iPhone 6 Plus review

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OUR VERDICT

The iPhone 6 Plus is the best looking phablet around. Its specs don't match the Android power houses and it can be tricky to hold, but there's no denying Apple's beautiful (yet expensive) 5.5 incher is a winner.

FOR

Best looking phablet
Great full HD display
Strong camera for day to day use

AGAINST

Too big to use one handed
Very expensive
'Reachability' feels tacked on

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INTRODUCTION

Update: We have revisited the iPhone 6 Plus, which is now packed with iOS 9.3, and fully updated our review to reflect the new features and lower price.

A 5.5-inch iPhone. That might not seem so unusual now, but when it first appeared it was something which would have sent a shudder down the spines of a collective of die-hard Apple fans, as it was a handset some thought we'd never see from the Cupertino-based outfit.

Yet here I am, staring down the barrel of what was the biggest iPhone in history – the iPhone 6 Plus.

It arrived alongside the iPhone 6 – Apple's 2014 flagship smartphone – which measures 4.7 inches, making it more welcoming to a wider array of palms than the supersized iPhone 6 Plus.

Many of you, especially those of an Android persuasion, may be wondering what all the fuss is about – after all, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 turned up with a 5.5-inch display years ago.

Compare: all the best iPhone 6 Plus deals

Take a moment to glance at the history of the iPhone though, and you'll see why the iPhone 6 Plus is such a big deal.

Previously Apple has only dealt in two screen sizes: a 3.5-inch display graced the first five generations of iPhone, and just three have had the pleasure of a larger 4-inch display.

5.5 inches then is a huge leap forward for Apple, moving its iPhone range into the uncharted waters of the phablet market currently dominated by Samsung and other Android devices.

It's less impressive now, with the launch of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plusreinforcing Apple's commitment to the larger screen sizes, and current rumors point towards more of the same with the iPhone 7.

Apple is looking to reach a previously untapped audience of smartphone users – those who demand a large screen – with 'productivity' the main buzzword being thrown around. A key market for the iPhone 6 Plus is Asia, where the general consensus seems to be bigger is better when it comes to smartphone screens.

In terms of specs and design there isn't a huge amount of difference between the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 6, apart from the obvious size.

The iPhone 6 Plus does boast a couple of unique features however. It was the first iPhone to pack a full HD display, plus its bigger body means it houses a larger battery than its 4.7-inch brother.

Both sport A8 64-bit processors, 1GB of RAM, M8 motion coprocessors and 8MP rear-facing cameras – although the snapper on the iPhone 6 Plus benefits from OIS (optical image stabilisation), while the iPhone 6 makes do with EIS (electronic image stabilisation).

As with all Apple products the iPhone 6 Plus doesn't come cheap, and you may want to brace yourself because it's still one of the most expensive handsets around.

The iPhone 6 Plus has seen a price cut since the launch of the iPhone 6S andiPhone 6S Plus, but SIM-free the 16GB version still carries a lofty price tag of US$649 (£539, AU$1,079) – and that's just the start.

Apple has ditched the 32GB variant for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with the next storage level coming in at 64GB, and for the 5.5-inch iPhone that equals $749 (£619, AU$1229).

There was also a 128GB model, but that's been discontinued, so if you need a boatload of storage you'll have to opt for the newer iPhone 6S Plus.

Even with price drops that makes the iPhone 6 Plus comfortably more expensive than rival phablets including the LG G4, OnePlus 2, Nexus 6P andSamsung Galaxy Note 4. It even rivals the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 for price.

It's big, it's expensive and it's inevitably played second fiddle to the iPhone 6 – so is the iPhone 6 Plus worth considering? Read on to find out.

Display

When it comes to key features on the iPhone 6 Plus there's only one you really need to know about: the screen.

It is after all, the whole point of the handset, offering Apple fans a supersized screen on their most mobile of devices.

At 5.5 inches the display on the iPhone 6 Plus is certainly sizeable, but it's not uncommon in a market where 6-inch monsters like the Nokia Lumia 1520 andHuawei Ascend Mate 7 exist.

It's got plenty of company around the 5.5-inch remit too, but for Apple fans looking for a phablet-sized iOS handset, the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6S Plusare the only games in town.

The 6 Plus was the first iPhone to boast a full HD, 1920 x 1080 display. TheiPhone 6 only musters a still somewhat average 750 x 1334 resolution with a pixel density of 326ppi.

By contrast the iPhone 6 Plus boasts a 401ppi display, so there's only one winner when it comes to clarity. Compare it to the 5.7-inch, QHD Super AMOLEDSamsung Galaxy Note 4 (515ppi) though, and the iPhone can't match its Korean rival – and that's before we get on to the ludicrous 4K resolution since achieved by the 806ppi Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.

The LED-backlit display has impressive viewing angles thanks to Apple's use of 'dual-domain pixels', which makes for an excellent visual appearance – especially if there are a few of you crowded round the screen.

The IPS panel helps make colours bright and clear, and with a 1300:1 contrast ratio to boot the new screen elements combine to deliver a noticeable improvement over the screen on the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 6 has also been run through the expert DisplayMate battery of tests, which found in its shoot-out that "the iPhone 6 Plus [has] the best performing smartphone LCD display that we have ever tested".

This is quantified by stating that the records it breaks are in the day-to-day elements that need to work for consumers to enjoy a smartphone, especially in terms of removing reflections and being able to display content on the screen in both bright and optimum conditions, and when the phone is tilted.

It still holds up well now, with even the screen on the iPhone 6S Plus seeming visibly no better – although Apple's newer handset does sport 3D Touch.

Apple also claims the screen has a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, although while I found the iPhone 6 Plus was much better than most at avoiding really obvious prints it certainly wasn't immune to my oily digits.

Colours don't pop as much as on the Super AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy S6, and clarity isn't as razor sharp as either the S6 or the LG G4, both of which pack QHD screens – but the iPhone 6 Plus still has a very, very good display, and the more day-to-day elements, shown in the DisplayMate shoot-out, work very well and show that Apple has put some thought into which issues make it difficult to use your phone for general tasks.

If you're upgrading from an iPhone 4S, 5 or 5S your eyes are in for a serious treat.

Reachability

As you may have already guessed, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus isn't exactly a small handset, but Apple is determined that, when it comes to convincing users about usability, its iPhones are still perfectly usable in one hand.

For the vast majority of the iOS interface and iOS apps, navigation is located at the top of the screen; there are no back keys at the base, as with Android and Windows Phone.

This wasn't a problem on the 3.5-inch and 4-inch iPhones, as their compact size meant you could easily reach all four corners of the screen.

Things are different on the iPhone 6 Plus. Some serious hand shuffling is required to move up to the top of the screen, especially when exiting an app by clicking the home button below the screen and then reaching for an app icon on the top row.

To combat this Apple has cooked up 'Reachability', which aims to reduce the amount by which you need to stretch your thumb to the very top of the screen.

It's very simple to use, as you'd expect such implementation would be from Apple, although I found the execution rather less pleasing.

iPhone 6 Plus reviewiPhone 6 Plus review

A double tap (not press) on the home key will see the screen jump down, bringing the top part of the display to the middle.

This works on any screen, from messaging and Safari to the notification bar and third-party applications. What's not to love? Well, it just doesn't look very good, like the screen has got a bug. Which for Apple, is surprising.

Unless you're enabling 'reachability' (and FYI, I already hate that term) from the home screen where your wallpaper remains in the same place, you just get a big black block in the empty space.

It makes the whole system feel like a bit of an afterthought, and to an extent it is.

You can't scroll to the bottom of the screen in this reduced view, and the vacant space above feels ripe for a second app to be opened in it, but you can't do that.

This would allow you to take advantage of the larger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus, with two apps running side by side.

The use cases for this particular functionality are few and far between – even though Samsung tell us the opposite – so I can understand why Apple has shied away from it on its phones; although with iOS 9 it has brought split-screen apps to the iPad range, so you never know – we might one day see it on an iPhone.

There's no getting away from the fact that the iPhone 6 Plus is a big phone – but that's okay as it is, after all, the whole point of this handset.

If you're looking to upgrade from a 4-inch iPhone – or, heaven forbid, a 3.5-inch iPhone – there's a good chance the 6 Plus will blow your palm to smithereens. Apple does have the 4-inch iPhone SE for you though.

Even those who are accustomed to 5-inch Android devices will note the considerable width and height of Apple's first phablet.

The iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1mm x 77.8mm x 7.1mm, and tips the scales at 172g. To put that into some perspective the iPhone 6 Plus is wider, taller and heavier than the LG G4 and Moto X Play, both of which also sport 5.5-inch displays.

The weight difference is obvious – the iPhone 6 Plus has a premium metal body while those other two handsets sport plastic finishes – and to be fair it doesn't feel overly demanding in the hand in this respect.

Where things start to fall apart a little for the iPhone 6 Plus is its width and height, which could be the sticking point for some prospective buyers.

iPhones have historically been the smartphone you can depend on to fit nicely into both your hand, and the pocket of your tightest jeans.

At just 7.1mm thick, the 6 Plus is almost impossibly thin, making a slide into a jeans pocket easy – you may find it peeking out the top, but that's still one attribute ticked off.

Slide it out and hold it in one hand, though, and it's less inviting. I've been using the Moto X Play recently, so my hands have learned to live with a large smartphone, but I still found the iPhone 6 Plus tricky to hold on to.

The sizeable bezels above and below the screen provide additional height, and while the extra width may only be minimal compared to its rivals it's noticeable in the palm, with the 6 Plus stretching your fingers.

It's a very attractive looking handset; line it up alongside the competition and the iPhone 6 Plus is easily one of the best-looking phablets available, rivalled only by the newer iPhone 6S Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+.

I had the pleasure of using the gold version during the review, and while it's my least favourite of the three colour options Apple offers (space grey and silver being the other two), I still found it a pleasing device to look at, touch and play with.

There's no doubting that the iPhone 6 Plus is a premium device, oozing class and style – and so it should, considering its lofty price tag.

The smooth, flat, brushed metal rear of the 6 Plus offers little in the way of grip and, while it sports a surprisingly slender profile, the fact it isn't bulbous on its rear means it doesn't fit as snugly into the palm as the LG G4.

That lack of grip can be a little troublesome, as you'll find yourself doing a fair bit of shuffling during one-handed operation as you move around different areas of the screen and aim to tackle the physical keys located on the sides and front of the 6 Plus.

The separated volume keys and rocker switch remain on the left side of the device, mirroring previous iPhone iterations, while the power key has been moved from its traditional position at the top to the side of the iPhone 6 Plus.

This makes a lot of sense, as it would be almost impossible to hit if it were located on top, and it's a location we see the majority of supersized handsets employ these days.

The power/lock key could do with being moved down the side of the 6 Plus a little, making it easier to reach. Sony has the right idea with a centrally located key, as it falls nicely under your thumb/finger depending on which hand you're holding it in.

It's a minor point, but if Apple swapped the location of the nanoSIM tray and power/lock key around the iPhone 6 Plus would be easier to use.

One blip in the smooth curves of the iPhone 6 Plus is the protruding rear 8MP camera. This isn't much of an issue though, and while I feared it would make it more exposed to damage during my review I saw no evidence of any wear and tear.

It is, after all, protected by sapphire crystal glass, making it super tough, so you shouldn't have any issues with breakages here.

There were rumours in the lead-up to their announcement that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus would come with dust- and water-resistant qualities. Sadly this isn't the case – not a huge loss by any means, but it would have been a nice additional touch.

The top edge of the 6 Plus is an uninterrupted curve of gold metal, while on the base you'll find the 3.5mm headphone jack, microphone hole, lightning port and speaker grille.

I found the speaker wasn't located in the best position, with my hand sometimes covering it when I was playing games or watching movies in landscape orientation. The front-facing speaker setups on the HTC One M9 andSony Xperia Z3 are far better placed.

While it is just about possible to use the iPhone 6 Plus one handed, I found that most of the time I was employing both hands to ensure a firm grip and stable typing platform.

As far as phablets go the iPhone 6 Plus is in the same boat as the rest of them: many will find it simply too big to be practical, while those longing for a supersized iPhone will be over the moon with its sleek, premium chassis and elegant curves.

Interface

The iPhone 6 Plus shipped with iOS 8, which brought with it various enhancements and improvements, as well as some new apps and features.

Then came the iOS 9 udpate, bringing improvements to Siri, enabling it to make proactive suggestions and give more useful responses to your own requests. For example, you can ask it to remind you of things when you're in a specific location, or get it to bring up photos by place or date.

A swipe to the left of your home screen brings up 'Siri Suggestions', which is populated with apps and contacts it thinks you'll want to see, along with nearby points of interest.

It also added a new News app, which brings you a constantly updated feed of stories from topics and sources selected by you. It's a lot like Flipboard and not really any better, but it's handy for being on the phone out of the box.

Apple Maps has been improved as well. It can now tell you what restaurants, shops and other sights are nearby, and offers public transport directions in numerous cities.

The keyboard is better than ever too, as it's now easier to tell the difference between upper and lower case letters. There are a bunch of smaller tweaks and changes as well, covered in detail in our iOS 9 review, but ultimately it makes iOS slicker and better than ever.

Since iOS 9 rolled out we've also been treated to iOS 9.1, iOS 9.2 and most recently iOS 9.3. These are small updates which mostly just add new emojis, plus bug fixes and a new 'Top Stories' section in the News app. The most recent though, iOS 9.3, does bring a new mode called Night Shift, which lets youriPhone adjust the color temperature of your screen at bedtime in an attempt to help you sleep better.

While there are many changes, a lot also stays the same, with both iOS 8 and iOS 9 carrying on the fresh design ethos introduced by iOS 7 in 2013, providing a smart, slick and welcoming interface.

Anyone transitioning from older iPhone handsets will feel very much at home on the iPhone 6 Plus, while Android users considering the jump will find the two operating systems have more in common than ever before.

The familiar rows of apps are displayed on home screens on the iPhone 6 Plus, and during initial step up you're given the option of two icon and text sizes – I stuck with the default option, which keeps things pretty much the same as on the iPhone 5S.

The second option makes everything a bit bigger, reducing the free space surrounding the apps, filling the screen more and making everything a little easier to read.

I'd have liked an option to add an extra column of apps, as the 5.5-inch display of the iPhone 6 Plus could easily accommodate five columns, but unfortunately this isn't available.

Apple's simple drag and drop folder system still works wonderfully well, and Control Panel is present with a swipe up from the base of the display.

Options here remain the same from iOS 7, with quick settings for airplane mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, do not disturb and screen rotation, alongside screen brightness and music controls.

You can also jump to the torch, calculator, camera and timer apps from Control Centre – and it can be accessed at any point, no matter which app you're currently using.

The notification bar has been given some tweaks too. There are no longer three tabs (Today, All and Missed), but rather a more condensed two (Today and Notifications), providing a cleaner experience.

On the Today page you can select which widgets you have displayed by tapping 'Edit' at the bottom of the page. Needless to say I made sure the 'Stocks' widget was quickly hidden from view.

Another handy feature is the ability to reply to a message from the notification alert at the top of screen, saving you from having to load up the messaging app every time.

Apple isn't the first manufacturer to offer this functionality – I greatly enjoyed a similar feature on the LG G2 – but I'm glad to see it land on iOS, and it's arguably easier to use here.

When a message comes through you need to drag down on the notification to enter reply mode, where a keyboard will pop up enabling you to tap out a quick message, after which you're returned to whatever you were doing.

If you'd rather ignore the message you can swipe sideways to remove it from view.

Double-press the home key and you'll be taken to the familiar multitasking menu, enabling you to quickly and easily skip between applications, though the design of this screen has been changed slightly for iOS 9, giving it a larger, Cover Flow look.

Another new feature in iOS 8 (only for the iPhone 6 Plus) is the ability to rotate your homescreen (and multi-tasking menu), as you can on the iPad.

This enables you to remain in landscape mode for longer periods of time, perfect if you find yourself jumping between games and videos.

Apple has also adapted some of the stock apps, including Calendar, Messages and Mail, to run a dual-pane layout in landscape mode, again mirroring the apps on the iPad.

Performance

Providing the power behind the scenes on the iPhone 6 Plus is a 1.39GHz dual-core A8 processor with 64-bit architecture and 1GB of RAM.

That may not sound like a great deal of grunt, especially when you consider devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and Huawei Ascend Mate 7 sport octa-core chips, but Apple does a good job of deeply integrating iOS with the internal components of its devices.

I ran Geekbench 3 a number of times on the iPhone 6 Plus and it averaged a score of 2890, beating the iPhone 5S (2540) as well as the older LG G3 (2561) and Sony Xperia Z2 (2765).

That's a strong performance and puts it among the scores achieved by theSamsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and OnePlus One. In short, there's more than enough power housed inside the iPhone 6 Plus.

Unsurprisingly, it's since been topped by the likes of the iPhone 6S Plus,Samsung Galaxy S6 and Sony Xperia Z5, but these are much newer handsets.

In day to day usage I found the 6 Plus ran pretty smoothly, but it's not quite as quick as some of the top Android handsets on the market; every now and then the iPhone would pause for thought ever so briefly.

It wasn't long enough to cause any issues, but it was long enough for me to notice from time to time. Early issues with app crashes and bugs appear to have been fixed with iOS 8.1.1 and above, with everything now running far more smoothly.

Graphically intensive games loaded up in good time and gameplay was smooth throughout – and Real Racing 3 is now working correctly after early issues with the original software.

The iPhone 6 Plus (at 64GB capacities and above) comes pre-installed with a variety of Apple's own apps, most of which you can actually delete, which is good as it would be annoying if you knew you were never going to use them.

Among the applications here are some new and updated faces, including Health and Apple's now free-of-charge productivity apps (all of which can be deleted if you so wish): Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iTunes U, iMovie and GarageBand.

Health

The Health app was a new addition for iOS 8, and aimed to bring together all your health and fitness data into one unified application for your immediate consumption.

For those out there who currently use a glut of different devices and applications to monitor various aspects of their lifestyle, Health could be a real blessing.

Out of the box the pedometer is active, and I was able to keep track of my steps each day. The iPhone 6 Plus can even detect when you're going up and down flights of stairs, thanks to the inbuilt barometer in the M8 co-processor – although accuracy does vary, and I found it missed a number of flights on various days.

It can also tell you how far you've walked/run each day, and the attractive graphs make it easy to monitor your progress over weeks, months and eventually years.

To get the most out of Apple Health though you'll want to link it up to other apps and devices. This then allows it to track various metrics, from nutrition, to sleep, to workouts and more. The Health app itself acts as little more than a hub, where you can find all this data in one place, but it's an attractive, easy to navigate hub.

The Watch

Let's not forget about the Apple Watch, which can read your various vital statistics and beam them straight back to the Health app.

And it's a good though far-from-essential accessory for the 6 Plus, as that second screen – letting you know whether it's worth pulling the phone out of the pocket when walking down the road thanks to being able to know who that message or call is from – can help you avoid having to mess around with the larger phone.

Apple Watch review

Don't forget that the Watch isn't cheap though, as it costs $349 (£299) for the cheapest version, which, when combined with the $649 (£539) of the base model of the 6 Plus, means it's not going to be a cheap combination by any stretch of the imagination.

And that's before you even get into the upgrades – a few thousand dollars / pounds for the rose gold variant, anyone?

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