Why I Got the iPhone 6 Instead of the iPhone 6 Plus

September 26, 2014 — by Per Christensson

I got my new iPhone 6 this week. And it wasn't the Plus.

I really wanted the Plus. After all, I stayed up past 3:30 AM CDT last week just to order one. But a few days ago, I decided to visit my local Apple Store and compare the two models.

After about twenty minutes, I cancelled my iPhone 6 Plus order and bought the standard iPhone 6 instead. Here's why.

1. No stylus - I imagined the iPhone 6 Plus would be Apple's version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which I liked so much at last year's CES. But it wasn't. The enormous screen had a similar feel, but without a stylus, the Plus just felt unnecessarily large.
2. No extra icons - I hoped (and expected) Apple would allow iPhone 6 Plus users to display five rows of icons on the home screen. This would provide seven more icons per desktop since both the 6 and 6 Plus now offer seven vertical rows. But even though the Plus has plenty of room for five horizontal rows, iOS 8 does not provide this option.
3. Uncomfortable - The deciding factor in my purchase of the standard 6 was the most basic of all tests – holding the phone. The 6 Plus is simply uncomfortable to hold. The standard 6, on the other hand, felt just about perfect. If the Plus had a slightly concave OLED screen, I think it would be quite a bit easier to hold. A slight curve might also make the Plus feel more comfortable in your pocket and may prevent bending, which a small number of users have been complaining about. Who knows – maybe Apple will add a slight curve to the 6 Plus S, or whatever they decide to call the next iteration.

During my twenty minutes of testing, I also ran several speed tests, including opening apps and starting up the phones. Interestingly, the Plus was noticeably faster at opening some apps, but lagged behind the regular 6 when opening others. The Plus was consistently 4.0 to 4.5 seconds faster starting up. See the "lap time" of the 6 Plus below.

Since the performance of the two phones was so similar, the speed was negligible in my decision. My choice really came down to which phone was more comfortable to hold. It was the standard 6.