iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? It’s an Easy Decision.

Courtesy of The Verge

iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? It’s an Easy Decision.

The day is upon in which you can pre-order the iPhone 6, hoping for delivery next week. As someone who will be ordering the phone either today, or in the very near future, I have spent countless hours over the past few days trying to decide which one to buy, and all of the options can be more confusing than a homeless man on house arrest. I am not a big fan of big phones, but the iPhone 6 Plus may be an option.

First, the basics. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7”, 1334x750 pixel Retina HD display, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 1920x1080 pixel Retina HD display. iPhone 6 Plus comes with optical image stabilization in the camera, while the iPhone 6 does not. The iPhone 6 Plus also has a bigger battery and some software tweaks to help iOS handle the bigger screen. The iPhone 6 measures 5.44” tall, 2.64” wide, and is .27” thick. The iPhone 6 Plus measures 6.22” tall, 3.06” wide, and .28” thick. So beyond screen, camera, battery, and physical size, they are the same phone. I’ll come back to this later.

With the advent of massive data consumption, and our phones becoming more and more of an all-in-one device, you should start at 64GB. This will be the base for 99% of users. 32GB fills so fast, and 128GB is probably unnecessary. Moreover, to go to 64GB is only $100 more and I’d hate to see someone get three months into a two year contract and run out of space. Also, if you have AT&T, skip the AT&T Next plan. It’s expensive over the life of the phone, over double to cost to be exact, and the savings isn’t enough to make up for the extra cost.

So we know that 64GB is the way to go for everyone, so let’s get back to basics. Most of us don’t need optical image stabilization (OIS), as it helps with camera shake, but doesn’t help with making the subject look still, even if it’s moving. If most of your photos are low-light with a still subject, OIS would be a consideration for you, but I don’t know many people who do this. Next, a bigger battery may be nice for power users, but, again, for most of us the battery life in iPhone 6 would be just fine, as most of us charge the phone at night.

So, when it comes down to it, the only question you need to answer is: Can I deal with a bigger phone and all of the compromises that come with it? This is because the massive size of the iPhone 6 Plus will put you in a spot where it’s more of a phablet (phone and tablet combined, think Galaxy Note). I’ve had a Galaxy Note in hand and it’s pretty huge for my hands. It also doesn’t fit well in my pocket, so that is a big consideration. Moreover, many of us won’t find the larger size any more usable compared to the big phone. Believe it or not, the vast majority of people don’t watch movies or TV on our phones, which would be a big reason to have a big screen.

To recap: except for power users or users who just want the biggest and best, a 64GB iPhone 6 for $299 will be perfect for you.

Tip of the Hat,