So, you’re still unsure you’re ready to drop a few hundred C notes for Apple’s newest iPhones, which hit the company’s stores Friday?
Here are some snapshots of recent reviews you might want to consider to help you make up your mind: A two-year contract with a major carrier will get you an iPhone 6 starting at $199.99 for 16GB of storage, $299.99 for 64GB and $399.99 for 128GB. The 6 Plus starts at $299.99 for 16GB, $399.99 for 64GB and $499.999 for 128GB. A SIM-card free device will run you from $649 to $849 in the U.S., depending on the model and storage. Pre-orders began Sept. 12.
People pass time as they wait outside an Apple store in central London on Wednesday for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to go on sale Friday. (Associated Press)
USA Today's Edward C. Baig: "Pro. Large displays provide extra screen real estate. Touch ID. IOS features such as Health app and redesigned predictive keyboards. Improved camera and Photos app. Optical image stabilization (iPhone 6 Plus only). Con. IPhone 6 Plus may be too large for some users. 6 Plus was buggy. You may need to buy new cases or other accessories to accommodate larger displays."
Bloomberg/Businessweek's Joshua Topolsky: "Minor software nitpicks aside, there's not much to complain about here. So the real question is whether you want the big one or the really, really big one."
From CNET: "The iPhone 6 Plus is not a phone for everybody. Its size is its biggest drawback and, indeed, that will likely be the deciding factor for many on whether to go with the 6 or 6 Plus. If you can live with a device of these dimensions, the additional $100, £80, or AU$130 is well worth it for the upgraded battery life alone."
From Mashable's Lance Ulanoff: "At 4.6 ounces (just a few grams heavier, but still slightly thinner than the iPhone 5S), the iPhone 6 feels solid and not insubstantial in your hand. It also feels a bit slippery. If you buy one, get a case with some grip to it."
From Wall Street Journal personal tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler: "Apple arch-rival Samsung includes a 16-megapixel camera in its Galaxy S5 phone. The main camera on the latest upgrades to the iPhone line still has just 8 megapixels. Yet the images from both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the best I've tested on a phone to date."
From TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington: "If Apple has faltered anywhere with design, it might be that protruding iSight camera lens on the back, which sticks out a tiny fraction of an inch thicker than the rest. It's something that hasn't yet caused me any issue in daily use, but it does seem like a potential area for grit build-up…"
From The New York Times' Molly Wood: "The new operating system comes on the new phones and can be installed this week on the iPhone 5S, 5 and 4S. People who have those phones and whose two-year cellphone contracts have not yet expired can rest easy. They will get many of the best features of this year's upgrade cycle."
From Yahoo! Tech's David Pogue: "Judge the iPhone not just for what it is, but for the entire world that Apple has built around it: the apps, the music/movie/TV store, the integration with the Mac and iPad, the built-in online services. Does Apple generally do an excellent job with all of this? Yes. Judge your Android phone the same way. Does it have a huge, open, lively world of apps and community online? Does it have a well-stocked movie/music/TV store? Is most of it well designed — and free? Yes."
From Engadget's Brad Molen: "For the first time, iPhone fans can enjoy something Android users have taken for granted: choice."
Don't want to miss The Verge's compilation of multiple reviews with a poetic twist: "Read erotic poetry constructed exclusively from iPhone 6 reviews."
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