Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for: Apple has just taken the curtains off its next generation iPhone – the iPhone 6, that comes with a bigger screen, more powerful processor, Touch ID, iOS 8, NFC and more.
At an on-going event in Cupertino, Apple has finally announced the iPhone 6 – as well as the larger-screened iPhone 6 Plus – and if you think you’re staring into something that looks very familiar, that’s because all the rumours and leaks we’ve been seeing over the past few months are all accurate. Well, almost. As expected, the iPhone 6 features a larger display measuring at 4.7”. It is a Retina HD display that has a resolution of 1334 x 750 – that’s a pixel density of 326ppi.
Design wise, I’m sure there are no surprises, the new iPhone 6 now comes with a brand new curved design that is slimmer than before – the iPhone 6 measures at only 6.9mm thin while the iPhone 5s measures at 7.6mm.
On the inside, the iPhone 6 is powered by a new, 64-bit Apple A8 processor that is 13% smaller than the A7 chip. But don’t judge its size because it is 25% faster than the A7 and 50 times faster than the original iPhone, and is 50% more energy efficient than previous generation chip.
The A8 chip also comes with a new M8 motion coprocessor that continuously measures motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. There is also a new barometer that sense air pressure to measure relative elevation, perfect hardware to go with the new Health app in iOS 8.
Connectivity-wise, the iPhone 6 now has a faster LTE than the iPhone 5s and supports more LTE bands than any other smartphone, offering better roaming experience for users – the iPhone 6 supports over 200 LTE carries around the world, including all three in China. It also supports Voice over LTE, and has 802.11ac Wi-Fi that is three times faster than the iPhone 5s.
Moving on to the camera, the iPhone 6 packs an 8MP iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, and an all-new sensor that uses Focus Pixels to help the smartphone focus faster and better. On top of that, the A8 chip comes with a powerful Apple-designed image signal processor that helps with both shaky hands and low light conditions.
Apple has also greatly improved things on the software side to help you take better pictures. It has faster autofocus, next-generation local tone mapping, and advanced noise reduction. Other features include burst mode that detect smiles and blinks, and better face detection for near and far.
Burst mode on iPhone 6
The video capability on the iPhone 6 has been improved as well. It has a new Apple-designed video encoder, and allows users to capture slow-mo videos at 120fps or 240fps – that’s very slow (the iPhone 5s only captures slow-mo videos at 120fps)! The iPhone 6 also comes with cinematic (read: digital) video stabilization, as well as the ability to shoot time-lapse videos.
Let’s not forget about the front camera. The iPhone 6 has improved face detection for selfies and group selfies with an all-new sensor and larger f/2.2 aperture that lets in over 80% more light. You can capture up to 10 photos per second using the new FaceTime HD camera.
Other notable features of the iPhone 6 includes iOS 8 software that allows you to add voice, video and location to any message, predictive keyboard that learns your conversation style and helps you answer accordingly, a new Health app, notification extensions from your favorite app, and many more. As with the iPhone 5s, the new iPhone 6 will also come with Touch ID on board that lets you securely and easily access content in other apps.
What about NFC? Of course there’s NFC on board, Apple is calling it a “groundbreaking NFC antenna”, and it gives users a seamless experience with the new Apple Pay. Apple Pay is Apple’s new mobile payment solution that is built right into the iPhone 6. Just add your debit or credit card into iTunes using the iSight camera and you can make payments with just a touch on the Touch ID button.
Apple says that they have security integrated throughout both hardware and software, and is more secure than keeping cards in a wallet. Apple Pay will work with three major payment networks: American Express, MasterCard and Visa but sadly, they will only be available in the U.S., for now at least.
In addition to the standard silicone cases, Apple will for the first time offer a sleek leather case for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It’ll be available in five colours, including the PRODUCT(RED) colourway – which looks brilliant on leather, by the way.
Apple will be accepting pre-orders for the new iPhones in selected countries worldwide from 12 September 2014, while iOS 8 will be released to the public on 17 September 2014 – these are the supported devices:
Finally, price? It looks like the rumours for the storage options are true as well, you can have an iPhone 6 with up to 128GB of built-in storage, but it looks like Apple has removed the 32GB storage option. No word on off-contract prices yet, but these are the prices for the new iPhone 6 with a two-year contract:
In addition to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the company has also introduced its first wearable, the Apple Watch.
So, anyone heading down south to Singapore next week?
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