iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: What’s The Difference?

There’s a lot of similarities between Apple’s iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Both come in silver, gold, and space grey; both feature Touch ID; both have the A8 and M8 processors; both come in 16, 64, or 128 GB sizes; and both come with NFC, which supports Apple’s new Apple Pay mobile payments system. Yet both phones have a ton of differences.

The biggest of which is the display size; the iPhone 6s Plus’ display is 5.5in and significantly larger than the iPhone 6’s. And because the iPhone 6s Plus is an S update, you get a better processor, a larger battery, and an improved camera.

Still, both of these phones are now pretty much ancient – they’re almost six years old.

For this reason, you’re 100% better off going with a newer model – (the iPhone 7 Plus, maybe) or something like the iPhone X and iPhone XR can be picked up for less than $500. And these phones will get iOS updates for years to come, unlike the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus which are both approaching their end-of-life cycle.

MORE: Check Out The #1 Top iPhones For 2019 (In Order of Value For Money) 

Still, if you’re interested in the difference between the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6s Plus, read on for our full, detailed comparison of the two iPhones…

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6s Plus – The Major Differences

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Specs & Features Compared In Full 

• Save

Here are the specs for the iPhone 6:

• Display: 4.7-inch display with a 1334×750-pixel resolution at 326ppi
• Dimensions: 138.1mm x 67mm x 6.9mm
• Weight: 129 grams
• Storage: 16, 64, or 128GB
• Processors: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor
• Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 1.2 MP photos and 720p HD video.
• Rear camera: iSight camera. 8 MP photos. ƒ/2.2 aperture. 1080p video. True Tone flash.
• Battery life: Up to 12 hours mixed usage
• Touch ID: yes
• NFC: yes

And here are the specs for the iPhone 6 Plus:

• Display: 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920×1080 resolution at 401 pixels per inch (ppi)
• Dimensions: 158.1mm  x 77.8 mm x 7.1 mm
• Weight: 172 grams
• Storage: 16, 64, or 128GB
• Processors: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor
• Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 1.2 MP photos and 720p HD video.
• Rear camera: iSight camera. 8 MP photos. ƒ/2.2 aperture. 1080p video. True Tone flash. Optical image stabilization.
• Battery life: Up to 12 hours mixed usage
• Touch ID: yes
• NFC: yes

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Display & Design

The biggest difference between the two new iPhones are in the display department. The iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch display with a 1334×750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi and the iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch display with a 1920×1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi.

Without a doubt, the iPhone 6 Plus screen is the technically better one in most departments. It’s got a much higher resolution screen with more pixels crammed into each square inch. But interestingly, the smaller iPhone 6 has a slightly better contrast ratio of 1400:1 compared to the iPhone 6 Plus’ 1300:1.

• Save

As for the design, both feature aluminum bodies with rounded corners and while their physical length and height dimensions are of course different (due to screen size) the smaller iPhone 6 wins on thinness being just 6.9mm thick versus the iPhone 6 Plus’s 7.1mm thickness.

The iPhone 6 is also noticeably lighter than the iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 weighs just 129 grams versus the iPhone 6 Plus’ 172 grams.

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Battery

The other major difference between the two new iPhones is in battery life. s can be expected, the iPhone 6 Plus packs a much larger battery because it needs it to power its larger screen. Yet Apple has also managed to eke out some of that bigger battery’s power to give the iPhone 6 Plus slightly longer battery life in some tasks. Here’s their metrics in specific areas:

• Talk time: iPhone 6 – 14 hours on 3G. iPhone 6 Plus – 24 hours on 3G.
• Standby time: iPhone 6 – Up to 10 days (250 hours). iPhone 6 Plus – Up to 16 days (384 hours).
• Internet use: iPhone 6 – Up to 10 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on 4G LTE, and up to 11 hours on Wi‑Fi. iPhone 6 Plus – Up to 12 hours on 3G, up to 12 hours on 4G LTE, and up to 12 hours on Wi‑Fi.
• Video playback: iPhone 6 – Up to 11 hours. iPhone 6 Plus – Up to 14 hours.
• Audio playback: iPhone 6 – Up to 50 hours. iPhone 6 Plus – Up to 80 hours.

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Camera

The new iPhones both have the exact same cameras (a disappointing 8MP sensor is still the camera of choice for some reason). But the iPhone 6 Plus wins in the camera department because it also has optical image stabilization, which the iPhone 6 does not. Optical image stabilization can make your pics look a lot better–so if your iPhone is your only camera, getting the 6 Plus could be worth it.

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Cost & Verdict

And then there is the cost. As I mentioned earlier, both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus come in silver, gold, and space grey and in 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB storage capacities. Unlocked the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will cost £539 (16GB), £619 (64GB) and £699 (128GB). The iPhone 6 Plus will cost £619 (16GB), £699 (64GB) and £789 (128GB).

But the thing about it is you can’t base your purchase decision on cost–or the optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus’ camera, or even the battery life differences. Your choice will have entirely to do with the screen. In that case, the only question is how big do you want to go?