What does an iPhone consist of? What is the iPhone 6s display made of? What is the body made of?
Whatever you say, the attractive design of a smartphone is often one of the main selection criteria for many people. Therefore, Apple works hard to create a stunning appearance in all its gadgets. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail, perfection of form - even in the details. The company's developers pay close attention to ease of use. Therefore, according to the results of various surveys, the degree of user satisfaction never falls below 90%.
Dimensions
Finally, Apple has mastered a new (for itself) form factor and released the large smartphones that true followers of the brand have been waiting for. Contrary to Jobs' predictions, 4.7- and 5-inch models have become truly mega-popular.
The body length of the new iPhone is 13.81 cm, width – 6.7 cm. The plus version is an order of magnitude larger: its length is 15.81 cm and width – 7.78 cm.
In addition to record sizes for the company, the iPhone 6 series also turned out to be surprisingly thin at 6.9 mm (or 7.1 mm in the plus version). All thanks to the use of ultra-modern materials, the finest microcircuits and boards.
Exterior
Following the tradition that has developed over several years, this year Apple’s flagships have acquired high-quality aluminum cases. Whatever you say, metal cladding has always been and remains in favor among users. Holding such an iPhone in your hands, you feel a high-quality and status product. 
This time the image of the iPhone came out somewhat futuristic. Exceptionally smooth anodized aluminum sets the tone for the entire iPhone design, making this high-tech device seem like it came from the future.
It looks absolutely monolithic - all its elements are so clearly fitted. Its contours flow smoothly, and the screen is like a natural extension of the body. There are no gaps of any kind, no backlash or creaks. The button travel is quiet and precise.
To create the corporate “Apple” logo, a “smart” material was used – Liquidmetal (i.e. “liquid” metal). It is resistant to most types of damage and is capable of self-healing. So the notorious apple will retain its original state for a long time.
It is worth noting that despite the significantly increased diagonal, the sixth iPhone does not look big at all. The rounded edges visually conceal the actual size, and the exceptional thinness of the smartphone only enhances this effect.
Components
In a sense, the “sixes” represent Apple’s return to its roots, another attempt to reinterpret the glorious all-metal models that preceded it.
As previously mentioned, the body of the sixth iPhone is made of anodized aluminum alloy, 6000 series. It is both lightweight and very durable, resistant to damage and scratches. A similar material is actively used in the aircraft and automotive industries. It is simply universal, because... is not subject to corrosion and rust, even when in contact with aggressive environments. It lends itself well to processing and allows you to create fairly strong structures with low weight, with minimum thickness walls
Based on the markings, the tensile strength of this kind of alloys can reach up to 6000 kg/cm2. For greater strength, the manufacturer subjects the source material to additional thermal hardening, which significantly extends its service life.
Titanium and steel inserts are interspersed inside the alloy, in the most vulnerable places - in the center and near the antennas.
They are the skeleton for, in general, ductile aluminum.
Contrary to expectations, the iPhone did not become either dust- or waterproof. And I would really like to, since the number of “drowned people” makes up a significant part of failed smartphones.
However, in the new flagships, other problems of their predecessors were eliminated. Thus, complaints about the rapid erasure of paint on the corners and sides of colored iPhones forced the company to take action. This time, taking into account all the complaints from users, the “colored” versions of the “sixes” were painted using a more advanced method - anodizing.
It involves deep penetration of pigments into the material, under prolonged exposure to polarizing currents in a conductive liquid. In addition, an extremely durable oxide film is formed on the surface, equivalent in hardness to diamond. In the future, it prevents the pigment from “washing out” and greatly facilitates subsequent care of the gadget.
The surface of the smartphone does not fade under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, and the paint does not peel off over time. This coating is much more resistant to abrasion, and whitish streaks of scratches are less noticeable on it. True, it will not be able to protect the case from chips and dents when dropped on asphalt, tiles or concrete. If the chips are deep, everything will be clearly visible. However, a network of small scratches will go unnoticed.
In this context, the silver version is the most durable, as it is not painted. In fact, it is on it that you observe the true color of the alloy from which the case is made. And no matter how much you damage your iPhone, its surface will always remain monochromatic.
The other part of the iPhone body is the display. And this time it is made, albeit durable, but still glass. Expectations about the appearance of a proprietary sapphire display in the “sixes” did not materialize. On this moment The company has not yet managed to create a material that fully meets the high requirements. The test samples were either too thick and did not fit into the context of the “thintest iPhone.” Or the image on the screen was too dim. Therefore, we had to temporarily abandon this idea for now.
But the camera eye and the Home button are traditionally covered with high-strength sapphire glass, which is second only to diamond in terms of hardness and transparency. And since both the first and second are extremely important for the full use of the iPhone, the use of sapphire coating is absolutely justified.
Case problems
Many were extremely unhappy with the ugly plastic inserts on the back of the iPhone. If in the graphite-colored version they seem to merge with the metal, then in the silver and gold versions they quickly fade to white and become even more noticeable. 
Moreover, they are often painted blue - from jeans, when worn in the back pocket. Even the explanation that they are forced - from a technical point of view - to allow electromagnetic waves to pass unhindered to the smartphone antennas did not smooth out the overall unpleasant impression. The famous bulging camera, which became the object of ridicule from competitors, also added fuel to the fire.
Does it bend?
In pilot products, slight deformation of the case was also observed when the user sat down with the smartphone in his pocket (in essence, he sat down on the iPhone). The most vulnerable spot was the space between the volume buttons and the middle of the device. 
Competing companies and ill-wishers immediately inflated the whole company with a loud slogan: “But the new iPhone is bending!” Many videos flooded the network in which the iPhone was subjected to imaginable and unimaginable tests: deformed in presses, clamped in a vice, crushed in a blender, etc.
Although partly the problem was exaggerated and far-fetched. Still, if you set a goal, you can bend any smartphone. It is clear that in ordinary situations, a normal, sensible user who has paid a lot of money for an iPhone will never treat it this way.
The company acknowledged the problem occurred in isolated cases. If you look at the dry statistics, then out of 15 million first-wave iPhones sold, only nine users made such complaints. And all bent iPhones were replaced to avoid further consumer outrage.
This “fragility” is partly caused by the design of the case itself. This time it turned out to be record thin, despite the fact that the diagonal has grown significantly. Well, of course, the plastic strips for the antennas did not add to the overall strength of the product.
Subsequently, in a short time, the frame was strengthened in all subsequent mass series. Thus, in the weakest areas it was supplemented with special inclusions. They can be seen with multiple magnification - these are thin red veins.
In addition, Apple hastened to post an official “exculpatory” video, in which you can see the degree of load resistance of the plus version of the sixes. In laboratory conditions, using special equipment, iPhones were tested for bending and breaking. So the “experimental six” bent under a weight of 100 pounds by 3.25 mm, an analogue from competitors - Samsung flagship, sank by 4.5 mm. It is curious that the predecessor of the sixes showed where best result– 1.75 mm. After which they all remained safe and sound, see for yourself:
Other disadvantages
Another nuisance that has received wide publicity among Internet users is pinched hair. Yes, yes, you heard right. Many owners noted that during conversations, hair near the temple and beard got stuck in the narrow gap between the body and the display glass. Not expecting this, the user, having finished the conversation, removed his iPhone from his ear as usual, and with it pulled out a strand of hair or regrown stubble. Spiteful critics immediately spread the “meme” that the new iPhone could replace the owner’s razor or trimmer.
Also, according to the feelings of most owners, the iPhone 6 series turned out to be extremely slippery. Therefore, the number one problem not related to the operation of the gadget is damage from falls. The display suffers the most, because most often the iPhone lands on it, and asphalt and glass are incompatible things.
Everything would be fine if, to replace it, you didn’t have to disassemble the smartphone case down to the screws, and pay only for the original spare part - almost half the cost of the new gadget. So we strongly recommend purchasing a case. With it, the grip will be much more confident, and the case will certainly protect you from damage in case of careless falls.
By the way, regarding the display, the reviews were also not the best. Without the use of a case or protective film, the durable coating vaunted by the manufacturer - Gorilla Glass, from Corning, very quickly becomes covered with a network of micro-scratches. Especially if the user does not treat his smartphone with the most care - he carries it in his pockets or in a bag, along with keys and other similar contents.
Do you want change?
Traditionally, Apple does not pamper consumers with color variety. And this time, only three body colors are again available for choice: golden, light and dark silver.
If the colors presented by the manufacturer seem boring to you, you do not accept covers or bumpers - service centers ready to come to your aid. For an additional fee, they can repaint and “tune” a standard iPhone into a unique gadget that reflects the spirit and style of the owner. This can be not only repainting by anodizing in the desired color, but also engraving, inlay with stones, “playing” with the logo, even creating a glowing apple. 
As a rule, the device itself does not suffer at all from such manipulations. So if you want to customize the exterior of your smartphone, go for it. Moreover, this method can be used to renew a body damaged by a fall.
Today we were lucky enough to get the hottest new product of this fall for testing - the iPhone 6. Together with you, we will carefully go through the interesting features of the new product: from packaging to the price of the device. The new Apple flagship surprised and, unfortunately, not only in a positive sense. There is a lot to talk about, so let's quickly move on to the review.
Background of the issue
As an introduction, I propose to think about the iPhone 6 not as a smartphone, but as a phenomenon that, one way or another, if it hasn’t stirred up the market, will definitely do so. Let's start from the end. Now in many Apple Stores around the world, the delivery time for new items is 3-4 weeks, both for the younger model and for the older one with the Plus prefix. It is impossible to make a purchase and receive a gadget today, even though insiders reported that Apple has occupied almost all cargo airlines for delivering batches of new smartphones to its warehouses in Europe, Asia and America. It is also very difficult to go to any Apple Store abroad and buy an iPhone 6 there. I’m generally silent about the older version. I felt all the sadness of the situation from my own experience when I was present at the start of sales in Berlin. I’ll talk about this in a separate article.
Let's rewind time. 24 hours after the start of online pre-orders, Apple reported that they managed to “sell” a record number of smartphones to pre-orders only. This time it was reported that 4 million people booked new handsets in the first 24 hours. Considering that the company’s servers went down for a short time, you can trust this information.
Further into the past. After the end of the presentation, the Internet was filled with jokes and demotivators about the unsuccessful broadcast of the last event, laughter from the camp of Android OS fans over the backward characteristics of the iPhone 6 Plus and especially the iPhone 6. Almost all the major players did not miss the moment. Some showed off with advertising banners on the Internet, others mocked the company’s slogans on Twitter, and Samsung, as always, distinguished itself the most. The Koreans released a whole series of strange videos where they openly grinned at the company from Cupertino.
Looking at all this leapfrog, I remember one passage from the famous fable by I.A. Krylov: “And Vaska listens and eats.” While everyone is arguing, swearing and wasting advertising budgets, Apple is rubbing its hands in anticipation of the next super-profit. Even black PR is also PR. And while everyone tried to speak out, even those who had nothing much to say, the iPhone 6 went from the most anticipated to the most talked about smartphone of this year.
I deliberately carried out such a reverse chronology of events. Knowing the situation in the present, it is fun to rethink everything that happened in the past. Many desperately tried to somehow denigrate yet another “Apple” creation, but it turned out exactly the opposite. The iPhone 6 is out of stock and Chinese factories are working at full capacity to meet record demand. However, despite the general euphoria, negative aspects are really present, so I can’t wait to talk about them, so we return to our smartphone.
Packaging and equipment
As always, the product of the Californian corporation was packaged in a neat paper box made of thick cardboard, consisting of two parts. However, this time Apple clearly did something too clever. There is no beautiful and bright printing on the packaging. Instead, there is a raised copy of the front of the device. For what? Why? For what?! I don't know.
We captured the unpacking process on video, so I suggest you take a look at this action below:
In addition to the smartphone itself, the box contained a standard USB cable Lightning, Charger with a power of 1 ampere and the usual EarPods headphones with playback control buttons on the wire. Of course, there were also all sorts of pieces of paper with, so to speak, parting words from the developers and traditional stickers. There is nothing more, and we didn’t expect anything more.
Design and convenience
During the lifetime of founding father Steve Jobs, Apple ignored the market trend for increasing screen sizes portable devices. The former CEO stated that the 3.5-inch diagonal is the optimal size in terms of convenience. But Jobs is gone, and competitors with their shovel-shaped devices are already breathing down their necks. In addition, the ever-increasing battery also needs to be placed somewhere inside the case. Obviously, taking all these factors into account, Apple management made a “revolutionary” decision to increase the screen size of the iPhone. A long journey of development and technical research ultimately brought the hero of our today’s review into my hands. What can you say about the convenience of the new iPhone 6?
Yes! The iPhone 6 fits perfectly in the hand and finally has a big-eyed display. In other words, you can take it!
And yet, let's take everything into pieces. First, I will describe the elements of the case, and then we will talk about the perception of the device as a whole.
There are suddenly no elements on the top end of the device. Completely bare edge.
The traditional “Power” button has moved to the side of the smartphone and this, it should be noted, is very convenient. All this is easily explained by the increased dimensions of the smartphone. Not all users have fingers long enough to reach the top end. And in this case, the thumb fits clearly on this key.
Below the screen activation button there is a very ordinary tray for Nano-SIM. The tray can be removed as before using a special ejector included with the iPhone. Of course, you can also use a regular paper clip.
On the bottom edge of the smartphone there is a 3.5 mm audio output, a microphone hole, a Lightning port for connecting the supplied cable, surrounded by tiny bolts, and a built-in speaker.
The left side is equipped with a rocker key for adjusting the volume and a switch for silent mode above. Everything here is already familiar to us. The button travel is very clear and pleasant.
Let's move on to the back of the smartphone. Here the plastic inserts between the metal parts of the body immediately catch your eye. Under these strips are hidden antennas responsible for wireless communications. Just like in HTC One. In the latter, the design of the antennas is very close to that in the iPhone, but they look much more organic in the Taiwanese brainchild.
I don't understand why these inserts are so wide. Maybe this is explained by the design features of the smartphone, or maybe Apple's leading designer Jony Ive likes it this way the most. I think that it looks tacky against the backdrop of elegant fonts and the inscription “iPhone” on back cover. It's like strips of duct tape.
In the middle of the back cover there is a traditional bitten apple icon. Even before the presentation, there were rumors that it would be made of the so-called “liquid” metal, for which Apple acquired a patent a long time ago (back in 2010). It is impossible to check the presence of this alloy in the iPhone 6 without special equipment and detailed technical specifications, so we will leave this question to the conscience of specialists. I'll just remind you that main feature This material has unprecedented strength. In these and other parameters, this material outperforms even titanium.
Let's return to our sheep. At the very top of the back surface of the iPhone there is a two-tone flash and, of course, the camera eye, which has already become the subject of scandals.
The bottom line is that Apple was accused of hiding this fact, since some official photographs from the company’s website do not show the protruding lens of the photo module (iSight Camera).
The fact that the camera's eye seriously protrudes above the surface iPhone cases 6 is strange to say the least. Moreover, when the smartphone lies on a flat surface, when you press the upper left corner of the smartphone, it wobbles, that is, the device lying on the surface has only three points of support: the camera eye and two lower corners. If it were four, I would lie flat. For any other company, such a feature is quite forgivable, but not for Apple, whose engineers and designers bring any of their products to an uncompromising level.
Between the camera and the flash there is a hole for the second microphone, which is covered with a fine mesh.
Things are looking much better ahead. Firstly, the smartphone screen is covered with tempered glass with an anti-glare filter and oleophobic coating. And secondly, the edges of the glass are beveled, which is why they form a pleasant roundness to the touch.
We first saw a similar design in Nokia Lumia series smartphones. What can I say, swiping across the screen has now become even more enjoyable. The gap between the metal body and the glass is slightly noticeable only in a few places: on the bottom and top ends of the device. This is not critical at all.
Above the display there is a peephole for the front camera (FaceTime Camera), under which there is a slot for the earpiece. On the side there are holes for the distance sensor and ambient light sensor.
We're done with the description, so let's move on to general impressions. How does the new iPhone 6 feel in your hand? The device fits perfectly in any palm and is perceived as a thin piece of metal. The weight is felt, and it's nice. The same 5S, due to its lightness, somehow gets lost in the hand.
In the carmen, the six is practically not felt. Due to the rounded edges and very smooth, but still matte metal, the device is very slippery.
It costs nothing to drop it from your hands, so be careful.
However, I new design didn't like it. Rounded edges and wide stripes ala Adidas pants make the new iPhone 6 seem somehow not serious. This is not the daring and status-conscious 5 or 5S with its straight shapes and chopped edges.
Due to the large display and sloping design, the 6 is perceived as some kind of Android, only in a high-quality metal case. When you use it, you look at iOS 8 on the large display and think: “No, it seems regular iPhone" Some kind of mixed feeling.
Display
The iPhone 6 screen is a sandwich of four layers: a backlight sheet, an IPS matrix, a polarizing filter and strained glass. Of course, there is no air gap between these layers.
If with IPS and protective glass everything is clear, then a polarizing filter should be interesting. In fact, the screen does not fade in the sun and remains highly readable. According to this parameter, the iPhone 6 display, in my opinion, is one of the best.
The screen is very resistant to greasy fingerprints. And if the latter do appear, they can be easily removed with any soft cloth.
The display contrast ratio is 1400:1 and this, by the way, is exactly 100 values higher than that of the iPhone 6 Plus. The latter, by the way, loses to its younger brother only in this parameter. Otherwise, Apple’s “shovel” is better than a 4.7-inch smartphone in several respects. For detailed comparison characteristics, I recommend that you refer to the table below in the technical characteristics section.
The iPhone 6 display resolution is 1334×750 pixels. Pixel density 326 ppi. Yes, the characteristics are far from the best. Maybe Apple is saving on components, maybe they haven’t solved some problems related to rendering the interface at a higher resolution, or maybe they’re just voting to stop the race for the number of pixels per square inch. In fact, most people cannot tell the difference between FullHD (1920x1080 pixels) and QHD (2560x1440) with the naked eye.
Of course, if you look closely, the “squareness” of the fonts and the angularity of the round icons can still be detected. I repeat, only if you do it on purpose. Otherwise, this factor is not at all annoying and does not in any way negatively affect the perception of the updated display.
As for the viewing angles, they are gorgeous. The image does not fade or change color, only the brightness of the picture is lost.
Specifications iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
| Hidden text | Select Expand> | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think it will be interesting to compare the specifications of the new product with the old flagship of the company:
| Hidden text | Select Expand> | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Much hasn't changed, but key things like the camera, storage, and brains have all received major improvements. The iPhone 6 is amazingly fast. Moving your finger is an instant reaction from your smartphone. Of course, there are no traces of any lags or freezes. Applications open instantly, and photos and videos are taken even before you even realize that you have already pressed the shutter.
Camera
The front FaceTime camera can take photos at a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels or at a 1:1 scale, that is, 960 x 960. Video is recorded at a similar resolution. This is, of course, sad. Still, FullHD is already a kind of gentleman’s set in the front camera of any modern smartphone.
Apple emphasizes that the front module now transmits 81% more light than before. This contributed to improved recognition of faces in the frame. Thanks to the f/ 2.2 aperture, the shots are really bright, even in rooms with insufficient lighting.
There is a mode burst shooting(up to 10 frames per second).
The rear 8-megapixel iSigth photo module is capable of producing very good quality images in a resolution of 3264 by 448 pixels. It is reported that the size of one pixel is 1.5 microns, that is, the emphasis is on a larger size. The aperture value is f/ 2.2, which, compared to solutions from some competitors (f/ 1.8), does not look quite revolutionary.
While focusing, you can manually change the exposure threshold by moving the corresponding virtual lever. By the way, front-camera can do the same.
To take the selfies we all adore, the developers have provided for setting a timer for 3 or 10 seconds. Compared to solutions from the same LG, where the shutter can be released remotely using a voice or gesture, the iPhone 6 is perceived as a kind of dinosaur here. It's high time to come up with something of your own, do you hear, Apple?!
Image stabilization is also present in the stated characteristics, and its essence is as follows. The camera takes four pictures at short shutter speeds, and then combines the best of them into one frame, thereby removing noise, hand shake and other disgrace.
The younger six is deprived of the optical stabilization function, which is present in the extended version (Plus). In the latter case, CPU The A8, gyroscope and M8 coprocessor adjust the camera lens to compensate for unnecessary hand shake. Taking different shots at short and long exposures also helps this process. This combination helps you take clearer photos even in low-light conditions. We only have an iPhone 6 on test, which only has software image stabilization, so we’ll leave all this at the theoretical level.
In conditions of severe lack of lighting, any camera is capable of showing its true face. The iPhone 6 has no problems with this - it is not afraid of the night.
As for other photographic conditions, it is best to evaluate the quality using the example of several photographs:
In panorama mode, pictures, according to the company's developers, can reach a resolution of 43 Megapixels. This makes the file size comparable to a RAW image.
Why and who needs these numbers is unclear. However, the panoramas turn out to be very interesting, including those taken at night. See for yourself:
Video is a different story. Standard videos have FullHD resolution (1920×1080 pixels) with a frame rate of 60 frames per second.
There is a slow motion mode (Slo-Mo) already at 240 or 120 frames per second. True, in this case the resolution drops to 720p. You can also create time-lapse videos.
The iPhone 6 Plus also features cinematic video stabilization. Apple has not yet disclosed the details of using this technology in a smartphone, so we will try it if possible. Now let’s go back to the six and look at examples of videos shot on it:
The examples show that the autofocus tracking function works very well. If the subject is lost, instantaneous automatic focusing occurs. Great!
Finally, an example of a Slo-Mo video:
Software features
In this review I will not describe in detail the features of the work. new iOS 8. This topic deserves a separate article, so I will only describe what looks especially interesting on the new iPhone 6.
The most interesting features of the firmware concern the use of the new increased display space. Reaching the top row of desktop icons is quite difficult even with a large palm and long fingers. You have to either finger the iPhone in your palm, or stretch your finger to the far corner of the screen, risking dropping the device.
Apple accommodated users and provided a double tap on the “Home” button, thanks to which the upper part of the display lowers to about the middle of the screen and you can easily reach any application. The function works without glitches, recognizes touches well and is generally convenient.
On the desktop, empty space remains filled background image, and a black screen will be visible in all applications. Somehow strange and a little ill-conceived. You could probably come up with some beautiful textured background or leave a piece of wallpaper from your desktop visible there.
Secondly, you can select an increased interface size from the settings. The example is built into the operating system itself, so you can immediately understand what it will look like.
But the enlarged interface in other applications did not catch my attention, so I returned to the standard sizes.
The developers have presented a whole range of new wallpapers that look simply gorgeous on the iPhone 6 display.
The naked eye can see a single concept of the drawings that will be on Apple Watch. Dark background, beautiful flower and all that.
iPhone 6 battery
The non-removable battery capacity of the iPhone 6 is 1810 mAh (versus 1560 mAh in the iPhone 5S) at a voltage of 3.82 V. By the way, the model with the “Plus” prefix is equipped with a battery with a capacity of 2915 mAh. What a scope! However, according to the manufacturer, a simple six is capable of working for 250 hours in standby mode, 11 hours when playing video (which one is not specified), and also continuously play music for 50 hours.
I have not yet noticed a significant difference in performance between the “Pyaeska” and the sixth iPhone. One day with moderately intensive use is the ceiling for the hero of our review. The main thing is that it doesn't get worse. And it didn't get any worse.
Conclusion
In my opinion, the iPhone 6 turned out to be a mixed bag. On the one hand we all wanted big screen and fresh design. We received, as they say, in full. The screen is really good. I have no complaints about the camera, since resolution is not so important compared to the main parameter - the quality of pictures and videos. No miracles have happened to the battery yet. But the design has become somehow incomprehensible. It may take time for us to digest the new concept and enjoy the changes, but for now I vote for the iPhone 5S. His appearance was much more mature and respectable.
Should I buy an iPhone or not?
The starting price of the iPhone 6 with 16 GB is 31,990 rubles. The economic situation and the dollar exchange rate are all clear. In my opinion, it’s expensive, but tolerable, so if you want to buy a new product, then you need to buy it. The older model with 128 GB of memory will cost 41,990 rubles and this is already inadequate. For that kind of money, even the latest iPhone will be of little interest to anyone.
Should I replace my old iPhone 4/4S/5/5S?
Definitely! Still, a large display makes the difference. In addition, here is one of best cameras on the market, although not the most megapixel. She takes excellent pictures at night, and this is an indicator. As for the design, you'll probably get used to it, unless, of course, it seems strange to you. I only advise you to buy some kind of case, since it’s easier to drop your smartphone out of your hands. I'm serious.
Step 1.
Ladies and gentlemen, the time is near. The iPhone 6 Plus will go on sale today or in the very near future. I would like to know what makes this huge phone special? And this is a very good question:
Apple A8 processor with 64-bit architecture.
M8 second generation coprocessor.
16, 64 and 128 GB storage.
5.5 inch 1920x1080 pixels (401 pixels per inch) Retina HD display.
8 MP base ISight camera (with 1.5μ pixels, autofocus and phase detection, and optical image stabilization) and 1.2 MP FaceTime cameras.
Touch ID fingerprint scanner in the home button, barometer, 3-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, light sensor.
Standard Wi-Fi 802.11a, as well as an NFC wireless transmitter and 20-band LTE.
Step 2.
Soon we will also have an iPhone 6 Plus smartphone with Bluetooth / NFC.
The dimensions of the new product are 158.1 mm in height, 77.8 mm in width, and 7.1 mm in thickness, and this is a size that is ahead of last year’s achievements in the 5s, where the size was 7.6 mm.
Step 3.
Just like the iPhone 5c, the iPhone 6 Plus is available in three different colors: silver, gold, and space gray. Of course, the gold model of the smartphone is more attractive.
The iPhone 6 Plus is identified by its model number: A1524.
As everyone has already noticed, both iPhone 6s are equipped with a camera that is noticeably raised relative to the level of the back cover. It seems that Apple was unable to reduce its size so that the back cover has one level. The lens glass may be made from sapphire crystal, but we're still concerned that this design means reduced durability.
Much like the HTC One M8, the iPhone 6 Plus includes two plastic antenna strips on the outside of the case. These bands help improve wireless reception, which may be disrupted by signal blocking from the all-metal casing.
Step 4.
It seems Apple does not want to move away from screw assembly technology and uses annoying Pentalobe screws.
Step 5.
The iSclack device will help save a lot of time; it allows you to easily separate the display assembly from the back cover of the case.
And here the first pleasant moment awaits us, there are no noticeable booby traps, and the smartphone is neatly divided into two halves.
The only small annoyance is the separation of the touch ID sensor cable, otherwise everything goes smoothly. In the middle of the case, everything is located compactly, and I would like to note that now access to replacing the display is easier, which will significantly reduce the cost of replacing it.
Step 6.
With the display assembly now removed, we get our first look at the insides of the iPhone 6 Plus.
And the internal layout of the iPhone 6 Plus appears to be similar to the 5s model, but we immediately noticed the decidedly larger battery size. Based on its capacity alone, we suspect the iPhone 6 Plus will only last up to half a workday.
Step 7
The home button on the body is fixed with a metal bracket. Removing the bracket allows us to simply separate the home button from the front panel.
This design is very similar to the previous version, the modular design is very convenient, as replacement in case of repair does not take much time.
Step 8
The front camera is part of a larger cable assembly that also includes a speaker speaker. Both are on the front panel.
Step 9
Now we decided to remove the metal plate from the front panel.
There are also noticeable changes for the better, the smartphone has become more noticeably repairable, Apple has completely redesigned the concept. The home button is connected to the main board. Previously, the cables were short and fragile on the iPhone 5s, but instead Apple has made nice changes and now you can remove the Home Button without any effort - this is very pleasing!
Why did the engineers lengthen the cable on the home button, apparently to improve maintainability. Thanks Apple.
Step 10
The next logical step is to remove the battery from the iPhone 6 Plus.
The battery connector is covered with a metal bracket, which can be removed using metal pliers.
At the bottom of the battery you can find a few drops of sticky sealant, just pulling the battery is wrong, it is better to use a knife - this glue is similar to 3M Command glue.
Step 11
The overall dimensions of the battery are: 4.7 "x 1.9" x 0.13" with 43 grams of weight, mystically located on the back cover of the case.
According to rumors, the battery is rated at 3.82 V and 11.1 Wh for a total of 2915 mAh - that's almost double the 1560 mAh capacity on the iPhone 5c, and slightly larger than the 2800 mAh on its competitor Samsung Galaxy S5.
Apple guarantees talk time of up to 24 hours on 3G networks, and 384 hours of standby time.
The battery on the Plus model is larger than the standard iPhone 6's 6.91Wh and 1,810mAh battery, which explains the longer battery life despite the much larger screen.
Step 12
When opening this box, in the middle inside we found thin massive copper coils. They create an alternating magnetic field that shakes a magnet that is mounted on a pair of springs.
Step 13
The rear camera is easy to remove using tweezers.
The back of the ISight camera is marked DNL432 70566F MKLAB.
Just like the iPhone 5c, 6 Plus is equipped with an 8 megapixel base camera with parameters (with 1.5μ pixels) ƒ / 2.2 aperture. The camera on the 6 Plus has two new features: optical image stabilization and "Focus Pixel" phase-detection autofocus.
Phase detection autofocus has existed before, only now this function has appeared on smartphones. However, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are not the first smartphones, as the Samsung Galaxy S5 is ahead of its competitors.
Step 14
The base camera on the new iPhone 6 Plus definitely has image stabilization.
Step 15
Apple likes to focus on its cameras, so what lens? Let's take a closer look...
Using a plastic tool and fingers, we remove the camera body.
Step 16
A deep look at the inside of the camera's back reveals just what we expected: a small lens.
Under the lens we see the camera matrix.
The key feature that sets this camera apart from the standard iPhone 6 is the optical image stabilization. The lens on the left is housed in a tiny metal cage that is oscillated back and forth by electromagnetic coils surrounding the sensor on the right.
Constant readings from the M8's gyroscope and motion coprocessor give the iPhone 6 Plus detailed data on the movements of your shaky human hands, allowing it to compensate for the fast-moving lens assembly. The result: clear, bright photos, even in low light conditions.
Step 17
We'll have to spend a little time, and we'll extract motherboard, which is tightly attached to the back of the case with several screws.
But before finishing, we disconnected the cable from the antenna connector and the board.
Step 19
Let's find out which chips are on the front side of the motherboard:
A8 APL1011 Apple SoC + Elpida 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM (labeled EDF8164A3PM-GD-F) – processor.
MDM9625M Qualcomm - LTE modem
Skyworks 77802-23 Low Band LTE PAD.
A8020 Avago High Band PAD.
A8010 UltraAvago High Band PA + FBARs.
TQF6410TriQuint 3G EDGE - Power amplifier module.
MP67B 6 InvenSense - Axial gyroscope and accelerometer Combo.(black).
Step 20.
What other chips are on the front of the board:
Qualcomm QFE1000 – chip to reduce power consumption when operating LTE.
RF Micro Devices RF5159 – antenna module switch.
Skyworks 77356-8 - medium PAD range
Step 21
Now let's turn over the motherboard that is there.
SK Hynix H2JTDG8UD1BMS 128 GB (16 GB)– SSD drive.
Murata 339S0228 - Wi-Fi module
Apple/Dialog338S1251 -AZ Power Management IC
Broadcom BCM5976 - touch controller
N XP LPC18B1UK ARM Cortex-M3 microcontrollers, known as the M8 motion coprocessor.
NXP 65V10 NFC + Secure Element module(probably contains an NFC controller inside the NXP PN544.
Qualcomm WTR1625L - radio transceiver (black).
Step 22
More other chips from the back panel of the motherboard:
The traditional September acquaintance of the world public with the new iPhones, which took place on the 9th, passed with almost no surprises. All the rumors about new iPhones confirmed, including the main one: Apple abandoned the 4-inch screen diagonal, which has remained unchanged since 2012. In addition, we now have two diagonal options: 4.7 and 5.5 inches, which also looks like a revolution. On the other hand, Apple already last year began to expand the line and make it more diverse by releasing a plastic version of its smartphone. This time they decided to delicately forget about plastic experiments (apparently iPhone sales 5c turned out to be far from what Apple expected) and relied on a larger screen. How correct was this bet?
Judging by sales - more than. Over the first weekend, more than 10 million devices were sold (we are talking about both models - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus). Apparently, the excitement will not subside. However, queues in front of the Apple Store and other signs of general madness accompany the beginning of the journey of each new iPhone. So it would be surprising if things turned out differently this time.
We decided to look closely at the new product and use our methodology as thoroughly as possible. The first article will focus on the iPhone 6, in the second we will study the iPhone 6 Plus.
Video review
First, we suggest watching our video review of the Apple iPhone 6 smartphone:
Now let's look at the characteristics of the iPhone 6.
iPhone 6 Specifications
- Apple A8 SoC @1.4 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture)
- Apple M8 motion coprocessor (includes accelerometer, gyroscope and compass)
- GPU PowerVR GX6650 (supposedly)
- RAM 1 GB
- Flash memory 16/64/128 GB
- Map support microSD memory absent
- Operating system iOS 8.0
- Touchscreen IPS, 4.7″, 1334×750 (326 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
- Cameras 8 MP with a pixel size of 1.5 microns and an aperture of ƒ/2.2 (filming video Full HD 30 or 60 fps) and 1.2 MP with an aperture of ƒ/2.2 (filming video at 720p)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Communication: GSM, CDMA, 3G, EVDO, HSPA+, LTE
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 3.5 mm headphone and microphone jack, Lightning
- Li-polymer battery 1810 mAh (estimated)
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, iBeacon positioning technology support
- Compass
- Dimensions 138.1×67.0×6.9 mm
- Weight 129 g
So, the main features: thickness (less than 7 mm), new SoC Apple A8, new maximum amount of internal memory (128 GB) and, of course, a larger screen with a new non-standard resolution, but the same (like the iPhone 5/5s/5c) pixel density.
For clarity, we have collected the main characteristics of the new products in a table, supplementing it with the characteristics of the iPhone 5s and one of its main competitors - Sony Xperia Z3.
| Apple iPhone 6 | Apple iPhone 6 Plus | Apple iPhone 5s | Sony Xperia Z3 | |
| Screen | 4.7″, IPS, 1334×750, 326 ppi | 5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi | 4″, IPS, 1136×640, 326 ppi | 5.2″, IPS, 1920×1080, 440 ppi |
| SoC (processor) | Apple A8 @1.4 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture) | Apple A7 @1.3 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 @2.5 GHz (4 Krait 400 cores) | |
| GPU | PowerVR GX6650 | PowerVR GX6650 | PowerVR SGX 6 Series* | Adreno 330 |
| Flash memory | 16/64/128 GB | 16/64/128 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16 GB |
| Connectors | Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack | Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack | Micro-USB (with OTG and MHL 3.0 support), 3.5 mm headphone jack | |
| Memory card support | No | No | No | microSD |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 3 GB |
| Cameras | rear (8 MP; 1080p video recording) and front (1.2 MP; 720p video recording and transmission) | rear with optical stabilization (8 megapixel; 1080p video shooting) and front (1.2 megapixel; 720p video shooting and transmission) | rear (8 MP; video recording 1080p 30 fps and 720p 120 fps) and front (1.2 MP; video recording and transmission 720p) | rear (20.7; 4K video shooting), front (2.2 MP) |
| Support for LTE networks (frequency ranges, MHz) | 2100 / 1900 / 1800 / 850 / 2600 / 900 | 2100 / 1900 / 1800 / 850 / 2600 / 900 | 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 | |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 1810 | 2915 | 1570 | 3100 |
| operating system | Apple iOS 8 | Apple iOS 8 | Apple iOS 7 (upgrade to iOS 8.0 available) | Google Android 4.4 KitKat |
| Dimensions (mm)** | 138×67×6.9 | 158×78×7.1 | 124×59×7.6 | 146×72×7.3 |
| Weight (g) | 129 | 172 | 112 | 152 |
* - presumably
** - according to official data from manufacturers
Judging by the table, an interesting picture emerges: Sony Xperia Z3 in all respects better devices Apple! And even the hugely expensive iPhone 6 Plus (in official Russian retail it will cost from 36,990 rubles) is inferior to the Android flagship in almost all respects.
But, firstly, it is impossible to directly compare the characteristics of an Android smartphone and an iOS device, which we have repeatedly said, and secondly, in the case of Apple products, details are very important - for example, in the case of a camera, this is not only resolution, but also those specific technologies that are implemented both at the hardware and software levels. But we’ll figure out how useful they really are.
Equipment
Smartphones are sold in white boxes, the top surface of which is completely white, that is, without a picture, but the contours of the smartphone protrude slightly (they seem to be squeezed out from the inside).
It looks very strange, because it seems that there was a picture, but it was peeled off. Why they did this is a mystery. After all, Apple boxes have always looked very attractive. And here...
As for the configuration, there are no surprises here, everything is traditional and similar to the iPhone 5s.
Design
After the presentation of the iPhone 6, opinions on the design of the new product were divided: some liked the abandonment of straight edges in favor of rounded ones, others were disappointed.
However, for some reason, both of them forget that Apple has already used a similar design once - in the latest generation iPod touch. True, the new iPhones are larger, and they have plastic insert strips that are necessary to avoid problems with cellular communication.
As a matter of fact, it is these stripes that look like the most controversial element of the new design. Even painted the same color, they still catch the eye.
Another feature that can be written down as a minus rather than vice versa is the protruding rear camera. After the presentation and before the iPhone 6 went on sale, everyone was wondering: is it performing or not? The fact is that in some renders the camera did not perform. However, in reality it still rises above the rear surface.
Now let's talk about the location of buttons and connectors. Their set is similar to the iPhone 5/5s/5c, but the placement and shape are different. The main innovation: the power button has moved from the top edge to the right. Taking into account the changed size of the smartphone, this is the right decision, because it is now harder to reach the top edge with your index finger than in the case of 4-inch models. But at first it causes some discomfort, since habit is a strong thing.
The button itself is not straight, like the iPhone 5s, but slightly curved along, similar to the edge of a smartphone. And, like the camera, it protrudes slightly above the level of the edge. However, accidental presses are unlikely because the button is quite tight. When pressed, it makes a characteristic sound.
The volume buttons have similar qualities. Unlike the iPhone 5s, they have an oblong shape. The location is quite convenient. On the same side there is a mute lever, which performs the same functions as in previous models.
The top edge is free of connectors and buttons, and at the bottom we see a Lightning connector, speaker holes, a microphone hole and a 3.5 mm headset jack.
Let us note another very important design feature of the iPhone 6, which is clearly visible in the above photo. The glass of the screen is rounded at the edges, which, coupled with the rather narrow frames around the screen, creates the feeling that the screen seems to be closer to us than on the iPhone 5s. It is clear that this is an illusion, but it is very pleasant; at first you get real pleasure from working with the iPhone 6 after the iPhone 5s.
Summarizing my impressions of the design, I would say that the appearance of the iPhone 6 does not evoke delight and a passionate desire to own it, but once in your hands, it gives extremely positive emotions. Thanks to the rounded edges, the iPhone 6 fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, and the dimensions, in my opinion, are optimal. All the buttons are easy to reach, the device fits perfectly into any pocket, but at the same time the feeling after switching from the iPhone 5s: “Wow, how convenient, and how could I use a smartphone with such a small screen before!” The photo above shows the ratio iPhone sizes 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (from left to right). And it is the iPhone 6 that seems to me to be the best option for a medium-sized male hand, especially if you plan to carry the smartphone in a jeans pocket or in a holster.
Screen
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (Nexus 7 on the left, iPhone 6 Plus in the center, iPhone 6 on the right, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the iPhone 6 is noticeably darker (brightness according to photographs is 96 versus 108 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the iPhone 6 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, no worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed on the entire screen, the maximum brightness value in the center of the screen was 590 cd/m², the minimum was 5.8 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at an excellent level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (located above the front speaker slot). IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. If you simply turn on this mode, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 5.8 cd/m² (a little dark), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 100-160 cd/m² (suitable), in very in a bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 530 cd/m² (not the maximum, but enough). In the case of average illumination, the established screen brightness is lower or higher depending on whether the external illumination previously increased or decreased (that is, there is pronounced hysteresis). As a result, the auto-brightness function works more or less adequately. Also, after turning on the auto-brightness function, you can move the brightness slider, which will make some adjustments. For example, we found that when brought to the maximum, the brightness remains close to the maximum value in any conditions; if you move the slider to the middle of the scale, then in the dark and in dim light the established brightness increases, while the hysteresis increases greatly, which leads to strange results. Conclusion - it's better not to interfere. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.
IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is used. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
Traditionally, for iPhones, many dust particles are found in the layer of filler adhesive between the outer glass and the matrix:
If they exist anyway, then the manufacturer could entertain users who have a microscope by adding some microbugs or other interesting microscopic specimens.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which iPhone screens 6 and Nexus 7 display the same images, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forced to switch to 6500 K. The white field is perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
Color reproduction is good and colors are rich on all three screens. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, and the contrast was preserved on high level. And a white field:
The brightness of the screens at an angle decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the iPhone 6 the drop in brightness is less. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened slightly and acquires a purple tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in perpendicular to the plane screen direction is approximately the same!):
And from another angle:
Note that the black brightness of the Nexus 7 is still lower in these two photos. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is excellent:
Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) for a screen on IPS matrix very high - about 1250:1 (although lower than the declared “standard” of 1400:1). The response time for the black-white-black transition is 26 ms (14 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 40 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.22, which is almost equal to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve minimally deviates from the power-law dependence:
Of course, there is no dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image. This is very good, and can be set as an example for many other mobile equipment manufacturers.
The color gamut from a practical point of view is equal to sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:
As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is very good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, ΔE and color temperature change little from hue to hue, which has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gap in the layers of the screen, excellent uniformity of the black field, high stability of black to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane, an ideal gamma curve, high contrast, sRGB color gamut and good color balance . We get, perhaps, the best option mobile device screen. But did anyone expect anything different?
OS and software
iPhone 6 ships with the iOS 8 operating system. After its announcement at WWDC, we described the main innovations, so we will not list them again, but we will note several features that catch your eye during everyday use. Even if they are not so important, they can overall affect the experience of using iOS.
Firstly, in mail you can now delete messages with one swipe. Previously, swiping from right to left was only the first step, after which you had to click on the red Delete square. Now one swipe is enough.
Secondly, when we double-tap the Home button, we now see circles at the top of the screen corresponding to the contacts we have recently called. You can click on a contact and the call and SMS icons will appear. That is, it is no longer necessary to go to Phone; you can contact a person directly through the desktop.
Thirdly, in the Camera application it is now available handy tool exposure adjustments. Click on the area where we want to set the focus (as before), and see a small sun-shaped icon next to the focus square. To adjust, simply move your finger up or down on the screen, thus lightening or darkening the future photo. Comfortable. But sometimes this function is turned on when trying to switch from photography to video recording (remember that this was also done by swiping across the screen).
Fourthly, the photos that we deleted are now stored in a separate folder for another 30 days, that is, we still have the opportunity to change our minds and return the deleted photos.
And the last feature (of those that we will list), currently relevant only for the iPhone 6 Plus, but also a software property. iOS now has a horizontal home screen orientation mode! Wow!
This, of course, is not all the innovations in iOS 8. But this is what users will likely encounter when getting acquainted with the new operating system and what they are guaranteed to use. We'll talk about some other software features of the new iPhones in iPhone review 6 Plus.
Performance
iPhone 6 runs on Apple A8 SoC. As before, Apple does not particularly spoil us with information about its SoC, telling us only that it is made using a 20 nm process technology and has 20% greater CPU performance compared to the Apple A7. And graphics performance, according to Apple, has increased by 50%.
Whether it is true or not, we will check. As competitors, we took the latest Android flagship Sony Xperia Z3, Nvidia Shield Tablet and iPhone 5s, updated to iOS 8 for a fair comparison. The presence of a tablet on this list may raise questions. However, we need the Shield Tablet as a carrier of the most powerful (at least until the release of the Apple A8) Tegra K1 single-chip system in terms of graphics.
Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. In all cases, on Apple devices we used Safari browser from iOS 8, and on Android - Google Chrome.
Judging by browser tests, Apple's promises about the 20% CPU superiority of the new SoC over the Apple A7 are quite true. In addition, the significant loss of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 is indicative. But the Tegra K1, on the contrary, took a slight lead, although only in two out of three tests.
Now let's see how the iPhone 6 performs in Geekbench 3, a multi-platform benchmark that measures CPU and RAM performance.
As you can see, in single-core mode, the Apple A8 outperforms other SoCs, although the gap over the Apple A7 is not so great. But in multi-core mode, Tegra K1 takes the lead!
The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used GFX Bench, Bonsai Benchmark and 3DMark.
Let's start with GFXBenchmark. In the table below, the Offscreen tests mean displaying a 1080p image on the screen, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen mean that the image is displayed in exactly the resolution that matches the device screen resolution. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests are indicative from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.
| Apple iPhone 6 (Apple A8) |
Apple iPhone 5s (Apple A7) |
Sony Xperia Z3 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) |
Nvidia Shield Tablet (Nvidia Tegra K1) |
|
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan | 29.4 fps | 24.6 fps | 12.3 fps | 29.8 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan (1080p Offscreen) | 17.8 fps | 12.9 fps | 11.2 fps | 31.2 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex | 51.2 fps | 40.6 fps | 29.4 fps | 56.5 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen) | 42.7 fps | 28.7 fps | 27.7 fps | 66.0 fps |
So, we see that the performance of the Apple A8 is indeed better than that of the Apple A7 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (see Offscreen tests, since the resolution Sony screen Xperia Z3 is higher than iPhone 6). However, they are all seriously inferior to the Tegra K1.
The next GPU test is 3DMark. We present the results for the Ice Storm Unlimited mode (simpler modes are not interesting for evaluating such powerful GPUs).
Here the picture is generally similar: the result of the iPhone 6 is better than that of the previous model, but significantly worse than that of the Tegra K1 and even slightly worse than that of the Sony Xperia Z3.
Finally, let's look at the tablet's results in Bonsai Basemark.
As you can see, in this test all devices reached (or almost reached) the ceiling. That is, there is no difference between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s, just as there is no difference between other devices.
Summing up the iPhone 6 performance testing, we can make two thoughts. First, Apple is no longer the record holder. Yes, the new chip is faster than the previous one, and in some tests it outperforms its competitors. But the situation that existed two generations ago, when Apple’s SoC was the undisputed leader in GPU benchmarks, simply leaving no chance for competitors, no longer exists. Secondly, even for the most modern games The performance of the Apple A8 is more than enough. And this, strictly speaking, makes the balance of power with competitors not so important, since it is clear that game studios will optimize their products for specific device, given its capabilities.
Autonomous operation
Capacity iPhone batteries 6, judging by unofficial information, has increased slightly compared to the iPhone 5s. But besides this, the manufacturer promises us higher energy efficiency of the Apple A8. We tried to check this, not only in tests, but in everyday use. Previously, the author used an iPhone 5s, and the battery ran out at the end of the day, meaning the smartphone had to be charged at night. In the case of the iPhone 6, this period increased to one and a half days, and the smartphone was used very actively - not only for everyday tasks, but also for downloading applications from App Store, working with benchmarks, etc. So we can confidently say that the duration battery life- really strong point iPhone 6.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Apple iPhone 6 | 1810 mAh | 16:30 | 9:30 a.m. | 5 h. 15 m. |
| Huawei Mate 7 | 4100 mAh | 20:00 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 25 minutes |
| Vivo Xplay 3S | 3200 mAh | 12:30 pm | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Oppo Find 7 | 3000 mAh | 9:00 a.m. | 6 hours 40 minutes | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22:10 | 13:20 | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17:20 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Acer Liquid S2 | 3300 mAh | 16:40 | 7:40 a.m. | 6:00 am |
As for our traditional tests, the new product also performed very well in them. Among compact format smartphones, this is one of the most “long-lived” options!
Communications and mobile internet
Another joy from the series “we didn’t expect, we didn’t guess” is the improvement in LTE signal reception compared to the iPhone 5s. A simple example: in those places in Moscow where the iPhone 5s sees only the EDGE network, the iPhone 6 manages to catch LTE or 3G. In addition, the speed of operation in LTE networks (even in an area of not very reliable reception) turned out to be very decent. Below is a screenshot of the Speedtest.net iOS application. The screenshot shows that the smartphone worked in LTE networks, showing four bars out of five, and the download speed was almost 32 Mbps. The iPhone 5s received LTE in the same place with varying degrees of success.
As for telephone conversations, there are no complaints about the audibility and transmission of voice, or the confidence of reception. However, we did not conduct testing in the metro - this is a task for future testing already at more long-term use smartphone, but, according to our feelings, the situation here is at least no worse than that of the iPhone 5s, and rather even better.
Camera
iPhone 6 is equipped with two cameras, similar in resolution to the cameras of the iPhone 5 and 5s. True, the manufacturer notes the presence of a number of new technologies and capabilities (a detailed list of them can be found). We tested the iPhone 6 using our method, which allowed us to compare the results with both competitors and previous Apple models.
 |
Good sharpness across the entire frame. |
 |
Sharping is clearly visible on the wires. Noise in the shadows is handled well, but unpleasantly. |
 |
Sharpness drops noticeably towards distant shots, although very smoothly. |
 |
At the left edge of the frame you can see an area of blur. However, it does not catch the eye. |
 |
The camera practically does not handle shadows even when shooting in auto HDR. |
 |
There is practically nothing to complain about, although it is clear that dark areas cause difficulties for the camera. |
 |
On the wall, noise is processed well, but on asphalt it is too aggressive. |
 |
If you wish, you can make out license plates of cars in the distance, which is quite decent for such a resolution. But the foliage at the left edge merges. But only the left one. |
 |
And again there is sharpening on the wires and blurring on the left edge. |
 |
In general, the camera copes with foliage rather well. I would especially like to note the pleasant color rendition. |
 |
Everything is good in the photo, except for the shadows and objects in them. |
 |
|
 |
If you look, you can find a couple of uneven joints, but the camera still produces panoramas well. |
So the iPhone 6 camera appeared before us in all its glory. As before, while waiting for the iPhone 5s, there were a lot of hopes. So what do we have as a result?
But in the end we have an excellent camera performance, which, however, is not surprising. For sure, Apple knows how to “lick” its products before the announcement. The camera has good sharpness, which decreases very smoothly as you zoom out. The sharpness is uniform across the frame, but small areas of blur can sometimes be seen. However, the corners are well done. But then noises are revealed to our eyes - or rather, the work of a noise suppressor. To the eye, experienced by the cameras of current flagships, this picture may seem somewhat unpleasant. The noise reduction algorithm is good and working, but too archaic: the camera “blurs out” noise, of course, not bad, but it was “not bad” a year ago, but now it’s noticeable. And everything would be fine, we could forgive the camera for this small weakness (after all, we really don’t see noise, and the details are not so badly damaged), if not for the sharpening. Oh, this scourge of wires and cornices, which almost all flagships have already abandoned - white underlining on contrasting borders! It is worth noting that they are abandoning it for a reason, but due to improved image processing, noise reduction algorithm and, finally, the quality of optics. A simple stroke will delight few people; you need to move forward. But no, Apple apparently doesn’t think so. Having once made a great camera, the manufacturer decided to stop there, and now we have the iPhone 6 with the iPhone 5s camera. Moreover, as we found out a year ago, it is also the camera of the 5c and 5. And for the third year now we have been seeing the same module in Apple smartphones. The statement is, of course, loud, but we have no evidence to the contrary.
Well, it's not so bad. The module is really good, but if a year ago it was still competing with the flagships of other manufacturers and even winning, now it is hopelessly behind. It is not much worse, but “hopeless” is exactly the right word, reflecting three years of inaction and lack of desire for improvement. A laboratory test confirms our observations. Apparently, the flash performs a little worse in low light than in the case of the 5s. The program, which has changed somewhat with the update, probably contributes operating system. But there were no global changes. Within the limits of measurement error, we can say that the cameras 5s and 6 are identical. Sadly, the iPhone 6's camera is on average Samsung cameras Galaxy S5 and Oppo Find 7, but even when compared with the LG G3 it loses noticeably.
On the other hand, iPhone 6 photos still have their charm. If you don't look at the shadows and don't zoom in too much, the picture looks very nice. Apple's color work has always stood out from others. So the camera is well suited for artistic photography, and even more so for documentary photography. But, unfortunately, there is no “wow” effect that was there before when comparing iPhone snapshots with pictures of other smartphones.
The camera can shoot video in Full HD format. Examples of video recordings are given below.
| Video | Sound | |
| Video 1 | 1920×1080, 30 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 17.6 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Video 2 | 1280×720, 240 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 40.5 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Video 3 | 1280×720, 240 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 40.6 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Video 4 | 1280×720, 120 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 30.7 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Video 5 | 1920×1080, 30 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 17.3 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Video 6 | 1920×1080, 60 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 25.7 Mbit/s | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
The video is quite clear, but there is still some ripples. In general, the camera copes well with video shooting. This, however, cannot be said about the 120 fps and 240 fps modes, which are still nothing more than entertainment.
If it weren’t for the information on Apple’s official website, we would never have known that the camera has a 1080p video shooting mode at 60 fps. To shoot at 60 frames per second, you need to “intuitively” go into the settings menu, then go into the photo and camera settings and turn on (!) the “Record video at 30 fps” mode.
After this, the camera will shoot video at 60 fps, which will be notified by a corresponding message in its interface.
Whether the problem with the menu is a malfunctioning switch or an error in the number is unclear. In any case, going into the smartphone settings just to change the frame rate is very inconvenient.
When watching videos on a PC, problems of a different kind may arise. For example, some players flip videos 180 degrees (and a similar problem can occur with photographs), and slo-mo videos are played at a real frequency, and not slowed down to 30 fps, as expected. Although when playing on Mac similar problems are absent, but visually the slowdown, if any, is not very noticeable.
conclusions
Official sales of the iPhone 6 in Russia will start on September 26, the cost of the younger (16 GB) version in “white” retail will be 31,990 rubles. For a model with maximum memory capacity (128 GB) you will have to pay 10,000 more. We recommend focusing on the middle version - with a memory capacity of 64 GB and a price of 36,990 rubles.
Is it a lot or a little? The question is, in fact, rhetorical, because the iPhone has long been not just a practical purchase, but an element of image, personal style, and also a manifestation of affection for the Apple ecosystem. Yes, the same Sony Xperia Z3, whose global sales began simultaneously with the iPhone 6, has a lower price (2000 rubles less than the iPhone 6 with the same amount of memory) and a number of advantages (although at the same time there are a number of disadvantages - in particular, its screen is worse, despite the higher resolution). It is also logical to compare with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, whose screen diagonal is only one tenth of an inch smaller than the iPhone 6, and its dimensions are significantly smaller. At the same time, the price of the Z3 Compact is significantly lower, and the camera is better. But is it really that important? Choosing a top-end smartphone is almost always an action that is more emotional than rational (because buying a top-end smartphone is not a very rational step in principle). And Apple knows how to play on the emotions of its users and potential buyers like no other company.
There is nothing revolutionary in the iPhone 6, there is practically no wow factor here (except for the first emotion - “new iPhone!”), However, after you pick up the iPhone 6, you no longer want to go back to the iPhone of previous generations. You just enjoy the new large screen with curved glass, rounded edges... In addition, you can’t help but be glad that Apple has seriously worked on such features of the device as battery life and LTE signal reception, which was a weak point of the previous generation.
The main thing is not to have high expectations when going to a store or ordering online. There will be neither super-performance nor a fundamental improvement in camera quality compared to the iPhone 5s. It's just very good smartphone. And even with a fairly large screen.
| iPhone 6 16 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 16 GB |
| T-11031621 | T-11031637 |
| L-11031621-5 | L-11031637-5 |
| iPhone 6 64 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 64 GB |
| Average price according to Yandex.Market | |
| T-11031663 | T-11031818 |
| Offers based on Yandex.Market data | |
| L-11031663-5 | L-11031818-5 |
| iPhone 6 128 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 128 GB |
| Average price according to Yandex.Market | |
| T-11031665 | T-11031822 |
| Offers based on Yandex.Market data | |
| L-11031665-5 | L-11031822-5 |
iPhone 6 Plus, cake and iPhone 5s
It is noteworthy that during the disassembly process, a gray iPhone 6 and a golden iPhone 6 Plus were used - exactly the same colors and models as in the recent smartphone test. It's a good thing iFixit was able to get their hands on the 5.5-inch iPhone, because word is that it will be as rare as the gold iPhone 5s was last year. But let's leave the lyrics aside and proceed to the autopsy.
To be first in its business, iFixit had to purchase smartphones in Australia, the first country where sales began. This is also where the first smartphone fell from one’s hands, but that’s another story.
The design of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as noted by iFixit, is very reminiscent of the very first iPhone, also known as 2G. Model numbers A1586 And A1524 respectively. The camera does protrude, but measurements show only 0.6 mm - not much at all. As before, to open the case, you will need to unscrew two non-standard screws on the bottom end of the device, and then disconnect the display from the rest of the device. Only one cable at the top of the iPhone will completely prevent this from happening. There is no longer a cable from Touch ID to Lightning, which made disassembling the iPhone 5s difficult. By the way, all the parts inside are already screwed with standard screws.
The internal layout of the parts is similar, except that many components have expanded a little in width and become thinner. As we know thanks to spy shots, speaker and the front camera are now placed on one cable. So far everything is working out like clockwork.
Let's look at the batteries. In the iPhone 6, the battery has a capacity of 1810 mAh and a voltage of 3.82 V. It is noteworthy that different power levels are indicated on different sides. From one it is 6.91 W/h, and from the reverse it is already 7.01 W/h. The truth is somewhere near. The tablet phone uses a 2915 mAh, 3.82 V and 11.1 Wh battery. The iPhone 5s had a battery capacity of 1560 mAh. The batteries in Apple smartphones are still lithium-ion.
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
The vibration motor in the iPhone 6 Plus has moved and is now located to the right of the battery; in the iPhone 6 its location remains unchanged. The camera module can be removed easily and effortlessly using tweezers. The changes are known. These are new 8-megapixel modules. The iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization; the iPhone 6 successfully replaces it with electronics. Next, iFixit specialists remove the antennas to gain access to the motherboards of the smartphones.
So, the iPhone 6 has a system on the A8 chip labeled APL1011. Found on the board RAM LPDDR 3 produced by Hynix with a capacity of 1 GB - no miracle happened. LTE modem made by Qualcomm. Microcircuits manufactured by SkyWorks, Avago, and RF Micro Devices are also used. The gyroscope is made by InvenSense. On the reverse side we found flash memory manufactured by SanDisk. This copy has 128 GB of memory. M8 coprocessor and NFC chip with the Secure Element module were produced by NXP. The iPhone 6 uses the Cirrus Logic 338S1201 audio codec.
On iPhone 6 Plus motherboard differs slightly, but has exactly the same modules as in the iPhone 6. Accordingly, the performance of smartphones will also be absolutely identical. Apparently, the A8 processor does not care what display resolution it works with.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus received slightly modified speakers that are devoid of any markings. But now you can replace the speaker separately from other parts - this is a plus. Again, confirming the spy shots of the components, Apple placed the Lightning connector and headphone jack in one module on one cable. Also, the volume buttons and the Power button are a single part. They are connected by a fairly thin cable.
Contrary to rumors, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus did not receive protection against moisture. However, under the Power button and volume buttons there is a rubber gasket that prevents accidental splashes or debris from entering the case. This is a step forward, but getting caught in the rain with a new smartphone in your hands is still not worth it.
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
Both new smartphones received 7 points out of 10 on the maintainability scale. This is a point more than the iPhone 5s had last year. iFixit noted that it is still quite easy to separate the display, quickly change the battery, and there is no longer a cable from Touch ID to Lightning, which could easily be damaged when opening the case. There is only one disadvantage listed - the use of non-standard screws in the case. This is perhaps not the most serious problem.
By the way, all iFixit instructions for complete disassembly