iPhone 6 Plus Review: Design

iPhone 6 Plus Review: Design 

Even Apple admits the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 are pretty much the same deal, save for the display size and addition of Optical Image Stabilisation on the Plus. They do look the same too, again, save for the Plus’ overall size and weight difference. A lot has already been said about the design of Apple’s new handsets, specifically, how thin the iPhone 6 Plus is (hello, bendgate) and the antenna bands that run around the back of both handsets. 

Personally, I rather like the look of both handsets. They’re thin, almost too thin in the iPhone 6 Plus’ case, feel premium to the touch, and are very easy on the eye. They both still look like iPhones, though, so if you weren’t a fan of the iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s chances are you’re not going to a fan of these devices, either. But if you do like impossibly thin handsets that are massive then the iPhone 6 Plus is perhaps right up your street. 

For a lot of traditional iPhone users the iPhone 6 Plus might be too big a jump from Apple’s usual 4in iPhones. I think this handset is aimed at pulling in Android users, as they’re used to using handsets of this size in their everyday lives. The strategy definitely worked too; Apple sold a HUGE amount of iPhones in 2014/15 and most new adopters, according to Tim Cook, came from Android.

I say, massive, and I really do mean it –– the iPhone 6 Plus feels positively enormous in the hand compared to handsets with similarly sized displays like the LG G3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The reason for this is Apple’s huge bezels on the top and bottom of the phone, which add in an inch or two to the overall size of the handset. I get why the bottom bezel is so large –– it’s where TouchID lives –– but the top one… could that not have been reduced ever so slightly? Probably not as it’d screw the whole design of the phone up, but after testing A LOT of Android phones this year, there is definitely something to be said about large, phablet-sized panels and bezels that just get out of the way. Handle the LG G3 and then the iPhone 6 Plus and you’ll get what I’m on about. The difference in how the two phones handle is incredible, so much so you’d never believe they had the same size display. 

As I said earlier, design is subjective. Some people like phablets; others prefer handsets with displays under 5inches. I definitely fall into the latter camp, however, which is why I prefer the iPhone 6. And the reason for this is threefold: 1) I use my phone a lot, especially when on the move, so I prefer one I can use single-handedly; 2) I like a phone to fit snugly in my pocket, not take over the entire thing; and, 3) when a handset is too big, it feels unstable in my hand and I constantly worry about dropping it.

The drop-worry is a real issue, again, this is a big phone, and a thin phone, with rounded and smooth aluminium edges. It doesn't take a doctorate in physics to figure out why this might be a problem; getting a good grip on this device can be tricky and I constantly felt like it was about to fly out of my hand. 

Exact measurements for the iPhone 6 Plus are 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm and it weighs 179g. As previously noted, the iPhone 6 Plus feels impossibly thin, however, to fully appreciate this aspect you really do have to handle one, so be sure to pop into your nearest Apple Store or phone shop to check it out. Aside from this the overall finish, look and styling of the handset is pretty much flawless –– Apple knows how to make good-looking phones and tablets.

As a phablet, though, I do think Apple has bitten off more than it can chew which is common mistake made by a lot of manufacturers when tackling the troublesome phablet phone. Take Samsung: it’s taken a good few generations of its Note device to really nail the design and overall experience, so much so that nowadays, with the Galaxy Note 4, which, by the way, has a larger display than the iPhone 6 Plus, you feel like you’re using a smaller handset than you actually are… and the main reason for this is because Samsung actually tried to figure out HOW to build a phone experience around a larger-than-normal display, not just make a bigger version of its Galaxy S handset. And that’s the big difference here, really.  

The iPhone 6 Plus, like the Galaxy Note 4, is still an excellent piece of kit. And if you’ve been waiting for Apple to do something similar to what’s been going on in the Android space for what seems like eons now, the iPhone 6 Plus will be a largely rewarding experience. I would suggest before committing to either the iPhone 6 or the iPhone 6 Plus that you try each out –– ahead of testing I was all about the iPhone 6 Plus, but after two weeks with both I am now firmly of the opinion that the iPhone 6, with its smaller 4.7in display, is the one for me. 

Design’s subjective, so make sure you make the right choice for you, and the only way to be 100% sure about which is the best fit for your needs is to try everything out before purchase. Beyond size, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, in the grand scheme of things, are identical, so all it really boils down to is how big do you want it? 

iPhone 6 Plus Review: Display 

The iPhone 6 Plus uses a 5.5in IPS LCD panel with a display resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, which translates into a pixel density of 401 ppi. Compared to handsets like the LG G3 and the Galaxy Note 4, that’s quite a shortfall, but the panel itself is very capable, producing exact colour reproduction and contrast. Viewing angles are also good, and the reduction of space between the actual display-glass and the pixels themselves makes for a more immersive viewing experience –– it feels like you’re touching pixels. 

The iPhone 6 Plus’ display is better than the iPhone 6’s setup, both on paper and in the flesh. It outperformed every other LCD panel ever tested by Display Mate too, which is no mean feat considering the competition its up against and the fact the analysis company has been testing panels since 2006. 

“The new 5.5-inch iPhone reached or broke records in a variety of areas, including highest peak brightness, lowest screen reflectance, highest contrast ratio, highest contrast rating in ambient light, most accurate intensity scale and gamma and most accurate image contrast.”

So, yeah, the iPhone 6 Plus might not have the QHD pixel count, but it sure as sugar makes up for it in other areas that are, arguably, more important to the average user in any given normal usage case scenario. The larger panel also means the iPhone 6 Plus is better suited for watching films and TV shows and playing games like BioShock. 

Overall display quality is also one key area where Apple could easily differentiate the two handsets as well… because beyond size, as I’ve said multiple times already, there really isn’t much to separate these two handsets. Technically the iPhone 6 Plus has the superior panel. But realistically the difference in everyday settings is fairly unimpressive, with both panels producing excellent results in nearly every setting. 

One slight issue I do have with the iPhone 6 Plus’ larger, higher resolution display is to do with applications. Basically, a lot of core applications have not been updated for the iPhone 6 Plus’ higher resolution display, and the result is pixelated applications which look bloody horrific. During our testing period, one of the worst offenders, annoyingly, was one of our most-used apps, Whatsapp. Urghhh! Still, in a matter of weeks, this issue will likely be a moot point as more and more developers update their applications. Even so, it’s still a valid issue and is definitely worth a mention in the context of this review, as it was one of the first things I noticed when I first started using the Plus.