iPhone 6-The best phone in market

A strong iPhone that Apple sorely needed to release - this will keep the Apple fans happy for a while.

The some, the attraction of the masses to Apple devices is almost unfathomable. The iPhone has never been one of the most powerful handsets in the world, nor the smallest / largest, and yet seven years later it has retained (and grown) its unshakeable following.

However, in the last 18 months, the death knells have started quietly sounding, ringing in the distance as the best Android phones - once only a rival on spec or price - became genuine challengers and then out-and-out better handsets.



Tim Cook knew the brand needed to do something, and quickly - and that's just what's happened, with the iPhone 6 representing one of the most comprehensive overhauls of the iPhone range since the iPhone 4 - and actually going one step further in a lot of ways.

The processor is obviously uprated, the camera quicker and more capable than ever before,Design
he battery has been enlarged significantly to quell the disquiet at the power use of previous models.

But there's so much more here that represents a seismic shift for Apple: the increased resolution on the screen is really helpful (and badly needed) and the payments mechanism, while limited to the US only at the moment, will be the boost that the smartphone payment industry needed.

And of course the larger screen will stop admiring glances from those locked into the iOS ecosystem to phones such as the HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z3.

Design

Apple's design overhaul is much-needed and as much as many could have hoped for - taking a number of cues from the iPad Air to bring a metallic, almost ceramic, shell that feels simply brilliant in the hand.



Say what you like about Apple, it's a brand that's always put design at the forefront of its new handsets. Even the iPhone 5S, probably the most unimaginative of all of Cupertino's handsets, had a strong build that screamed quality in the hand, giving the user the instant feeling of something worth spending a lot on.

The iPhone 6 pushes that idea to the next level, losing the sharp edges in favour of sleek and rounded sides that make the device much more pleasing in the palm. It just feels so thin, but doesn't have the overly-lightweight feeling of the iPhone 5S.



There is a worry that this is a slippier handset than before thanks to the more rounded nature of the design, but then again with Apple (apparently) upgrading the glass in the screen to something that can withstand many, many more bumps and bruises before shattering, that might not be the horrid experience it might once have been.

The larger screen is certainly an improvement on the previous models - while I think 4.7-inches is going to be a tiny bit small for those that have lusted after their friends' Galaxy S5 devices with the 5.2-inch screen, it's still a very good size for one hand.



If it wasn't, then why would Sony have launched the Xperia Z3 compact and Samsung the Galaxy Alpha, both within 0.1-inch of the iPhone 6's screen size? The issue with the iPhone 5S, with the cramped screen making it almost impossible to peck out the letters on the keyboard, has now definitely been alleviated.

It's not got a great resolution, at only 1334 x 750 it's essentially 720p, but the new Retina HD screen looks brilliant. So much so that I thought I was picking up a dummy model to play with.

And if you're so desperate for the larger resolution, there's always the iPhone 6 Plus to be looking at, despite that being more of a phablet / Note 4 rival.



The upgraded resolution is a good jump for Apple, but not quite enough really for the spec fans.

iOS 8

The new operating system that was debuted at WWDC earlier in the year has the expected poster boy in the iPhone 6 - while it's not a massive overhaul of the platform, it brings with it some nifty tweaks.

For instance, the updated notifications center is imbued with better powers than before, allowing you to see more relevant information from a simple pull down from the top of the screen.



This action isn't as easy as it once was, thanks to the larger screen, but that's worth it for the greater real estate to play with.

The new OS brings with it other big upgrades, such as the ability to use other keyboards in the future - the thought of Swiftkey on an iPhone, and one without such cramped conditions for typing is an appealing one - which shows that Apple knows it needs to do something big to keep up with the smartphone competition amid eroding market share.

Camera

The camera on the iPhone 6 isn't much of a change... from the outside. It's still 8MP, and still doesn't record in 4K.

But that would miss some of the big changes: the f/2.2 aperture, the new iSight camera with superfast autofocus thanks to 'Focus Pixels' and the same trick repeated with the video, for smooth shooting even if you're moving around.

PROS:
Great design
Improved camera
CONS:
Still pricey