Apple’s newly supersized
4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the jumbo, 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus are a marked
departure for the company, which has clung to the same, small screen
size for years. It has gone so far as to publicly deride larger phones
from competitors, notably Samsung, even as their sales grew to record
highs.
Tech reviewers over the years have tended to side with Apple,
in general saddling reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Note – a 5.3-inch
device that kicked off the phablet push in 2012 – with asides about how
big the darn thing was. To be fair, I’m one of them; I called the
6.3-inch Galaxy Mega “preposterous” last year.
I also think the iPhone 6 Plus may be more phone than most people will
be comfortable with, although the skyrocketing sales seem to point
otherwise.
But does Apple have something
special? Can its phones succeed where others have … well, already
succeeded? And more importantly, are tech reviewers being fair when they
review the iPhone 6 Plus? Here’s what some of them said today, compared
with how they reviewed earlier phablets and big phones from the
competition.
BGR
Jonathan Geller spun 180 degrees thanks to Apple. But he’s decent enough to admit he was wrong.
Jonathan Geller spun 180 degrees thanks to Apple. But he’s decent enough to admit he was wrong.
2012:
Samsung Galaxy Note
The most useless device I’ve
ever seen … This is a phone, after using it for a few hours, that feels
like it is too big to be taken seriously. That’s the end of it. I don’t
care if you like large screens on mobile devices, I don’t care if you
love Android, and I don’t care if you love 4G LTE — this is a device fit
for use only by such a small subset of the human population that I
can’t fathom how AT&T and Samsung are putting so much marketing
resources behind it.
– Jonathan Geller
– Jonathan Geller
2014:
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Now that Apple has finally
taken the wraps off the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple fans
are going crazy with anticipation over the largest iPhones ever
released, something needs to be said. And that something is, “Thank you,
Samsung.” We got it wrong.
– Jonathan Geller
– Jonathan Geller
TechCrunchTechCrunch wasn’t sure how it felt about phablets at first. But larger iPhones have clearly convinced them.
2012:
Galaxy Note
Unfortunately, you might look a
little crazy with that huge thing up to your face. I found that it was
really difficult to get comfortable with the device, never feeling like I
had complete control over it as I would with a smaller phone. On the
other hand, the mobile video experience offered by the Note can’t really
be beat.
– Jordan Crook
– Jordan Crook
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
In terms of carrying and
holding the device, the additional size makes for a less ‘perfect’
ergonomic quality, something the iPhone 6 definitely achieves, but
there’s still lots to love about the industrial design of the 6 Plus …
For most tasks, I find the iPhone 6 Plus to be a two-handed device – but
I also find that I’m absolutely fine with that.
– Darrell Etherington
– Darrell Etherington
The Wall Street Journal / RecodeLauren
Goode is singing a very different song – and is willing to admit it. So
too Walt Mossberg, who called the 5.3-inch Note “gargantuan” and the
4.7-inch iPhone 6 as “terrific.”
2012:
Galaxy Note 2
It’s still too big for a smartphone … After testing it over the
past week and a half, the awkwardness that came with carrying such a
large, “notice me” phone outweighed the benefits of it, for me.
– Lauren Goode
– Lauren Goode
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
Maybe I’m getting old, and my
eyes are getting worse. Or maybe I’m stuck in Apple’s reality-distortion
field (help). But something strange happened this week. I started to
like a phablet.
– Lauren Goode
– Lauren Goode
2014:
Walt Mossberg on Galaxy Note and the iPhone 6
That iPhone, and its four-inch
successor, the 5S, proved very popular. At first, larger, wider phones
seemed weird (I even compared holding the first Samsung Note to your
face to “talking into a piece of toast.”) But for many people,
especially in certain countries, the iPhone’s screen began to seem too
small, as competing models appeared with bigger and bigger screens. At
first, larger, wider phones seemed weird … the iPhone 6’s 4.7-inch
screen is a catch-up feature. But it’s very well done.
– Walt Mossberg
– Walt Mossberg
The New York Times / YahooFor
David Pogue, a 4.8-inch Samsung was great, but so big it needed to be
ridiculed. A 5.5-inch iPhone “doesn’t seem bigger than the iPhone 5,”
however. He’s clearly adjusted to the scale.
2012:
Galaxy S3
This phone is huge. Its
4.8-inch screen is a broad canvas for photos, movies, maps and Web
pages. But you can’t have a big screen without a big body, and this one
is more VHS cassette than postage stamp. It’s the old trade-off: A big
phone is better when you’re using it, but a small one is better when
you’re carrying it.
– David Pogue
– David Pogue
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
are absolutely terrific phones. They’re fast and powerful and well
designed. There’s not a single component that hasn’t been improved.
These phones are a delight to behold and to be held.
– David Pogue
– David Pogue
The GuardianLooks like The Guardian had a change of heart, err hand? At least they’re not above admitting it.
2013:
Galaxy Note 3
The sheer size of the device basically makes one-handed operation
impossible. Samsung’s given the Note 3 an entire settings menu dedicated
to trying to make it easier to use one-handed, but even with my adult
male-sized hands it’s a struggle to reach even half of the screen
without dropping the device.
– Samuel Gibbs
– Samuel Gibbs
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
Too big. This thing’s too big.
Waaay too big. It’s … actually, that screen is pretty nice, isn’t it?
Wow, you really can get a lot of content on there, can’t you? Hey, my
hand’s getting used to the size. It’s quite comfortable, isn’t it?
– Charles Arthur
– Charles Arthur
USA Today
Ed Baig stuck to his guns: Phablets in general just aren’t going to work for everyone, regardless of who makes them.
Ed Baig stuck to his guns: Phablets in general just aren’t going to work for everyone, regardless of who makes them.
2012:
Galaxy Note
Screen size is a balancing
act, of course, and some will find the large display ungainly. Holding
the phone to your ear might feel a bit dorky. I found it could easily
fit in a coat pocket or purse, and surprisingly my front jeans pocket as
well. But the size is simply not going to work for everybody.
– Ed Baig
– Ed Baig
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
I prefer the 6 Plus because I
like the biggest of the big screens, and like that I have to squint less
often. It felt fine in my jeans pocket, but won’t fit every snug purse
or small pair of hands.
– Ed Baig
– Ed Baig
CNetCNet’s
reviewer said the Note was a really, really big phone, but a great one.
The iPhone is a great phone but a really, really big one.
2012:
Galaxy Note
There’s no way this baby is
slipping into my jeans pockets, but it’s fine for my purse … With its
huge screen and throwback stylus, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a
polarizing smartphone that winks at tablet territory. Those who like
their screens XL will find a top-notch device that lets multimedia
shine. The S Pen adds some artistic potential, but for some, the phone
will just simply be too big.
– Jessica Dolcourt
– Jessica Dolcourt
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 Plus is too big
for everyone to love it, but it’s Apple’s best phone this year. If your
budget and your pocket can make room for it, give the iPhone 6 Plus
serious consideration.
– Tim Stevens
– Tim Stevens
The VergeAt first, The Verge was obsessed with the sheer size of the Note. Today size isn’t the same factor it once was.
2012:
Galaxy Note
Human society has yet to
evolve to the point where it can witness a person holding up a massive
slate of technology to his ear without attempting to make a bad joke
about it … It’s only the one-size-fits-none form factor and some
software troubles that hold the Galaxy Note back from being a truly
memorable mobile device.
– Vlad Savov
– Vlad Savov
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 Plus is a big
phone because it has to be; Apple made a big phone in 2014 because
consumers have demanded big phones. Samsung’s empire is built on
gigantic phones that keep getting bigger … and while Apple initially
derided screen size as an unworkable gimmick, it turns out that bigger
sells … I’m going to buy an iPhone 6 Plus. I’m taken with it; it feels
like an entirely new kind of device for Apple, and it has such a killer
camera I can’t say no.
– Nilay Patel
– Nilay Patel
InfoWorldGalen Gruman gets the award for consistency — and bluntest statement about the sheer size of modern phones.
2012:
Galaxy Note
The Galaxy Note’s 5.75-inch
height and 3.25-inch width fit in my open palm, but without much leeway.
Many women and even men won’t be so lucky. … Even two-handed operation
can be problematic. In vertical orientation, thumb-typing is quite
comfortable on the larger-than-usual onscreen keyboard. But in
horizontal orientation, I strained to reach the innermost keys with my
thumbs, despite my large hands.
– Galen Gruman
– Galen Gruman
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
The iPhone 6 Plus is too big for me.
– Galen Gruman
– Galen Gruman
Digital TrendsWe
can’t very well call out other publications without quoting ourselves.
Here is what our Mobile Editor Jeffrey Van Camp thought of the Galaxy
Note and iPhone 6 Plus.
2012:
Galaxy Note
I can’t imagine how many times
a Note will be dropped because someone is trying to use it one handed
… If you have big hands or often use your phone with two hands, then the
Note may be a good device for you. Aside from its size, most everything
else about it is solid … Samsung hasn’t made a huge mistake with the
Galaxy Note.
– Jeffrey Van Camp
– Jeffrey Van Camp
2014:
iPhone 6 Plus
I’ve never loved phablets. I
still don’t … Of Apple’s two new models, we recommend the iPhone 6 over
the iPhone 6 Plus, but compared to other (oversized) phablets, this is a
fantastic offering … If you like big phones or have avoided previous
iPhones because of their diminutive stature, take a fresh look at Apple.
– Jeffrey Van Camp
– Jeffrey Van Camp