Apple has released the 6th version of the legendary iPhone mobile gadget. It is produced in two versions (A1549 and A1586). In addition, there is a "tablet" iPhone 6 Plus (also two models - A1522 and A1524). Both devices, of course, belong to the premium category. How much is the iPhone 6? Depending on the specific national market (as well as the dealer), its price is about 30-34 thousand rubles.
How are the models different?
What, in fact, differ models within the same device class? Consider each of the two modifications. The models A1549 and A1586 are actually almost the same thing. As well as the A1522 and A1524 (modification Plus). Just the first index adopted for sales mainly in the United States. This model is equipped with a charger for an "American" outlet, which is very different from the Russian one, so if we bought an iPhone A1549, we most likely will have to purchase an additional adapter for the power adapter. But it costs absolutely inexpensively.
In turn, the A1586 model is mainly sold in Europe. Its main technological feature is support for 20 bands within the framework of the LTE standard (while the "American" modification is able to work with only 16). As a rule, the option that is sold in the US is cheaper.
Almost the same patterns are seen when comparing A1522 and A1524. The first supports slightly less LTE bands and is equipped with a charger adapted to the sockets that are used in the United States. There is an erroneous version in the user environment that the iPhone in the "American" version does not work well with Russian mobile operators. This is absolutely not so, experts say. "IPhones" are adapted for stable operation with almost all mobile operators in the world, and in all existing communication standards, including the most modern, LTE.
What's in the box
In the factory box, the user will find the iPhone 6 smartphone itself, a branded headset such as EarPods, a power adapter, a wire for USB communication, as well as a tool for conveniently removing a SIM card from the gadget. An instruction manual is included.
Design, appearance
The iPhone 6th edition is available in three shades - dark gray, gold, and silver. The case of the device is made of aluminum, its design is monolithic. Antenna elements are visible behind and on the sides. The main camera protrudes slightly beyond the line of the body. Below the screen is the "Home" key. Above the display is an additional camera, as well as a voice speaker. Screen coating - high-quality oleophobic glass.
The device’s power button is located on the right side (while in many other iPhone models it’s on top). On the left there are keys to turn on the sound and adjust its level. At the bottom is a USB-Lightning connector. The nanoSIM format card is inserted into the slot located on the right side of the case. Dimensions of the device: 138.1x67x6.9 mm.
As befits the devices of its line, the appearance of the “iPhone” gives a premium gadget. According to experts and users, the design of the smartphone is made at the highest level. It’s nice to hold the device, it’s comfortable to use. Particularly impressed with the owners are balanced, emphasizing the sophistication of each bend of the iPhone 6 case, colors.
The design of the device is evaluated by users and experts in a very positive way. Enthusiasts of the iOS line of devices respond to the new design approaches implemented in the iPhone 6th version very positively. However, such moods, experts say, are quite typical for evaluations of devices under the Apple brand. Apple gadgets are best known for their high quality design and build.
Screen
The display of the gadget is high-tech, made by IPS technology. The diagonal is 4.7 inches. The resolution is high - 1334 by 750 pixels. There is an LED backlight. In the Apple classification, the screen installed on the iPhone 6 is called Retina. Through system settings, you can adjust the brightness of the display, the size of program elements. Experts and users note the highest quality screen.
The image is perfectly visible at any viewing angle. The big diagonal, experts say, expands the multimedia capabilities of the device: viewing videos, web pages and pictures is very comfortable. The display of the iPhone 6 colors conveys a very natural, saturated. Pixelization, as noted by the owners, is almost invisible.
Opportunities
"Iron" installed in the device, as well as in other devices of the "iPhone" line, assumes the highest performance. All four smartphone models under the iPhone 6 brand (the differences between them are small - mainly they are in the amount of internal memory, but more on that later) support the most advanced communication technologies in 2G, 3G and 4G standards. All modifications support communication via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth version 4, as well as a modern NFC module. There is support for multimedia formats AAC (traditional for "iPhones"), MP3, AAX, AIFF, ALAC, as well as WAV.
A powerful processor is a key factor in the high performance of the iPhone 6. According to many experts, the technical characteristics of the device that we have indicated above are secondary to the role played by the dual-core, 64-bit Apple A8 chip operating at 1.3 GHz. The processor is supplemented by the M8 module, which controls the accelerometer (accelerometer) integrated into the smartphone, a gyroscope, and also a compass. The graphic subsystem of the iPhone runs on the GX6650 chip. There is support for GPS, GLONASS.
Software
The selection of hardware components of the iPhone 6, the technical characteristics of the device, probably would not have suggested high performance without high-quality software filling. This is present in the gadget, and this is the iOS operating system in version 8. The quality of software, according to experts and users, is the highest. Despite the fact that the smartphone has only 1 GB of RAM, there are no brakes and freezes in operation.
Moving between windows is very smooth, applications launch quickly. As such, the level of performance of the iPhone 6 is fully consistent with the user tasks assigned to the device.
Camera
We wrote above that the screen installed on the iPhone 6 determines great comfort in viewing multimedia content. Probably, this feature would be incomplete without a high-quality camera. This hardware component has decent features. Resolution - 8 megapixels, in the optical system 5 lenses. There is a system focus mode. According to many experts, the quality of photos taken using the Apple iPhone 6 is comparable to that which is typical for images from a specialized camera.
Battery
The smartphone’s battery, as stated by the manufacturer, provides about 14 hours of talk time. If the device is not actively used, it will work for about 10 days without recharging. In the video playback mode, the smartphone will function for about 11 hours, while playing music - about fifty. The experts who completed the iPhone 6 review after testing the battery capabilities achieved, in general, comparable results.
Memory resources
IPhones are traditionally characterized by large volumes of built-in flash memory. True, Apple gives individual models within the same line different indicators for this resource. For the iPhone 6, the differences are pretty significant. Depending on the specific version of the device, 16 GB of flash memory, 64 or 128 can be installed. However, not every smartphone of competing platforms can boast at least the same 16 GB, not to mention more impressive volumes of the resource.
Modification Plus
Our review of the iPhone 6 would be incomplete without studying the characteristics of one of the main modifications of the phone. It's about the iPhone 6 Plus. This, of course, is not a “Chinese” iPhone 6, it is a full branded version. What are the distinguishing features of this device in comparison with the flagship model? The key feature of the iPhone 6 Plus is that by its classification, it belongs to the gadgets such as “tablet”. That is, a kind of hybrid between a smartphone and a tablet (which is expressed primarily in the dimensions of the “plus” version of the iPhone 6: the device’s body is significantly larger than the flagship version - 158x78x7.1 mm).
iPhone 6 Plus: specs
Consider the technical characteristics of the iPhone 6 Plus in comparison with those, but characteristic of the flagship model. Apple’s “tablet” is equipped with exactly the same processor as the “smartphone” - Apple A8 with 2 cores, 65-bit architecture and a clock speed of 1.4 GHz. The microcircuit for the compass, accelerometer (as well as gyroscope) is the same - M8. The graphics accelerator is similar - GX 6650. The amount of RAM - 1 GB. Modifications, depending on the size of the flash memory, are exactly the same - 16 GB, 64 or 128. What are the communication capabilities of the iPhone 6 Plus? The device is equipped with modules for communication via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC. There is support for GPS and GLONASS, as well as iBeacon - a branded location service. We see that in terms of hardware, both devices are almost identical. The technologies used by Apple, as always, are advanced for the market. No Chinese iPhone 6, experts say, can replace the original in terms of hardware and performance.
iPhone 6 Plus: display and camera
Consider the features of two multimedia components, traditionally in the category of the most popular: camera and screen. The smartphone is equipped with a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (both, as we see, are much larger than the "classic" iPhone 6). Colors are transmitted through IPS technology, just like on the flagship.
The camera is the same 8 megapixels. There is optical stabilization. Photos taken using the "plus" version of the Apple iPhone 6 are as high-quality as when using the flagship gadget. The device’s standard camera also allows you to record excellent videos in HD-format and at a speed of up to 60 frames / sec.
Compare iPhone 6 Plus with Competitors
Many experts believe that the release of the “tablet” is an ambitious step on the part of Apple, which decided to compete with other platforms not only in the segment of classic mobile devices - smartphones (via iPhone) and tablets (producing iPad), but also in the field of hybrid solutions. What is the iPhone 6 Plus winning and losing to the competitors of the Android line?
Many experts call the main rival of the iPhone 6 in the mobile device market the Samsung Galaxy Note gadget in the 4th version. What are the technical specifications of the iPhone rival?
Korean smartphone has advantages in terms of diagonal display - 5.7 inches. Samsung’s device also has a slightly higher pixel density - 515 (versus 401 for the iPhone). The main and secondary camera Galaxy Note surpasses the similar hardware component of the iPhone in resolution (16 and 3.7 megapixels from the "Korean").
But does the fact that the iPhone is inferior in most technical characteristics to its closest competitor on the Android platform? The opinions of experts on this issue diverge (however, this state of affairs has been observed for many years). Some experts are sure: the main thing is not “megahertz” and “megapixels”, but the balance of technologies, the level of interaction of electronic components. Suppose they believe that the processor and other microcircuits do not work so fast, but if they are stable, then such a device is, in fact, more productive than its competitor, which has nominally more impressive parameters. The platform from Apple is famous primarily for the balance of hardware, elaborated on the subject of compatibility of various hardware components. And because the fact that “iPhones” are inferior in characteristics to competitors on the Android platform, by and large, does not mean anything, ”many experts are sure. Apple devices have conquered the market, they believe, largely due to their stability. As well as stylish design and convenient handling. “IPhone” in the 6th version is no exception.
User reviews
What do iPhone 6 owners say about using the gadget? In the user environment, as expected, positive assessments of new items from Apple prevail. Technological characteristics, by the way, are not discussed so often (and this again can be emphasized by the fact that their role, from the point of view of the market success of iPhone, is secondary). As a rule, user ratings relate to the design of the gadget and its functions. But both of them are rated very highly by the owners of the iPhone 6. The colors of the device, presented in various modifications, are to everyone's liking. Design decisions are mostly praised by users.
By the way, as many gadget owners admit in their reviews, they were not very interested in how much the iPhone 6 costs. According to them, they are ready to overpay for a combination of high performance guaranteed by the brand (and what is especially important - stability), excellent design and prestige. Even if, for some specific parameters, the iPhone is nominally inferior to competitors on other platforms.