Kaley Patterson
A&E Editor
@KaleyKayPatt
The long awaited iPhone 6 has finally graced the world with its larger-than-life presence. Well, it has been out for some time now; I just finally got my small hands on it.
I received my first Apple product when I was in middle school. I started off with the iPod Nano and never upgraded products until I acquired the iPhone 4s two years ago. I skipped out on the iPhone 5, 5S and 5C because I wasn’t due for an upgrade, but I finally earned an upgrade two months after the iPhone 6 came out this year.
Just to clarify: no, it does not bend, and no, you cannot charge it in the microwave – can’t believe everything on the Internet, people.
When I first saw my new phone, I said, “Oh, my gosh. It’s huge.” The iPhone 6 is as big as my hand, and I’ve even had to resort to texting with two thumbs because if I hold the phone in one hand, it’s almost unbalanced. I’m not saying the humongous size is bad; I actually really like it. I think if I would’ve had the iPhone 5 prior to receiving the iPhone 6, then the size adjustment wouldn’t have been that surprising.
The greatest thing about the bigger size is I feel like I can actually see the contents on my phone. Scrolling through Twitter, Facebook or Instagram is more appealing. Pictures and videos look much clearer, too, but if you have small hands like me, then taking selfies just got more difficult.
Another huge adjustment was the lock button. On the one hand, all previous iPhones, iPods and iPads have the lock button located on the top right corner of the device. The iPhone 6, on the other hand, has the lock button located off to the side on the right. What is this, an Android? I sometimes catch myself uncontrollably pressing the top right of my phone desperately trying to lock it. This change has also made it difficult to take screen shots. A slight relocation of one button has caused me to make some huge adjustments – first world problems.
I’m a music junkie, and with my last iPhone, the Shazam app never worked properly. Now with the iPhone 6, I can ask Siri what song is playing, then she’ll listen to it and tell me what song it is. This feature may be new with iOS 8, but I just discovered it when I got the iPhone 6, and I think it’s awesome.
A cool app that came on my new phone is the Tips app. Every time there’s a new update, this app will give you tips and tricks about the new features on the phone that came with the latest update. This has been very helpful because I’d never updated my old phone to iOS 8. The app has given me tons of tips on how to use a lot of helpful features on my phone.
There’s one important thing to buy if you’re thinking about getting the iPhone 6: get a case. iPhones are delicate. I tragically learned that with my last phone. The one day I removed my case from my phone was the day I dropped it, which not only shattered the front screen but also my heart. There’s nothing more unappealing to the eye than a busted up glass phone screen.
I had an Otterbox for my last phone, and I loved it so much that I got one for my iPhone 6. Like all millennial, I did various online research on my case before I bought it. I first looked at the Otterbox Commuter series for the iPhone 6 because that was the model I previously had. I read reviews over it on Amazon and Otterbox’s website; they were awful. I learned from those who have purchased the case that the dimensions were off. I found this was a true factor for many cases that were made for the iPhone 6. I ended up buying the Otterbox Symmetry series for the iPhone 6. It has great reviews, comes in stylish colors, looks sleek, isn’t bulky and fits my phone perfectly. My advice: don’t go cheap on a case.
I haven’t had any problems yet with the iPhone 6. I’ve been very satisfied with my upgrade. One major problem I had was that all of my contacts were not properly backed up to the iCloud, so I had to manually enter all of my contacts. If you’re thinking about upgrading, then make sure all of your content is backed up to the iCloud. Other than that, if you can upgrade, do it.