In a decision that looks to be more about slowing the rise of Samsung’s Galaxy Note rather than bringing any real innovation to the table, Apple have announced the phablet sized Apple iPhone 6 Plus and the 4.7″ iPhone 6.
The king sized phone comes with a 5.5″ Full HD display packing with a resolution of 401 pixels per inch and packs an 8-megapixel iSight camera with an f/2.2 lens plus True Tone flash and optical image stabilisation with the sensor featuring on-chip phase detection AF.
The iPhone 6 features support a 1334 x 750 resolution, while the iPhone 6 Plus offers up 1920 x 1080 – still a long way behind the Note 4’s 1440 x 2560 screen real estate.
Both the new Apple iPhone 6’s can shoot Full HD videos at 30 or 60fps and lower-resolution movies at up to 240fps for slow-motion playback, and Apple claim that there’s improved face detection and advanced noise reduction.
Gushingly billed as “The Biggest Advancements in iPhone History” (really?) the phone is clad in an unibody enclosure of anodised aluminium and is powered by an Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture.
There’s also NFC-powered Apple Pay for making swipe-tastic payments.
As usual, Apple’s slickness doesn’t come cheap, with the Apple iPhone 6 Plus available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £619 (£515.83 ex VAT) for the 16GB model, £699 (£582.50 ex VAT) for the 64GB model and £789 (£657.50 ex VAT) for the new 128GB model.
Here’s a comparison between the Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus (credit)
Hyperbolic press release follows:
Apple Announces iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus—The Biggest Advancements in iPhone History
Dramatically Thin Design Features Stunning Retina HD Displays, Powerful A8 Chip, Advanced Cameras & Apple Pay
CUPERTINO, California—September 9, 2014—Apple today announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the biggest advancements in iPhone history, featuring two new models with stunning 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays, and packed with innovative technologies in an all-new dramatically thin and seamless design. The new iPhones feature a precision unibody enclosure of anodised aluminium that conforms seamlessly with the shaped glass of the display, resulting in a completely smooth and continuous surface. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are engineered to be the thinnest ever, delivering a bigger display in a design that is still comfortable to hold and easy to use.
Packed with innovative new technologies, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus include: the Apple-designed A8 chip with second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance and power efficiency; advanced iSight and FaceTime HD cameras; ultrafast wireless technologies; and Apple Pay, an easier way to simply and securely make payments with just the touch of a finger.¹ Both models include iOS 8, our most advanced mobile OS, featuring a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience with new Messages and Photos features, QuickType keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive.
“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancements in iPhone history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The iPhone is the most loved smartphone in the world with the highest customer satisfaction in the industry and we are making it much better in every way. Only Apple can combine the best hardware, software and services at this unprecedented level and we think customers are going to love it.”
For the first time iPhone is available in two new sizes: iPhone 6 features a stunning 4.7-inch Retina HD display with 1334 x 750 resolution, providing 38 per cent more viewing area than iPhone 5s, while iPhone 6 Plus features an even bigger 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, providing 88 per cent more viewing area and nearly three times the pixels than iPhone 5s. The Retina HD displays offer advanced technologies including higher contrast for deeper blacks and dual-domain pixels for more accurate colours at wider viewing angles.
With second generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture, the all-new A8 chip offers faster performance and is more energy efficient, delivering higher sustained performance with great battery life. With Metal, a new graphics technology in iOS 8, developers can take performance of the A8 chip even further to bring console-class 3D games to iPhone. The A8 chip also includes a new, powerful Apple-designed image signal processor that enables advanced camera and video features.
Both models include the M8 motion coprocessor that gathers motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, compass and the new barometer, which senses air pressure to provide relative elevation. The M8 motion coprocessor can continuously measure your motion data, even when the device is asleep, saving battery life for fitness apps that use the sensors all day. With iOS 8, motion data from M8 appears in the Health app so you can see how many flights of stairs you’ve climbed, or how far you’ve walked or run. Developers can use CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M8 and HealthKit to create apps that help you take better care of your health and fitness.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus introduce Apple Pay, an easy way to securely pay for physical goods and services in stores or apps with just the touch of a finger. Users can pay securely and conveniently in stores by simply holding the phone near the contactless reader while keeping a finger on Touch ID; there is no need to unlock your iPhone or launch an app. With Apple Pay, you can also make one-touch purchases within apps, without having to enter credit card or shipping information. All payment information is kept private, encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Element, a chip inside the new iPhones.
The iSight camera gets even better with a new sensor featuring Focus Pixels for faster autofocus, making it easier to quickly capture any moment. iPhone 6 Plus users will also benefit from optical image stabilisation technology that compensates for hand shake in low light and works with iOS 8 to reduce subject motion. High-definition video on iPhone improves with faster frame rates up to 60fps for 1080p video and 240fps for slo-mo, as well as continuous autofocus, cinematic video stabilisation and time-lapse video. The FaceTime HD camera now captures over 80 per cent more light with a new sensor, larger f/2.2 aperture and advanced new features including burst mode and HDR video.
With faster LTE download speeds of up to 150 Mbps, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users can browse, download and stream content faster. The new iPhones also support high-quality voice calls over LTE (VoLTE) as well as Wi-Fi calling.² With support for up to 20 LTE wireless bands—more than any other smartphone in the world—the new models make it easier to experience high-speed networks around the world. Both iPhones also include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with speeds up to 433 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0.³
The new iPhones come with iOS 8, the biggest release since the launch of the App Store, delivering a simpler, faster and more intuitive user experience and new features including QuickType keyboard, a new Health app, Family Sharing and iCloud Drive. With more than 4,000 new APIs, iOS 8 allows developers to further customise the user experience with major extensibility features and robust frameworks such as HealthKit and HomeKit. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users also have access to the revolutionary App Store, which offers more than 1.3 million apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 6 comes in gold, silver or space grey, and will be available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £539 (£449.17 ex VAT) for the 16GB model, £619 (£515.83 ex VAT) for the 64GB model and, for the first time, a new 128GB model for £699 (£582.50 ex VAT). iPhone 6 Plus comes in gold, silver or space grey, and will be available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £619 (£515.83 ex VAT) for the 16GB model, £699 (£582.50 ex VAT) for the 64GB model and £789 (£657.50 ex VAT) for the new 128GB model. Both models will be available from the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores, and through O2, Vodafone, EE, Hutch, GiffGaff, Virgin, TalkMobile and select Apple Authorised Resellers. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore beginning on Friday, September 19, and customers can pre-order both models beginning on Friday, September 12.
Apple-designed leather cases will be available in black, soft pink, olive brown, midnight blue and (RED) for £35 for iPhone 6 and £39 for iPhone 6 Plus and silicone cases in black, blue, pink, green, white and (RED) for a suggested retail price of £25 for iPhone 6 and £29 for iPhone 6 Plus through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorised Resellers.
iPhone 5s will be available in the UK for a suggested retail price of £459 (£382.50 ex VAT) for the 16GB model and £499 (£415.83 ex VAT) for the 32GB model, and an iPhone 5c 8GB model will be available for £319 (£265.83 ex VAT). iOS 8 will be available as a free software update starting on Wednesday, September 17. Some features may not be available on all products. Apple Pay will be available to US customers as a free software update to iOS 8 this October.
¹ Apple Pay will be available to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers in the US as a free update to iOS 8 this October.
² LTE, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling are available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
³ Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
