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iPhone 6 review roundup: What do the critics make of Apple's latest smartphone?

Getting to the core

iPhone 6 review roundup: What do the critics make of Apple's latest smartphone?
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Reviews of Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have been popping up across the internet over the past 24 hours.

It's a lot of information to take in. To help you absorb all of those critical words about Apple's latest hardware, we thought to do a quick roundup for you.

And if you want a super tl;dr version: the hardware upgrades (display, camera, battery life) of the iPhone 6 are excellent but not anything that exciting. It's iOS 8 that really propels the iPhone 6 to greatness, and those features will be coming to other iPhones soon, anyway.


The Verge said that the iPhone 6 is probably the best smartphone on the market right now.

iOS 8 makes everything feel simple and accessible. But, while the hardware is an improvement, it's nothing revolutionary or that exciting.

Closing note: "it’s still an iPhone. The same thing Apple’s been making for seven years."


CNET squares the iPhone 6 against its bigger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus.

iPhone 6

Predictably, the iPhone 6 feels better to hand. However, the 6 Plus has extra battery life and optical image stablization. The problem is that the huge 6 Plus is more like a tablet than a smartphone.

Closing note: "[The iPhone 6 isn't] the absolute top of the line. Maybe that bugs you. If it does, get the 6 Plus."


TechCrunch calls the iPhone 6 the "best smartphone available."

The best mobile camera, improved battery life, an attractive design, and Apple's "pleasant to use" display wins here.

Closing note: "it’s all about delivering the best computer you can keep in your pocket, and that’s exactly what the iPhone 6 is."


TechRadar calls the iPhone 6 iconic but isn't impressed by its price.

A few little issues that you have to live with are: a protruding rear camera, slight looseness to a couple of the buttons, and the headphone port is still at the bottom of the phone.

iPhone 6

Closing note: "the iPhone 6 is another iconic handset in terms of design for Apple. It's not the best looking on the market [...] but it's definitely right up there, and for the price I'd expect nothing less."


The New York Times doesn't think the iPhone 6 is as vital as is the software it runs on, iOS 8.

Apple doesn't take enough of an advantage of the big screen as it could have, such as having two resizable windows open simultaneously. The hardware upgrades it has are stellar, though.

Closing note: "The slim new iPhones aren't a big-screen slam-dunk, but they work well, as we have come to expect from Apple."


So, there you have it. There are, of course, many more reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus out there if you want them.

What do you think - are you going to get one?

Chris Priestman
Chris Priestman
Anything eccentric, macabre, or just plain weird, is what Chris is all about. He turns the spotlight on the games that fly under the radar.