Apple has formally debuted the long-speculated 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+ models at its press event this morning in Cupertino. The new models will take their place as the flagship phones, featuring much higher-density screens of one million pixels (for the iPhone 6, a 1334×750 resolution) and two million pixels (for the 6+, a FullHD 1920×1080 resolution). The new iPhones are both thinner than any previous model, at 6.9mm and 7.1mm, respectively, and come with up to 128GB capacity.
The new A8 processor powering the devices is 13 percent smaller than the previous A7, yet 25 percent faster. Apple’s Phil Schiller told the audience that in just six generations since the original iPhone, the new models are both 50 times faster than the first model, yet use 50 percent less energy. The graphics are said to be 84 times faster than the original model. Battery life is said to be equal or slightly better – even in the larger iPhone 6+ – to the iPhone 5s.
The new models also offer a next-generation M8 motion processor that adds elevation and other energy and distance measurements, and offers 20 LTE bands (more than any other current phone) and supports VoLTE (initially supported by T-Mobile, other partners coming). The camera on the new models features phase-detection technology to allow it to focus twice as quickly, along with noise reduction and other post-processing, along with up to 43-megapixel panoramas (nearly double the previous resolution of panoramas).
The company is also making advances in video capture, using the technology to produce better-stabilized and in-focus video, along with slow-motion video at 120fps and even 240fps. It can also do continuous autofocus based on face detection, and now time-lapse videos can be created more easily.
The iPhone 6 will cost $199 (16GB), $299 (64GB) or $399 (128GB) on a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6+ will cost $299 (16GB), $399 (64GB) or $499 (128GB). As expected, the iPhone 5s will move to the middle-tier position and sell for $99 with contract, and the iPhone 5c will take the lower-tier spot, replacing the iPhone 4S and be free with contract.
