Apple iPhone 6 review

The iPhone 6 was launched back in September of 2014. It's about to be replaced as the flagship Apple phone by the iPhone 6s, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth buying. The iPhone 6 is still available from Apple and many carriers at a lower price, so we've updated our review to bring you new buying advice. Is this the phone to buy, or should you go for an iPhone 6 Plus instead, or pay the extra for the new iPhone 6s? Perhaps an Android phone is a better fit. The choice of smartphones is almost endless. (See also: the 20 best smartphones of 2015)

iPhone 6 review: UK price

The iPhone 6 is the smaller of Apple's two iPhones released in 2014. It runs the latest Apple mobile operating system: iOS 9. Originally, the iPhone 6 started at £539 for the 16GB model, but now that it's a year old and a newer iPhone is available, Apple has reduced the starting price to £459. You will likely need more space than 16GB (the actual usable space is closer to 12GB which will quickly fill with apps, photos, videos and music), and the 64GB will set you back £539, but you'll thank yourself for spending the extra for that superior stoarge capacity. There was a 128GB iPhone 6 available for £699, but that model has now been removed from Apple's line-up.

To put that into context, the new, flagship iPhone 6s is priced at £539 for the 16GB model, or £649 for the 64GB model. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy S6 (which was released in March) is available for £499 for the 32GB model from Samsung. The year-old Nexus 6 is £369, while the March-launched HTC One M9 is £579. The iPhone 6 now sits in the middle of these smartphones with a £459 price tag, but remember that it's a bit older than the Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9. Also see: Best MiFi 2016.

iPhone 6 review: iPhone 6 design and build

Built around a bigger display, the iPhone 6 represented the most radical design change in the iPhone lineup since the iPhone 4 came along. At 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm it is certainly not a small phone, although it is uncommonly thin. And 129 g is very light for a large-screen smartphone: much as you would expect from Apple.

In fact, having lived with it since the launch, we've grown to love the iPhone 6. Initially, the larger screen felt enormous (not ungainly like the 6 Plus) but now it's the 4in iPhone 5 and 5S which feels 'wrong'. The 4.7in screen size has proven to be pretty much the ideal size and compromise between pocketability and usability. The iPhone 6s still has the 4.7in display, as expected. To find out where the differences between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s are, see our iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6s comparison.

We love the top-end build quality and the smooth, curved edges which join the curved edges of the screen. Disappointingly for some, the Gold model that was introduced when the iPhone 6 was launched last year has been discontinued, and is only available if you choose to buy the iPhone 6s (which also has a new Rose Gold option).

We're not so keen on the placement of the power button opposite the volume buttons, though. It's far too easy to turn off the phone when you meant to adjust the volume or take a photo. It's something you adapt to, subconsciously avoiding gripping the handset with fingers at the same height on both sides.

The other observation we can make now which we couldn't at launch is that - just like the iPhone 6 Plus - the iPhone 6 isn't really usable one-handed. It's too much of a stretch to reach all the screen with one hand, yet we've not found 'reachability' to be the answer. In fact, we only use it by accident. When you double-tap the home button, the screen slides down (as below) so your thumb can reach the things in the top half that are otherwise too far away.

The reality is that we've simply switched to a two-handed approach, holding the phone in one hand and controlling whatever is on screen with the other. At least with the iPhone 6 it isn't unwieldy and top-heavy like the 6 Plus - it's noticeably lighter and easier to handle.

iPhone 6 review: iPhone 6 display

A smartphone's display has become a key way to differentiate one high-end smartphone from another. But the specs are very far from the full story: the LG G3 has a great display not because it is a QuadHD display, but because it looks amazing.

The iPhone 6's 4.7in display is nothing special on paper. It is an LED-backlit IPS LCD, capacitive touchscreen. You get, as you would expect, shatter proof-glass with an oleophobic coating. Into this display is packed 750 x 1334 pixels, making for a pixel density of 326ppi. It's the same pixel density on every iPhone since the original 'Retina' screen on the iPhone 4. The pixels aren't packed any tighter on the iPhone 6 than on the iPhone 5, there are just more of them because the screen is 110 pixels wider and 198 pixels taller. In real terms this means that if you can tell the difference between the LG G3 and the iPhone 6 display - and we can - you will notice the change here.

Source: www.pcadvisor.co.uk