Adapting to change: a review of Apple's larger 4.7-inch iPhone 6 vs. the smaller 4-inch iPhone 5s

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  • Reply 41 of 281
    rwesrwes Posts: 200member

    THANKYOU (for writing this)!!! I am not alone!

     

    A number of (good/great) friends (who are mostly iPhone users) have called me "crazy" because I prefer my 4" iPhone 5 over my 4.7" iPhone 6. I hope the 4" is kept in the lineup with upgraded internals in the future. I'm only at 2.5 full days with my 6, but I'm really not a fan of the size.

     

    If the iPhone 5s had seen upgraded internal components to match the 6 and 6 Plus and the only difference were the screen size (and maybe thickness) I probably would have returned my 6 by now. Like others, if I want something bigger, I grab my iPad; if I need to do more, I've got the laptop. I understand it's great for people who have just 1 device, or maybe even just two (phone & laptop/desktop) but for others, "blah"!

     

    #firstworldproblems

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post

     



    You jest with the name but I think an iPhone mini really could happen. Apple will be gathering stats right now, watching who is and who is not buying the new models. I wonder if they might see a drop off in sales to female customers and that might lead to the introduction of a mini.




    And maybe not a drop of in sales, but customers going with the 5s 32GB. I was considering returning the 6 for the 5s; if it weren't for Apple Pay, improved camera, processor and radios... :(

  • Reply 42 of 281
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post

     



    My wish:

     

    An iPhone 5 Plus, i.e., an iPhone 6 Plus inside an iPhone 5 case (not 5c or 5s)

     

    Right shape. Right size. Right functions. IMO.

     

    Like, why would I buy hockey gloves when the only game I play now is golf?


    I already said the exact same thing, back before the iPhone 6 release. (I had wished they might include such a thing in the new line-up)

    Oh well.

  • Reply 43 of 281
    I love the fact that alot of the more negative posts are comments on what sizes or products they don't want and why.
    Like Apple has given them a problem by giving them more choice.
    AI's covert Apple haters are really having to scrape the barrel as each manufactured 'problem' is solved or disproved.
  • Reply 44 of 281
    rwesrwes Posts: 200member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SirLance99 View Post

     

     

    No, the times have changed. Tim did a great job with these new phones as the next transformation is happening right now. In 5 years, everyone will laugh at how small the first iPhones were.




    In 5 years, our hands will not be any bigger than they are now and the 4" though smaller will still fit more comfortably... though our eyes will be more strained. Hopefully, in 5 years, the geniuses (@ which ever company) have come up with something else that we care to use instead of 4"-6" slabs of glass.

     

    Rollout displays like the little 'devices' in iRobot and a few other movies maybe?

  • Reply 45 of 281
    bbhbbh Posts: 134member
    My goodness, what whining! It's different...it's bigger. You will get used to it. The pluses outweigh the negatives, IMHO. I went from a 4S to a 6. Worlds of improvement. Change is often stressful, but life does go on....
  • Reply 46 of 281
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SirLance99 View Post

     

     

    No, the times have changed. Tim did a great job with these new phones as the next transformation is happening right now. In 5 years, everyone will laugh at how small the first iPhones were.


     

    Apple went from 3.5 to 4 and yet there are still people who are quite happy with their 3.5" phones. When Apple went to 4", those same people said that they hope that Apple doesn't phase out the choice of 4" phones because even 4" was too big but at least it was still the right size to hold and wonderful to use with one hand.

     

    So that scenario has already played out and, in some people's minds, a lot of people still prefer the 4" size.

     

    This isn't about looking back. If I were to say anything... I'd say that looking back we'll be wondering how we every used such big and clunky 5"+ phones.

  • Reply 47 of 281

    Having made the same jump, I concur with everything you have said. Personally, I don't feel like there is a huge step up in usability versus the 4" screen... the only exception that was immediately noticeable was typing. Still, the capabilities of the newer phone, outside of screen size and usability, justify my keeping it. If there is a new 4" phone (non-dumbed-down) that is released next year, I will buy it without any hesitation. 

  • Reply 48 of 281
    Similar here. The 6 Plus is out of the question and the 6 is still too large for my hands.

    Especially when I am checking emails, messages or calling someone I always use my phone one handed with a similar "death grip". Impossible for me with the 6, as my hands are quite small. It felt so natural just getting a phone out of the pocket, check some stuff and put it back without the need of using two hands.

    But I could adjust to general two hand usage if there is no other choice.

    But the portruding camera is a absolute show stopper for me. This is unacceptable for me.

    I never used cases on my phone. Why cover the nice grip and design in some cheap plastic or whatever? Never had a busted screen or large scratches on my phone and I carry it with keys in my front pocket always.

    I understand that they needed to put in a better camera as ppl. use their phones for photography a lot. So they made a compromise here. I rarely use my phone for photos. If I take photos I carry my SLR anyway.

    I like more screen estate of course. But even the 5S didn't feel right to me. The form factor is just wrong. It feels like it should have been a bit wider. Well bought it 'cause of the finger print scan I really like to unlock for one handed usage!

    So the 6 is the natural evolution here. The 5 tried to provide more screen estate but still wanted to be a device that can be used easily with one hand. But it just felt wrong.

    The 4S was the perfect device for me so far. But the rounded edges of the first iPhone still felt superior in my hands. Still the best design an iPhone ever offered. The 3G were a no go for me, to plasticky feeling for my taste.

    So gimme a 4" iPhone, with rounded edges and all the stuff of the 6 (wouldn't mind the quality of the 6 Plus screen though). And make it a bit bigger so the camera does not portrude and I am buying one right away. Use the 0.7mm for a thicker battery or make the device heavier again. Today smartphones feel to light anyway for my taste.

    Hoping with the 6S they bring some kind of a 6C, that will just be a smaller form factor for the 6, but still be a unibody device.

    But as long as there is a portruding camera I will not upgrade. Absolute showstopper.

    I can accept the "boxed" antenna band design, even though it's quite ugly. It has grown on me seeing iPhone 6 from friends (grey looks best, white's ok and gold with the bands is just ugly)

    But the camera? Nah, wobbling on the table where it lies most of the time at work? Nah, absolute not acceptable. It would drive me crazy every time I touch it that it wobbles.

    SJ would never have allowed that...

    So my eyes are on the iPhone 7 then with the following hopes
    - rounded edges
    - camera is flush to the device
    - 4" size again.

    So fingers crossed for an update next year or more likely an iPhone 7.

    But I doubt we will ever see smart phones designed for one hand usage again. The masses decided that the "correct" way to use a phone are two hands. *sigh*

    Then at least make the camera flush and hide the antenna bands under glass again. But think "Would Steve like it?" And if the answer is yes, I probably will like it to.

    First time since 2002 that I am not happy with an Apple product (iPhone user since day one).
  • Reply 49 of 281
    I would prefer a 4 inch phone with the current design, but it is unlikely iPhone 6 internals could be stuffed in a smaller space.
  • Reply 50 of 281

    It will be interesting if the iPhone 7 series includes an 4inch model.  The would give 3 options for a top tear phone.  I too would like a 4inch iPhone 6/7

  • Reply 51 of 281
    I had similar feelings to the author. This morning I was actually thinking that for 2015, Apple should refresh the 5 and 5s with better camera and NFC Apple Pay as they should remain a standard form factor and not thought of as aging phones like the 4/4S.

    It even occurred to me that Apple should consider something radical like a spring update of the 5/5S just adding NFC and perhaps the same camera as the 6. This would give them a killer lineup and millions more quickly accessing Apple Pay that don't want a 4.7 inch phone. No reason those that want 4" should feel like 2nd class citizens.
  • Reply 52 of 281
    eriamjheriamjh Posts: 1,630member
    I can't see apple releasing a new 4" phone in the near future, but trends could mean a smaller phone than 4.7 could come later. I think the 6+ may end up being an aberration, but only sales and time will tell. Much like the 17" MBP, It could be a temporary thing.

    Making calls is only one feature of an iPhone, and, for me, the least used. Instead, it is mostly a portable computer and internet access device. I dreamed of this years ago. Today, it is reality.
  • Reply 53 of 281

    Some members have said that Apple finally listened to its customers and brought out a 5.5" phone in response.

     

    I think that if Apple was actually listening to its customers then it would have updated the 5S.

  • Reply 54 of 281
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post



    My wish:

     

    An iPhone 5 Plus, i.e., an iPhone 6 Plus inside an iPhone 5 case (not 5c or 5s)

     

    Right shape. Right size. Right functions. IMO.

     

    Like, why would I buy hockey gloves when the only game I play now is golf?


    Quote:

    Originally Posted by BobSchlob View Post

     

    I already said the exact same thing, back before the iPhone 6 release. (I had wished they might include such a thing in the new line-up)

    Oh well.


     

    I think that there are more than enough of us and if we speak loud and often enough, there is a good chance the smaller form size could be made an option. Especially if we don't become vitriolic in the process.

  • Reply 55 of 281
    I didn't have a problem with one handed operation at all with the 6, granted that was just messing with somebody's for a little bit. I'm sticking with my 5s 64gb till 6s.???? 5s is amazing !
  • Reply 56 of 281

    The happy news for your 4 inch lovers is that Apple is continuing to sell two great 4 inch phones, the 5S and the 5C.

     

    Whether they modernize those phones to take advantage of Apple's latest technology will depend on just how many 4 inch lovers there are in the market.

     

    I think the 5S was a really high point of function meets design, a kind of polished jewel of iPhones.  One reason is that the 5S is a culmination of improvements.

     

    The 6 is a jump into something new -- less polished, less refined (software glitches, new features still being worked out, protruding camera, ugly antenna breaks, etc.)

     

    I would expect the 6S to reach more the level of jewelry polish that the 5S had, personally.

  • Reply 57 of 281
    Outdated?

    Did something happen between August, when the 5S was still the #1 selling phone, and September.

    Yeah. Apple released the iPhone 6.
  • Reply 58 of 281
    I call BS. You're intentionally hiding your fingers behind the phone to make it look like you can't grip it. Of course it's harder to wield with one hand, but don't dramatize it by calling it "precarious".
  • Reply 59 of 281
    This was a great, honest appraisal of the 6 and the 5s. I find it admirable of AI to publish it.

    I look forward to trying out the 6 at the time the new iPad comes out. I, too, wish Apple would bring out the 6 design in a 4" size. I find it hard to imagine that next year their smallest offering could be 4.7".

    I suspect that if Apple bring out a 12.9" iPad, I may well go with a 5s. If they only bring out an updated Air, the 6 may win me over.

    Indeed. With a bigger iPad, a bigger phone screen seems unnecessary for many. Luckily, even with a fairly thick case on my iPhone 6, I am still able to hold it via a "death grip" in my hand. I can empathize with the author in that holding your phone in this manner gives you a more secure feeling. Because I could not do that with the 6 plus, I chose to go with the 6. If the author is unable to do that with his 6, but can with the (still absolutely amazing) 5s, then I can understand. I would not want to go any bigger than the 6, but we will have to stay tuned to see what Apple offers in the near future. Definitely an honest appraisal in this article, but (and I'm not too overtly trying to influence your decision) the 6 is very comfortable to hold. If you feel secure while holding it, I would definitely recommend it.
  • Reply 60 of 281
    I actually like the screen size increase on the iPhone 6, the 6 plus just seems comically big. Ive been back and forth with apple since the 4S came out with stints with each new phone but then back on to an android phone, all because of the screen size. I like a 4.7" screen which is why I really think The iPhone 6 is one of the best iPhones ever.
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