Quick Facts – The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

The Apple Watch seems like it’ll be yet another success story for Apple, but the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have not been met with the same enthusiasm usually demonstrated by fans of the tech giant. Many are saying that the latest incarnation of the smartphone just marks Apple catching up with Android, rather than showcasing new innovations, other than in very specific features such as Apple Pay. Apple beg to differ.  Below we explore some of the features being offered by the new models, to help you make up your mind:

• New sizes – the iPhone 6 offers a 4. 7 inch screen and is a mere 6.9mm thick. The iPhone 6Plus offers an even bigger screen – 5.5 inches – and is marginally thicker at 7.1mm; it aims to find a home in the ‘phablet’ market. The screens are not only bigger, however – Apple states that the Retina HD display is their best yet with the 6 boasting a resolution of 326ppi and the 6Plus 401ppi. High contrast combines with accurate colour display – Apple are keen to showcase their prowess in creating the best user viewing experience.

• iOS 8 was developed alongside the new, larger phones and the interface is designed to allow comfort and ease of use on both models. It will be interesting to see how well this works, especially given that Apple have created their reputation on intuitive technology.

• Poor battery life has been a bugbear for smartphone fans since the outset, and is something that Apple hope to have addressed in their latest work. Despite utilising desktop-class architecture and an A8 chip, Apple state that the new phones will provide good battery life, with the 6 lasting 10 days on standby and the 6 Plus 16days on standby.

• Apple Pay. For some time now, it has been rumoured that Apple wants to revolutionise the way in which we shop and with the launch of iOS 8 and the 6, they are showcasing their strategy. The Pay facility for iPhone allows users to pay for good securely (in shops which support the technology) by confirming user identity using fingerprint recognition. All users need to do is register their details and hold their iPhone near to a contactless reader with one finger on Touch ID. It will also be possible to use Apple Pay for purchases in various third party apps.

It remains to be seen how well the iPhone 6 and 6Plus will be received by smartphone fans, so we will have to take a wait-and-see approach to determining whether joining the phablet race will win Apple more customers, or whether it will alienate fans of the traditional iPhones.