In the flesh: Apple iPhone 6

Lazada Philippines

We managed to secure an iPhone 6 over the week-end and sharing with you some of our initial impressions of the device.

Last week’s release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus included Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. The Philippines was not on the list and, based on previous years’ releases, we’re expecting a local release sometime in December.

iphone6ph

Thus, we had to source our unit from one of the online stores that imported their shipments from HK. It is way more expensive than the retail price but the economics of supply and demand pushed the asking prices for these units to go past Php100,000 (read our story on the selling prices here).

iphone6-philippines

The one we got was the 64GB version in space gray. It has the same color and tone as the previous iPhone 5S. More on this in our full review of the iPhone 6 within the week.

The very first thing we noticed after unboxing the iPhone 6 is the new profile and size of the device. It is significantly bigger and thinner than the iPhone 5S. The iPhone 6 is much closer to the profile and form factor of the iPod Touch than the previous iPhones.

iphone6-manila

The placement of the buttons have been slightly re-arranged with the power button now on the right side (to be easily reachable by the right thumb) and the volume controls along with the lock button on the left side.

The Lightning charging port, 3.5mm port, microphone and speaker are at the bottom end. At the back is the 8MP rear camera that is flushed too close to the top left corner.

gray-iphone6

Having been accustomed to a lot of smartphones in the 5 to 5.5-inch display size, the iPhone 6 feels familiar with its 4.7-inch display. This, along with the iPhone 6 Plus, is the biggest increase in display size Apple has made in the last 7 years.

iphone6-review-philippines

With its very slim profile, the hold and grip on the iPhone 6 is a bit awkward and slippery. There is not enough girth to comfortably hold the device with in one hand. This is the same feeling when you hold the iPod Touch.

iphone6-review

While the all-metal and glass body of the iPhone 6 has been the signature of Apple since the iPhone 5 over 2 years ago, the stripe borders around the body and across the corners of the back panel. It comes in a slightly different tone as the metal which makes it more prominent.

iphone6

The rear camera also protrudes above the surface of the back panel and can be distracting and prone to scratching (as our experience with previous HTC devices that have similar camera placement). It’s also too close to the corner that it could be frequently obstructed by the fingers when taking photos.

iphone-6

Here’s the complete hardware configuration of the iPhone 6.

Apple iPhone 6 specs:
4.7-inch IPS LCD @ 750×1334 pixels, 326ppi
Apple A8 1.4GHz dual-core Cyclone processor
PowerVR GX6650 hexa-core GPU
1GB RAM
16GB, 64GB, 128GB internal storage
HPSA+/LTE 150Mbps
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
NFC, Apple Pay
8MP rear camera, dual-tone LED flash
1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps
1.2MP front facing camera
Fingerprint sensor
iOS 8
Li-Po 1810mAh battery
129 grams (weight)
138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm (dimensions)

Once cause for concern among many would be the low battery capacity of the iPhone 6 which might translate to shorter battery life. We will do our standard battery bench to confirm this in our full review.

iphone6-gray

Perhaps our biggest comfort among all the new improvements Apple has introduced with the iPhone 6 is the display size. Apple has conceded to the fact that everyone else has significantly increased the size of their display so it’s time for the iPhone to follow suit.

If you’re curious to learn how much the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus will retail once it is released in the Philippines, here’s a chart of prices in HK, SG and Taiwan and the Philippines should be closer to that.

The post In the flesh: Apple iPhone 6 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

In defense of the iPhone 6

Lazada Philippines

Much has been said about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. A lot of them, including other competing brands, have made jokes, mocked or bashed the new iPhone 6 due to the glaring fact that most of the technology and features that it introduced have been around for a while and have been present in Android devices for at least a couple of years.

But it’s normal. Apple has always been a target by many camps. We’ve also had our fair share of criticisms here, here and here.

But the iPhone 6 is not without its own innovative features that came with it. They may have been glossed over because it looks like the iPhone 6 is playing catch up yet if we look just a little bit closer, they did a few things that pushed the boundaries of smartphone innovation.

1) Integrated Fingerprint + NFC Wireless Payment. NFC payments has been around for quite some time. So is fingerprint sensors. Samsung has something in the works with Paypal and their fingerprint authentication. But it took Apple to all three features into one seamless integration — wireless payments via NFC with fingerprint authentication.

Apple-Pay

This is perhaps the most secure physical payment transaction to date — it uses the physical phone to tap into the POS and requires authentication of the user via fingerprint. Your credit card is shielded and thieves can’t just steal your phone and use it to buy a grande cappuccino with extra shot at Starbucks (unless of course they steal and bring your thumbprint with them). Like it or not, Apple Pay is that seamless and secure.

2) Voice-over-LTE. This new fature provides voice and SMS alongside LTE mobile broadband. Currently, when you make or receive voice calls and you are connected to the LTE for internet, your LTE connection drops or switches to 3G/HSPA+ as that is the network that allows for voice and SMS. Voice-over-LTE solves that by allowing voice calls via LTE network.

iphone6-ltecalls

We’re pretty sure you’ve encountered this many times before. It’s a baggage that LTE had to carry when it was first introduced. The iPhone 6 finally solves it and hopefully, other smartphones will follow suit.

3) 128GB Internal Storage. Perhaps the biggest internal storage for a smartphone. Everyone else from Samsung, LG, Sony has 64GB internal storage tops.

4) The M8 Motion Co-processor. Tracks running, cycling, walking up the stairs (elevation), and many more. The M8 measures data from the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope together with a barometer.

apple-m8

It’s not an earth-shattering feature but it’s something that a lot of app and game developers can utilize when creating their next killer app.

5) 240fps slo-mo video. This slow-mo feature captures 240 frames per second at 720p resolution. That is some very dramatic slow-mo even if it’s only at 720p.

iphone6-camera

Yes, other smartphones like the S5, G3 and Z3 have 4k video recording at 30fps but you would not enjoy them unless your have a 4K UHDTV. With 240fps, now that’s a different story.

It may be true that Apple iPhone 6 may not be the king of the hill like it was many years ago when it first revolutionized the smartphone industry seven years ago including the mobile platform and the app ecosystem. It is also true that many other competing smartphone brands have caught up (mostly with the help of Google) with Apple and oftentimes, even surpassed them.

Still, that does not mean that Apple is losing its ground. It’s just that competitors are innovating a bit faster. It’s all relative, depending on where you are coming from. Remember, Apple wasn’t even in the smartphone market in 2006 while Samsung, Sony, LG and Nokia have been at it for over 2 decades.

At the end of the day, its us consumers who benefit from these innovations and fierce competition. The sales numbers will eventually determine the real winner.

The post In defense of the iPhone 6 appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Apple iPhone 6 officially announced!

Lazada Philippines

Calling it the biggest advancement in iPhone, Apple officially unveils the iPhone 6 – packing an all new redesign, better specs and iOS 8.

iphone 6

Here is a quick rundown of what’s new in Apple’s new iPhone:

  • The iPhone 6 has a larger 4.7-inch display that has what Apple calls Retina HD, a resolution of 1334 x 750 with 326 pixels per inch.
  • The design comes in thinner at only 6.9mm.
  • iOS 8 on the iPhone 6 supports landscape view.
  • The new A8 CPU promises to deliver 25% faster processing and 50% better graphics.
  • Camera sits in at 8 megapixels with a new sensor, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilization and a lot more to improve image quality
  • Slo-mo video now up to super slow 240fps
  • 128GB version

Landscape

The iPhone 6 will be available for the US starting at $199 – 16GB, $299 – 64GB, $399 – 128GB for 2 year contracts. Pre-orders start at 12 and the phone will be available by the 19th, including places such as Hong Kong, where the prices end up being near to what we have here locally.

Developing…

The post Apple iPhone 6 officially announced! appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Apple iPhone 6 officially announced!

Lazada Philippines

Calling it the biggest advancement in iPhone, Apple officially unveils the iPhone 6 – packing an all new redesign, better specs and iOS 8.

iphone 6

Here is a quick rundown of what’s new in Apple’s new iPhone:

  • The iPhone 6 has a larger 4.7-inch display that has what Apple calls Retina HD, a resolution of 1334 x 750 with 326 pixels per inch.
  • The design comes in thinner at only 6.9mm.
  • iOS 8 on the iPhone 6 supports landscape view.
  • The new A8 CPU promises to deliver 25% faster processing and 50% better graphics.
  • Camera sits in at 8 megapixels with a new sensor, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilization and a lot more to improve image quality
  • Slo-mo video now up to super slow 240fps
  • 128GB version

Landscape

The iPhone 6 will be available for the US starting at $199 – 16GB, $299 – 64GB, $399 – 128GB for 2 year contracts. Pre-orders start at 12 and the phone will be available by the 19th, including places such as Hong Kong, where the prices end up being near to what we have here locally.

Developing…

The post Apple iPhone 6 officially announced! appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Apple iPhone 6 officially announced!

Lazada Philippines

Calling it the biggest advancement in iPhone, Apple officially unveils the iPhone 6 – packing an all new redesign, better specs and iOS 8.

iphone 6

Here is a quick rundown of what’s new in Apple’s new iPhone:

  • The iPhone 6 has a larger 4.7-inch display that has what Apple calls Retina HD, a resolution of 1334 x 750 with 326 pixels per inch.
  • The design comes in thinner at only 6.9mm.
  • iOS 8 on the iPhone 6 supports landscape view.
  • The new A8 CPU promises to deliver 25% faster processing and 50% better graphics.
  • Camera sits in at 8 megapixels with a new sensor, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2, Focus Pixels, Optical Image Stabilization and a lot more to improve image quality
  • Slo-mo video now up to super slow 240fps
  • 128GB version

Landscape

The iPhone 6 will be available for the US starting at $199 – 16GB, $299 – 64GB, $399 – 128GB for 2 year contracts. Pre-orders start at 12 and the phone will be available by the 19th, including places such as Hong Kong, where the prices end up being near to what we have here locally.

Developing…

The post Apple iPhone 6 officially announced! appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.