Yesterday, Apple released the newest editions of their beloved iPhones: the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Today, I'll be going on some of the general details of the phones.
Size
As you've noticed, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are both larger than the previous iPhone 5S. Compared to the iPhone 5S, with a display size of 4.0", the iPhone 6 has grown by 0.7" and gained a new Retina HD screen (we'll get to that in a moment). To put this in comparison, the iPhone 6 is the height of a Poptart. The iPhone 6 Plus, however, is 5.5", 0.4" larger than the current Samsung Galaxy S5.
Along with making the iPhones larger, Apple has managed to make the phones thinner as well. The previous iPhone 5S was 7.6mm. If you've owned or used or just looked at an iPhone 5S, you know how thick it is. The iPhone 6, however, began a dramatic diet and is 6.9mm thick. The iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1mm. The edges of the devices have been smoothed to feel very comfortable in the hand.
Retina HD Display
I mentioned before that the new iPhones include a new Retina HD screen. What does this mean? To begin, we have to look at the resolutions of the displays:
iPhone 5S: 1136 x 640
iPhone 6: 1334 x 750
iPhone 6 Plus: 1920 x 1080
Samsung Galaxy S5: 1920 x 1080
Now, with that out of the way, I want to point out that everyone has heard of high-definition displays by now. The most common resolutions that are considered hi-def are 720p and 1080p. Notice that all of the phones I listed have a resolution higher than 1080p (I'm referring to the first numbers). This means that the enormous plasma TV you have with a 1080p resolution is worse quality than any of the phones listed above. Crazy, huh?
Photos
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus include an 8MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera (remember what I said about resolution before? 1.2MP may not sound like a lot, but 1280 [this is where the 1.2 comes from; there is a decimal between the 1 and 2 in 1280 ] x 960 is!) Now, you've heard that the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 16MP rear camera. Yes, more pixels is good, but so is the quality of the pixels within the megapixel, and Apple notices this. Instead of cramming as many megapixels as they can into their devices, Apple has been working on improving the quality and depth of the pixels within the megapixels. And what about all the space those 16MP pictures are taking up on your device? I can promise you, the 8MP photos that the iPhones take will leave you with a lot more room for many more photos, while looking just as fantastic.
Apple has also been working on a new feature in the iPhones that makes the camera autofocus faster. Have you ever seen something you just had to take a picture of quickly? You whip your phone out, access the camera, and aim it at whatever you want to take a picture of. But the phone is so confused that it's not sure what to focus on. And so, you're sitting there waiting for your phone to focus in on this thing you want to take a picture of. Not with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The autofocus on the newest iPhones is faster, so no more waiting and waiting for your phone to focus in on something.
Videos
As for video recording, Apple hasn't done much to improve. The new iPhones both record in 720p using the front (FaceTime) camera and 1080p using the rear (iSight) camera. You may argue that the Samsung Galaxy S5 can record in 4K resolution. Yes, it can, but how many people own a device that can handle a resolution like that? Not many, unless you're happy sending 4K-resolution videos to your friends with other S5's, and good luck with that. Can you imagine the size of those videos? If you have time to wait for a video to send or have the money to buy extra space in your cloud storage to backup these massive videos, by all means, go for it.
In the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has introduce a newly-improved image stabilization. Have you ever tried to record something while in the car and, when you look at the video later, it's all shaky? That's because the car was moving. With the iPhone 6 Plus, there'll be no more of that. Your videos will be silky smooth.
Wi-Fi and Cellular
In the newest iPhones, Apple has upgraded the wireless networking from 802.11a/b/g/n to 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. You're probably thinking, "Whaaaa?" Well, let me clarify for you. The difference is that Apple included 802.11ac in the newest iPhones, which is 3x faster than 802.11n. Not only is it faster, but it reaches further. Ever been at some place where you have Wi-Fi in one part, but not in another part? That's because of whichever wireless router the place is using. 802.11ac extends the range of the wireless Internet. So, getting up and moving to a different part of a place won't affect you as much anymore.
As for speed, 802.11ac can transfer up to 1,300MB per second. Incase you don't know, that's 1.3 gigabytes! Per second! If your Internet is fast enough for that, of course. If not, 802.11ac will just drag out as much as your Internet provider allows. Disclaimer though: The further away from the wireless router you get, the slower the Internet will be. Think of Wi-Fi like this a fan blowing air; the fan, even on high, can only blow so far. If you're far enough away, you won't feel as much of the air as you would if you were right up in front of the fan. Wi-Fi works the same way; the further away, the less of a bandwidth (Internet speed) you can receive. Anyway, with 802.11ac on the new iPhones, you can be further away and still receive the same bandwidth as if you were closer with a 802.11n reception.
Moving on, let's talk about cellular. The new iPhones can now handle up to 150MB per second over LTE cellular data connection. Alongside that, Apple is implementing VoLTE (Voice over LTE), which takes a normal cellular call and transfers it to the LTE line. All you need to know about that is that is makes calls a lot clearer, okay? Moving on... The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are also compatible with Wi-Fi calling. Wait, what's that mean?
Wi-Fi calling, in simple terms, is switching calling from cellular to Wi-Fi and vice versa. Say you're in an area without a good call reception. For example, the ground floor of one of the buildings at my college. It has 3 other floors above it, which cuts out cellular signal. So, if someone calls me, the call quality isn't going to be that great and I may even get disconnected sometimes. However, I have a strong Wi-Fi connection. This is where Wi-Fi calling comes in. If someone has poor cellular connectivity but strong Wi-Fi connectivity, the call they're making or receiving will be transferred to a Wi-Fi connection until they have better cellular service (like stepping out of the building, for example). Currently, Apple is only working with T-Mobile in the U.S. and EE in the U.K. to implement this feature. But don't worry! Other carriers will jump on the bandwagon soon enough.
Apple Pay
The new iPhones are both equipped with Touch ID, Apple's highly reliable version of fingerprint scanning. You can use this to unlock your device, purchase material from the App Store or iTunes Store, and also use it within non-Apple apps with the release of iOS 8 next Wednesday. Not only can you use it for all of these features, but you can also use it for making purchases in-person at a store using Apple Pay.
Essentially, Apple Pay is a means of taking your credit cards, gift cards, debit cards, etc. and storing them securely in your phone. So, when you need to purchase something in a store, instead of getting your credit card out, you can just take out your iPhone, select the card you wish to use, hover it near a transmitter, and place your finger on the Touch ID button for a few seconds and you're purchase will be made. Much faster than digging through your purse for your wallet (or just taking it out of your back pocket), searching for the card you wish to use, handing it to the cashier for he or she to swipe (possibly not even once if an error occurs), the cashier handing it back, you putting the card back, and, finally, putting the wallet back into your purse or back pocket.
Important Dates:
September 12, 2014: iPhone 6 and 6 Plus pre-ordering begins at 12:01AM PST (3:01AM EST, 2:01AM CST, and 1:01AM MST)
September 17, 2014: iOS 8 official release
September 19, 2014: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus official release (pre-ordered iPhones will begin shipping, or customers can pick their pre-ordered iPhones up at an Apple retail store)
October 2014: (Date not specified) Apple Pay will be made available for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
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