Apple has finally admitted that there will be a new, bigger iPhone, and even the smaller iPhone is getting bigger. So perhaps Samsung has been onto something all this time with its larger phones?
Such a change always elicits strong reaction from both the public and the tech press. So we decided to have a look around online, and find out what expert journalists were saying in light of the two new phones.
Digital Spy's Hunter Skipworth was impressed with the all-new design of the bigger iPhone:
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.
He also reserved praise for the iPhone 6's new camera, which instantly snaps into focus thanks to phase detection technology:
Apple talked about phase detection auto focus at the launch event but didn't really reveal just how impressive it was. 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.
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Over at Engadget, Brad Molen seems happy with the size of the Plus, saying in his hands-on article that:
I'm used to carrying phones with large displays, and the iPhone 6 Plus is just as comfortable to hold as most other devices its size.
He also raises the point that previous iPhone users might have a tough time using a 5.5-inch phone:
5.5-inch screens won't appeal to everyone, especially folks who have been used to 3.5- and 4.0-inch iPhones for the last seven years
The Verge's Nilay Patel appears pleased with the Plus too:
First off, it's much smaller in the hand than I expected — the thinness really helps here. And the screen is just stunning; it looks more like you're touching pixels than ever before, and the rounded edges make it somewhat easier to hold. I have big hands and can reach across the the entire display with my thumb one-handed, though, so I'll have to ask someone with smaller hands here what they think.
Chris Davies from Slashgear seems impressed too, having been worried that the design might compromise Apple's sturdy build quality, but as it turns out:
Dozens of little details leave the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus feeling like the best versions yet when you pick them up. The way the touchscreen glass curves and blends sinuously into the edges, your thumb trailing smoothly from one to the other. The crisp slices of the partially-recessed side buttons
Gizmodo's Sean Hollister also felt generally positive, and says that the landscape aspect of the iPhone 6 Plus is a big boom for the large handset:
Thankfully, the iPhone 6 Plus is also the first iPhone to wholeheartedly embrace a landscape mode, so you don't need to hold it single-handed. When I set down my camera for a second and wrapped my second set of digits around the phone, it felt far more comfortable: just like a miniature tablet. Better still, this phablet finally brings Apple's software keyboard along for the landscape ride, and it turns out that that the 5.5 inches wide and 7.1mm thick chassis is just about perfect for your thumbs to reach those keys with two hands.
What we've noticed is that there has been a lot more attention given to Apple's Watch than the two new iPhones. People have been falling over themselves to get hands-on time with the Watch, but so far they've been a lot more relaxed about the iPhone.
That's somewhat odd though, given that this is the biggest change to the iPhone that Apple has ever made, and it marks an interesting new time for the company.
