Oh, it's big alright, but justifiably so

Nov 12, 2014 12:42 GMT  ·  By

I’ll be the first to admit I was shocked at how big the iPhone 6 Plus was when it arrived on my desk. I’m still baffled at how big it is, but after one month of exclusive iPhone 6 Plus usage I can confidently say it’s no longer a burden. In fact, I’ve come to like the thing so much that I’m now at peace with its overly generous proportions.

No relationship comes without compromise, and smartphones are without a doubt such an important part of our lives that you could easily say you have a relationship with your phone. Something tells me the movie “Her” isn’t too far-fetched. But I digress.

It’s clear to me now that I won’t be going back to a 4-inch screen anytime soon. Despite forcing me to think twice about what pants I’ll wear on a given day, the iPhone 6 Plus compensates in areas where my wardrobe can easily take a hit. In fact, it might even be helping me grow up and out of my hipster jeans. Jokes aside, here’s how the uber Apple smartphone has uncannily taken over my heart in the past five weeks or so.

iPhone 6 Plus held with one hand
iPhone 6 Plus held with one hand

Every app is awesome now

I didn’t realize this until very recently, but there aren’t that many apps that my brain insists on experiencing with only my left or my right hand. I still think the normal (4.7-inch) iPhone 6 offers a better one-handed experience overall, but I’m no longer at odds with the fact that the Plus sometimes forces me to get that lazy left hand out of my pocket (or out of my nose) and make a tap at the top of the display.

The Reachability function – which lets you double-tap the home button to bring the top of the GUI within a thumb’s reach – really works wonders for me. I find myself using it almost all the time now. It’s become such a habit that I now consider it the natural way to use iOS on a big screen, not just a gimmick that forced its way inside the system.

Every app that I use displays bigger and better. Well, not every app, but at least those whose developers haven’t been lazy to support the 5.5-inch spec. I’m looking at you, WhatsApp! I don’t exactly have 20/20 vision, which is why iOS 7 was a bit of a shock to my sub-pristine eyesight when it came out in 2013. iPhone 6 Plus has mended my broken heart and made me appreciate the flatter, more washed out iOS. And I feel the same about all the apps that have adopted Apple’s design direction.

iPhone 6 Plus / iPhone 6 comparison
iPhone 6 Plus / iPhone 6 comparison

Games are finally playable

I don’t know how others manage to play all kinds of games on their smartphones, but I used to have serious trouble playing most of them – even the good ones – on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 5. Angry Birds was the pinnacle of my passion for smartphone gaming, just to give you a clue. With the iPhone 6 Plus, I’m back to being the gamer I used to be. Sure, I still can’t get a decent shooter experience going, but at least I’m no longer messing up every level in Plants vs. Zombies by placing plants in all the wrong areas.

Games like Smash Hit are also more playable on a bigger screen, and the same goes for the tower defense genre, strategy titles, and even RPGs. Racing is still hard and laggy without buttons, in my humble opinion.

Hard to misplace, rings loudly, vibrates hard

The size of a phone has impacted a lot more usage factors than I’d ever imagined it would. For example, I haven’t misplaced it once in almost five weeks. It may be that I’m careful with it because it’s new or because this one’s white (as opposed to my former dark-colored iPhone 5). But I’ve never aimed for it longer than 2 seconds on a table full of junk is all I'm saying.

Because it made this phone much bigger, Apple has used the extra space to include (among other things) a bigger speaker. It's nightmarishly loud, but it’s better to have power when you need it – even if that means once in a blue moon – than to not have it at all. Plus, there’s a reason for those volume buttons.

The louder speaker has also changed a few ways I use the device. For example, I have to turn the volume all the way down to 30% when I set my morning alarm for fear of waking up every person in my flat, and the dead in the cemetery next to my building. I may be exaggerating about the deceased nearby, but I’m dead serious about the neighbors. Admittedly, we have thin walls.

The vibrator is also considerably stronger. I miss far fewer alerts when I’m walking, but I’ll admit it also rattles louder too in silent environments. Which is something I don’t care much for, but I’m taking the good with the bad. Whenever I have an incoming something, the stronger vibrator increases my chances of becoming aware.

iPhone 6 Plus pocket closeup
iPhone 6 Plus pocket closeup

A heaven for on-the-go photo shooting / viewing / editing

I know I’m stating the obvious here, but I need to get it out of my system. After all, that’s what spawned this article in the first place. Yes, the iPhone 6 Plus is quite possibly the best portable camera I’ve ever wielded. I’m no photographer, so I’m not up to the minute with the latest point-and-shooters, but what I do know is that I’m taking my best pictures ever and shooting the steadiest videos with my iPhone 6 Plus. And the slo-mo thing is just breathtaking.

Photo viewing is no longer an ordeal. I can hold the phone three feet away and still get a good look at the people in a group selfie. Same goes for when I show others the photos I took. I no longer have to stretch across the table, and the viewer doesn’t have to squint. Again, it’s an obvious implication of the bigger display, but the importance of this aspect is underrated.

Photo editing is also better. Any app I use for filters and effects now gives me a much clearer view of what I’m doing and how the full-res picture will turn out. It’s something any Instagram fan will deeply appreciate. Personally, I don’t do a lot of photo sharing, but I can appreciate casual, on-the-go photography as much as anyone.

Out fishing: after learning from the locals that there hadn't been a recorded catch in 480 years, we started to test the camera of the iPhone 6 Plus
Out fishing: after learning from the locals that there hadn't been a recorded catch in 480 years, we started to test the camera of the iPhone 6 Plus

Points out the haters better than any iPhone before it

It has to be said. I’m not the “proud” owner of an iPhone 6 Plus, but merely a user. I don’t go around telling people that they simply must own one or that they’re idiots for going with a Droid or anything that springs to mind when you think fanboyism. I like Apple and the company overall, but that doesn’t stop me from ranting against the things I don’t like in their products. Point is, I’m no preacher.

When it comes to the people I interact with on a regular basis, the iPhone 6 can bring out the hater in them better than any iPhone before it. Not everyone is a hater, of course. Some are genuinely repelled by the size, the OS, and even the design. I'm not talking about them.

I’m talking about the ones who do love the design, are amazed at the impeccable viewing experience, pick up their jaws after experiencing slo-mo, lift their eyebrows seemingly unimpressed as the fingerprint authentication kicks in, and then scream from the top of their lungs that it’s something they’d never buy. I’d be curious to visit an alternate universe where the iPhone 6 Plus cost just $200 off-contract and see what smartphone they chose there.

Was there a dire need for such a big iPhone? Probably not. I maintain that the regular iPhone 6 is much more usable and still a substantial upgrade over the 5/5s. But now that I’ve used the iPhone 6 Plus as my primary device, I can’t not appreciate how well it serves its purpose.

iPhone 6 Plus photos (12 Images)

Holding the big iPhone 6 Plus to my ear
iPhone 6 Plus / iPhone 6 comparisoniPhone 6 Plus / iPhone 6 comparison
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