We will analyze what main modules each iPhone consists of.
Let's take the iPhone 6s as an example.
Display
Usually, this part is called the "display module". In addition to the button and speaker, which are held on with screws and can be easily removed, the module consists of many layers:
- External safety glass
- polarizing film
- touchscreen, applied to glass
- Backlight- a pack of polarizing and other films, which are illuminated at the edges with small LEDs, the films distribute light evenly over the entire surface
- Multiple layers translucent adhesive
- plastic frame
- Protective metal screen
- plumes touchscreen, display and backlight - they are connected to the board
Frame
All spare parts are kept on the body. The case in the iPhone 6s is non-separable, but the back cover was removed in the iPhone 4/4s.
In newer models, the back is a "tub" that covers the display. There are no other body parts in the iPhone.
Motherboard
The board contains a huge number of elements. Only their list occupies several sheets of A4. Small print.
In the photo - the motherboard from the iPhone 6s. On other models, the location (and sometimes composition) of chips and elements is different. In addition, different models use different types of chips, even if they perform the same function. Even within the same model, chips can change, depending on the version, release, and modifications. We will consider the iPhone 6s at 16 GB.
The main elements in the photo are highlighted in colors:
- Red- Apple A9 processor. There is also RAM (Samsung 2 GB LPDDR4).
- Orange- network modem (Qualcomm MDM9635M)
- Yellow- combined 6-axis gyroscope chip with accelerometer (InvenSense MP67B)
- Green- 3-axis accelerometer (Bosch Sensortec 3P7)
- The rest of the colors indicate the main amplifiers.
On the other hand
- Red- flash memory, also known as NAND flash (Toshiba THGBX5G7D2KLFXG 16 GB)
- Orange- Wi-Fi module (USI 339S00043)
- Blue- power controller (Qualcomm PMD9635)
- Blue- audio codec (Cirrus Logic 338S00105)
speaker
This speaker is also sometimes referred to as a "polyphonic speaker". Located at the bottom of the phone.
iPhones only have one bottom speaker. In many iPhones, there are 2 identical holes or grilles on the bottom, but only a speaker is hidden under one. Under the other is a microphone.
rear camera
This is the main camera on the phone. In recent versions, it has become known as iSight.
Comparison of rear cameras on all iPhone models
Battery
Batteries on iPhones vary greatly in capacity: from 1150 mAh to 2916 mAh.
How many hours the battery lasts for different activities on all iPhone models up to 6 Plus.
Lower plume
The bottom cable houses the Lightning charging connector, headphone jack, microphone, and antenna.
Before the 5th iPhone, the headphone jack was on a different cable, at the top of the phone.
On the iPhone 6s, there are two microphones on the bottom cable.
Home button
Center button, home button.
The button is located on a cable with a connector. Starting with the iPhone 5s, it includes a Touch ID reader.
Friends, many of you are often interested and ask what does the iPhone consist of? And today we decided to consider in detail what it consists of. This time we will talk about the iPhone 5, although iPhones have a slightly different structure, many details are slightly modified and passed on from generation to generation.
There will be a video soon, but for now, an article for reading and familiarization.
Below we will talk about the components that make up the iPhone, each picture will show one of the details of the iPhone with a description of the functionality that it performs and the reasons for its breakdown.
The battery is used to power the device. Typically, battery problems are either due to exceeding the cycle limit or due to low temperatures. But again, older batteries have a greater tendency to instantly discharge in cold weather. Newer batteries may run out faster, but not instantly, as battered ones do. 
Power button (set by a metal swing to the module), switch to silent mode button (set by a marker to the module) and volume button + -, + up, minus down. 
Protection of the lower charging cable and battery protection, the left side is always under the bottom, the right one covers the top and is screwed in with one screw. 
Flash protection, the bottom part is screwed into the motherboard, the upper part is screwed into a small barrel screw. 
The wi-fi antenna is screwed with one screw with vibration motor protection, the cable itself is fastened from the back of the motherboard. 
Protecting the module cables, closes the cable from the module and the front camera, fastened with three screws. 
Geolocation antenna, clipped onto the motherboard. Serves to amplify the signal of the GPS module, which determines the location of the iPhone. 
Hearing speaker with protection, installed on the module, touches the upper loop of the front camera with contacts, is screwed with two screws, the lower right one is shorter than the upper one and is used to center the front camera. 
The locks of the module, 3 identical and the fourth small one, hold the frame of the module inside the device, correct installation (notches to the bottom, with a flat part to the module on top, elastic band to the walls of the case). 
The home button cable and the Home button itself. when installing a new button, we glue the elastic to the module with 4 drops in the corners of the gel glue, for the correct operation of the button itself. 
Home button flex and home button view from the back. 
Protection of the upper microphone on the power cable, correct installation, wide part up, narrow down, a small barrel screw is attached from the top, an ordinary small screw for a Phillips screwdriver is screwed from the bottom. 
The pusher of the SIM tray and the SIM tray, the correct installation of the pusher, so that its narrow part looks towards the on button, and the recess for the paper clip looks through the window in the case where the paper clip is inserted. 
Vibration motor with protection, mounted on the inclusion cable in the upper right corner of the device and fastened with three screws, in the upper part of the case, in the side right and bottom fastening is screwed with one screw with a wi-fi antenna 
The top cable of the front camera is installed on the module, and fastened to the motherboard on the connector in places with module cables and closed with a metal protection with three screws. The cable has a front camera, a microphone, light sensors, proximity, and earpiece speaker contacts. 
The polyphonic speaker is installed on the lower charging cable and is responsible for the speakerphone and music in the device. 
The turn-on cable, it contains the turn-on membrane, the upper microphone, the contacts of the vibration motor, switching to silent mode, switching the volume - +. 
iPhone 5 motherboard. All the elements on this page are connected to the motherboard. The motherboard is the connecting link of all components and modules. 
iPhone 5 case made of aluminum. 
the iPhone 5 module mounting bracket is screwed from the back of the module to the frame with four screws on the sides, and in its upper part there are holes for the top cable mounting screw. 
iPhone 5 module, it contains glass, sensor, matrix, module mounting frame. on the iPhone 5, the home button mounts are parallel. 
The bluetooth antenna is installed on the audio jack connector, which is located on the lower charging cable, in the lower left corner. 
The lower charging cable contains: audio jack connector, lower microphone, home button contacts, charging connector, gsm antenna, polyphonic speaker contacts.
Nowhere is a failure, but everywhere there is a reason for criticism
The purpose of this material is to discuss stereotypes and common misconceptions regarding the hardware and software characteristics of Apple iPhone smartphones with iOS and competing Android smartphones. Our resource already has objective and detailed technical reviews of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. We also recommend that you read the first and second parts of this material.
Since we've spent so much time and text on the screen, let's take a quick look at the rest of the iPhone 6 and 6+ specs. And first of all, let's talk about the body.
- (either)
Frame
Changing the case size and screen size in the new iPhones is actually a much more serious step than it seems. And the transition to a new form factor creates quite a few problems (including for developers), and also significantly changes the way you interact with a smartphone. In general, Apple has not in vain held on to its old form factor for so long.
The iPhone (up to 5s inclusive) has always had two huge advantages: they lie very well and tightly in almost any hand (both male and female), and you can reach anywhere on the screen with your finger. In principle, the 5 (5s) was a little uncomfortable to reach into the upper corner, but just that, a little. The new models are not just bigger - they feel differently in the hands, and it feels very good if you use 5 and 6 at the same time. With 6+ and without it, everything is clear. You hold a large smartphone with your fingertips by the sides (therefore, the power buttons have moved from the top to the side faces), and you don’t clasp it with your palm, and you often have to intercept it a little so that you can reach your finger to one or another place on the screen.
Accordingly, once the screen is larger, it becomes difficult or impossible to reach the top of the screen. Apple's proposed solution (double-tapping the Home button slides the screen down to the middle) is a workaround so that old applications can be used until developers adapt them to new screens. And for this you will have to rework the interface. I think that in the future, all controls in applications (or better, all active elements in general) need to be dragged down. For example, in a browser, the back button, address bar, and tab management should be at the bottom of the screen, and not at the top, as before (by inertia after switching from a PC). By the way, in the Nokia Lumia browser all these elements are already there.
That is, it's not just about increasing the case and the diagonal of the screen: now developers will have to rethink the application interfaces. iPhone 6 can still somehow get by with traditional ones, but 6+ is definitely not. For large models, it will also no longer be possible to ignore the possibility of using it in a horizontal orientation. Developers generally complain that two new devices have given them two additional form factors plus the existing ones, which is a lot (before that there were only 4 of them, except for the division into regular screens and retina). Therefore, they gradually started talking about platform fragmentation (although in this regard, Android is still very far away). But let's not delve into this topic in this material.
In general, new models change very, very much in the scheme of working with a smartphone. In this regard, I’m much more interested in what will happen with the iPhone 5 form factor. Because there are a lot of people who just like the way the old iPhone fits in their hand (and the small screen where you can reach everywhere), and at the same time they don’t really actively use smartphone functions, and for those that use, the screen is enough. As a rule, business is limited to mail and something on a trifle. And they don’t sit on their smartphone all day. And they certainly don't watch movies on it. This is one of the influential buyer categories for Apple smartphones, and it is very interesting to look at their fate.
Hardware configuration and other internals
The problem with the hardware characteristics (we talked about this in the part about the screen) is that there is nothing for the eye to catch on. There are no revolutions in the sense we are accustomed to: there are unacceptably few new frequencies, cores, etc.! We have already said that both x86 and Android are developing according to approximately the same scenario: one architecture with slight variations and one OS for the entire market, so where there are more numbers, there are better. Four cores? Not enough, there will be eight! 2 GHz? Not enough, give 2.3! The amount of RAM? The more expensive the device, the more!
An analysis of the hardware characteristics of the iPhone perfectly shows the futility of the comparison with Android smartphones, as we talked about in the previous part. There is a certain A8 with a certain M8 of a closed architecture and unknown parameters with an OS optimized for it (which also has no idea how it works inside) against some Snapdragon 800. By the way, everything is also not very clear with the parameters, but oh well . How to compare them? And we will take the known parameters such as operating frequencies - and it's in the bag!
Behind these comparisons, we always forget about the true measure of everything: performance. In benchmarks, the Apple A8 (1.4GHz, 2 cores) often outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (2.5GHz, 4 cores), including browser benchmarks. Even if we talk about virtual machines and performance losses, the result is still more than indicative.
Moreover, performance is not such a driving force for the development of the industry for tablets. At least not in the same way as in the PC market. That is, rather than users updating tablets to play a new toy with cooler graphics, developers will lower the toy's graphics level so that it runs on a wider range of devices, and they sell more copies. But this is also a separate issue.
Approximately the same situation with the rest of the characteristics: in general, everything is at the level of competitors, but without breakthroughs, so it's boring. Now all models support all LTE bands, a new, faster WiFi standard is supported, etc. But at the same time, if you constantly follow the announcements of new products on Android and your eyes are, as they say, blurred, then these news really do not produce some such impression.
In the configuration of the new iPhones, there are two subtle points that famously bypassed in the presentation - the amount of RAM and battery capacity (it was replaced by a slide with the type of autonomy in typical scenarios. But we know how these scenarios are calculated).
With claims to 1 GB of RAM (nothing has changed compared to the previous generation), the situation is the same as everywhere else: we take the inflated requirements of Android, transfer them to Apple, and are indignant. How is it possible to have 1 GB of RAM when the flagship Android already has 3 GB? Horror!
Um. Why do you need 3 GB of memory in a smartphone? 3 GB is, for example, the maximum memory for 32-bit desktop operating systems. A full desktop OS with great features, Windows XP worked perfectly at 2 GB with all applications, and even now 2 GB is a typical amount for modern tablets on full Windows 8.1 on Intel Atom processors.
So why so much memory? As a rule, a lot of memory is needed where it is bad with the optimization of its use. It is unlikely that a smartphone needs the same huge number of modules hanging in the system memory as a PC, and the applications there are much simpler and more compact than in a PC. The gluttony of Android to memory can rather be attributed to the desktop roots of the OS and just a large number of all sorts of system services and modules. Plus a virtual machine, plus applications ... that's what comes up. Plus, in iOS, when switching to the background, the application must remember its state and freeze, so there is not much difference in whether it returns from memory or restarts - unless you have to wait longer.
In reality, I came across two situations when I didn’t have enough memory on my iPad: firstly, if there are many tabs open in the browser, then the oldest ones can go out of memory. Secondly - if you played a voracious game, switched to other applications, worked with them (opening one is usually not enough), if you want to return - but no, it restarts, and not from the middle of the level, but a complete restart. Yes, this and that happens. But, um, this is still a personal portable device, you don’t need to demand the capabilities of a full-fledged PC from it. Let's complain then that there are no separate user profiles, etc. Or competing multitasking, as in a PC. Although we know very well why it should not be done on mobile platforms: it negatively affects both memory consumption (ahem) and autonomy.
And here we smoothly move on to the issue of autonomy. The difficulty with it is that you, firstly, have certain components that consume a lot of energy. And you won't do anything about it. And secondly, power consumption is very dependent on use cases, and they each have their own. Therefore, everyone will have their own autonomy. According to my estimates, the two most active consumers of energy are receiving data via cellular networks (3G, 4G) and using geolocation services (GPS). If you use them separately or together, get ready that the smartphone will not last for a long time. And given the love of modern social networks for pulling information over a cellular connection and at the same time placing geotags ... well, you understand. Next come the games, then - just the included screen, the rest is not so important.
For example, the iPhone 4s can be put on a shelf, having previously disabled all wireless interfaces, except for the cellular network itself for calls, and it will last 4-5 days. And if you load it to the maximum (social networks, a little navigation, checking mail, etc.) - it will last for a maximum of half a day.
Optimizing the power consumption of the platform, OS and applications, of course, has its value and should not be discounted. However, the recent success of Android smartphones, in my opinion, is largely due not to software optimization, but to a banal frontal attack: we take a large battery, make a larger case around it - yeah, battery life has increased. So, we take even more battery…etc. Although the batteries of the new iPhones are weaker than those of most Android competitors, on average they are not that far behind competitors in terms of battery life, if not loaded to the maximum. However, in scenarios that drain the battery as much as possible, you should not expect miracles from them.
Camera
Camera. 8 megapixels. It was and is. The counter of numbers again did not flip upwards. But! But in general, the story is the same here: we cling to the only available (or easy to understand) figure and ignore all slightly more complex parameters or everything that is not expressed in one figure.
Well, on the forums and even in some reviews, the wave rose again: “Fu, again 8 megapixels! Look, the competitors already have 20!” Well, what's the trifles then, let's immediately remember the Lumia 1020, which has as much as 43 megapixels. She will plug everyone into the belt in this parameter for two years ahead for sure. AND? In secret, while Nokia slows down when shooting, saves a frame for a second and a half (it would be necessary to write a separate article about “ease of use”), and for some reason fuzzy shots of a running child are obtained on it more often than on the iPhone 5. And often you have to resort to manual mode. True, she has it, yes, and you can adjust almost all shooting parameters. And yes, if the shot is successful, as well as in “heavy” shooting modes, it should give much better picture quality. But…
The generally accepted (inspired by manufacturers) incorrect opinion is that the more megapixels, the better. In theory, and subject to a number of conditions, this is true, but in practice, the capabilities of a modern camera, especially in mobile devices, are not at all determined by the parameters of the matrix, and even more so by the number of pixels on them.
Now the bottleneck is rather optics. First, she also has her permission. If the resolution of the optics is low, then no multi-megapixel matrix will help. Secondly, the photomodule in the phone must be compact, which imposes serious restrictions on the size of the optics and on the distance between the optics and the matrix. The smaller the size of the optics, the smaller the matrix should be.
The smaller the matrix and the more pixels it has, the less light hits a single pixel. It is necessary to raise its sensitivity, and at the same time, the parameters of light perception begin to walk and the matrix begins to “make noise”. This leads to the need to use a more powerful noise reduction, due to which details are lost, and as a result, the detail of the image may turn out to be worse than that of a less “megapixel” matrix.
Therefore, at a certain point, in order to improve the quality of the image, you have to “reverse” the whole logic: make the matrix larger, its resolution smaller, the lens glass again larger ... and therefore the distance between the objective and the matrix will be larger, which is in our world of ultra-thin smartphones leads to the fact that the lens begins to stick out of the body and spoils the whole view.
In general, Apple is not the first company to go down this path. Before it, for example, HTC with their “4 megapixels” and Nokia tried to push this idea to the masses - however, Nokia acted more extravagantly, making a huge matrix resolution and relatively large optics for a smartphone. At the same time, the photomodule sticks out decently from the body, but these smartphones (808 Pureview and 1020) were still positioned as the choice of lovers of gorgeous photos, ready to put up with inconveniences for this ... Apple is trying to smooth out the disappointment of customers: they say, but faster autofocus, stabilization (in 6 - electronic, in 6+ - so even optical). Although under our testing conditions (see iPhone 6 and 6+ reviews), these advantages either did not appear or did not play a decisive role.
And here we come to another point. Firstly, in some situations, startup speed and ease of control (pressed - immediately it turned out well) is much more important than even higher image quality achieved through manual control of settings. Those who have small and very fast children will understand. Secondly, the advantages of the cameras of the new iPhones can manifest themselves in difficult shooting conditions and in low light (home shooting in the evening of the same running children. Or parties ... or something else). The difficulty here is that moments like “and then Lech coolly fell off the table” are weakly repeatable and therefore do not fall into the tests - and there are plenty of them in life. I would not judge the quality of a smartphone camera only by still life studio shots. I would go even further and say that a smartphone camera cannot be judged only by pictures at all, you need to take the whole set of photo part work, since “takes pictures medium, but fast” may be preferable for most smartphone users than “takes great pictures, but you need to keep two seconds and adjust the sharpness and brightness manually.
In general, it’s definitely not worth making a tragedy out of an “insufficient number of pixels”, you need to look at the overall quality, and most importantly, the quality and speed of shooting in difficult conditions - this is more important in life. The problem is that you can feel it and evaluate the quality of the pictures (taken by you and in the situations you need) only after the purchase, but the bright line “now 5 megapixels more !!!” on the sticker - and before purchase. And this contradiction between marketing and life is not so easy to resolve.
By the way, all these considerations do not cancel outright horror in terms of the front camera. Black suspicions do not leave that Apple simply missed this moment. The megapixel race was snobbishly dismissed and the selfie trend was missed. And judging by the Americans, who happily click themselves in any situation and carry small cameras on sticks with them, they missed it in vain. I am sure that this company will come around again, and, most likely, in the near future.
Line and prices - interesting points
Finally, the last point I would like to dwell on: how will the new models affect the line of Apple smartphones?
The fact is that, unlike previous generations, the iPhone 6 and 6+ should not be perceived as a transition to a new generation (with an almost complete rejection of the old one), but rather as the introduction of a new model to the line. No, 5s was predictably moved to the “outgoing” category, leaving only a model with a minimum of 8 GB as a free application to the contract. But the 5s is still quite in the ranks: they removed only the top-end version with 64 GB of memory (and this is just understandable), but left models with 16 GB and even 32 GB of memory, and even lowered their price. The iPhone 6 and 6+ increased the maximum memory capacity to 128 GB (today it is one of the record figures), but left three models in the line, removing the 32 GB model from it. Most likely, the logic is as follows: those who choose the younger model do not need a large amount of memory (otherwise they would have paid extra for the next one), so 16 GB is enough for them. And the rest were actually given twice as much memory - after all, the difference between the models remained $ 100
Oh, and about the prices. With the release of the iPhone 6 and 6+, the price of the 5s models has been reduced - now it is $550 and $600 for models with 16/32 GB. The untethered 5s costs $450 in the US - that is, still $100 cheaper than the 5s, and still of little interest at that price. By the way, let me remind you: when analyzing iPhone prices in the US, do not forget that sales tax must be added to the declared prices - from 7 to 11%. There are situations where it is not paid (in two states, plus, in some cases, when trading via the Internet), but when you buy a smartphone in a store, you will pay it. Enough has already been written about the prices of the new iPhones, so I will refrain from making actual comments here.
My opinion is that in terms of positioning, the prices for the iPhone are quite adequate, and in general, the price should not be a determining factor when buying an iPhone. These devices are for those who love convenience and additional service, and not for those who use a calculator to calculate the cost based on the estimated cost of components. The iPhone isn't designed for "feature for the price," but for those who can afford the price for the sake of convenience. There, the line is made in such a way that “want better? well, add $100… or they’ll stop.” In general, to say that "it's expensive and that's why they won't buy it" is wrong. This will be bought first by those who have a lot of money and who need a convenient phone. Because they don't count every dollar. And then everyone else will buy on credit to look like those who do not calculate every dollar. And only a few will go with Hong-Chun-Jui Inc., which has 650 dpi and a 1.2 m long LTE antenna, and proudly say that “well, it doesn’t work here yet, they promised to fix it in version 4.4 - but but the characteristics of hoo, in terms of numbers are twice as good as an iPhone! Well, we all understand, right?
Let's take a look at what the iPhone 6 consists of in this article. If we disassemble the device to the level of spare parts, it looks something like this:
- Display module
- Display module shield with HOME button cable
- Aluminum anodized housing with fasteners, part of the antenna system
- Motherboard
- Battery
- Flex cable with charging connector, GSM antenna, polyphonic speaker pads, vibration motor pads, main microphone and audio jack.
- Flex cable with volume buttons and MUTE switch
- Flex cable with power button, noise reduction microphone and sound recording on the main camera and LED flash
- Flex cable with front camera, hands-free and video microphone, earpiece contact pads and proximity and light sensors
- HOME button flex cable with Touch ID scanner (unique part, damage leads to loss of Touch ID function even after replacing the flex cable with a new one)
- Main camera
- vibration motor
- Polyphonic speaker
- Hearing speaker
- Wi-Fi Antenna Coaxial Cable
- wifi antenna
- sim tray
1. Display module fromiPhone 6.
The iPhone 6 display module includes:
Initially equipped (not always): mesh for the speaker and microphone of the front camera, position locks for the camera and proximity sensor.
- Wcoated safety glass.
It is used to ensure that the touch panel and matrix do not wear out and cannot be damaged as a result of shock or drop.
- Sensor.
The iPhone sensor is a projective capacitive screen.
The principle of operation of the projected capacitive touch screen:
A grid of electrodes is applied on the inside of the screen. The electrode together with the human body forms a capacitor; electronics measures the capacitance of this capacitor (applies a current pulse and measures the voltage).
- The matrix.
A liquid crystal display, also known as Liquid crystal display, also known as LCD, is a flat display with a matrix of liquid crystals, which, under the influence of voltage, change their transparency and, accordingly, the degree of transmission of light created by the backlight. Each pixel is made according to the "triad" RGB, "red, green, blue" scheme. A variant of the technology is LCD TFT (Thin Film Transistor), with thin film transistors driving an active matrix.
- Backlight.
Light source. Serves to ensure that the image displayed by the LCD screen was visible to the human eye. LCDs themselves do not emit light. A pack of polarizing and diffusing films, which are illuminated from one edge with a line of LEDs, the films distribute light evenly over the entire surface.
- Plastic frame with slots for attachment bolts anddisplay fasteners in the case.
Serves for fastening the screen in the body of the device and installing attachments (hearing speaker, front camera cable, HOME button).
- Loop.
Used to connect to the board.
Displays on iPhone 6/6+/6s/6s+/7/7+ are not compatible.
Colors original: white, black.
2. Display module protective plate with HOME button cable.
The metal plate of the iPhone 6 display serves to protect the entire module from heat and damage associated with mechanical impact. It is attached to the back of the screen.
3. Anodized aluminum housing with fasteners, is part of the antenna system.
Aluminum shell (housing).
It is very easily deformed even without falling, but only when used (when heated, it coils up).
Apple acknowledged the flaw and promised to fix it in future models.
Chips, small dents on the case affect the fit of the display module (slits, bending, clicking, sticking the display into its component parts).
Slippery, not comfortable to hold without a cover.
There is a window for the main camera. Often damaged, as it protrudes from the case and is poorly fixed (for Chinese case substitutes).
A cloudy/dirty window critically affects the quality of the camera in these models.
4. Motherboard.
The motherboard is the heart of the device. It carries a processor, permanent and random access memory, an audio codec, a power controller that controls the energy consumption of each component, Wi-Fi / Bt transceiver modules, a modem part responsible for working in GSM networks and processing the GPS signal, as well as a lot of service chips for normal functioning of the main components.
The most delicate part of the device often fails due to strong impacts and deformation of the case. Can be repaired only by the most highly qualified engineers and on high-quality equipment.
5. Battery.
Accumulator batteryiPhone 6 includes:
- Connector.
- Rechargeable battery (ACB).
Lithium-ion battery.
iPhone 6 dimensions, capacity and battery life:
- Length: 9.5 cm
- Width: 3.7 cm
- Thickness: 0.3cm
- Battery: 3.82 V, 1810 mAh
- Standby: up to 250 hours
- Talk time: up to 14 hours on 3g network
Not compatible with any other device.
6. A cable with a charging connector, a GSM antenna, pads for a polyphonic speaker, pads for a vibration motor, a main microphone and an audio jack.
Charging cable includes:
- Microphone for communication with sealing gum.
Works in talk mode.
- Charging/sync connector (lightning).
Charging/syncing with itunes.
- Audio output (jack, 3.5).
Used to connect a headset.
- Coaxial cable GSM antenna.
The cable is used to connect the antenna to the motherboard.
- Contact pad for polyphonic speaker.
To connect a polyphonic speaker.,
- Contact pad for vibration motor.
For connecting a vibration motor.
- Connector.
Completely incompatible.
7. Loop with volume buttons and MUTE switch.
The flex cable with volume buttons and MUTE switch includes:
- Volume buttons.
Volume up/down.
- Silent slider.
Used to switch the silent mode.
- Connector.
To connect to the motherboard.
8. Flex cable with power button, noise reduction microphone and sound recording on the main camera and LED flash.
The push button switch includes:
- Power button.
Used to turn the phone on/off. Blocking.
- Main camera microphone.
Used in the noise reduction system.
- flash diodes.
Used as a flash during shooting. Lantern.
- Noise reduction mesh (located under the microphone).
- Connector.
To connect to the motherboard.
9. A cable with a front camera, a hands-free microphone and a video call, contact pads for an auditory speaker, and proximity and light sensors.
Front camera cable includes:
- Front-camera.
For front shooting.
- Light sensor.
When the auto-brightness function is enabled, adjusts the strength of the display backlight.
- Proximity sensor.
The sensor is responsible for turning off the display during a conversation.
- Contact pad for speaker.
Four pins for connecting a polyphonic speaker.
- Front camera microphone.
Responsible for speakerphone, noise reduction, video communication (facetime / whatsapp / skype, etc.). Sound recording from the main and front camera.
- Connector.
To connect to the motherboard.
You can distinguish by the length of the train and its bends. The rest are visually identical.
Flex cables for iPhone 6/6+/6s/6s+/7/7+ are incompatible.
10. HOME button cable with Touch ID scanner.
Home button cable includes:
- Home button pusher.
It consists of a small loop with a sealing rubber on the pusher.
- Connector.
To connect the mechanism to the motherboard of the device.
- TouchID.
Fingerprint sensor. If the button breaks or is replaced, the function stops working forever.
Unique part, damage leads to the loss of the Touch ID function even after replacing the cable with a new one.
The pusher and the cable are one, inseparable.
Colours: white with silver trim, white with gold trim, white with red/gold trim, black without trim.
11. Main camera.
The main camera includes:
- Camera.
The main camera for shooting.
- Connector. (Long sine-shaped plume).
For connection to the motherboard.
12. Vibration motor.
The vibration motor is:
A long, flat, three-dimensional rectangle with two spring contacts and two bolt holes at opposite ends.
- Linear drive.
Provides haptic feedback when the user performs various system actions.
- Contact area.
For connection to the lower loop.
13. Polyphonic speaker.
Polyphonic speaker includes:
- Polyphonic speaker with two tendrils of contacts from below.
Sound playback: music, video, sound when calling.
- Contact area.
Contact pad for connection to the lower loop.
14. Hearing speaker.
Hearing speaker includes:
The audio output is covered with a black protective mesh.
- Hearing loudspeaker with two bolt holes.
Responsible for playing sound during a conversation.
iPhone 6/6+ speakers are interchangeable.
15. Wi-Fi antenna coaxial cable.
16. Wi-Fi antenna.
A rectangle with four processes, two in different directions, ending in round connectors.
The antenna in the iPhone 6/6+ is rigidly fixed to the motherboard with four connectors.
17. SIM tray.
It is an aluminum container in the color of the body for nanosim SIM cards
If you need iPhone 6 repair, call us.
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The traditional September acquaintance of the world public with the new iPhone, which took place on the 9th, passed almost without surprises. All the rumors about the new iPhones were confirmed, including the main one: Apple abandoned the 4-inch screen diagonal, which has remained unchanged since 2012. In addition, now we have two diagonal options: 4.7 and 5.5 inches, which also pulls on a revolution. On the other hand, Apple already last year began to expand the lineup and make it more diverse by releasing a plastic version of its smartphone. This time, they decided to delicately forget about plastic experiments (apparently, sales of the iPhone 5c turned out to be far from what Apple expected) and relied on a larger screen. To what extent was this bet correct?
Judging by sales - more than. Over the first weekend, more than 10 million devices were sold (we are talking about both models - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus). Apparently, the excitement will not decrease. However, queues in front of the Apple Store and other signs of general insanity accompany the beginning of the path of each new iPhone. So it would be surprising if this time it turned out differently.
We decided to deal with the novelty closely and with the most careful use of our methodology. The first article will focus on the iPhone 6, and the second will focus on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Video review
To get started, we offer you to watch our video review of the Apple iPhone 6 smartphone:
Now let's look at the specifications of the iPhone 6.
Specifications iPhone 6
- SoC Apple A8 @1.4 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture)
- Apple M8 motion co-processor (includes accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass)
- GPU PowerVR GX6650 (presumably)
- RAM 1 GB
- Flash memory 16/64/128 GB
- No microSD card support
- Operating system iOS 8.0
- Touch display IPS, 4.7 ″, 1334 × 750 (326 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch
- 8MP cameras with 1.5µm pixel size, ƒ/2.2 aperture (Full HD video recording at 30 or 60 fps) and 1.2MP ƒ/2.2 aperture (720p video recording)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Communication: GSM, CDMA, 3G, EVDO, HSPA+, LTE
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 3.5 mm headphone/microphone jack, Lightning
- Lithium polymer battery 1810 mAh (estimated)
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, support for iBeacon positioning technology
- Compass
- Dimensions 138.1×67.0×6.9 mm
- Weight 129 g
So, the main features: thickness (less than 7 mm), new Apple A8 SoC, new maximum internal memory (128 GB) and, of course, a larger screen with a new non-standard resolution, but the same (like the iPhone 5/5s/5c) pixel density.
For clarity, we have collected the main characteristics of the new products in a table, supplementing it with the characteristics of the iPhone 5s and one of the main competitors - Sony Xperia Z3.
| Apple iPhone 6 | Apple iPhone 6 Plus | Apple iPhone 5s | Sony Xperia Z3 | |
| Screen | 4.7″, IPS, 1334×750, 326 ppi | 5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi | 4″, IPS, 1136×640, 326 ppi | 5.2″, IPS, 1920×1080, 440ppi |
| SoC (processor) | Apple A8 @1.4 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit ARMv8-A architecture) | Apple A7 @1.3 GHz (2 cores, 64-bit Cyclone architecture based on ARMv8) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 @2.5GHz (4x Krait 400 cores) | |
| GPU | PowerVR GX6650 | PowerVR GX6650 | PowerVR SGX 6 Series* | Adreno 330 |
| Flash memory | 16/64/128 GB | 16/64/128 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16 GB |
| Connectors | Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack | Lightning dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack | Micro-USB (with OTG and MHL 3.0 support), 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| Memory card support | No | No | No | microSD |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 3 GB |
| cameras | rear (8 MP; 1080p video shooting) and front (1.2 MP; 720p video shooting and transmission) | rear with optical stabilization (8 MP; 1080p video shooting) and front (1.2 MP; 720p video shooting and transmission) | rear (8 MP; video shooting 1080p 30 fps and 720p 120 fps) and front (1.2 MP; video shooting and transmission 720p) | rear (20.7; shooting 4K video), front (2.2 MP) |
| Support for LTE networks (frequency bands, MHz) | 2100 / 1900 / 1800 / 850 / 2600 / 900 | 2100 / 1900 / 1800 / 850 / 2600 / 900 | 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 | |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 1810 | 2915 | 1570 | 3100 |
| Operating system | Apple iOS 8 | Apple iOS 8 | Apple iOS 7 (upgrade to iOS 8.0 available) | Google Android 4.4 KitKat |
| Dimensions (mm)** | 138×67×6.9 | 158×78×7.1 | 124×59×7.6 | 146×72×7.3 |
| Weight (g) | 129 | 172 | 112 | 152 |
* - presumably
** - according to official data of manufacturers
Judging by the table, an interesting picture emerges: Sony Xperia Z3 is better than Apple devices in all respects! And even the iPhone 6 Plus with a huge cost (in the official Russian retail it will cost from 36,990 rubles) is inferior to the Android flagship in almost all respects.
But, firstly, it is impossible to compare the characteristics of an Android smartphone and an iOS device head-on, as we have repeatedly said, and secondly, in the case of Apple products, details are very important - for example, in the case of a camera, this is not only resolution, but also those specific technologies that are implemented both at the hardware and software levels. But how useful they really are - we'll figure it out.
Equipment
Smartphones are sold in white boxes, the upper surface of which is completely white, that is, without a picture, but the contours of the smartphone protrude a little (they seem to be squeezed out from the inside).
It looks very strange, because it seems that the picture was, but it was peeled off. Why they did it is a mystery. After all, Apple boxes have always looked very attractive. And here...
As for the equipment, there are no surprises here, everything is traditional and similar to the iPhone 5s.
Design
After the presentation of the iPhone 6, opinions about the design of the novelty were divided: some liked the rejection of straight edges in favor of rounded ones, others were disappointed.
However, for some reason, both those and others forget that Apple has already used a similar design once - in the latest generation of iPod touch. True, the newer iPhones are larger and have plastic strips that are necessary to ensure that there are no problems with cellular communication.
In fact, it is these stripes that look like the most controversial element of the new design. Even painted in the same color, they are still striking.
Another feature that is more likely to be written down as cons than vice versa is the protruding rear camera. After the presentation and before the iPhone 6 went on sale, everyone was wondering: does it perform or not? The fact is that on some renders the camera did not perform. However, in fact, it still rises above the rear surface.
Now let's talk about the location of buttons and connectors. Their set is similar to the iPhone 5/5s/5c, but the placement and shape are different. The main innovation: the power button has moved from the top to the right. Given the changed size of the smartphone, this is the right decision, because reaching the top edge with your index finger is now harder than in the case of 4-inch models. But at first it causes some discomfort, because the habit is a strong thing.
The button itself is not straight, like the iPhone 5s, but slightly curved along, similar to the edge of a smartphone. And, similar to the camera, it protrudes slightly above the edge level. However, accidental presses are unlikely because the button is quite tight. When pressed, it makes a characteristic sound.
The volume buttons have similar qualities. Unlike the iPhone 5s, they have an oblong shape. The location is quite convenient. On the same side with them is the mute lever, which performs the same functions as previous models.
The top edge is free of connectors and buttons, and below we see a Lightning connector, speaker holes, a microphone hole and a 3.5 mm headset jack.
We note another very important design feature of the iPhone 6, which is clearly visible in the above photo. The screen glass is rounded around the edges, which, coupled with rather narrow bezels around the screen, makes the screen feel closer to us than on the iPhone 5s. It is clear that this is an illusion, but it is very pleasant, the first time you get real pleasure from working with the iPhone 6 after the iPhone 5s.
Summarizing the impressions of the design, I would say that the appearance of the iPhone 6 does not cause delight and a passionate desire to own it, but once in the hands, it gives only positive emotions. Thanks to the rounded edges, the iPhone 6 fits comfortably in the palm of your hand, and, in my opinion, the dimensions are optimal. All buttons are easy to reach, the device fits perfectly into any pocket, but at the same time, the feeling after switching from the iPhone 5s: “Wow, how convenient, and how could I use a smartphone with such a small screen before!” The photo above shows the aspect ratio of iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus (from left to right). And it is the iPhone 6 that seems to me the best option for a medium-sized male hand, especially if you are supposed to carry a smartphone in a jeans pocket or in a holster.
Screen
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, in the center - iPhone 6 Plus, on the right - iPhone 6, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen on the iPhone 6 is noticeably darker (brightness in photographs is 96 versus 108 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the iPhone 6 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, no worse than Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value in the center of the screen was 590 cd/m², the minimum was 5.8 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and given the excellent anti-reflective properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at an excellent level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In the presence of automatic brightness control by light sensor (located above the slot of the front speaker). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. If this mode is simply turned on, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 5.8 cd / m² (dark), in an office lit by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets to 100-160 cd / m² (suitable), in very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 530 cd/m² (not maximum, but sufficient). In the case of medium illumination, the steady-state brightness of the screen is lower or higher, depending on whether the external illumination has previously increased or decreased (that is, there is a pronounced hysteresis). As a result, the auto-brightness function works more or less adequately. Also, after turning on the auto-brightness function, you can move the brightness slider, which will make some adjustments. For example, we found that when brought to the maximum, the brightness remains close to the maximum value in any conditions, if you move the slider to the middle of the scale, then in the dark and in dim light, the steady brightness increases, while the hysteresis increases greatly, which leads to strange results. Conclusion - it is better not to interfere. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.
This smartphone uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
Traditionally for the iPhone, a lot of dust particles are found in the filler adhesive layer between the outer glass and the matrix:
If they are still there, then the manufacturer could entertain users who have a microscope by adding some microbugs or other interesting micropreparations.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the iPhone 6 and Nexus 7, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m² (on a white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 K. White field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
Color reproduction is good and colors are saturated on all three screens. Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens, and the contrast remained at a high level. And the white box:
The brightness at an angle at the screens has decreased (at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the iPhone 6, the brightness drop is less. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is lightened weakly and acquires a purple hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):
And from another angle:
Note that the black brightness of the Nexus 7 in these two photos is still lower. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is excellent:
Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) for a screen on an IPS matrix is very high - about 1250:1 (although lower than the declared "standard" of 1400:1). The response time for the black-white-black transition is 26 ms (14 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between 25% and 75% grayscale (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 40 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.22, which is almost equal to the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates minimally from the exponential dependence:
Of course, there is no dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image. This is very good, and can be set as an example for many other manufacturers of mobile equipment.
From a practical point of view, the color gamut is equal to sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components to each other:
As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is very good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K. The deviation from the black body spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, ΔE and color temperature change little from hue to hue, which has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without problems even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gap in the layers of the screen, excellent black field uniformity, high black stability to deviation of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen plane, an ideal gamma curve, high contrast, sRGB color gamut and good color balance . We get, perhaps, the best version of the screen of a mobile device. But did anyone expect otherwise?
OS and software
iPhone 6 ships with iOS 8 operating system. After its announcement at WWDC, we described the main innovations, so we will not list them again, but we will note a few features that are striking in everyday use. Even if they are not so important, but in total they can affect the experience of using iOS.
Firstly, in the mail you can now delete messages with one swipe. Previously, a right-to-left swipe was only the first step, after which you had to click on the red Delete box. Now one swipe is enough.
Secondly, when we double-click on the Home button, we now see circles at the top of the screen corresponding to the contacts we recently called. You can click on a contact and the call and SMS icons will appear. That is, it is not necessary now to go to the Phone, you can contact a person directly through the desktop.
Thirdly, a handy exposure adjustment tool is now available in the Camera app. We click on the area where we want to set the focus (as before), and we see a small icon in the form of a sun next to the focus square. To adjust, simply move your finger up or down the screen, thus brightening or darkening the future picture. Conveniently. But sometimes this feature is enabled when you try to switch from photography to video shooting (recall that this was also done by swiping across the screen).
Fourthly, the photos that we deleted are now stored in a separate folder for another 30 days, which means that we still have the opportunity to change our mind and return the deleted photos.
And the last feature (of those that we list), relevant so far only for the iPhone 6 Plus, but also of software properties. iOS now has a horizontal home screen orientation mode! Wow!
This, of course, is far from all the innovations of iOS 8. But this is what users will probably encounter when they get acquainted with the new operating system and what they are guaranteed to use. We'll talk about some other software features of the new iPhones in the iPhone 6 Plus review.
Performance
The iPhone 6 runs on the Apple A8 SoC. As before, Apple does not spoil us much with information about its SoC, saying only that it is made using the 20 nm process technology and has a 20% higher CPU performance compared to the Apple A7. And the performance of the graphics subsystem, according to Apple, has increased by 50%.
Like it or not, we will check. As competitors, we took the latest Android flagship Sony Xperia Z3, Nvidia Shield Tablet and iPhone 5s updated to iOS 8 for a fair comparison. The presence of a tablet in this list may raise questions. However, we need the Shield Tablet as the carrier of the most powerful (at least until the release of the Apple A8) in terms of graphics of the Tegra K1 single-chip system.
Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0, Octane Benchmark and Kraken Benchmark. In all cases, we used the Safari browser from iOS 8 on Apple devices, and Google Chrome on Android.
Judging by browser tests, Apple's promises about a 20% CPU advantage of the new SoC over the Apple A7 are quite true. In addition, the significant loss of Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 is indicative. But Tegra K1, on the contrary, pulled ahead a little, however, only in two out of three tests.
Now let's see how the iPhone 6 performs in Geekbench 3, a multi-platform benchmark that measures CPU and RAM performance.
As you can see, in single-core mode, the Apple A8 outperforms the rest of the SoCs, although the lead over the Apple A7 is not so great. But in multi-core mode, Tegra K1 takes the lead!
The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used GFX Bench, Bonsai Benchmark and 3DMark.
Let's start with GFXBenchmark. In the table below, Offscreen tests are the output to the screen of a 1080p image, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And tests without Offscreen are the output of the picture exactly in the resolution that corresponds to the screen resolution of the device. That is, Offscreen tests are indicative in terms of the abstract performance of the SoC, and real tests are indicative of the comfort of the game on a specific device.
| Apple iPhone 6 (Apple A8) |
Apple iPhone 5s (Apple A7) |
Sony Xperia Z3 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) |
Nvidia Shield Tablet (Nvidia Tegra K1) |
|
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan | 29.4 fps | 24.6 fps | 12.3 fps | 29.8 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan (1080p Offscreen) | 17.8 fps | 12.9 fps | 11.2 fps | 31.2 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex | 51.2 fps | 40.6 fps | 29.4 fps | 56.5 fps |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen) | 42.7 fps | 28.7 fps | 27.7 fps | 66.0 fps |
So, we can see that the performance of the Apple A8 is indeed better than the Apple A7 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (see Offscreen tests, since the screen resolution of the Sony Xperia Z3 is higher than that of the iPhone 6). However, all of them are seriously inferior to Tegra K1.
The next GPU benchmark is 3DMark. Here are the results for the Ice Storm Unlimited mode (simpler modes are not interesting for evaluating such powerful GPUs).
Here the picture is generally similar: the result of the iPhone 6 is better than the previous model, but significantly worse than the Tegra K1 and even slightly worse than the Sony Xperia Z3.
Finally, let's see the results of the tablet in Bonsai Basemark.
As you can see, in this test, all devices reached (or almost reached) the ceiling. That is, there is no difference between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s, just as there is none, however, between other devices.
Summing up the performance testing of the iPhone 6, we can make two considerations. First, Apple no longer holds the record. Yes, the new chip is faster than the previous one, and in some tests it outperforms the competition. But there is no such situation as it was two generations ago, when Apple's SoC was unconditionally the leader in GPU benchmarks, simply leaving no chance for competitors. Secondly, even for the most modern games, the performance of the Apple A8 is more than enough. And this, in fact, makes the balance of power with competitors not so important, since it is clear that game studios will optimize their products for a specific device, taking into account its capabilities.
Offline work
The battery capacity of the iPhone 6, judging by unofficial information, has increased slightly compared to the iPhone 5s. But besides this, the manufacturer promises us a higher energy efficiency of the Apple A8. We tried to verify this, not only in tests, but in everyday use. Previously, the author used the iPhone 5s, and his battery ran out by the end of the day, that is, the smartphone had to be charged at night. In the case of the iPhone 6, this period increased to one and a half days, and the smartphone was used very actively - not only for everyday tasks, but also for downloading applications from the App Store, working with benchmarks, etc. So we can confidently say that the battery life work is really the strength of the iPhone 6.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D game mode | |
| Apple iPhone 6 | 1810 mAh | 4:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. | 5h 15m |
| Huawei Mate 7 | 4100 mAh | 20:00 | 12:30 pm | 4h 25m |
| vivo xplay 3s | 3200 mAh | 12:30 pm | 8 a.m. | 3h 30m |
| Oppo Find 7 | 3000 mAh | 9 a.m. | 6h 40m | 3h 20m |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22h 10m | 13h 20m | 3h 20m |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 5:20 p.m. | 12:30 pm | 4h 30m |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11:45 a.m. | 8 a.m. | 3h 30m |
| Acer Liquid S2 | 3300 mAh | 16h 40m | 7h 40m | 6 a.m. |
As for our traditional tests, the novelty also proved to be very worthy in them. Among compact format smartphones, this is one of the most “long-lived” options!
Communications and mobile internet
Another joy from the “we didn’t expect, we didn’t guess” series is the improvement in LTE signal reception compared to the iPhone 5s. A simple example: in those places in Moscow where the iPhone 5s only sees the EDGE network, the iPhone 6 manages to catch LTE or 3G. In addition, the speed of work in LTE networks (even in the zone of not very confident reception) turned out to be very decent. Below is a screenshot of the Speedtest.net iOS app. The screenshot shows that the smartphone worked in the LTE network, showing four divisions out of five, and the download speed was almost 32 Mbps. iPhone 5s caught LTE in the same place with varying degrees of success.
As for telephone conversations, there are no complaints about either the audibility and voice transmission, or the reliability of reception. However, we did not conduct testing in the subway - this is the task of future testing already with longer use of the smartphone, but, according to our feelings, the situation here is at least as good as that of the iPhone 5s, but rather even better.
Camera
iPhone 6 has two cameras, similar in resolution to those of the iPhone 5 and 5s. True, the manufacturer notes the presence of a number of new technologies and capabilities (a detailed list of them can be found). We tested the iPhone 6 according to our methodology, which allowed us to compare the results with both competitors and previous Apple models.
 |
Good sharpness throughout the frame. |
 |
Sharping is clearly visible on the wires. The noise in the shadows is processed well, but unpleasant. |
 |
Sharpness drops noticeably towards distant plans, although very smoothly. |
 |
At the left edge of the frame, you can see the blur zone. However, it does not catch the eye. |
 |
The camera practically does not work out the shadows even when shooting in auto HDR. |
 |
There is almost nothing to complain about, although it is clear that dark areas cause problems for the camera. |
 |
On the wall, the noise is processed well, but on the pavement it is too aggressive. |
 |
If desired, the numbers of cars in the distance can be made out, which is quite decent for such a resolution. But the foliage at the left edge merges. But only on the left. |
 |
And again, sharpening on the wires and blurring along the left edge. |
 |
In general, the camera copes rather well with foliage. I especially want to note the pleasant color rendition. |
 |
Everything is good in the picture, except for the shadows and objects in them. |
 |
|
 |
If you search, you can find a couple of uneven joints, but still panoramas are good for the camera. |
Here we have the iPhone 6 camera in all its glory. As before, in anticipation of the iPhone 5s, there were many hopes. So what do we get as a result?
And as a result, we have an excellent performance of the camera, which, however, is not surprising. Someone who, but Apple knows how to "lick" their products before the announcement. The camera has good sharpness, which decreases very smoothly with the removal of the plan. Sharpness is uniform across the field of the frame, however, small areas of blur can sometimes be seen. However, the corners are worked out well. But further, noises open up to our eyes - or rather, the work of noise reduction. To the eye, tempted by the cameras of the current flagships, this picture may seem somewhat unpleasant. The noise reduction algorithm is good and working, but too archaic: the camera “covers up” the noise, of course, not bad, but it was “not bad” a year ago, but now it is striking. And everything would be fine, it would be possible to forgive the camera for this small weakness (after all, we really don’t see noise, and the details are not so much spoiled), if it weren’t for sharping. Oh, this scourge of wires and cornices, which almost all flagships have already abandoned - white underlines on contrasting borders! It is worth noting that they refuse it for a reason, but due to improved image processing, noise reduction algorithm and, finally, the quality of optics. Few people will be delighted with a simple stroke, you need to go ahead. But no, Apple doesn't seem to think so. Once having made a great camera, the manufacturer decided to stop there, and now we have an iPhone 6 with an iPhone 5s camera. Moreover, as we found out a year ago, it is also a 5c and 5 camera. And for the third year now we have been observing the same module in Apple smartphones. The statement, of course, is loud, but we have no evidence to the contrary.
Well, it's not all that bad. The module is really good, but if a year ago it still competed with the flagships of other manufacturers and even won, now it is hopelessly behind. It's not much worse, but "hopeless" is exactly the right word for three years of inactivity and a lack of improvement. The laboratory test confirms our observations. Apparently, the flash copes a little worse in low light than in the case of 5s. Probably, the program, which has changed somewhat with the update of the operating system, is making its contribution. But there were no global changes. Within the limits of measurement error, it can be said that cameras 5s and 6 are identical. Regrettably, the iPhone 6 camera is on average at the level of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Oppo Find 7 cameras, but already when compared to the LG G3, it noticeably loses.
On the other hand, iPhone 6 shots still have their charm. If you do not look at the shadows and do not greatly enlarge the image, the picture looks very nice. Color work at Apple has always stood out from the rest. So for artistic shooting, the camera will suit well, and even more so for documentary shooting. But, unfortunately, there is no that “wow” effect that happened before when comparing iPhone shots with pictures of other smartphones.
The camera can shoot videos in Full HD. Video examples are shown below.
| Video | Sound | |
| Roller 1 | 1920x1080 30fps AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 17.6 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Roller 2 | 1280×720, 240 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 40.5 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Roller 3 | 1280×720, 240 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 40.6 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Roller 4 | 1280×720, 120 fps, AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 30.7 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Roller 5 | 1920x1080 30fps AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 17.3 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
| Roller 6 | 1920x1080 60fps AVC MPEG-4 [email protected], 25.7 Mbps | AAC LC, 64 Kbps, stereo |
The video is clear enough, but some ripples are still present. In general, the camera copes well with video shooting. This, however, cannot be said about the 120 fps and 240 fps modes, which are still nothing more than entertainment.
If not for the information on the official Apple website, we would never have known that the camera has a 1080p video shooting mode at 60 fps. To shoot at 60 frames per second, you need to “intuitively” get into the settings menu, then get into the photo and camera settings and turn on (!) the “Record video at 30 fps” mode.
After that, the camera will shoot video at 60 fps, which will be notified by the corresponding inscription in its interface.
Whether the problem with the menu is a malfunction of the switch or an error in the number is not clear. In any case, getting into the smartphone settings just to change the frame rate is very inconvenient.
When watching videos on a PC, you may experience a different kind of problem. For example, some players flip videos 180 degrees (and a similar problem can be observed with still images), and slo-mo videos play at a real frequency, and do not slow down to 30 fps, as they should. Although there are no such problems when playing on a Mac, visually, the slowdown, if any, is not very noticeable.
conclusions
Official sales of the iPhone 6 in Russia will start on September 26, the cost of the younger (16 GB) version in the "white" retail will be 31,990 rubles. For the model with the maximum amount of memory (128 GB), you will have to pay 10,000 more. We recommend focusing on the middle version - with 64 GB of memory and a price of 36,990 rubles.
Is it a lot or a little? The question, in fact, is rhetorical, because the iPhone has long been not just a practical purchase, but an element of image, personal style, and also a manifestation of attachment to the Apple ecosystem. Yes, the same Sony Xperia Z3, the world sales of which began simultaneously with the iPhone 6, has a lower price (2000 rubles less than the iPhone 6 with the same amount of memory) and a number of advantages (although at the same time a number of disadvantages - in particular, its screen is worse despite the higher resolution). It's also logical to draw a comparison with the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, which has a screen size of only one-tenth of an inch smaller than the iPhone 6, and the dimensions are significantly smaller. At the same time, the price of the Z3 Compact is significantly lower, and the camera is better. But is it really that important? Choosing a top smartphone is almost always an act, more emotional than rational (because buying a top smartphone is not a very rational step in principle). And Apple knows how to play on the emotions of its users and potential buyers like no other company.
There is nothing revolutionary in the iPhone 6, the wow factor is practically absent here (except for the first emotion – “new iPhone!”), but after you pick up the iPhone 6, you don’t want to return to the iPhone of previous generations. You just enjoy the new big screen with curved glass, rounded edges... On top of that, one can't help but be glad that Apple has seriously worked on the features of the device, such as battery life and LTE signal reception, which were the weak point of the previous generation.
The main thing is not to have high expectations when going to the store or ordering online. There will be neither super performance nor a fundamental improvement in the quality of the camera compared to the iPhone 5s. It's just a very good smartphone. Yes, and with a fairly large screen.
| iPhone 6 16 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 16 GB |
| T-11031621 | T-11031637 |
| L-11031621-5 | L-11031637-5 |
| iPhone 6 64 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 64 GB |
| Average price according to Yandex.Market | |
| T-11031663 | T-11031818 |
| Offers according to Yandex.Market | |
| L-11031663-5 | L-11031818-5 |
| iPhone 6 128 GB | iPhone 6 Plus 128 GB |
| Average price according to Yandex.Market | |
| T-11031665 | T-11031822 |
| Offers according to Yandex.Market | |
| L-11031665-5 | L-11031822-5 |