10 things you need to know about the iPhone 6 Plus

Alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, Apple also revealed the iPhone 6 Plus, a 5.5-inch monster previously rumoured to be called the iPhone 6L. It’s the first ‘phablet’ the Cupertino giant has produced.

The iPhone 6 Plus matches its smaller sibling in many ways, but betters it in others. So let’s jump right in!

1. It’s the biggest iPhone ever

This is quite literally the case. Although the new iPhone 6 Plus resembles its smaller sibling, it pretty much dwarfs the iPhone 5s. It’s an iPad mini mini.

2. The iPhone 6 Plus has a 1080p display

The rumour mill was right that the larger iPhone would boast a 5.5-inch display, but what we didn’t know was the resolution. It’s 1920 x 1080, with a ppi of 401 – that’s over two million pixels. By comparison, the iPhone 6 resolution is 1334 x 750 at 326ppi and the iPhone 5s is 1136 x 640 at 326ppi.

That noise you can hear is developers quietly weeping.

3. It’s surprisingly thin

Despite its gargantuan dimensions, the iPhone 6 Plus is only 7.1mm thick – a mere 0.2 mm thicker than the iPhone 6, and half a cm thinner than the iPhone 5s.

4. There’s a new landscape mode

The iPhone 6 Plus will particularly enable you to take advantage of the new iPhone landscape mode for apps, two-column views that resemble those on the iPad. There’s also an extended keyboard, with handy shortcuts to useful commands and keys.

5. The iPhone 6 Plus has a ‘Reachability’ gesture

Apple wanted to make its giant phones usable in one hand, and so there’s a new gesture. Joining leftwards swiping for back is ‘Reachability’. Double-tap the TouchID button and the display slides down so you can reach things at the top.

No, we’re not kidding.

6. There’s a huge battery

Break apart an iPhone and most of what’s inside is battery. The iPhone 6 Plus’ larger frame provides more space for power, and that should result in a decent boost in time between charges. At worst, the iPhone 6 Plus will match the iPhone 5s, despite the much larger, power-hungry display. Mostly, though, it goes for longer. For example, you get 12 hours of 3G browsing, versus ten on the iPhone 6 and just eight on the 5s.

7. The iPhone 6 Plus has OIS

Optical Image Stabilisation is a unique feature of the iPhone 6 Plus. The lens can move, making for a more stable image, especially in low light.

8. But it’s otherwise an iPhone 6 embiggened

What we haven’t mentioned so far is the many great things about the iPhone 6 Plus that it shares with the iPhone 6. The new form factor is comfortable and beautiful; the A8 chip is insanely powerful, especially for games; the FaceTime camera has been improved, for sharper images; and LTE capabilities have been upgraded.

9. The iPhone 6 Plus is expensive

US pricing has been revealed to be $100 more than the equivalent iPhone 6 for each of the available models. Expect that to translate into £80 in the UK.

10. It’s available very soon

The iPhone 6 Plus will be on sale on September 19, with pre-orders starting on September 12. Judging by previous iPhone sales frenzies, if you don’t order one right away, your delivery estimate will be weeks away at best.

Update: UK SIM-free pricing info

16GB – £620

64GB – £700

128GB – £790

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.