We Get Our Hands on the iPhone 6!

The Apple iPhone 6 sold over 10,000,000 units in three days and the crazy demand for it has driven local gray market prices through the roof! The average price range right now is at Php49,999-Php60,000 for the 16GB/64GB variants. However despite the steep prices we’ve heard that they’ve been selling like hotcakes. We were finally able to get our hands on the iPhone 6 through our good friends from Kimstore and based so far on our time with it we can definitely say that it can potentially lure back Android users and almost certainly satisfy hardcore Apple fans.

Before we get to the unboxing and the hands-on let’s quickly take a look at the specifications.

Apple iPhone 6 Specs Sheet

• Apple A8 1.4GHz Dual-core Processor
• PowerVR GX6650 hexa-core GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 16GB/64GB/128GB internal storage variants, non-expandable
• 4.7-inches IPS LCD, 750×1334 pixels resolution, 326ppi
• 8.0-megapixels rear-facing camera, dual-tone LED Flash
• Can record 1080p@60fps or 720p@240fps
• 1.2-megapixels front-facing camera
• 3G, HSPA+, LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (Apple Pay), Fingerprint Sensor
• iOS 8
• 1,810mAh Battery

As you can see it’s not the most advanced set of specs we’ve seen. Heck most Android devices have stronger innards however it’s not always just about the numbers. The name of the game is efficiency and that’s what you can expect from the iPhone 6 in spades. Read on for our unboxing and initial impressions!

Unboxing: Apple Changed Boxes!

As you can see with the photo at the start of this post, Apple changed the print and design of their boxes! Gone is the usual printed photo of the iPhone and instead we have the iPhone 6 shape neatly and cleanly embossed at the center. Inside the box we have the usual suspects: the iPhone, the Nano SIM Card Pin Key, the USB charger, the Lightning Cable, and the Apple EarPods.

The manuals and Apple logo sticker are in the packet as well so there’s nothing really out of the ordinary in the box. We’ve never been a fan of the EarPods so if ever you guys get this we suggest you try to sell the EarPods for Php1,000 and just buy either the Coloud Pop or the Xiaomi Pistons. Both offer much better sound quality than the EarPods.

Let’s move on to the phone itself!

Hardware: Solid, Premium, and Feels Like What You Paid for It

When it comes to hardware design the iPhone 6 is without a doubt one of the very best. The metal curved chassis with the flowing curved glass display at the front makes it insanely gorgeous for a smartphone. No other phone has truly deserved the word “sexy” until the iPhone 6. It’s sleek, thin, curvy, and just plain beautiful.

In our hand the iPhone 6 felt very familiar and yet so new compared to the previous generations of iPhones. The bigger 4.7-inch display is a WINNER. It is just perfect because it can satisfy previous iPhone fans who switched to Androids and got spoiled by the bigger displays and it can also appease Apple fans who don’t want a massive phablet in their hands. The size is just right.

Perhaps the only weird thing in the iPhone 6 is the camera. The lens protudes forward a bit which is a first for an iPhone. Usually the lens is perfectly aligned to the body of the phone. It looks like Apple really wanted to make the chassis as thin as possible and they didn’t mind the lens sticking out a bit (so yes you should buy a case lest you scratch the lens to death).

Unlike the bigger smartphones with 5.0-inch displays, you won’t have any problems using the iPhone 6 with just one hand which is a huge plus for diehard iPhone form factor fans. It’s actually refreshing to go back to a slightly smaller display coming from just using the LG G3, Xperia Z2, and Note 3 as our usual daily drivers. Really felt good being able to text with just one hand again, haha!

The display is flawless. I know that the pixel count is not as high as that of the other Android smartphones but you really can’t tell the difference. In fact I bet a lot of people will probably say that the iPhone 6 has a better display thanks to the color balance and over-all quality.

Over-all in the hardware department the iPhone 6 delivers and can beat the crap out of other flagships in the market today. Johnny Ive definitely deserves more than a pat on his back for this one.

Software Initial Impressions: iOS 8

The good news is that just like the iPhone 5S, there is no lag with the iPhone 6. The over-all user experience is buttery smooth. There were minor glitches with some apps like the keyboard not always appearing properly in Facebook Messenger but we think those are things that can be fixed with upcoming patches so they’re not really deal-breakers.

iOS 8 feels the same like iOS 7 unless you dig into the features so make sure you read up on them so you can maximize what the iPhone 6 can offer (or if you just updated your 4S, 5, or 5S to iOS 8).

Full Review Coming Soon

That’s it for our initial impressions and unboxing. For the full review we will be focusing on the over-all performance of the device including BATTERY LIFE, the CAMERA, and how well it can handle intense graphics and animations.

Our full review should be out in a week so please do check back here at the site.

If you want to order and get one, you can already order via Kimstore.