Despite its relatively small physical size, Apple's entry into the smartwatch world caused the biggest stir out here in Cupertino, California. But it was the iPhone 6 that will be of most immediate interest to us all, not least because it's going on sale in a week and is a lot larger than the current iPhones.
And then there's the iPhone 6 Plus, which is even larger still. Fortunately, I travelled from London to California to test them first-hand.
First, the iPhone 6. The first thing you may notice when picking up the new model is not actually its 4.7-inch screen; the first thing I noticed was that it feels a lot thinner than the 5s and 5c, and its rounded edges suggest you're holding a very small iPad mini rather than a larger iPhone. The chassis has a satisfying curvature as the rear shell folds around to the front, and meets the glass of the display in a way that feels nearly seamless.
The next thing I noticed was that my index finger was very confused. Its usual home, guided to by years of muscle memory, was the lock button on the top of the device. Except now that button has gone. Apple has rehoused it on the right-hand side of the device around the place a thumb would comfortably sit if the phone was held in the right hand.
After those hurdles were cleared, the screen size got some attention. By current Android phone standards the iPhone 6's display is still quite small; so large is the Sony Xperia Z3 that the compact version is only 0.1mm smaller than the iPhone 6. But with its 1,334x750-pixel "Retina HD" resolution Apple's phone looks as pin-sharp and vibrant as the 5s upon close inspection.
However, sit it next to the iPhone 6 Plus, with its larger 5.5-inch screen and massive Full HD 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, and if you get your eyes close enough one can see the difference in pixel density between the two models. The 6 Plus's pixels are so tiny they're hard to see no matter how close you get your face, whereas one can just about make out the ones on the regular iPhone 6 if you look hard enough. Put them both at arm's reach and the difference is imperceptible, so don't let that guide a buying decision.
A major new feature is the iPhone 6 camera's continuous focus.
In practice this means if you focus on an object in the foreground and then move the camera towards something more distant, the phone immediately refocusses on the distant object. No tapping to refocus, it just happens instantly. This was demonstrated in Apple's stage presentation, and I was pleased to see it works exactly as well when I tested it. This is true whether taking a still image or video.
The iPhone 6 Plus includes all of these features, as well as the same Apple A8 processor (although we're not yet sure how fast these chips are clocked -- it may be that the version in the iPhone 6 Plus is more powerful in order to drive the additional pixels on screen). But it includes the option of using the device in landscape mode, which means it can offer a two-pane way of viewing email and messages: inbox on the left, selected message open on the right. The same goes for the homescreen, which in landscape mode puts the application dock normally at the bottom of the screen on the right-hand side of the device and rotates homescreen icons accordingly.
Many new features of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were harder to test in our brief time with the devices today. Technologies such as the new M8 motion coprocessor that handles movement tracking and other physical measurements were fairly redundant while standing still, and the advanced graphics powered by Apple's new "Metal" architecture hasn't been developed by games-makers enough for us to give it a run for its money. These features we'll be testing in our full review at launch but you can preview them all in our initial report from Apple's conference.
Apple has made a smart move in growing the size of its flagship product's screen, but it has also grown the size of its mobile phone portfolio in a way that risks the creation of confusion. On sale in the UK for example this month will be iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Four models, three screen sizes. It definitely allows Apple the opportunity to reach into a wider spread of demographics but at the expense of being able to say "this is the only phone you need".
But regardless, the new iPhones are exciting steps into a territory Android has trodden well over the last year or so, but in a way many iPhone users have been hoping for. Paired with iOS 8, which will come as standard when the device goes on sale on 19 September, it's going to dissolve a lot of concerns that Apple hasn't kept up with the competition in the phone space.
We'll be ready to give it our final word once our full review is complete at launch.
By Nate Lanxon
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
