Size does matter, after all

Apple has made a U-turn on its stand on small screens with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. TREVOR TAN finds out if bigger is really better.

iOS 8

Both iPhones come with iOS 8, which has many news features.

One of these upgrades is the built-in predictive QuickType Keyboard. It was quite good in predicting what I wanted to type, making it faster for me to write text or e-mail messages.

You can also install third-party predictive keyboards such as SwiftKey (free) or Swype ($1.28). Once you download the keyboards, go to Settings >General >Keyboard >Keyboards. At Add Keyboard function, you will find SwiftKey or Swype available.

Android users who are reading this are probably laughing now as they have had this feature for a long time. But better late than never. I found Swype to be really superb, as it allows me to slide my finger across the virtual keyboard instead of typing letter by letter. And it almost always got me the word I wanted and predicted the next one intelligently.

You can now record and send audio or video messages within iMessages. You can set these audio and video clips to expire after two minutes. Listening to the audio clips is particularly cool, as you can just put the headset to your ear to hear the message instead of tapping a play button.

For iPhone 6 Plus, the icons in the Home screen will rotate to match the orientation of the display in landscape mode. In this mode, iPhone 6 Plus apps such as iMessages and Mail will show two panels: one, a list of messages; and the other, the selected message.

The Health app, which relies considerably on third-party apps for information, is hampered by delays till the end of the month because of a bug in the HealthKit framework.

Certain features, such as Continuity, will come in handy only when the new OS X Yosemite launches. Continuity lets you continue typing an e-mail message or viewing a website when you switch from iPhone to Mac, for example.

Display

The iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch Retina HD display with a screen resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels and a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch (ppi).

The iPhone 6 Plus has the same display as its sibling. However, it is substantially bigger at 5.5 inches and has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. This gives it a pixel density of 401ppi, the highest ever in an iPhone.

Its rivals the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 have 432ppi and 550ppi respectively.

Apple said the Retina HD displays are made of ion-strengthened glass, which is more resistant to scratching and shattering.

Both displays use the same technology that is supposed to give you a better viewing experience, with deeper blacks and sharper text.

Dual-domain pixels ensure colour accuracy from corner to corner for a wider viewing angle, while an improved built-in polariser lets you see the screen more clearly when you are outdoors in sunlight.

Both displays looked sharp. I saw very little colour or brightness shift when viewing both displays from the side. Even when you are outdoors, you will be able to see what is displayed clearly.

Because the iPhone 6 Plus has a bigger screen, its display looks brighter and sharper even though it has the same brightness level and its pixel density is only marginally higher than that of the iPhone 6. Photos and videos all look much better on this display than on the smaller iPhone.

I think the bigger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus accentuates the whole viewing experience. In addition, the extra real estate provides ample space for virtual buttons while leaving enough to display the main action.

Design

The flat sides and chamfered edges of the iPhone 5/5s are things of the past. In the new iPhones, the front glass panel curves around the edges for a smooth and seamless meeting with the rounded edges of the anodised aluminium shell, a perfect union of glass and metal.

The rear sheds the two-tone look of its predecessors for a more uniform colour. Only the antenna band is slightly different in colour.

The Sleep/Wake button has migrated from the top to the right side of the device, for easier access with your right thumb.

The volume buttons, which were round in the iPhone 5s, are now elongated like those found on the iPad Air. Rounded edges make it comfortable to hold either of the new iPhones in your hand.

However, the iPhone 6 is much better for one-hand operation for most people. Being smaller, it lets you access the buttons more easily.

While it may not be as easy to use the iPhone 6 Plus with one hand, a feature that Apple terms Readability lets you move the screen down by double tapping the Home button for better one-hand operation.

Some of my colleagues who handled the iPhone 6 Plus had trouble reaching the Home button to activate this feature. I think most people may end up using the iPhone 6 Plus with both hands.

Speed

With an upgraded 64-bit A8 chip, both new iPhones operate much more speedily than earlier models when you open apps, browse the Internet or view photos and videos.

In the Geekbench 3 benchmark tests, the iPhone 6 scored 1,625 (single-core) and 2,921 (multi-core) while the iPhone 6 Plus scored 1,621 (single-core) and 2,914 (multi-core). So it is a tie in terms of performance. Where it took 20sec to load Infinity Blade III on the iPhone 5s, both the new iPhones loaded the game in about 9sec.

Camera

Both the new iPhones have the same 8-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera and can shoot slow-motion video at 240 frames per second (fps), instead of the iPhone 5s camera's 120fps.

Pictures and videos shot by both new iPhones were sharp with crisp details, even in the darker areas of the image.

The iPhone 6 Plus has an optical image stabiliser which reduces the effect of camera shake. This is more effective than the digital image stabiliser of the iPhone 6. As a result, action videos shot with the iPhone 6 Plus look more stable and less jerky than those shot with the iPhone 6.

I found the autofocusing to be faster in the iPhone 6 Plus than the iPhone 6. This was especially so when shooting in dim conditions.

Battery life

Apple has not specified the capacity of the battery. But iPhone 6 Plus is supposed to provide 24 hours of 3G talk time (16 days on standby), while the iPhone 6 is supposed to have 14 hours of 3G talk time (10 days on standby).

In my tests, which included viewing Facebook and Twitter updates, e-mail messages and sending WhatsApp messages, I found that you would probably need to charge your iPhone 6 by the time you get home from work, whereas you should only need to charge your iPhone 6 Plus when you go to bed.

In our intensive battery life test in which a 720p video is looped at full brightness and full volume with Wi-Fi on, the iPhone 6 lasted 6hr 55min, while the iPhone 6 Plus lasted 7hr 35min. In the same test, the iPhone 5s clocked 6hr 45min.

If your hands are of average size, the iPhone 6 should suffice. But if you prefer a larger display and a longer battery life, the iPhone 6 Plus is a must. If you are undecided, go and handle both iPhones at a shop before you make your choice.

iPhone 6

Prices
$998 (16GB), $1,148 (64GB), $1,288 (128GB); all without contract

Processor
A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, M8 motion co-processor

Operating system
iOS 8

Screen
4.7-inch Retina HD display; 1,334 x 750 pixels

Cameras
8-megapixel rear camera, 1.2-megapixel front camera

Weight
129g

Ratings
Features: 5
Design: 5
Performance: 5
Battery life: 3
Value for money: 4
Overall: 4

iPhone 6 Plus (DL Editor's choice)

Prices
$1,148 (16GB), $1,288 (64GB), $1,448 (128GB); all without contract

Processor
A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, M8 motion co-processor

Operating system
iOS 8

Screen
5.5-inch Retina HD display; 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

Cameras
8-megapixel rear camera, 1.2-megapixel front camera

Weight
172g

Ratings
Features: 5
Design: 5
Performance: 5
Battery life: 4
Value for money: 4
Overall: 4

If your hands are of average size, the iPhone 6 should suffice. But if you prefer a larger display and a longer battery life, the iPhone 6 Plus is a must. If you are undecided, go and handle both iPhones at a shop before you make your choice.

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This article was first published on Sep 24, 2014.
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