Apple has finally unveiled the iPhone 6 today, with the flagship mobile device coming int two different models. The standard iPhone 6 will also be accompanied by an iPhone 6 Plus, with the latter being more of a phablet-sized device. So how do the two new Apple handsets compare with the previous iteration of the iPhone, the iPhone 5S? Here is a rundown of the specs included in each device.
iPhone 6 vs. iPhone 6 Plus vs. iPhone 5s
Dimensions
Both the Apple iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are significantly slimmer than the previous iteration of the iPhone series. The smaller iPhone 6 is 6.9mm thick, while the iPhone 6 Plus is still pretty slim and only marginally thicker than the iPhone 6 smartphone, at 7.1mm. This compares favorably with the iPhone 5S, which is 7.6mm thick.
Processor
Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have been fitted with a new 64-bit A8 processor. This is based around two-billion transistors, and is considered to be fifty times faster than the original iPhone. Additionally, both models of the iPhone 6 are reckoned to be about 25% more powerful in processing terms than the iPhone 5S, which was based around a dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone.
Display
In terms of display size, the iPhone 6 offers a large 4.7-inch screen size, which makes it around 15 percent bigger than the 4-inch display which was included in the iPhone 5S. The display of the iPhone 6 Plus is considerably larger, being Apple’s first phablet-sized handset. Thus, the iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch display.
Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have higher pixel resolutions and consequently better screen quality than their forerunner. The smaller iPhone 6 features a screen resolution of 1,334 x 750, while the larger iPhone 6 Plus will offer the most detailed imagery of any iPhone thus far, with its 1,920 x 1,080 pixel resolution. By comparison, the iPhone 5S display was capable of displaying 1,136 x 640 pixels.
Camera
The two new iPhone 6 models have both been fitted with the same camera. The new iSight snapper will be capable of producing 8-megapixel images, but also has a raft of new features. The camera is fitted with a True Tone Flash, and its new phase detection autofocus will make taking high-quality photographs considerably easier. Optical Image Stabilization has also been improved in the device, and the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are both capable of taking panorama photographs.
Although the camera in the iPhone 5S was also capable of producing 8-megapixel photographs, the feature set in the new iPhone 6 camera is superior. The iPhone 5s device was still capable of aiding the picture taking process with autofocus, but this has been significantly upgraded for the new device. Similarly, the dual-LED Flash included in the iPhone 5S was of an inferior quality to that utilized by the iPhone 6.
Video
Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be capable of shooting video at 1080p resolution. Footage can be captured at either thirty frames per second or sixty frames per second as required, and its slow-motion function is capable of 240 frames per second. The iPhone 5S was not able to capture 60 frames per second video at 1080p resolution.
Battery
Apple has been criticized in the past for the quality of battery life in iPhone devices, so the consumer electronics giant has attempted to significantly improve the battery life in the iPhone 6 models. Thus, Apple is claiming that the battery life of the iPhone 6 will be as much as 50 hours when a user sticks to utilizing merely audio. This figure falls to around 11 hours for video, but despite the fact that video is processor-intensive, this is still more than the 10 hours of approximate battery life that the iPhone 5s would produce on average.
The larger iPhone 6 Plus boasts an even more impressive battery life. Apple states that the iPhone 6 will run for eighty hours worth of audio off one battery charge, and allow roughly fourteen hours of video to be viewed from the same amount of power.
Wi-Fi and connectivity
Both of the Apple iPhone 6 devices perform pretty similarly in this department, and both can be considered a big step forward over the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are capable of 150 Mbps networking; a 50% increase over the 100 Mbps capabilities of the iPhone 5S. Additionally, both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus benefit from 802.11 AC Wi-Fi, which is reckoned to be three times faster than the 802.11 set-up included in the iPhone 5S. Wi-Fi calling has also been enhanced in the new iPhone 6 devices in order to provide more clarity from Wi-Fi-driven phone calls.
Thus, looking at the specs politically for the first time, it is clear that Apple has armed the iPhone 6 models with a great deal of power, which should make the user experience for Apple fans significantly enhanced over previous devices in the series.
