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 

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.

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?