As an iPhone 6 Plus owner I, like so many other 6+ owners, am pretty bored with the ‘ have you bent your new iPhone yet ‘ comments. I’m sure that everyone who utters those words thinks that they are the first person to ask that question, but please be assured you are not. During the first few days after launch, the internet was full of videos, tweets and posts from people dropping their shiny new ‘I’ device from a great height, into deep water, a food mixer and other such unthinkable places. They then proceed to report on how poorly the iPhone stands up to such challenges.
The point is that this is a high tech mobile telephone crammed full of technologies and capabilities that were once just a geeks dream or a recalled scene from a Sci Fi series of yesteryear. The iPhone is an amazing piece of kit and a pace setter for the competition. Do we need to subject it to such abuse and ridicule or should we be exploring its merits further. Do I even need to justify my ownership – no, but I’m writing this so i can direct everyone to this page from now on that asks me if I’ve bent my iPhone.
My First Impressions
OK, so we struggled to watch the keynote on the evening of the announcement. Not Apples best moment when it comes to slick keynotes but at least it was memorable. I decided to get the 6 plus as soon as we made it through the stop start presentation to the part where the size options were announced. Even though others questioned my choice and the day to day practicality of such a large ‘phone’, I stuck to my guns. We were lucky and our phone orders made it into the first run and were delivered promptly on the 19th. I eagerly unboxed and did my best to conceal my initial shock at just how large this thing in my hand was. The word huge kept lingering on the tip of my tongue, but I would not permit it to migrate into any form of real sound. I got exactly what i’d ordered, the largest iPhone ever.
Sure, it no longer slips into the breast pocket of your shirt. If you leave it in your front trouser pocket and sit down whilst speaking, there’ll be a noticeable change in the pitch of your voice. And don’t leave it in your back pocket and sit on it. Most likely nothing will happen if you do as Marc Cieslak from BBC Click reports here, but why tempt fate? It’s new slim curvy design feels great in your hands but is noticeably slippery. I immediately bought a case to make it feel more grippy and gained a new found reassurance that I wasn’t going to drop it at any moment.
So, Why Was The iPhone 6 Plus The right Choice?
My journey to work is but a few yards. The need to carry or conceal my mobile for any length of time is not something I experience on a regular basis. I do however use it throughout the day constantly and its chimes, pings and vibrating wiggles remind me I am not alone in this world. You would think that sat in front of 2 big screens all day and surrounded by others, I wouldn’t need to use my iPhone for such tasks as Social Media monitoring, but there are definitely some things that the iPhone does so well that i’m happy to delegate those tasks to it.
The real test for my 6+ came this weekend as we spent a long weekend in Suffolk on a well deserved break.
Internet Connection
Anyone who ‘values‘ their connection to the interweb will have the same trepidation when they choose to holiday in a rural location. Whilst wifi was listed as ‘available‘, it came with a cautionary note of ‘a constant connection cannot be guaranteed‘. They were spot on with that comment. As a tech mad family with numerous devices, we probably sent a shiver of fear through their router and consequently were only able to get a very rare connection. At best, the wifi managed 0.25MB. At worst, which was the norm, it managed nothing.
I won’t name names when it comes to mobile network providers, but my in-laws had no signal on their iOS devices at all. My wife’s 5C sported an ok mobile connection, but no 3G. My sons iPhone 6 showed 3G when outside but nothing sustainable inside. My 6 Plus, however, sported a healthy 3G signal everywhere in our accommodation except for at the very centre. My wife, son and I are all with the same network provider, by the way, so the only difference is the device itself. Needless to say, when we found ourselves inside in the evening or first thing in the morning before venturing out, all eyes fell upon me to turn on my hotspot and share my lusted after internet connection.
Beautifully Practical Screen Size
Of course with a larger-screened device, you suddenly have the real estate to do things you would normally switch to your laptop or desktop to achieve. My MacBook only ventured out of its case on a couple of occasions as I was able to provide my day to day support and deal with urgent tasks easily on my big new iPhone.
Battery Life
When back in my office, my iPhone is usually connected to a cable for most of the day, so battery life is not an issue. It is something I am very conscious of when out and about though. Carrying an additional ‘power pack’ has become second nature when I know I’m going to be out for the entire day. So how does the 6 plus compare here?
We love walking and exploring footpaths. This tends to require the Ordnance Survey App to be open, leading us through fields, lanes and the occasional hedge. Of course, this eats up the battery especially when you’re recording your exploits. I knew the 6 plus with its increased size would have a better battery life, but the reality is that it surpassed itself. With continued use throughout the day, I never saw the battery level dip below 55%. I’m sure my old iPhone 5 would have died long before then. It even managed to guide us home from a local pub down a mile of unlit country lanes with its torch shining brightly. I’d never of tried that with my previous phone and would have resorted to calling a cab.
These may seem weak reasons to invest in such a large mobile device, but I consider it to offer real advantages over its predecessor and I haven’t even touched on the camera and what it’s like to video and take the obligatory selfies with.
Final Word On Bendgate
I don’t recommend putting your iPhone in your back pocket anyway and you won’t find me doing that. It’s probably because I don’t trust that some light-fingered soul won’t lift it from my pocket, but that’s another story. For those reading this who’ve become accustomed to carrying their phones in the back pocket of their trousers, you’ll be surprised just how quickly you adapt to keeping it safely elsewhere.
Overall, I’m so pleased I went for the biggie. If you just text or even speak on your phone – do people still do that? – then the regular 6 is probably a better choice for you. If you make the most of everything a smartphone can do for you, then the extra screen size, battery life and improved antenna will outweigh any sizing issues or fears of bending you may have.
The iPhone 6 Plus is a definite winner in my book.
