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Apple has announced two new iPhones: the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
The two new phones are larger than the current iPhone: 4.7-inch for the iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch for the iPhone 6 Plus.
Both feature "a new generation of Retina display" according to Apple's Phil Schiller speaking at the company's launch event in California, which Wired.co.uk attended. Apple has named the new screen "Retina HD" due in part to its increased pixel density.
The iPhone 6 will have a screen resolution of 1,334x750 pixels, while the larger model will have a Full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel display. On these larger screens the size has allowed Apple to bake in two-panel view, meaning inboxes can be read on the left, while an open message can be seen on the right. This extends to the homescreen, which can now be arranged in portrait view where the application dock sits on the side of the screen rather than the bottom.
Physically the devices, while visually identical other than the size, are redesigned entirely from their previous generation. The iPhone 6 is 6.9mm thick; the 6 Plus is 7.1mm. Both of these measurements are thinner than the current iPhone 5s, which measures 7.6mm.
Inside is a 64-bit Apple-made A8 processor, which Schiller claimed was 25 percent faster than the iPhone 5s and 50 percent faster for graphics rendering, which is important for the next-generation of 3D gaming. It is also claimed to be more efficient with power, meaning higher speeds needn't consume more power, thus ensuring battery life isn't eaten too quickly.
Schiller claims the new models have "equal or better" battery life compared to the iPhone 5s, with up to 16 days of standby time on the iPhone 6 Plus compared to 10 days on the 5s and 6.
On the camera side of things, the rear lens houses an 8-megapixel camera with a new technology called "focus pixels".
This pairing of two types of pixel on the camera sensor lets the iPhone better detect if a point in a photograph is in focus or not.
It also has improved face detection, larger 43-megapixel panorama capture and the iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilisation -- a technology usually seen in dedicated digital cameras as it features a lens that physically moves to compensate for hand shake or motion and this is supported for videos as well as still images.
Videos are still captured at 1080p but can now be captured at 60fps up from 30fps; slow-motion video can be captured at 240fps, up from 120fps as seen first in the iPhone 5s.
There is a new M8 motion co-processor, which handles movement sensors in the phone. It can now detect elevation with the use of a new sensor: a barometer. This will help apps record if a user has run up stairs, for example, or just along a straight road.
Support for 150Mbps 4G LTE is included, as well as 802.11ac Wi-Fi, which is beginning to see support in routers and broadband base stations to support downloads around three times faster than regular Wi-Fi.
EE was touted as a supporter of a new feature: Wi-Fi Calling.
This will allow customers to use a Wi-Fi connection to make a call when 3G cellular signals aren't available, such as in basements.
Launch dates are set to be 19 September in the UK, the same as the US. UK prices will start at £539 for the 16GB iPhone 6 and £619 for the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus. The 64GB iPhone 6 will set you back £619 and the 128GB model will cost £700. The 64GB iPhone 6 Plus is priced at £699 and the most expensive model of the lot, the 6 Plus with 128GB of staorage, will have you forking our £790.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
