It's that time again. Like clockwork, Apple has stuck to its two-year refresh cycle, turning out an all-new design and revamped spec sheet for the iPhone 6.
Not expected was the bigger 5.5-inch screen-toting iPhone 6 Plus. We've played with both and here's what we think:
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First up, the iPhone 6 Plus might not sport the 4K screens of the likes of the LG G3 and Galaxy Note 4, but you can be damned sure that it looks better.
The viewing angles on the display, coupled with the colour reproduction and brightness, are absolutely stunning. Sat flat on the table, it almost looked like an e-ink screen.
It also now makes the iPhone feel big. Both handsets are very thin, but at that 5.5-inch scale, you've definitely got a big phone. It's Galaxy Note-sized, but much more plush.
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As for the lower resolution 'standard iPhone 6', it's as crisp and sharp as you would ever need a smartphone display to be. Basically, it looks just as good as the one on the iPhone 6 Plus, but smaller.
Then there is the camera. Apple talked about phase detection auto focus at the launch event but didn't really reveal just how impressive it was. Basically, whatever you point the iPhone 6 at, it'll instantly snap into focus with.
It's a very 'Apple' way of taking photographs and we can see being of real benefit to those who just like quick point-and-shoot photography, which is pretty much every smartphone user.
The camera now also gets a 240p ultra slow motion video mode, which looks very impressive in real life. The optical image stabilisation, which is unique to the iPhone 6 Plus, we didn't really get to test properly unfortunately.
Performance-wise, the iPhone has never really felt slow. Both handsets obviously have a lot more pixels to push and we already know how impressive a gaming machine the iPhone can be.
What we will say is that, tweaks to the UI to deal with the bigger displays feel as fluid as ever. The landscape view in the larger iPhone 6 Plus for example will switch over very quickly.
Then there is the soft 'double tap' option on the handset, that basically lets you drag the top portion of the display down so you can instantly select whatever your finger can't reach. It works well and never did the Touch ID sensor-toting home button mis-recognise the soft tap.
Just a note on that, Apple demoed its new 'Apple Pay' mobile payments system to us. It's US-only, but if it takes off, will be a revolution in how we buy things. Simply holding your phone near an NFC scanner while keeping your finger on the handset is very slick indeed.
Other than that, the overall design and chassis of the new iPhone is what stands out. It's incredibly thin in both guises and very light, but doesn't feel even remotely flimsy.
All three versions, even the rose gold offering, are nice. Space grey still stands out as a favourite, however. Now all Apple users need is the Watch to go along with it.
