iPhone 6 - 5.5-inch model revealed

Our review of the iPhone 6 is quite complete. The iPhone 6 Plus is not much different to this model; it just has a few improvements and tweaks here and there. We would therefore suggest taking a look at the linked review of the iPhone 6 and then taking note of the differences between the two models detailed below.

Summary of Differences With the iPhone 6 Plus

The iPhone 6 Plus is the plus-sized smart phone from Apple (on the left) with a 5.5-inch display supporting a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution. This a 401 ppi. The color contrast ratio is 1300:1 approximately.

The handset measures 6.22 (158.1mm) inches by 3.06 inches (77.8mm) by 0.28 inch (7.11 mm) deep. The phone weighs 6.07 ounces (172 grams).

The rear-facing camera includes the extra optical image stabilization mode for taking steadier shots, which the iPhone 6 lacks.

The good news is that the iPhone 6 Plus includes 2 GB of RAM memory which should be enough to power iOS 8 successfully. The iPhone 6 still only has 1 GB of RAM which is insufficient for power users.

The battery is also larger with the iPhone 6 Plus by approximately 20% though not specific details about the battery mAh has been released by Apple yet.

Along with iOS 8, certain apps including Messaging are now capable of switching to landscape mode. This a mode that only the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus can display.

Unlike with the differences between the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, both the new iPhones 6 include the Touch ID fingerprint sensor which is used for Apple Pay and unlocking the phone.

iOS 8

iOS 8 brings with it some tweaks here and there but lacks the design overhaul that iOS 7 brought with it. Widgets are present and more usable with the larger screen resolution but they're restricted to the notification tray; owners cannot layout home screens how they would wish. As such, the limiting and inflexible iOS software platform hasn't fixed its issues to give users the freedom of how they organize their phone.

Conclusion

The iPhone 6 Plus as a phablet will not be for everyone. Certainly either the 4.7-inch or the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models will be different to use casually with one hand while on the move. This will be a change in usage patterns for Apple buyers who are used to the convenience of a small-sized phone in their hand.

The Plus model has the most acceptable screen resolution, RAM memory capacity, image stabilizing, landscape app orientation and functionality. Whether buyers will accept the larger size or trade down to the smaller iPhone 6 with inferior technology inside is the question. In many ways, Apple buyers were better off with the iPhone 5S which didn't seem to be so much of a compromise between size and functionality.