Apple iPhone 6: First impressions, specifications, prices

Apple iPhone 6, one of the most awaited premium smartphone for 2014 is finally here. And not only has it come as a single smartphone, it has brought along a bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone 6 has been making the top news for a few months now with leaked information and pictures from around the globe being highlighted. This highlights the place an Apple product has in everyone’s life. Every techie or non techie, fan or not, wants to get a piece of information about the most trending smartphone out there. Now that it is finally here, let's take a look at the features and a glimpse little on the superior design.

The iPhone 6 was unveiled to the world on September 9. This day was one of the biggest moments in the life of Apple, where the company launched not one, but two smartphones and a smartwatch on a single day. Though the Apple Watch is unveiled, it will be available for sale only early 2015. For now, September 19 will be the big day where fans will rush to the Apple Store in the US to get their hands on the first Apple iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6 has two variants—a 4.7-inch (the Apple iPhone 6) and a 5.5-inch (the Apple iPhone 6 Plus). While both the smartphones feature a single nano SIM, there are marginal differences between the two, mainly on the design front.

The iPhone 6 sports an HD 4.7-inch LED backlit IPS LCD Retina display with a resolution of 750x1334 pixels (326 ppi). The display is a laminated single piece design with a shatter-proof glass and treated with an oleophobic coating. The iPhone 6 Plus also features the same glass protection, but features a full HD 5.5-inch LED backlit IPS LCD Retina display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels.

Also Read: Smugglers cheer on Apple iPhone 6 delay

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both feature the Apple A8 chipset, which feature a dual-core 1.4GHz Cyclone processor. While the iPhone 6 is equipped with just 1GB of RAM, the iPhone 6 Plus has been provided with 2GB of RAM. The graphics processor, mainly responsible for the fluid operating system user interface and graphics, the PowerVR GX6650 (hexa-core graphics) has been included. The internal storage on both the smartphones are available in three variants—16GB / 64GB and 128GB. It seems like Apple has done away with the 32GB option and made a gap for the budget series and premium series. Sadly, none of them feature the storage expansion slot, which is commonly found on most Android, Windows and Blackberry devices.

Moving on, the iPhone 6 devices feature an 8MP camera on the rear and a 1.3MP camera on the front. Apple has retained the 8MP cameras from the older iPhone 5 series, but claims that the sensor is different and the software along with the new sensor can take better pictures than their predecessors. The connectivity options on both are identical—3G, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS and GLONASS. Sensors provided on both handsets are accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and barometer. The iPhone 6 is 6.9 mm thick, while the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 mm thick. To end the specifications, the two handsets are available in Space Gray, Silver, Gold colour variants. The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will run on Apple's brand new operating system, the iOS 8. Apple has also announced that the iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will also receive the iOS 8 update shortly.

The two iPhone 6 models look identical to each other, apart from their size difference. While the size has been escalated from the prior 4-inches to 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches respectively, Apple has provided a reachability option in the user interface, where the display can resize itself for convenient single-hand use.

The front panel of both the iPhone 6 models have an elegant laminated display, which flushes with the body with a round extended look. It reminds us of the display type (partially) similar to the Nokia Lumia display series. There are no distinct edges. The cover glass curves around the sides to meet the anodised aluminium enclosure. The front panel features the earpiece, front camera and a few sensors towards the top, while the bottom sports the fingerprint biometric sensor. The rear panel has a different exterior, as compares to the rest of the iPhone models seen till date. It has split sections towards the top and bottom, making room for the radio reception and built-in NFC antennas. Speaking of the NFC, Apple has introduced Apple Pay, which clubs with the NFC connectivity and fingerprint biometrics for safe, card-less and pin-less money transfer and payment.

Also Read: Smugglers cheer on Apple iPhone 6 delay

Moving on, towards the left are the volume buttons and the ring/silent switch, while the right side features the power/standby button and the SIM card tray. The top features nothing, while the bottom sports the 3.5-mm audio jack, the Lightning/power connector, the mic and the speaker. The entire iPhone is a unibody design and like the predecessors, the battery is non-removable.

Bundled along with the iPhone are the standard earphones seen on the iPhone 5 series, a SIM card tray ejector, the lightning data cable and the USB power adapter.

At present, the iPhone 6 is not available in the market, but it will be seen on stands in the US on 19 September. The present prices for the iPhone 6 in the US are $199, $299 and $399 for the 16GB, 64GB and 128GB respectively. The iPhone 6 Plus is available for $299, $399 and $499 for the 16GB, 64GB and 128GB respectively. These prices are for contract based handsets with the service provider. Non-contract prices for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are $649, $749 and $849 and $749, $849 and $949 respectively. Referring to the prices on the Apple website, the prices convert to Rs 39,365 (16GB), Rs 45,434 (64GB) and Rs 51,500 (128GB) for the iPhone 6 and Rs 45,434 (16GB), Rs 51,500 (64GB) and Rs 57,566 (128GB) for the iPhone 6 Plus accordingly. These rates will apply only if you opt to purchase the product from the US stores. Shipping and import taxes will apply as per actual.

un-Supported Media

Apple has not mentioned anything about the launch date and prices in India as yet. However, there was a brief display on the Apple India website stating the Apple iPhone 6 sale date on 17 October, 2014. The date was removed later with no further information as yet.

Fans in India should prefer opting for the iPhone 6 over the present iPhone 5S since the cost of the new variant would be cheaper than the latter. And over that, the new iPhone 6 has a better operating system, superior display and hardware and definitely a better overall look. Presently, as per 13 September, 2014, the iPhone 5S costs Rs 36,000 (16GB), Rs 57,000 (32GB) and Rs 70,000 (64GB) in India. Now bite that!

Also Read: Smugglers cheer on Apple iPhone 6 delay