load of bunk. That is not in my experience .
I came fromnhsingnoute android and it was buggy as crop. Each update would make me cringe. IOS does have its limits but what it offers flat-out works.
Whoops still getting used to this SwiftKey keyboard.
These new custom keyboards in iOS8 are a godsend. One of biggest frustrations on the iPhone was the ALL CAPS keyboard and the nonsensical shift key indicator. I’m still getting used to SwiftKey myself and from what I can tell it makes typing so much sweeter except for the occasional mangling of words, but even then it seems more accurate the the old iOS predictive text.
It is a shame Apple so long to implement what was on android for ages. At least it seems they are making progress toward a more customizable experience.
My experience with Android has only been a couple of weeks, and I was very much apprehensive at first, but so far I like it.
I think it being a Nexus and stock Android that its much more stable because I haven’t had any bugs or crashes like I have heard about. The biggest problem with Android is the fragmentation and bloatware manufacturers and carriers put on the devices. Buying an iPhone is easy, you know you are getting the best and it just works. With Android you have to do your homework because every device has its own quirks.
I’m on the fence really on if I should get an Android phone, my contract is up in another month. I put my hands on an iPhone 6 today and hot damn is that a solid and beautiful phone. All the Android stuff I looked at had ugly carrier logos plastered right on the front. The iPhone is the best looking phone out there by a large margin.
Are we full of contradictions. Why would you want to return to an inferior (i) OS?
Things Apple is better at.. hardware build quality, plentiful and polished apps, a robust accessory market & top notch support (stores).
My list is long of grievances against Apple and most of them I accepted because I didn’t know better. Seeing now how Android handles things I help but be annoyed that Apple has fallen so far behind.
iOS 8 has made some strides in integration and UI improvements but its still a bit of a mess.
Build Quality? Are you serious? Don’t even compare the build quality of ANY iPhone against an HTC One M8. I’m not arguing or anything, but I highly reccomend it. Okay, it doesn’t run Stock Android like you’d get on the Nexus but if you WANT it to, you can order the HTC One M8 Dev Edition which DOES have Stock Android. So you’d get superior build quality, battery life and stock Android. I get typically 4-5 days off a charge on mine that’s with a Live Wallpaper running and a ton of widgets loaded in. Even iPhone 6 owners who were unaware of the phone have been impressed. Worth a look, trust me!
It appears you are correct in that statement.
I recently held an iPhone 6 in my hand and was impressed by the build quality and thinness. The beveled glass was quite striking. When I saw the drop test on the iPhone 6’s I was dismayed to see the screen glass separating from the body, that wasn’t good. The beveled glass edge looks nice but has its drawbacks in solid build quality.
And now BEND-GATE! iPhone 6 Pluses are so thin they are bending under the pressure of peoples pockets.
Way to go Apple! I can’t believe how quickly and efficiently Tim Cook is tanking Apple.
Bendgate is people sitting on their phones and getting them bent. They’ve done a history of phones bending or breaking with iPhones and Android devices. Its not new. I have an iPhone 6+ and I kept it in my front pocket while sitting on a train and nothing. I wear tight pants and have big muscly legs. My pants are so tight you can see my calfs in them.
So what your saying is that Apple was aware of the issue and did nothing to fix it in their newest phone?
Lets be honest, the first time you held the iPhone 6+ in your hand you couldn’t believe how thin it was, its almost magical. Thats is the reason Apple goes to such great lengths in their design, they want you to feel like what your holding is a technological marvel.
And you would be lying if you didn’t think for a moment that it may just be to thin and might be prone to bending and you gave it a little squeeze. I know I did and it felt solid but I won’t deny the evidence and my common sense, making something that thin comes at a price.
In the end it doesn’t matter what the reality of the situation is, pictures of bent iPhones exist and Apple is in for some deep hurt unless they can do something about it.
I never thought for one second that my phone was too thin. I think its quite the opposite. I like the regular 6 thinness better.
((And now BEND-GATE! iPhone 6 Pluses are so thin they are bending under the pressure of peoples pockets.))
Where??
I keep “hearing” about bend gate, but I have yet to see ONE commenter personally complaining about their bent iPhone on any of these forums…. have you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fzr7ULAiEk
HTC One M8 Hammer Test
As an Android user as well (who writes for our sister site, Cult of Android), I have to point out that not everything is perfect on Android. You say “every single annoying quirk in iOS is corrected in Android,” but there are many more annoying quirks Android has that are not present in iOS.
Until I switched over to the iPhone 6 Plus for this review, I had been using an HTC One M8 since April, and I loved it. But I was forever having to tweak all manner of things to get them working properly. Android needs more maintenance than iOS, because it doesn’t “just work” like iOS does.
I love Android and its openness, and I can’t wait for Android L, so I certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from switching if they feel that’s the best option for them. But I don’t want you to think it’s a perfect world over there, because it isn’t. You’re more likely to run into bugs (mostly from apps, not the OS), battery life issues, and other problems that aren’t always fixed easily.
And customization definitely does have an effect on battery life in many cases. Some third-party launchers will use more battery life than stock ones if they come with additional features, and the more widgets you use, the more services there are to update in the background. All of this eats away at battery life throughout the day.
You cannot compare the Htc M8 to the Nexus 5!! Those are two totally different experiences. The things @Michael Smith was saying about stock Android on the Nexus 5 he had are so true. Stock Android runs circles around iOS8. No OS is perfect we know that. But the truth of the matter is: stock Android is superior to iOS 8 in features & functionality.
I’ve also owned two Nexus 5s since it was launched by Google last year, and I stand by what I said. If you want more than basic functionality, you have to tweak things, and the more you tweak the more you have to fix later.
I’ve written pieces on where Android is more advanced than iOS, so don’t think I’m taking Apple’s side here. But I think with iOS 8, a lot of the gaps are being closed — like support for third-party keyboards and allowing apps to communicate with each other.
Since I am still in the evaluation process and you have some knowledge of the matter, could you tell me a few of the annoying quirks in Android that are not present in iOS?
I think I may just be in the honeymoon phase with Android and my daily driver is still my iPhone. My contract expires in a month or so but if I do make the switch to Android I don’t want to be caught unawares of something I had not considered.
There are lots of little things. For example, on most phones, you can’t control volume using the buttons on your headphones — you can only play/pause and skip tracks. That’s a pain if you’re cycling or jogging and you don’t want to pull your phone out just to turn your music up.
Until Android 4.4.4 came out a few months ago, there was a nasty bug that left the camera running in the background after you’d closed it and it was draining battery significantly — and it took Google months to fix it. You’ll install other third-party apps that will drain battery when you don’t expect it, too.
Then there’s the fact that you can buy a phone with a 13-megapixel camera (like the OnePlus One) or a 16-megapixel camera (Galaxy S5), and it just won’t take photos as good as you’re expecting on a consistent basis.
Android definitely has its perks. If you want a greater level of customization, then there’s no denying Android wins there. It’s far more flexible than iOS at this point. I’m also super excited about Android Wear and the devices that are on the way, and right now, they’re only compatible with Android devices (though I expect that to change at some point). So if you’re not interested in paying a fortune for the Apple Watch and you want something like the Moto 360, Android is your only option.
I’m not saying Android’s bad at all — I love it. All I’m saying is, it has its little frustrations and annoyances just like every other platform.
I think you should check out the latest battery tests and android phone are way behind Apple, Nokia and others. Macroumours posted the results. Check it out for yourself.
Youve used an Android phone for 3 weeks and you are making these claims. I have a number of friends who did the same thing and they all wound up back in iOS land. Comeback next year after youve used your Android phone for awhile then make these claims. Right now it just sounds like peer pressure got the best if you….and youre hype to try something new at the moment without knowing the pain points. I generally recommend people stick with the platform they started on even if its Android.
((To say Android is the superior OS is an understatement.))
As an animator, my career depends on the use of these two powerful apps.
Disney’s unprecedented “Animated” http://tinyurl.com/m3lsuu2 and the vast “Animator’s Survival Kit”, http://tinyurl.com/n5293qm
Can Android’s OS run these two juggernauts?
Let me clarify my statement.
Android phone OS is superior to iPhones OS.
Android tablets apps are so far behind iPad they aren’t even in the running.
If you want to get anything done on a tablet, you need Apple.
They made a bigger phone even thinner and they still don’t innovate? Lol. Same 8mp camera that takes significantly better photos and they still don’t innovate? A display with specs not better than its rivals on paper but looks better in reality and they still don’t innovate? Most of the specs on the iPhone6 are very similar to the iPhone5s yet it performs siginificantly better than the iPhone5s and on a thinner hardware. That is innovation right there. It takes a lot of innovative thinking to make the same specs work better. Adding tech and adding bigger numbers like what android oem’s are doing is not innovation. They’re just adding stuff into their phones.
Ding, Ding, Ding….
phone that bends with mild usage is pretty innovative
Selling $800 phones that has the same tech the previous phone has us not innovation. Measuring your pulse using your phone thats innovation, air gesture etc. those things are called innovations having a larger screen isn’t when its been around for years.
Think about it. What more can be done with a smart phone, other than bumping up the specs and adding new software features. They had to have a plateau point at some time. Not even the competition have brought anything that’s been game changing to the market. Yet people grumble about wanting innovation. What you’re talking about Isnt innovative at all.
I have to agree with you. I don’t see what more people want to do with their devices and neither do they, it is all wants and no more needs. Eventually just about every phone will have the same features and thats just a matter of time because they(manufactures) ALL borrow ideas from each other.
I couldn’t agree more. Smartphones are so advanced at this point that there’s only so much you can do with them every 12 months. I’m not sure what these people calling for more “innovation” are hoping for.
I think the introduction of Apple Pay will have a massive impact on people’s lives — much more than wireless charging would — and Touch ID is already improving security and the way in which we protect the data on our iPhones.
Just because Apple doesn’t cram its iPhones full of features the vast majority will never use, that doesn’t mean it isn’t innovating. The new iPhones improve upon their predecessors in almost every way — and outclass their rivals in lots of key areas.
What more can you ask for?
We’ve had NFC payments on Android for 3 years though so why should it be massive now just cause Apple have it? That’s not innovation, that’s plagiarism.
Android was ahead of the curve. Apple is just jumping in at the right time when Banks are finally taking card security seriously here in the states and forcing retailers to upgrade their terminals.
You have to respect Android innovation but Apple really knows how to play the smart game of getting in while the iron is hot and making it look like they are leading the way.
Wrong! Both Google and Samsung thought they could stick a chip in a phone and call it innovation…and it didnt work. You dont get credit for being a flop first solution. If it didnt work then it cant really be considered innovation. Thats like Thomas Edison taking credit for an invention that failed. You get innovation credit for being the first working solution (people will actually use in this case).
If you look up the definition of innovation there is no requirement that it be successful.
There is a famous quote by Thomas Edison, “I have not failed, I just found a 1,000 ways that won’t work”
Thats trying to innovate but failing at it. Great quote though. Microsoft invented the first tablet but no one wanted it until Apple did it. A lightbulb that doesnt work is of no use to anyone. NFC was not a situation where Google achieved some level of success and got displaced ala blackberry or Apples Mac. It was a flop right from the start. You could see it coming from a mile away. I give Google HUGE credit but not for an insecure unsuccessful NFC payments implementation.
People think innovation always comes in the form of technology but the innovation is how the technology integrates with your life and the lives of others.
The more I think about it the less I am not shocked Tim Cook and not SJ was able to pull off getting banks and vendors to use ApplePay in droves. That is the innovation. Its the people and the relationships.
Not only that, but Apple is doing it properly. That’s why everyone is making such a fuss about Apple Pay and no one gives a hoot about Google Wallet or any of the others. Apple is making it completely seamless, and it isn’t interested in knowing what you buy just so that it can serve you better ads later. That’s what’s important to a lot of people.
No, Apple wasn’t first to NFC payments — just like it wasn’t first to smartphones — but it will be the one that revolutionizes them and makes them mainstream, because it’s doing them properly.
Sure accept that Apple had already been looking into NFC long before Android has even thought of such a concept. Android rushed out NFC before security concerns were adequately addressed and banks were fully on board so they could claim they were first. However if you go back in time and read the old posts all over the mac fanboi websites you will see Apple has been working on ApplePay since before Android wanted it as an option for their headsets. Android’s version of NFC wound up being a HUGE flop by all accounts…and has been abandoned in the US since it was released…and in Europe its only gotten a tepid response at best despite having so many users using Android phones in Europe.
Apple wisely waited until it had a complete solution before releasing NFC payment technology to consumers.
Actually they decided not to go with NFC and were trying to push iBeacon (based on BlueTooth tech) for use in a future mobile payment system. That flopped, so they decided to go with NFC after Android proved it worked.
iBeacons has only been available since the end of 2013. iBeacons has never been considered for NFC style payments as it relates to Apple as iBeacons can be used in a much larger range than NFC can. Do we really think Apple got 220k companies and almost all major banks to agree to use ApplePay and NFC in less than a year when trying to push iBeacons as a payment solution? Lol!
If you look up iBeacons it is not comparable to NFC despite having overlapping capabilities. iBeacons is more like popup ads…
I know it’s not compatible, that’s why they wanted to use it for payments, because Android was already using NFC and they wanted to use an incompatible system. They thought they could get people on board with their new payment system and their intent was to use it to kill off NFC.
https://gigaom.com/2013/09/10/with-ibeacon-apple-is-going-to-dump-on-nfc-and-embrace-the-internet-of-things/
I know it’s not compatible, that’s why they wanted to use it for payments, because Android was already using NFC and they wanted to use an incompatible system. They thought they could get people on board with their new payment system and their intent was to use it to kill off NFC. Google ibeacon NFC killer
I dont believe that. The time frame is too short for that to have been the case given the number of companies and banks whove signed up for ApplePay. Between the contracts with the banks and various vendors to the tune of 220k merchants and almost all major banks….i used to work at a bank before becoming a software engineer. I can almost guarantee you getting the banks and their legal departments to approve at all was a pain. Then building the engineering backbone and infrastructure of this at all major banks and retailers. Then you have to handle compliance. Then you have to actually manufacture the phone and the list goes on and on….
I dont think that happened in under a year. It was very clear that this was coordinated multi year effort to get Apple Pay set up. My old employer set up a pay wall and that took a year and a half to get it all in place but something with much more scale can be done in less time… Noope I dont believe that.
NFC is compatible with any PayPass device that, it’s not some Apple specific tech. A lot of the retailers that Apple talked about making deals with to accept Apple Pay already have the hardware for it, so there is really nothing they have to do on their end. I’ve been using NFC with Google Wallet at McDonalds, Wallgreens,CVS, Meijers, and other places for years.
NFC use is much more widespread in Europe and banks here wanted to start pushing it on retailers because it offers better security than old-school magnetic credit cards. They were making a push for NFC, Apple saw that iBeacons wasn’t going to happen so they jumped on board with NFC. Apple may have been working with on deals for years, but their agreements with banks and credit card companies wouldn’t be affected by the which tech was used for POS. And it’s the banks and credit card companies that have been pushing for the upgraded infrastructure for years, Apple is just jumping onboard.
“What more can you ask for?” That’s what we need innovators for, which you don’t find in Apple products.
Samsung has taken risks, maybe they don’t all work out and but they at least try to innovate. Just a few examples Phablets, HD+ screens, the S-Pen, the curved display on the new Note Edge, waterproof phones, NFC, wireless charging.
Apple’s one real new feature is NFC, which Android has had for years. They market it as the next big thing they came up with, but they let other’s innovate, then come in and market it as their idea.
see also 4k video, better than full hd screen, also real split screen multitasking e.t.c.
4K video? Good point. The new iPhones are more than capable of this, so I don’t see why it’s not offered. Maybe in a future iOS 8 update?
Better than full HD screen? Why? As I mentioned in my review, your eyes cannot see individual pixels on the 6 Plus’ 1080p screen, so why cram more in? What difference would it make? You’re simply installing a less efficient display for the sake of a few numbers on a spec sheet.
Split screen multitasking? This is something I think would be useful for a lot of users — especially on iPad. Rumor has it Apple has been working on it for a while, so we’re likely to see it at some point in the future — but not until Apple can make the experience as good as it can be.
so all the good stuff in the future! Go and see the screen in 5.5 inches on a model with higher resolution and come back here! It is not only the pixels, it is also the colour profil used by higer resolutions and e.t.c
Yes, exactly, and the iPhone’s is best. Did you see the recent tests from the experts at DisplayMate? They called it the best LCD display on a smartphone.
you did not read well, they said: The iPhone 6 Plus gets particularly high praise in the report with DisplayMate calling it “the Best performing Smartphone LCD” it’s ever tested”. While its lab tests gave the 6 Plus its best ever smartphone LCD designation, DisplayMate’s “overall best smartphone display” pick (which includes both LCDs and OLEDs) goes to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4.
Truth hurts no or is nut swinging apple blinders on..any and everyone with an opinion that does not conform to the “Apple mantra” is a troll lol. You see it in every single apple comment section….”how dare he form an objective opinion” troll troll troll…..we must defend the fruit! List all apple virtues digital influencers………sad really, go outside, get a life. Apple does not make or control free spirit. It just walls it in its own garden forbidding you from leaving…..foxconn coff…
Sales of 10M iPhones announced by Apple in one weekend. It’s a stunning achievement, notwithstanding the small contingent of Apple haters.
Not even Miley Cyrus tickets and BOGO offers by Samsung on launch day can generate this kind of reception. Android is a Tier 2 choice, crippled by a hopelessly fragmented platform and uninspired handsets.
Android is Tier 2 choice yet Android commands 80% of users worldwide and 51% in the states.
1+1 must not equal 2 in your world.
Android and Apple both have strengths and flaws. Unless, of course, you’re a crazed foaming at the mouth fanboy of either platform. In that case your platform of choice was created by God’s own hands.
By market share per device Android IS a 2nd tier product. I’m not an Android hater at all, use a few of them myself and have taken a lot of shit for the Samsung devices I own (including my fridge) but Android is available on approximately 40,000, yes forty thousand, devices while IOS is available on 8 current selling devices and another half dozen are still relatively current in using the newest version(s).
IOS has about 20% of the worldwide market on about a dozen devices while Android is controlling 4 times that but with about 5 thousand times the devices. If you do the math it’s pretty straightforward.
I would say that that makes Android the 2nd tier. If I’m wrong please tell me how. I’m open to opinions but not the idiotic hate spewing.:)
You’re inncorrect. If you put all devices on the table, ios matches if not surpasses android, when you include iPads iPods and iPhones. Now if you included the latest OS, android fragmentation carves it’s user share down into little pieces. Developers aren’t happy having to spend three times as much effort to code for android. This will kill android if they don’t fix it. OEM’s and carrier services make it even worse.
Did you READ what I wrote? If you did why are you saying that I’m incorrect yet you, stating the same thing, are not? Seriously. Reading comprehension kids. Work on it.
A recent poll of android users came out with an answer to why it’s popular. 64% stated they bought an android phone because of price. Another 20% moved over to iOS because of frustration of use, and those who switched from iPhones to android phones, at least half went back after their contracts finished. I know for a fact, a family member switched to a Samsung phone from iPhone 4, and within 6 months they had to go back to iOS out of total frustration. It is what it is, and if people don’t know any better, they’ll stay with what they know best. Android isn’t the best.
did anyone think of the advantage of the protruding camera? can you imagine the amount of mountable third party camera lenses?? they would snap on and stay on properly centred every time!!
I think it’s big size is still as inconvenient and as uncomfortable as it is with any phablet out there. What Apple did to make a difference is, they made sure that the pros overweighs the cons significantly, so the user would be more than willing to overlook all the inconveniences of its size. That said, the iPhone6 plus is not just a bigger iPhone. It actually gives the user a different but better experience, making it worth the compromise.
I would have liked to have seen a a comparison with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, which has to be the biggest phablet out there, even bigger than the Samsungs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-NW4lsU0xg&feature=share
iPhone 6 Plus slow-motion catching football lol
I tell people every year specs don’t matter if the operating system isn’t optimized for it. Android phones could have 10 times the specs as the iPhone, but if it’s not optimized for that 10 times more specs, it’s gonna be a minimal factor. iOS is optimized for a Dual-Core processor and 1 GB of RAM. Android is not optimized for a Quad-Core processor or 4 GB of RAM and that’s why a Dual-Core iPhone can challenge a Quad-Core Android phone in performance tests. And I believe by the time Android is optimized for a Quad-Core processor, iPhones will already have a Quad-Core processor in it. People just don’t get how slow Android is as an operating system. Try an Android phone with the same specs as the iPhone 6 and you’ll understand how slow Android really is and the reason why Android phones have such higher specs in them.
the problem is that android devices use their better specs for other reasons too, exept the os. Things like 4k video recording, split screen multitasking, bigger screen resolutions. Iphones with better optimized software to their hardware, what they do from the above things? Nothing!
I can tell you this iOS destroys Android when it comes to high graphic gaming. And what’s more important to people … security, privacy, better apps, higher quality games or a phone that does split screen multi-tasking and 4K video recording? Also even Sony called 2K screens on a smartphone a gimmick and a waste of battery that your eyes can’t tell the difference after you hit the 1080p point on smartphones.
I am tired of the apple funboism. When the android phones had bigger screens you said that the perfect screen is 4 inches and you can handle with one hand. Now you like the 5.5 of the new iphone. You said that 1080p is ok for a screen and there is no difference with higher resolutions. When the next iphone will have bigger resolution you will call it the best screen, you will call it innovation. You can eat what apple serves you.
you had security, privacy, better apps, higher quality games, with the previous iphones too, what do you offer to the new one? Nothing, just specs two years old :) Yes 4k and split screen is not that so much you need from a phone but it is innovation. To keep the old good stuff of ios7 into ios8 and make a biiger iphone is not innovation
Exactly! Not many people understand the reason why iOS is so popular. Android could be running on the fasted and newest hardware, but without optimization of the soft to the hardware, there is no point in all that power. Since Apple design both soft and hardware, no wonder they are always ahead of the competition and break records with their sales every single year. <3 Apple :))
A lot understand they just attack iPhone users out of pure envy and resentment. A lot are kids who’s parents won’t buy them an iPhone. So while they complain to their parents about not having an iPhone, they go online saying how terrible iPhones are and how much better Android ones are based on specs.
Fair point, but I would say the majority of those are Android fans trying to justify their Android phone purchase by attacking on some of the weak point of iOS and iPhones. Funny to look at up until a point :)
Very technical and informative review but where are the feels? Why aren’t you saying how the phone feels in hand and what sense it gives you? Would really love to know someone’s thoughts and opinions on that since I can’t decide which model to go with… The only article I found usefull so far is this one http://www.latestapplenews.com/iphone/iphone-6-impressions
The guy shares his thought and sense of using the phone for a few days. Very interesting read
Quite sure the new iPhone is really great. The only thing is that you still have to live with iTunes and still can’t drag and drop your files!
And people are finding out that huge thin phones don’t do so well when you put them in a back pocket and sit on them.
Actually the problem is also people putting them in their FRONT pocket. (never been an issue with 3 years of Notes)
I think this blogger has shown obvious Apple bias. He is an apple fanboy masquerading as new convert. Up until this very hour I was buried under the apple ecosystem. My love affair with Apple began in 1996 with Power Mac 4400 and ever since, I have owned and cherished each of my upgrades. But, iPhone 6 and 6+ both let me down big time. Btw I currently own iPhone 5s and am looking to upgrade to a 5″ + screen so that I can lessen my dependence on my iPad mini retina display and accomplish all my tasks with a single device/gadget. But, with my lackluster experience with both the 6’s and iOs 8 I am left with very limited option….either I stick with my 5s for another year with hope that Apple irons out all the hardware and built flaws or then hastily move to one of the Android phablets.
I am sure by now you all are aware of the # Bendgate & # Bendghazi tweets, I am one of the unlucky sufferers of bend iPhone’S…just in case you all missed the’S’. I witnessed not one, not 2, not 3 but 4 bent iPhone 6’s both 4.7 & 5.5 together. Any emails with .pdf or .xls or .docx came almost 20 minutes after they had settled in my non iOS 8 Inbox. The video resolution was so tacky & pixelated that at first I blamed if on my weak wi-fi but the same videos played great on my non iOs8 iPhone 5s.
I was amongst the first people to take my grieviences to Sr. Apple Tech team…still awaiting response. If guys at apple don’t fix this problem anytime soon, I think this will not only herald their pre-mature demise but, also lead to many Apple loyalist like me divorcing it and looking to stitch a new alliance.
I think apple fanboy’ism is leading to this hastily scripted doomsday of a a once trailblazing technology wunderkind.
This wasn’t very convincing in how this supposedly “Slays” it’s rivals. You just regurgitated all Apple’s marketing notes.
Your verdict is laughable. Yes the iPhone is all new because it’s a new design to accommodate the new screen sizes. But, You state “this isn’t an incremental upgrade”, but then go on to tell us it’s got a faster processor, bigger battery, better, camera, upgraded Retina screen. Uh, those are exactly incremental upgrades. About the only new feature is the one you didn’t mention: NFC. Other than that it hasn’t really introduced anything new. Samsung has with things like the S-Pen or the curved screen on the new Note 4 Edge. Some may dismiss them as gimmicks, but they are real innovations, not like the incremental upgrades of the iPhone.
“Forget the Galaxy Note 4 and its somewhat improved design… this is the only super-sized smartphone you should spend your money on right now.”
The Note 4 is only somewhat improved because it didn’t let itself get years behind like Apple did.
iBanana 6 better than a Note 4? LOL!
My sincere request to all fanboys…Apple and Android, don’t get trapped into the Cult Worship thing…make these tech companies work for every single dime you pay for their highly glorified products. Blind worshipers like us are responsible for technological developments remaining at a all time low in the last 22 years. We have to make Apples and SAMSUNG’S of the world more accountable and should not buy into their incremental offerings…we vote with our pockets so, zip it secure and open it only when someone comes out with a trailblazing product line.
the title and contents of this article are fucking garbage spewed from the mouth of a mind controlle dipshit: “With the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has built its biggest and best smartphones to date.” – are you really this hypnotized?
Forget the Note 4 with it’s somewhat improvement? It has a far superior screen to that Iphone. It’s on Tech radar (http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/iphone-6-plus-awarded-best-lcd-display-ever-but-still-loses-out-to-galaxy-note-4-1266447) bigger battery oh by the way it’s removeable, just like the use of an SD card, that Android users haven’t got to pay hundreds just to get an extra 16 gig memory!
And ignore the fact the screen is made by LG, or that 40% of the components in Iphones are made by Samsung.
Sure it’s the best Iphone that’s come out but these days it really isn’t saying much. Htc one M8, and numerous others are proving that
This article is complete twaddle!! I used to be an iPhone user but switched to Galaxy S4 a year ago. The new iPhone is a year and a half late, nothing new over the S4 whatsoever, especially in terms of technology, and as is usual with Apple of late, their claims to be the first are wrong. Again.
Galaxy wins, suck it up fanboys!
The iPhone 6 Plus is THE best smart/computer phone on the market (including what other companies have in their bullpen) PERIOD.
Good review. iPhone 6 Plus is the new KING!!