6 Days With the iPhone 6

I received my iPhone 6 (64GB, Space Gray) last Friday, and wanted to write up some thoughts about it.

It’s the right size (for me). The iPhone 6 looks significantly bigger, but it doesn’t feel that much bigger in my hand. I had a chance to play with the iPhone 6 Plus while waiting at the Apple Store. It’s a lovely device, but to me it feels too big to be something I carry constantly.

And I think it’s going to be more comfortable to hold than the iPhone 5. The 5 was small enough that my brain thought I could hold it the same way I held the iPhone 4. But it was big enough to make that uncomfortable. The 6 I definitely can’t hold that way, so I’m gripping it in a way that’s less tiring.

I use the Reachability feature occasionally and it works fine. It’s just hard to remember to use it. I wish it somehow worked with Notification Center. I’m using Notification Center more now that it has widgets, and the only way to get to it is to reach to the top of the phone.

I’m finally getting used to the new position of the off button. I think I would have liked it better just a little higher, though. Where it is now I tend to squeeze the whole phone, and I end up pushing the up volume button at the same time.

A few hours after I got it I thought, “Wait, isn’t the camera lens supposed to stick out?” I had been playing with it that whole time and hadn’t noticed it. I don’t think it’s a problem. Most people will use a case. It feels like it’s designed so that it would be difficult to catch it on something.

Speaking of which, the camera is fantastic. With the iPhone 5, I would have to take four or five photos to get one that wasn’t blurry. I haven’t taken a blurry photo yet with the 6. For somebody with two kids, that’s huge.

On Sunday my iPhone rebooted while I was listening to a podcast. When it finished I unlocked it, the screen flashed red, and it rebooted again. It did this several times Sunday night and Monday morning. I took it to the Apple Store and they swapped it for another one. So far, I haven’t had any problems with the replacement.

I didn’t get an iPhone 5s, so this is my first experience with Touch ID and a motion coprocessor. Both work great. I’m still trying out step tracking apps to find one I really like.

I’ve started noticing NFC terminals everywhere. I can’t wait till October.

Overall, I’m happy with it. I’m one of those people that didn’t really want a bigger phone, but I think Apple hit the sweet spot with the iPhone 6: A larger screen that’s small and light enough to carry all day.