iPhone 6 Or iPhone 6 Plus?

By Daveed Mandell, 29 September, 2014

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hello, everyone:

Which new iPhone are people considering? If you have already purchased one this month, which one did you buy and why? Is the iPhone 6 Plus too big for practical use on the go by most blind people? I'm told it's almost like carrning a tablet.

What cases would you suggest considering? Has anyone considered buying Apple's silicone case? Does it afford sufficient protection?

I'm having a hard time deciding which iPhone to buy. I'm wondering if the iPhone 6 Plus is just too unwieldy. Yet I'm quite impressed with its camera and battery life. Thanks for any suggestions and thoughts.

Regards,
Daveed Mandell

Options

Comments

By Vicki Andrada on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

I want the 6 plus, but can't upgrade for 5 months. I like the size of the 6, but scan often, and feel that camera life will make the size worth it. However, I still haven't seen the 6 or 6 plus yet, and before I decide for sure I'll look at them, but am pretty sure due to the camera I'll get the plus. I don't usually put them in my pocket anyways, and I'll get a case for it for sure! We have hard floors here and I have no carpet, so will get a good case for it. I've never dropped my 4s, but still want to keep the phone as safe as I can! I'll be interested what cases will be good for the new phones.

By Jen on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

I just upgraded to the 6+. I compared the 6 and the 6+ side by side, and while the plus is larger, I don't think it will make a significant difference in its general handling by anyone. The only thing I might suggest is to get a Bluetooth headset if you have a lot of lengthy phone calls, because it might be a bit tiring to hold for long periods of time. I got a Pelican case for the phone, and it has a sturdy clip, so that you can place your phone wherever is convenient for you on your clothing. As for its overall usage, I think it will be like all new products. The first day you open it, it will look different, and within an hour or two, you won't even notice the changes anymore. The main thing that caused me to choose the 6+ over the 6, is the battery life.

By Rich Cavallaro on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

I went with the 128 gig 6Plus for three reasons. One is the battery life is much better on the 6Plus as it boasts a 2,915 MAH battery 1500 more than that of the 6. Also, with the opticle stabilization on the 6Plus, it is very possible that that will give us even better OCR results with apps like the KNFB Reader. The 6 by the way has digital stabilization unlike the Plus which has opticle. Also, for me, I liked the sound of the speaker over the 6. Before I got my 6Plus, I listened to the sound of the 6 vs 6Plus at an Apple store. The choice is yours, but I am just giving you my reasons for which I chose. I hope this was helpful.

By Santiago on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello,
I'm also considering the 6 plus, although I had second thoughts for a while, because of the overseen bending issue. I doubt it would bend that easily though. Besides, Apple recently released a statement regarding the matter, stating that these devices are obviously tested before their release.

By raaj on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

I personally feel the more thinner it is, there are bright chances for bending. And for the country like India, keeping it on the shirt pocket is not at all adviceable so I'm not even dreaming of getting either six or six plus.

By Andy B. on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

I want the 6+. This means I better go back to the store and see if I can get an exchange. Any other reason besides the 55% more battery, larger display, better speaker, and better camera?

By Michael Hansen on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

I got an iPhone 6 Plus a week ago and absolutely love it. For me, battery life was one of the major selling points, and I am very happy to report that the 6 Plus delivers. The device fits fine in my pockets, but it's worth noting that I wear Khakis--so your mileage may vary.

As far as how "bendable" the iPhone 6 Plus is...I don't think there's much to worry about. Consumer Reports (a U.S.-based product testing organization) did a series of controlled bend tests, and the iPhone 6 Plus actually held up better than the iPhone 6. While it's probably accurate that the iPhone 6 Plus could bend if sat on in the manner some describe (sitting down with the phone in ones' back pocket), I think this is the case for any smartphone. Lastly...once I read that the video that started this all (purportedly showing someone bending an iPhone 6 Plus in one go with their bare hands) appeared to have been edited...well, that speaks volumes about the author's credibility--or lack thereof.

All that to say this: I love my iPhone 6 Plus. The battery life alone is a compelling enough reason for me to highly recommend the device, and that is to say nothing of the bigger speaker and better camera.

By Andy B. on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

How long will the 6+ give for battery life in days? My IPhone 6 gives me about 3.5 days with heavy usage.

By Clare Page on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hi! Interesting that most of the people who have posted to this forum thread so far either have, or want, the iPhone 6 Plus! Speaking for myself, however, I plan to get an iPhone 6 in the next few months, to replace my three-year-old 4S. The three main reasons I have chosen the iPhone 6 are as follows: it's cheaper than the 6 Plus, it's the smaller of the two models (which should hopefully make it easier to use for someone with small hands like me), and I am not a heavy user of camera-based apps on my iPhone so the fact that the 6 Plus has a better camera doesn't make me want it. As for battery life, 3.5 days of it with heavy usage on an iPhone 6 sounds satisfactory for me. As far as I'm concernned, it's great that we now get a choice of models with slightly different technical specifications and in two possible sizes: when I got my 4S back in 2011 there were only two colours to choose from, and the only other difference between 4S models was their capacity. I've always believed choice is a good thing, so if you want a 6 Plus, go ahead and buy it, but I've chosen to get a 6, even if some of you might not think it is quite as good.

By Krister Ekstrom on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

If i only could justify the price, i would go right ahead this very day and get myself a 6 + even if that means i must have 2 subscriptions for one year. I have a question though about the 6 + and its size: How good does the swiping gestures work on a 6 +? When i swipe on an Ipad Mini, sometimes i have a bit of a difficulty trying to convince the pad that i want to go find the next or previous object instead of going up or down thereby acting upon a rotor command. Does anyone think this is a problem compared to say the 5s?
/Krister

By Michael Hansen on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hi Andy,

I charge my device every night, regardless of whether it really needs to be charged or not. This way, I know I have 100% battery every day and don't have to worry about it going low if I need to use my phone more than expected.

I've consistently ended up with between 60 and 80% battery left by the end of the day with light-moderate use. An hour of GPS use resulted in only a 15% decrease in the battery, something other GPS app users tell me is quite good. At the end of the day, the lowest I've gotten the battery down to is 51%, and that was with about 17-18 hours of light-moderate use.

Andy, if you're wanting to exchange your 6 for the 6 Plus based on battery, keep in mind that, in most areas, there is only a 14-day return window. Also, if you're already able to get 3.5 days of battery out of your 6 (how do you manage that, by the way? What settings do you have disabled?) then the bigger battery might not be as important--since you are already getting such good results on the 6.

By Michael Hansen on Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hi Krister,

First, please keep in mind that how one person uses a device is very different from another. So, my advice represents my use case but is not universal.

With that said, I haven't had any problems doing swipe gestures on the iPhone 6 Plus. It's small enough that I can grip the phone with my thumb on one side and my middle, ring, and pinkie fingers on the other side...and still swipe/flick around the screen with my index finger. (This is, admittedly, a little more difficult with a longer/wider device, but it's doable for the times I need to use the phone in this way.)

My best advice, in this type of situation, is to go try out a 6 Plus in-store. This way, you'll be able to try out the different gestures for yourself--as well as just get a feel for the device in general.

By Daveed Mandell on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Michael and others:

What cases do you recommend for the iPhone 6 Plus? I understand that the Otterbox Defender case for that iPhone isn't available as yet. Thanks much.

Best,

Daveed Mandell

By SadamAhmed on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello Daveed,

I personally went for the 6 because I like the smaller size.

I've used both and just think the 5.5-inch is way to big.

Having said that battery on the 6 Plus is pretty amazing.

If I was you I'd try both at the Apple Store and then decide.

Kind regards,

Ahmed

P.s.

The 6 gives me about 3.7 days of battery life before hitting the charger.

By Daveed Mandell on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Great comments and suggestions. I'm now thinking seriously about the 6 Plus with Apple's silicone case, because it isn't very bulky. I hope that affords decent protection.

By the way, I'm pleased to note that Hebrew is now supported in VoiceOver! It's not perfect, because Hebrew doesn't use vowels in most written material, so the synthesizer cannot always guess the correct words. However, it is quite adequate now. I hope Farsi will soon be supported.

Regards,

Daveed Mandell

By Michael Hansen on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hi Daveed,

I, too, am thinking about Apple's silicon case...until the Otter Box Defender comes out. If you get one, I'd be curious as to your impressions.

By Daveed Mandell on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Michael:

I'm not happy about the fact that the bottom of the case is complesely open, exposing that part of the iPhone completely.

Daveed

I don't have much turned off. I only disabled the location services for apps that really have no need for it, and enabled the ones that could use it. I turned off background refresh for apps that don't need it, and restricted the app store, iTunes, and other non essential apps from using my data plan. I have no need for podcast clients to refresh on the cell network, so they got turned off and can only use wifi. I have auto backlight turned on, and at the minute, it sticks around 27%. When I don't use it, it is charging on a USB port on the MAC because using the charger block can cause the battery to die out faster over time. I keep Bluetooth turned off when it isn't needed, only use orientation lock when required, and have 5/5 bars on the LTE network 99% of the time. I shutdown the phone once a week and restart it to force it to attach to a new tower because keeping it turned on for a month straight seems to stress it out. With all of that, I ended up talking to a friend on the phone for almost 5 hours this morning about some accounting homework, and the battery is at 80%. Given usage for the rest of the day, I probably wont get below 10% until mid afternoon on Friday.
I picked my phone up on launch day (9/19), so I have until this Thursday to decide. Assuming I did pick up the 6+, my battery might last for a week+.

With respect, I think cases such as the otterbox are overkill. I'm using what I suspect is like Apple's silicone case for my iPhone 5 and have found it quite durable. I also can assure Daveed that there is absolutely no problem with the bottom of the case open; in fact, it's an advantage in that there's easy access to ports and speaker.

While I certainly understand the desire for a rugged case that protects one's iPhone from nuclear attack, I find all such cases way too bulky and heavy without providing protection commensurate with the case drawbacks. I don't even have screen-protectors on my iPhone; they just get wrinkled and become a nuisance and I *hate* cases that put plastic over the screen as the otterbox cases do.

My advice: go with the simple.

By Megan on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello all, I woold be very interested to hear what those of you on the 6+ are experiencing for battery life when using voiceover and the screen curtain. On my 6 I am consistently making it through most days with 40 or 50 percent left, but if you guys on the 6+ are getting significantly better results, that and the larger on screen keyboard might be enough to convince me to exchange my 6 for the 6+.

Even when I have been so utterly careless as to carry my phone about in its natural state, the worst that has happened to it has been a nick on the corner of the aluminium casing, from a scrape in my own garden. Apple's leather case, while skimpy and pricey, is perfectly adequate unless you're a real butterfingers (and some people are). I don't like protectors because they're just annoying when they get even a teensy bit wrinkled up, and anyway the structure of the phone and especially in a simple case will provide adequate robustness from impact against the glass itself. So yes, do keep it simple, and weigh the drawbacks of your chosen case against the actual benefits.

By Edward Alonzo on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

There are some wonderful comments on this post. I plan to go to a store, to look at cases, and both models of iPhone. It sounds like people are getting good battery life out of both the six, and the 6+. I will report my findings as soon as I get to a local store. I have heard that both the iPhone 6, and the iPhone 6 plus, have a much better sounding speaker. Many people have reported this. That is good to hear, I just wish they would eventually come up with stereo speakers.

By changedheart421 on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hi,
I got the 6. I did not like a huge phone and plus, I'm not a huge huge scanner. Since I bought KNFB mobile, I actually am scanning more than I ever did in my whole 4 years of being an iPhone user. The battery is amazing compared to my 5S. Usually with the 5S, at the end of my day I had less than 30 percent. Now with the 6, I am pushing 75. The new iPhone, whatever size you decide on, is surely to bring you happiness because the design is truly spectacular.

By Lisa on Saturday, October 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello all,
I'm considering getting the iPhone 6. I now have the iPhone 5S. I have 5 rows of icons not counting the dock. On the iPhone 6 will I have another row of icons? I'm leaning towards the iPhone 6 because of it's smaller size. The 6 Plus is just to big for my small hands.

By mark wright on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hi
i'e had teh i phone 6 for a week now and having battery problems. I dont even use it for very demanding aps or watching films or anything just using it to check emails texts and a few rss aps i'm finding i'm loosing power by a few percent each time i go to a new screen. Is the 6 plus that much bigger and would it be worth trying to contact apple if i could swap to teh one with the bigger battery. many thanks

By Toonhead on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hi. Here are the settings I have, just so you can check them against yours. If I use the iPhone on the battery for about 6 or 7 hours I'm usually down to 75 or maybe 80%.
Note these settings will also work well with the iPhone 5 and the 5s, and possibly even the 4s, although I don't own one so I can't speak to that.

1. Make sure that you're connected to a Wi-Fi network as often as you possibly can be. Using a data connection can really eat up the battery big-time.
2. Under general, make sure that background app refresh is set to off. If you have apps constantly trying to refresh themselves that can take the battery life down.

3. Under display and brightness, make sure that screen brightness is set to 0 percent. You can always change this later if you have to have a sighted person look at it for whatever reason. Also, turn the screen curtain on with a 3-finger triple-tap on the screen.

4. If you receive a lot of notifications from some apps (facebook, I'm lookin at you!) you might try turning some of that stuff off. You might not need to know when your aunt posted a photo. Do this for any other apps that send a lot of push notifications and things. Hope this helps a bit. As I said, battery life on the iPhone 6 is absolutely amazing. On a full charge I've been able to run mine for almost 19 hours before it needed a recharge.

By Usman on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

My big thing is, apple has worked so hard at designing the phone so it looks extremely good and desirable. Why buy a huge bulky case that hides it's true beauty? Its like putting a veil on a supermodel.

By Michael Hansen on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hello Mark,

If you've only had the phone for a week, perhaps a trip to your carrier/the Apple Store for an exchange/replacement might be the way to go? I know Apple's return policy is two weeks, but I don't know about specific wireless carriers.

From everything I've heard, the iPhone 6 has good battery life...certainly, I haven't heard any huge complaints until now.

As for the battery on the 6 Plus...well, I love mine. I consistently make it through the day with over 60% battery remaining--and sometimes over 70. And this is with having it off the charger for 16-17 hours at a time.
As far as the bulk, the device is actually quite thin. It fits comfortably in my pockets, although trying to use it with an Otter Box Defender case is a little more challenging.

By Santiago on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello,
I purchased the iPhone 6 Plus, mainly because of the battery and the improved camera. The larger screen is also better for me when using the on-screen keyboard, since its bigger than on the 6. It all comes down to personal preference, in terms of the size of the phone itself. It took me about a week to get used to its size. Considering that I had a Galaxy Note 3 for a couple of weeks last year, I wasn't convinced that a phablet would be the right thing for me at first when I was considering the 6 Plus. Its size isn't much of an issue once you get used to it, and you'll probably even think that every other iPhone is extremely small after using the 6 Plus for some time. For some of us blind users, GPS and navigation apps are a big necessity, so the 6 Plus would be better, in terms of battery life.

By david s on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Will the better camera on the iPad Plus make a difference when using it with KNFB reader? How about with other OCRs?
I am not really concerned about the battery life. I would be more interested in OCR or image capture.
Thanks!

By Lisa on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello all,
Well I now have the 64 Gig gold iPhone 6 Plus. Just trying to get use to the much bigger size, but so far I like it. Michael you said using the 6 plus in the OtterBox Defender case is a bit challenging. I am considering getting that case for my 6 plus, so just curious why you say that? Thanks.

By Michael Hansen on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hello Lisa,

In my original post, I was referring to the challenge of trying to fit the 6 Plus Defender into relatively small corduroy pants pockets. (It generally does fit, but it's not the most comfortable in the world.)

My one big complaint with the Otter Box Defender iPhone 6 Plus case is that the screen protector was not flush with the screen on the unit I received. I reached out to Otter Box, and they offered to send me a replacement case once more inventory becomes available. In the meantime, they recommended removing the screen protector, and that certainly does work.

The screen protector aside, I absolutely love the design of the 6 Plus Defender. The outer silicon shell fits securely, and it looks like it will pass the test of time quite well.

By Lisa on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

In reply to by Michael Hansen

Hello Michael,
So the screen protecter can be remobed from the Defender? I didn't know that. I may get one when more colors become available. I'm considering getting one for the clip. I will need to use the belt clip especially in the Summer when this 6 plus will not fit in my shorts pockets. Thanks for the info.

By Lisa on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Hello all,
Now on my 6 Plus I can't post to Dice World. This worked fine on my 5S. Now with my 6 Plus I can't post my Dice World wins on Twitter. Does anyone have any ideas as to what the problem might be? Thanks.

By Michael Hansen on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 - 12:56

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Hello Lisa,

Yes, the screen protector can be removed from the Defender. Basically, what one does is just peal the screen protector away from the plastic piece it is secured to. The device still fits just fine into the case, even with the screen protector removed.

The holster works pretty well, but one needs to be sure the clip is fully disengaged from the side of the case before attempting to remove the device--lest the silicon lining be torn. I had this issue on the iPhone 5 Defender a couple years ago, and after that I just stopped using the holsters. I thought it was just me not being careful enough when removing the device from the holster, but I saw another comment referring to this same thing (hoping the issue was fixed in this latest Defender series) so I must not be alone in experiencing that issue.

By Pam Drake on Saturday, July 25, 2015 - 12:56

In reply to by Michael Hansen

I truly like the Plus, but do hope you won't experience the problems I've recently written about.

Now, it appears that others have posted of my problems in Apple forums. I'll reply to that post later, but wonder if it's a system problem, albeit a lot by lot or phone by phone issue, or just my luck. If it's weird, it's going to happen to me! to get

By Kevan on Saturday, July 25, 2015 - 12:56

In reply to by Lisa

Hey Lisa,
Try re-adding your Twitter account in iOS. Sorry I'm so late, only just saw this.