Retina HD Display
iPhone 6 rumors largely suggested Apple would use a sapphire display
cover in the device, but that turned out to be false. Instead, the
iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus use
"ion-strengthened" glass with an
improved polarizer (for better outdoor viewing), a photo aligned IPS liquid crystal display, and a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.
The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display with a "2x" resolution of
1334 x 740 (326 ppi) while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch "3x" resolution of
1920 x 1080 (401 ppi). Both phones are said to offer higher contrast, better brightness, and improved white balance.
Apple has implemented several "
Reachability"
features to improve the viewing experience on its larger devices,
including Display Zoom and landscape view (iPhone 6 Plus only).
Display Zoom lets users zoom in to get a closer view at their apps, while standard zoom displays more content on the screen.
Landscape view on the iPhone 6 Plus is designed to make the most of
the 5.5-inch screen and to help users be more productive. When in
landscape mode, the device will display apps like Mail, Calendar, and
Stocks in a wider view similar to the way they're displayed on the iPad.
Battery Life
The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus both offer
improved battery life,
but due to the larger size of iPhone 6 Plus, it is able to accommodate a
larger battery. While the capacities of the two batteries are unknown,
previous rumors pointed towards 1,810 mAh capacity for the iPhone 6 and a
2,915 mAh capacity for the iPhone 6 Plus.
Because it has a bigger battery, the iPhone 6 Plus has a
longer battery life
than the smaller iPhone 6. 3G talk time for the iPhone 6 Plus is at 24
hours, compared to just 14 hours in the iPhone 6, for example, while HD
video playback is at 14 hours for the iPhone 6 Plus and 11 hours for the
iPhone 6.
A8 Chip and M8 Motion Coprocessor
Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have a new
64-bit A8 processor
built on an advanced 20-nanometer process. Not only is the chip smaller
than the A7 in the iPhone 5s, it's also able to deliver 25 percent
faster CPU performance while being 50 percent more energy efficient.
The A8 takes full advantage of
Metal, Apple's gaming
technology that lets developers create console-style games on the
iPhone. According to Apple, Metal is designed to let the GPU and CPU
work together to provide detailed graphics and complex visual effects,
which means gaming on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is going to be better than
ever.
Alongside the A8, there's also a new
M8 motion coprocessor,
which is the successor to the M7 motion coprocessor introduced in the
iPhone 5s. The M8 measures data from the accelerometer, compass, and
gyroscope, along with a
barometer, which is new to the iPhone 6.
With the addition of the barometer, the M8 motion coprocessor can
measure elevation in addition to steps taken and distance traveled.
Camera Improvements
The iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus continue to sport an
8-megapixel f/2.2 rear camera,
but the addition of several new features will result in vastly improved
picture quality. Continuing to offer improved camera capabilities has
always been a priority for Apple, with the company even opting to
include a protruding lens design to avoid making image quality
sacrifices for the sake of the thin design of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
The first major new feature, "
Focus Pixel," is
designed to speed up autofocusing by providing the sensor with more
information about an image, while improved auto image stabilization will
compensate for slight amounts of motion blur and hand shakiness.
Both phones also have improved face detection capabilities and more
control over exposure, and the Panorama feature now supports
high-resolution panoramic photos of up to 43 megapixels.
Video options have been improved in the two devices, and it's now
possible to capture 1080p HD video at 60fps. There's also a new
240fps slo-mo mode, and time-lapse video, which was introduced with iOS 8.
The iPhone 6 Plus has one slight advantage when it comes to the
camera, however, as it takes advantage of the M8 motion coprocessor to
offer
optical image stabilization. Optical image
stabilization better compensates for hand shake and slight movements in
low light than standard auto image stabilization techniques. As a
result, it's likely the iPhone 6 Plus will be able to deliver higher
quality low-light photos than the iPhone 6.
Along with rear camera improvements, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have
improved front-facing FaceTime HD cameras
with a new sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. With these improvements, Apple
says the front-facing camera can capture 81 percent more light,
resulting in much better low-light photos. There's also a new burst mode
for the front-facing camera, which will let users take
burst mode selfies for the first time.
Connectivity Improvements
Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus both offer
faster LTE
with support for LTE Advanced networks, reaching speeds of up to 150
Mbps, and they offer 20 LTE bands for better connectivity when
traveling.
The devices also include support for
Voice over LTE (VoLTE)
which allows users to make higher-quality phone calls over LTE. VoLTE
will also allow users on CDMA networks like Verizon to use voice and
data simultaneously for the first time. VoLTE requires support from both
Apple and carriers, and several carriers have pledged to roll out
support for the service.
In addition to cellular improvements, the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus are the first of Apple's iOS devices to offer support for
802.11ac Wi-Fi. 802.11ac Wi-Fi is able to offer connection speeds that are up to 3 times faster than existing 802.11n networks.
Finally, the iPhone 6 supports calls over Wi-Fi, which can result in
higher-quality calls, especially in situations where a cellular
connection is low. Calling over Wi-Fi is another feature that requires
carrier support, but again, some carriers, like T-Mobile, have already
pledged support.
Other Features
Like the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus continue to offer
Touch ID,
Apple's fingerprint-based security system. With iOS 8, which ships on
the iPhone 6/6 Plus, Touch ID will become even more powerful, thanks to
third-party Touch ID integration.
Touch ID is also an integral part of Apple's new
Apple Pay mobile payments initiative, as is the
Near Field Communication (NFC)
antenna built into every iPhone 6. Apple Pay is designed to allow users
to pay for purchases at thousands of retail stores with just a
fingerprint.
Operating System
The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus will ship with
iOS 8, Apple's newest mobile operating system.
iOS 8's main goal is to improve integration between Apple devices, both mobile and desktop, through the use of "
Continuity."
With Continuity, users can seamlessly transition tasks between
iPhones, iPads, Macs, and the Apple Watch. iOS 8 also includes features
like interactive notifications, widgets in the Notification Center,
third-party keyboards, and a new QuickType predictive keyboard. More
information about iOS 8 can be found in our
iOS 8 roundup.
