I have been using the 6 plus for a week now, so I thought I would follow up my initial thoughts with my latest feelings after a week of lugging it around.
Over the weekend, I tested the iPhone 6 plus with the lightning port camera connection kit, t3hub, and Dragonfly DAC and I am happy to report that it works fine and will send out a 24/96 audio signal if you have "hi rez" files. (Please see this blog post for more on using the Dragonfly DAC with the iPhone.)
Secondly, I found that I had no issues mounting it with the $16 temporary cup holder mount that I bought when I got a new car back in May. It will allow the 6 plus to be mounted in landscape or portrait mode. I thought about getting one of the air vent mounts, but I can live without one of my cup holders easier than living without a vent (especially during Memphis summers). I will probably get a Kuda mount with a Proclip charging cradle when they are available (I have had this combo in my car in the past and it looks great and charges the phone all the time), but I am not in any hurry since this works fine.
Over the weekend, I tested the iPhone 6 plus with the lightning port camera connection kit, t3hub, and Dragonfly DAC and I am happy to report that it works fine and will send out a 24/96 audio signal if you have "hi rez" files. (Please see this blog post for more on using the Dragonfly DAC with the iPhone.)
Secondly, I found that I had no issues mounting it with the $16 temporary cup holder mount that I bought when I got a new car back in May. It will allow the 6 plus to be mounted in landscape or portrait mode. I thought about getting one of the air vent mounts, but I can live without one of my cup holders easier than living without a vent (especially during Memphis summers). I will probably get a Kuda mount with a Proclip charging cradle when they are available (I have had this combo in my car in the past and it looks great and charges the phone all the time), but I am not in any hurry since this works fine.
Is that an iPhone 6 plus in your pocket or ........?
After living with it for a week, I haven't had any issues with it fitting in pockets. As I mentioned, I normally wear Bill's Khakis that have deep pockets and the size of the 6 plus had no impact compared to my 4s. I did buy a new case for it and it made me feel more comfortable than the bumper case I had on it before, but I still pay closer attention when I am slipping it into a pocket. I have dropped my 4s in the past because I wasn't paying close enough attention and I have gone out of my way to make sure it goes directly into the pocket especially when I am on concrete.
I should mention that I did kneel down to clean out our pool skimmer baskets and I noticed the phone being squeezed. Nothing was damaged, but it was a gentle reminder that the phone is bigger than my old phones.
I should mention that I did kneel down to clean out our pool skimmer baskets and I noticed the phone being squeezed. Nothing was damaged, but it was a gentle reminder that the phone is bigger than my old phones.
The Typical Workday
I brought an adapter to work so that I could plug my new phone into my old 30 pin cable. It worked fine until I updated the case on Wednesday. The new case doesn't work with the adapter because the case is too thick. At home, I had the cable that came with the phone for charging, but I had to order a cable for work. While I was waiting, I went all day without plugging it in. I should mention that I stream Bluetooth audio all day and I still had a lot of juice left when I got home (more than 50 percent battery power). That is an amazing increase over the 4s.
Also, the screen is a lot easier to read and it was a much better experience for quick Twitterific updates, email, and jumping onto the internet while my computer was tied up with processing. With the extra real estate, it is just so much easier to use at my desk.
Also, the screen is a lot easier to read and it was a much better experience for quick Twitterific updates, email, and jumping onto the internet while my computer was tied up with processing. With the extra real estate, it is just so much easier to use at my desk.
One handed use is overrated
I may be alone in my thinking, but I find one handed use overrated. However, I am not the type of person that walks through the store with a box of cereal in one hand, while texting on my iPhone with the other. Really, you probably shouldn't be doing that, either. I am personally hoping this leads to a new etiquette being forced by necessity. You want to text someone while driving? Pull over or wait! Obviously, there will be some idiots using it while resting it on the steering wheel, but hopefully, that will be easier for the police to notice.
Keep in mind, I am not saying it is impossible to use the 6 plus one handed, especially if you have large hands. However, I just haven't run into a scenario where it has been necessary. I have been using it with one hand this week, just to see if it was possible, but it isn't a natural experience (at least at this point it isn't).
One thing I did to make it easier to use with one hand was move my favorite apps from the top of the screen to the middle and below. Below is a pic of the apps I can reach with my thumb without doing a lot of maneuvering in the hand (inside of the green arrows). For people with smaller hands, you may have to take advantage of reachability more often (I often use it for the top rows inside the arrows and everything above the arrows) and change your icons to make them easier to reach....or get used to using two hands (which I prefer).
Keep in mind, I am not saying it is impossible to use the 6 plus one handed, especially if you have large hands. However, I just haven't run into a scenario where it has been necessary. I have been using it with one hand this week, just to see if it was possible, but it isn't a natural experience (at least at this point it isn't).
One thing I did to make it easier to use with one hand was move my favorite apps from the top of the screen to the middle and below. Below is a pic of the apps I can reach with my thumb without doing a lot of maneuvering in the hand (inside of the green arrows). For people with smaller hands, you may have to take advantage of reachability more often (I often use it for the top rows inside the arrows and everything above the arrows) and change your icons to make them easier to reach....or get used to using two hands (which I prefer).
Dweebish, unusual, or just more natural?
Back in the 80s, the huge cellphone next to your head was a status symbol. Due to the phones getting smaller and smaller, it looks more dweebish than stylish these days. Of course, with the iPhone entering the large phone market, a lot more people will be using larger phones. This means that it could become less weird looking when you see someone holding a phablet to their head.
For me, it feels more natural to use a larger phone. Of course, I was raised on phones that had large receivers, in fact, I still have some of them around the house (see the red phone on the left in the pic below), so talking on a tiny phone, even the 4s, has always felt unnatural to me.
For me, it feels more natural to use a larger phone. Of course, I was raised on phones that had large receivers, in fact, I still have some of them around the house (see the red phone on the left in the pic below), so talking on a tiny phone, even the 4s, has always felt unnatural to me.
Out and About & Home Use
For me, it is no different than using the 4s when I am out and about. I have no issues mounting it in my car or putting it in a pocket. As I mentioned before, I am not one of those people with a phone always in hand or up to my head. Maybe that is from being involved in photography for many years (off and on), but I am always more interested in my surroundings than my phone when I am out.
At home, I am surprised by just how much I am using it when compared to the iPad 3. For twitter, quick looks at the web, Flipboard, music, Roomie Remote, and many other apps, it is easier to use than the iPad, but not so small that it makes it an awful experience. I still prefer video, magazines, books with artwork, safari, and a few other apps more on the iPad, but I enjoy the iPhone 6 plus for nearly everything when compared to the 4s. I still plan on keeping my 4s for a few reasons, but I never really liked the small form factor. I love the iOS ecosystem, but I was going to move on if Apple didn't come out with a larger iPhone this year.
At home, I am surprised by just how much I am using it when compared to the iPad 3. For twitter, quick looks at the web, Flipboard, music, Roomie Remote, and many other apps, it is easier to use than the iPad, but not so small that it makes it an awful experience. I still prefer video, magazines, books with artwork, safari, and a few other apps more on the iPad, but I enjoy the iPhone 6 plus for nearly everything when compared to the 4s. I still plan on keeping my 4s for a few reasons, but I never really liked the small form factor. I love the iOS ecosystem, but I was going to move on if Apple didn't come out with a larger iPhone this year.
Really Leo?
Watching Twit.tv, I have seen Leo Laporte recommend the smaller iPhone 6 over the 6 plus. While I am not saying the 6 plus is better for everyone, I would explain the differences to someone and let them decide. One of the downsides to the 6 plus is that when it came out, there weren't many apps that could take advantage of the new screen size and that is one of his criticisms of the plus. However, apps are being updated daily (link pulls up App/iTunes store with some of the optimized apps) and the general public doesn't get a new phone every week to test. They use the same phone for one, or more likely, two full years before they upgrade. I am confident in saying that there will be hundreds, if not thousands of apps that will work natively on the 6 plus over the next year or two. I am not a developer, but from what I have read, optimizing for the new phones is fairly easy. Actually, three of my most frequently used apps (Flipboard, Twitter, and Evernote) are already updated.
Photos
I admit that I haven't used the iPhone 6 plus a lot for photos yet (I am sure I will post on that subject later). However, even with the quick snapshots I have taken, it is noticeably better than the 4s. The picture below was taken in the normally dim lighting of our living room, but the lack of noise compared to the 4s pics I have taken in the past, is extraordinary.
A couple more edited pics taken with the 6+:
While we are on the subject of photography, many experts are saying that the 6 plus is better than the 6, especially in low lighting and video, but that shouldn't influence which phone you buy. For people that care about our photos, we want the best camera in a phone we can get. Having a slight edge, mainly due to the optical stabilization, is an important quality to me and probably many others.
Video Performance
I went into the new phone with the idea that I probably wouldn't use the video capabilities very often. However, it is easy to use and the results are outstanding. Below are a couple very short videos that show how much detail you can get close up and the slow motion capabilities. Needless to say, I will use this feature more than I thought I would.
Which iPhone for you?
I think the choice comes down to whether you can handle the size. However, I have seen women bloggers with small hands say that they prefer the 6 plus, so I am not sure how large of a percentage of the population would have trouble handling it on a daily basis. However, I would think it would come down to personal preference. My wish has been for something nice and thin, that would fit in the pocket without being noticeable while having the largest display that would still fit that criteria...and hopefully it would run iOS*. The iPhone 6 plus fills that role perfectly.
* As a side note, I have never used another recently popular OS and I prefer not to. Not because there is something inherently wrong with those systems, but because I have money tied up in iOS apps and I use features like Airplay on a daily basis.
* As a side note, I have never used another recently popular OS and I prefer not to. Not because there is something inherently wrong with those systems, but because I have money tied up in iOS apps and I use features like Airplay on a daily basis.
RSS Feed