The Apple Beat: One Year Later - Grading the iPhone 6

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The one-year old iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus still look and feel like best in class devices (never mind that new ones are a month away). The iPhone 6 Plus is a particularly strong device and personally one I keep returning to, specially for work.

In the ongoing chess match that is the smartphone industry, Apple’s move towards larger iPhones last year, seemed like a come from behind move. The industry, which originally ridiculed the larger phablet sizes, seemed to have fallen head over heels with larger devices led by Samsung’s Note line, which was by far the device to beat in the premium large smartphone line.

The iPhone 6 Plus was an expected surprise. The largest iPhone ever at 5.5-inches, it featured a vibrant 1920x1080 resolution Retina Display plus the most advanced processor, camera sensor and battery available on any portable Apple device. 

The iPhone line, which in the previous year had bifurcated into the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, now had two additional sizes for consumers to consider, and iPhone users who had phablet envy now had a silver, gold, or space grey device to sate that need for a larger and longer lasting device.

Fast forward to 2015 and most of the leading smartphone manufacturers have played their device cards for the year. HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola and many others have pushed out new premium smartphones with incredible multi-core processors, copious amounts of RAM, better cameras, larger batteries, higher-resolution displays and higher-quality materials and designs.

Still best in class

The one-year old iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus still look and feel like best in class devices (never mind that new ones are a month away). The iPhone 6 Plus is a particularly strong device and personally one I keep returning to specially for work.

The large 5.5-inch display was unwieldy at first, but it proved its mettle through time. The battery life is stellar and makes it a viable device for travelling and covering events, trade shows or conferences.

I’ve also learned to rely on the iPhone 6 Plus extensively for shooting photos and videos and it is my weapon of choice for liveblogging or live tweeting an event because I can grab and share images quickly and I know the quality will be good.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the iPhone 6 Plus, more than any other iPhone before it, has become the epitome of a handheld computer. Not just in terms of power and connectivity, which are superb, but because it can stand alone as the only device you need to get certain things done. E-mail and social media are a breeze, photography and video are second to none and the larger-sized display makes it possible to run serious content creation apps like Microsoft Office, mobile Photoshop and many others.

iPhone 6 vs the industry

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have been such huge products for Apple that they literally changed the game. By offering larger, more powerful smartphones, Apple regained market share while competitors like Samsung were forced to pivot their competing products to be more iPhone 6-like.

It seems that the iPhone 6 Plus was a decisive move from Apple, one that succeeds in disturbing competition enough that they’re now trying to copy many of its features and functions while abandoning their own product’s key strengths.

What’s next?

Now that we’re on the cusp of an iPhone 6 S and iPhone 6 Plus S refresh, these flagship iPhones can only get better. Apple is expected to focus on improving the camera (perhaps a 12-megapixel sensor, improved optics and stabilization, updated iOS 9 camera software), reinforcing the materials and tensile strength to make the thin iPhone’s a bit more resilient to bending and there’s talk of getting Force Touch functionality on flagship iPhones which should add even more functionality to various apps.

The timing of Apple’s event next month is key. Many smartphone buyers coming off old contracts have time to wait and decide if they want to invest in the new iPhone 6's. Apple also has the advantage of owning its own news cycle as there aren't any major competing products expected to launch in the coming months (save for the new Nexus smartphones, which are usually initially in very short supply). 

The path is clear for the next iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models to continue to make an impact, gain market share as well as entice switchers provided it can bring enough innovation, new features and experiences to the market.