Will I regret the iPhone 6s+?

September 20, 2015 11:14 AM

It's phone upgrade time and I'm looking to switch out my 5S for the 6s+. I'm really excited about the larger battery life but am concerned that it's too huge for daily use. Am I better off getting the 6s?

My 5s currently dies within a few hours so I'm looking to upgrade. I like how I can use it without even thinking about it but I do like the battery life increase on the 6s+. I'm concerned whether it's unwieldy to use and obstructive during daily activities and working out. I'd appreciate any advice on choosing between the 6s or 6s+!

posted by touareg to Technology (19 answers total)

How big are your hands and pockets?
posted by mskyle at 11:15 AM on September 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm 5'8" and have long fingers. I thought the 6+ was going to be too big for me, but then my husband (6'4" with giant hands) got one from work and had it, and I had a chance to play with it in person. It's definitely large but I have no problems using it. I've been very happy with mine size-wise.

There's also some gestural thing (I don't know what because I'm not doing it deliberately) on the icon pages that drops the bottom half of the screen below the home row so you can get to the icons at the top more easily. That may help if you have shorter fingers.
posted by immlass at 11:30 AM on September 20, 2015

When I first got my galaxy note 2 people used to comment all the time on how huge it was. Now it never attracts notice. Phones outside the apple bubble have been that big for like 3 years now. Me, never for a moment did I regret the bigger screen...that's why I got it. Bonus: no typos. You can turn off the boneheaded autocorrect.
posted by sexyrobot at 11:34 AM on September 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've had the 6+ for quite a while, and I'm swapping it out now for the 6s because it's just too big.

I like the 6+ for reading on in my downtime at work, and there's no denying the screen is awesome. I wanted it like burning when I first heard about it. But I find it doesn't fit particularly well into pockets - even jeans, even back pockets. Most purses/bags with phone compartments aren't big enough for it, and I'm very reluctant to let it just slide around loose with random backpack or purse stuff, so I end up devoting a much bigger pocket to phone-only. I don't want to just carry it around in my hand all the time like a tool, so ... Basically, I devote a non-zero amount of time to figuring out what to do with it, and I'm looking forward to not having to do that as much with a 6s.

Unwieldy - I can't text one-handed on-the-go with it because my fingers aren't long enough to hit all the keys without stabilizing it with the other hand. And I find that most windshield-mounted phone holders can't handle the weight of it -- it has fallen off my windshield MANY times as a result. Even when it manages to stay up, it blocks a lot of windshield real estate I need for driving safely.

Battery life - I don't know how improved the 6s+ battery life is supposed to be over the 6+ -- but I can tell you that with bluetooth on I have to charge my 6+ every night.

Working out - I've never used it when working out, and I can't imagine it would be a great workout buddy. It would be like strapping a warm poptart to your arm.

Essentially I find it exactly the right size to make me wish I had a smaller phone or a bigger iPad.
posted by kythuen at 11:34 AM on September 20, 2015 [5 favorites]

Depends on how you carry / use your current phone, and how much you're willing to change to suit the new phone.

I had a OnePlus One (5.5" Android phone) and it didn't take me long to decide the phablet thing isn't for me:

- prefer one-handed use, so something simple like glancing at a map for directions or responding to a message couldn't be done without both hands
- didn't fit into my pockets so I had to carry it everywhere in my hand or carry a bag
- very hard to accommodate when going on a run
- for apps in portrait mode, parts of the screen were very far, far away to touch

The people I've seen with the large phones usually have to take them out of their pockets and place them on the table next to them, and I'm far too paranoid about forgetting stuff to do that.

But if I had small hands (and the iPhone 5 was already a bit on the big side) and carried a bag all the time, the 6+ would make a lot more sense.
posted by meowzilla at 12:24 PM on September 20, 2015

There's also some gestural thing (I don't know what because I'm not doing it deliberately) on the icon pages that drops the bottom half of the screen below the home row so you can get to the icons at the top more easily. That may help if you have shorter fingers.

immlass, FYI that feature is called "Reachability" and it is enabled by double-tapping (not double-clicking) on the Home button.
posted by misterbrandt at 12:39 PM on September 20, 2015

It depends. My pockets are big enough that it's non-issue (well I have the 6+, not the 6s+, but I think they're similar). It took a bit of getting used to but now I think everyone else's phones are too small and I almost never use my iPad anymore. It makes reading books much, much easier and I can type 2 handed (well, 2-thumbed) for texting which speeds things up. Sound quality is much better than the 4s I upgraded from.
posted by eleanna at 12:50 PM on September 20, 2015

You can print out mockups of the 6/6+, glue them to cardboard, and see you you feel about them. I did that and discovered that I would not be able to carry the 6+ comfortably.
posted by adamrice at 1:15 PM on September 20, 2015 [3 favorites]

My wife loves hers- she's had it since Christmas. I worry it will not fit into my pocket so I am still holding out.
posted by bkeene12 at 1:59 PM on September 20, 2015

I am a short lady with small hands. I asked this same question a few months ago, and everyone told me to avoid the 6+: too big for small hands, hard to text one-handed (I have a newborn and use my phone while nursing), etc. I got the 6+ anyway and I LOVE it. I love the big screen and how pleasurable it is to read and watch videos on, and the battery life is wonderful. When I use a friend's smaller phone, it seems tiny and poky to me now. I will say I taught myself to use the iPhone's built-in dictation system because typing is a bit cumbersome. Go to a store and try it out before you buy, but if you already suspect you might prefer the 6+ you probably will.
posted by alicetiara at 2:13 PM on September 20, 2015 [2 favorites]

Even the 6s is too big to work out with, unless you put it in an armband holder, which makes weight training awkward.
posted by monotreme at 2:22 PM on September 20, 2015

I didn't like the + when it first came out but after living with one in my house for a year (1 year? is that right?) my 5S looks and feels like a Flintstones version of a phone now.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:33 PM on September 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have the 6+ and I think it's too big. The good side is my aging eyes can see everything on the ginormous screen. The bad side is it's unwieldy. I have good sized hands and I can't do much on it one-handed (text, email, dial). And it easily falls out of shallow pockets. When I'm eligible, I think I'll downsize to the next smaller one.
posted by cecic at 2:53 PM on September 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Two thoughts: it sounds like your 5s's battery is failing. If that's your only major complaint with the 5s, you might consider just having the battery replaced. That should only run about $50USD.

If you're in a financial position to buy your phone outright (no contract), Apple has a two-week return policy. That's how I decided the 6 was too darn big for me.
posted by Banknote of the year at 3:52 PM on September 20, 2015

I have had a 6 (non-plus) since the day it was first released, and I still think it's way too big. I like the functionality, but despise the form factor and am hoping I don't have to buy another iPhone until they come out with something smaller. Obviously this is a minority opinion, but I can barely stand carrying the 6 around after a year, so I can't imagine having a 6+...
posted by primethyme at 4:06 PM on September 20, 2015

I believe that they can evaluate your battery at the Apple Store if there is one nearby. They do eventually start to wear out.

I had been reasonably happy with the aging battery in an iPhone 5 until I happened to take a trip to NYC, where I made slightly-higher-than-usual use of the phone, but I suspect that the phone was also having issues with the RF environment (radio-dense) and I was only getting about three hours out of the phone. Fix: While rather costly, the Mophie Juice Pack Plus can easily dump more than a full charge into the phone, and so I bought two, so I can always have one on a charger and be able to do an instant swapout for a full Juice Pack. I cannot stress enough how awesome it is to be able to swap batteries. I don't often need to do it, but when I do, it's great!

It's worth noting that the high capacity Juice Packs add significant bulk to the phone, but I'm not all about the sleekness of a phone. I just need the thing to work.
posted by jgreco at 5:03 AM on September 21, 2015

I have small stubby hands and I have had the 6+ for almost a year now. I was concerned with the size of it when I first got it, but aside from a few weird comments from others, I am totally pleased with it. I rarely even use the accessibility mode.
posted by soelo at 7:40 AM on September 21, 2015

I don't have a 6+, but for working out I use a Spiebelt, which is great. I could see a 6+ being no problem with one during workouts.
posted by slogger at 9:15 AM on September 21, 2015

I hate my 6+ because I run and lift and can't fit it comfortably into any type of workout-y holder.
posted by nubianinthedesert at 1:40 PM on September 22, 2015