iPhone 6 Plus first impressions

While recording an episode of the British Tech Network Mac Show this morning, I was happy to hear my doorbell ring as I knew that meant that the UPS truck had arrived with my iPhone 6 Plus. After a hurried run down to the front door to sign for the phone, I was able to do a live unboxing. Unlike past years, I won't subject TUAW readers to that -- you'll have to watch the episode for the gory details.

Warning -- watch out when opening that box! The thin profile of the iPhone 6 Plus makes it very susceptible to falling out of the tray inside the box, probably what happened to the first buyer in Perth, Australia who dropped his new baby in front of TV cameras. I fumbled mine, but recovered...

The 6 Plus feels very good in the hand, primarily because of the smooth, rounded edge and how thin it is. Despite my small hands, it feels snug and secure. At this point I don't have a case for this behemoth, so I'll have to be extra careful while carrying it. Overall, to me the 6 Plus has a more "modern" look to it than the 5s, very subtle and muted without the harsh cut bezel

Now, let's talk about that size. Here are some photos. First, let's look at the family:

From left to right: iPad Air, iPad mini, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s

While it looks positively huge next to the iPhone 5s, the 6 Plus just feels right. How Jony Ive and team managed to do that with such a large screen is totally beyond my understanding. Now I'll stack 'em for an even better size comparison:

Anybody remember how small the original iPhone was? Here's a side by side of the 6 Plus, 5s, and an original iPhone:

And one last image: did you know that an iPhone 6 Plus is almost the same size as the screen of a Newton MessagePad 2100?

Setup was typical, with the addition of one new question -- whether I wanted "Normal" or "Zoom" view for my home screens. Normal retains the usual size of the icons, while zoom makes them subtly larger and easier to read. I chose zoom, since my vision isn't the best.

The display? Absolutely gorgeous. I can't describe it, but if you know the difference in "look" between an old iMac and the Late 2013 "skinny" iMac, you'll know that the display appears to have some depth to it although it also looks like it is "painted" on the surface of the device. That's the same way with this display. Very nice, clear, bright, and just plain beautiful.

I'll do a more complete review later on after I've used this beast for a few days.