Got The iPhone 6 Plus And Already Thinking About Returning It


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*Edit* This is not my own opinion

 

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/just-got-iphone-6-plus-130235410.html

 

 

 

There was literally nobody on the planet more excited for Apple's first phablet than me.

As soon as rumors started popping up that Apple was going to make a 5.5-inch iPhone, I knew I was going to buy it. I had been using a Galaxy Note II, which has a 5.5-inch screen, at home as a mini-tablet, and I thought it was great. I prefer iOS, so I was happy Apple going to jump into the phablet market.

Sure enough, on the day the phone was available for preorder, I woke up and ordered the iPhone 6 Plus.

It arrived Wednesday, and my initial impression ? 30 minutes in ? was positive. The big screen is flat-out gorgeous. It's thin, and the device looks good.

But, after ~12 hours with it, I have more mixed emotions. I am now wondering if this phone is too big for me and my day-to-day usage. I am wondering if in a week I'll be at the Apple Store, returning the phone.

What's the problem? I had no idea how important one-handed usage is with a smartphone until it was basically taken away from me with the iPhone 6 Plus.

I am 6-foot-1, and I think I have the hands that correspond with that size. I use medium-size grips on my golf clubs, if that helps add perspective. To be precise: It's not as if I have freak baby hands.

Wednesday, while I was setting up my phone, I was eating dinner ? sausage sandwiches with potato chips, because I like to eat healthy. As a result, I did the whole thing one-handed. That wasn't too bad, but I did start to feel like my left hand was getting disjointed trying to bend my thumb around to hit various buttons.

But that was an exception, right? Setting up the phone is a one-time thing. What about normal usage?

Well, I was sitting on my couch watching TV, and it turns out I use my phone with just one hand a lot! More than I ever realized. And I felt as if I had to pop my thumb out of its joint to move around the phone.

Here's the best analogy I can think of for describing the new sort of motions needed to navigate this big phone: Have you ever tried to move around on the ground without using your arms? You end up shuffling using your butt.

Likewise, when trying to move your hand around the 6 Plus, you use your palm to move the phone, and slide your fingers from side to side.

My iPhone 5S was sitting next to me on the couch, and I started picking it up. I had a newfound appreciation for how small and easily used it is. I could zip around the screen, no problem. And it's not that small, really. I could see what I needed to see. The screen on the iPhone 6 Plus is beautiful and big, but it doesn't feel like that much of an improvement, at least, not right now.

When my wife came home, I showed her the iPhone 6 Plus. She hated it. She treated it as if it were covered in disease, immediately handing it back to me. I took it, tried to shuffle it in my hand to unlock, and I dropped it on the floor. Happily, nothing happened to it. But, I am now hyper aware of how easy it is to drop the thing.

The one-handed thing came up again when I was getting ready to go to sleep. I'm one of those pathetic losers who can't do anything without looking at his phone. So, when I brush my teeth, I like to check Twitter. And I could do that with the 6 Plus, but it was slightly uncomfortable.

Thursday morning, walking to the train, I wanted to whip out my phone to see if I was running late. But there is no whipping out of the iPhone 6 Plus. There is only careful removal, because the risk of dropping it is real.

Other things about the 6 Plus that I find odd:
Apple moved the power button to the side, but it's too high on the side.
I still have to slink my hands into position to hit it.
In Safari, if I want to open a new page or a new tab, I have to slide my thumb all the way across the phone.
The reach ability mode from Apple is not all that useful. Apple has this new thing where you double tap the home button and the screen slides down. 1) It's hard to get my thumb to the home button. 2) I don't even know how this helps.

To be clear, I am not returning it ? at least not yet. I'm going to be giving the phone a week before making up my mind.

The problem for me, and perhaps for anyone who buys the 6 Plus, is more mental than physical. In my head, this is an "iPhone," and so I expect it to behave like an iPhone. But in reality, it's something totally different.

If Apple named this the iPad Nano, I would probably have no complaints. I would just think of it like I think of the iPad Mini. I don't complain about one-handed usage with an iPad Mini because I don't expect it.

It's a new category of device, and so I will have to use it in new ways.

The question, which I will be revisiting in a week, is whether I figure out a new way to use the phone. And whether it's worth whatever compromises I have to make in using the phone in a new way.

The big screen is gorgeous, but after 12 hours with it, I'm not sure it's worth the trade-off of a truly easy-to-use little mobile phone.
 
Edited by sc302
*edited by request of macoman
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same screen size as Samsung, so why suddenly you realize that the phone is too big? I have an xperia z, and even that is too big for me to be honest. My next phone will be one of the z compact range, im just not that obbsessed with phones as I used to be, and dont need the best of the best. And before buying it, surely you would go to shop and try it out?

 

Would Apple even axcept a return cause you didnt realize that its awkward to use?

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The dude was using the Note as a mini-tablet in the home environment not as a phone. His old phone by the sounds of it was an iPhone 5 and that's a huge jump up. 

 

while an interesting read, please don't post an external article like this, unless you are Jay Yarow :)

 

Agree. It confused the hell out of me.

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The dude was using the Note as a mini-tablet in the home environment not as a phone. His old phone by the sounds of it was an iPhone 5 and that's a huge jump up. 

 

 

Agree. It confused the hell out of me.

But surely he would know what its like to use a device that big.  Its not like he jumped from iphone 5 to iphone 6 plus straight away without handling a bigger device.

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But surely he would know what its like to use a device that big.  Its not like he jumped from iphone 5 to iphone 6 plus straight away without handling a bigger device.

 

Also true...One of the reasons that I'm staying away from the larger phones. I use a Nexus 7 and prefer being able to use my phone with one hand.

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<snip>

Please don't cut and paste an opinion article without specifying whose opinion it is first.

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Please don't cut and paste an opinion article without specifying whose opinion it is first.

Apologized for that, it's a way from moderators to perhaps modify the post so it does not reflect that is my own opinion? I put the source on the bottom.
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I had no idea how important one-handed usage is with a smartphone until it was basically taken away from me with the iPhone 6 Plus.

 

Interesting. That has forever been the reason i've never even thought about using anything bigger than 4.7.

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Interesting. That has forever been the reason i've never even thought about using anything bigger than 4.7.

 

 

you cannot handle a 5-incher?

 

 

but, seriously,  nexus 5 (5inch) was just as comfortable to grip as my htc one (m7)         4.7 inch. 

 

maybe because it of the shape and materials - it was easy to hold, and lightness too.

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This article does make an of interesting point...I am in agreement of the placement of the power button.  It takes a lot of getting use to.  I am still not sure if I like it.

 

That being said I love the 6+.  The only phone that it compares to is the htc one m8.  I personally don't think the samsung gs5 compares to it but that is just me.

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Seems a lot of these articles deal with people who pre-ordered the 6+ immediately, without bothering to wait a week, try it out at the Apple Store and see if they liked it.

 

I mean, sure, it's nice to get things as soon as possible, but for me, I knew the 6+ was something I couldn't just order on a whim. I waited, got a chance to play with it yesterday, and then realized it wasn't as big as I thought and ordered one. My shipment is more than a month away, but that's life.

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I returned my 6 plus.  The screen is great for typing on, cause i have big hands.  reachability helped with reaching things at hte top.  Main issue was that nothing is updated to use the screen space, and i just missed too much from android.  

 

I also found i was having to be extra careful when removing it from my pocket n such.  Couldnt really one hand it much and do things quickly or use it while carrying things.  

 

I think the plus will have more value 3-4 months down the road when apps are making use of the space more.  Phablets just arent for me though.

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Should rename the thread title "User doesn't think before buying product".

Try before you buy.....hands on is best.

Agreed with both of you, never buy something without reviews or testing by yourself. I never buy anything without checking reviews first to see how good a product it's.
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*insert joke about needing to use it one-handed*

 

Anyway, I can kind of see the point he's making. Then again, I am tiny and do have "freak baby hands", so I prefer my devices small and lightweight. But if he prefers the smaller size, then the regular 6 is the way to go, isn't it? I thought the appeal of having different sizes was having different options. (For the record, this is why I like Android or even Windows phones... there's a size/colour/etc for anybody's preference.) I agree with those who said "try before you buy"--you want to make sure not only the size is right, but that it feels good in your hands and the screen is pleasant/easy to see and all that. We use our phones a LOT, for so many things. I'm willing to pay whatever I need to for a mobile device, but I want to be 100% happy with my choice before I get anything.

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Hang on, he is whining about the size? why didn't get wait? download and print off the mainly templates that were online? why not hold off and go into a store to actually see it in person? I admit that the iPhone 6 Plus (like the Galaxy Note and other phablets) aren't for everyone but good lord you would think that the individual in question would actually investigate before committing oneself to purchasing the iPhone 6 Plus because it is almost a guarantee that he would have found the iPhone 6 a lot more suitable to what he wanted to use it for.

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