Apple iPhone 6 Plus: The 5.5-inch Phablet With Optical Stabilisation
Apple's September 2014 unveiling rewrote the rulebook for the company's smartphone lineup. The Cupertino giant finally embraced the larger form factor that Android manufacturers had championed for years, releasing the iPhone 6 alongside its bigger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus. With its 5.5-inch Retina HD display, the device marked Apple's formal entry into the phablet arena and signalled a clear shift in design language for the next generation of iPhones.
The reaction down under was immediate. Customers queued outside the Apple Store on George Street in Sydney and the Chadstone boutique in Melbourne, many of them trading in older handsets through Apple's recycling program. Australian carriers Telstra, Optus and Vodafone raced to announce subsidised 24-month plans, while retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman promoted the new arrival in their Boxing Day catalogues months later.
Set against established Android phablets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the iPhone 6 Plus arrived late but well-prepared. It brought features that smaller iPhones could not offer, including a longer-lasting battery, a higher resolution screen, and a camera with built-in optical stabilisation. Those choices set it apart from the more compact competitors that dominated the shelves at the time.
What truly defines the device, however, is its balance of size and refinement. The seamless transition from glass to anodised aluminium feels comfortable in the hand, even with the larger footprint. Australian users accustomed to clutching their phones through long commutes on Sydney trains or while waiting for the tram in Melbourne found the rounded edges less intrusive than the sharper corners of older iPhone models.
Display and Industrial Design
The 5.5-inch Retina HD panel was Apple's first foray into full 1080p territory, delivering 1920 by 1080 pixels at 401 pixels per inch. Colours appeared warmer and more accurate than on previous iPhones, while text remained pin-sharp for reading news, browsing menus, or scanning boarding passes at airport gates. The dual-domain pixels offered improved viewing angles, useful when sharing a video on a long flight from Perth to Sydney.
In the wider smartphone market, devices such as the smaller LG G2 Mini sibling targeted users who preferred compact form factors, while the iPhone 6 Plus embraced the opposite end of the spectrum. Resolution differences were stark, with the LG offering a more modest pixel count suited to casual use rather than detailed media consumption.
Physically, the phone measured 158.1 mm tall, 77.8 mm wide, and just 7.1 mm thin, weighing 172 grams. The unibody construction combined ion-strengthened glass with brushed aluminium, available in space grey, silver, and gold finishes. The curved edges, absent in earlier generations, allowed the device to nestle comfortably in a jacket pocket, an important consideration for users trekking across the rugged terrain of the Blue Mountains or simply walking the coastal paths of Bondi.
A noteworthy side effect of the larger chassis was the relocation of the power button from the top edge to the right side, where it sits naturally under the thumb of a right-handed user. The repositioned Touch ID-equipped home button retained its familiar position beneath the display, while the camera lens protruded ever so slightly from the rear casing, a design trait that became a recurring feature in subsequent iPhone generations.
Camera Performance and Optical Image Stabilisation
The rear-facing iSight camera retained an 8-megapixel sensor but introduced a new focus system with Focus Pixels for faster phase-detection autofocus. The standout upgrade was optical image stabilisation, a first for any iPhone, which physically shifted the lens assembly to counteract handshake. In practical terms, this meant sharper low-light photos taken at pubs along Melbourne's laneways, dimly-lit restaurants in Brisbane's James Street precinct, and night-time concerts at the Sydney Opera House forecourt.
Video recording benefitted as well, with 1080p footage at 30 or 60 frames per second, plus slow-motion capture at 240 fps in 720p. Continuous autofocus refined subject tracking, while cinematic video stabilisation smoothed out the bumps of handheld recording. The True Tone flash used two colour-matched LEDs to balance skin tones more naturally than the single LED found in older iPhone flash modules.
For shoppers weighing the iPhone 6 Plus against other handsets in the same period, devices like the 2.5D glass Canvas 5 alternative offered higher megapixel counts but lacked the sophisticated stabilisation that defined Apple's imaging experience. The 13-megapixel sensor on that competing handset appealed to spec-sheet readers, yet real-world low-light performance told a different story.
The front FaceTime camera remained a modest 1.2 megapixels, sufficient for selfies and the occasional FaceTime call to relatives overseas. Burst mode, panorama, and time-lapse photography rounded out the imaging suite, allowing users to capture sweeping vistas of the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road or to compress an entire cricket match at the MCG into a shareable clip.
A8 Processor and Battery Endurance
Inside the iPhone 6 Plus sat the new A8 system-on-chip, built on a 20-nanometre process and accompanied by the M8 motion coprocessor. The combined package delivered roughly 25 percent faster CPU performance and 50 percent faster graphics than its predecessor. Everyday tasks such as web browsing, email, and photo editing felt noticeably snappier, while graphically demanding games ran with smooth frame rates.
Battery life was another area where the Plus model pulled ahead of the standard iPhone 6. The 2915 mAh cell delivered up to 24 hours of talk time on 3G, roughly 12 hours of LTE browsing, and up to 14 hours of HD video playback. Australians spending long days outdoors, whether at a regional show in Toowoomba or on a multi-day hike in Tasmania's Cradle Mountain National Park, appreciated the extra endurance that previous iPhones had struggled to match.
The handset launched with iOS 8 and supported every major update through iOS 12, an unusually long software support window for any smartphone. Features like Apple Pay, Continuity, and the Health app arrived alongside the device, although Apple Pay's rollout in Australia came later through American Express and eventually the major banks.
iOS Experience and Software Features
iOS 8 brought several long-awaited additions to the platform, including interactive notifications, third-party keyboard support, and the family sharing feature. The larger screen of the iPhone 6 Plus also introduced a new landscape mode for the home screen, something Android users had enjoyed for years but which finally arrived on iPhone. Reading eBooks, composing long emails, and reviewing spreadsheets felt far more comfortable than on the smaller iPhone 6.
The Health app aggregated data from the M8 coprocessor's sensors, tracking steps climbed, flights of stairs taken, and distance walked or run. For Australians keen on keeping tabs on their daily activity around the Tan track in Melbourne or along the Brisbane Riverwalk, the integration provided a tidy central dashboard. Continuity allowed users to answer phone calls and respond to SMS messages directly from a Mac or iPad, provided both devices shared the same iCloud account and sat on the same Wi-Fi network.
Despite the larger canvas, Apple resisted adding a fully featured multi-window mode, sticking to slide-over and picture-in-picture in later updates. Critics argued the extra real estate was underutilised, while supporters appreciated the consistency of the iOS experience across screen sizes. Compared to rivals running heavily customised Android skins, the iPhone 6 Plus offered a clean, predictable interface that appealed to first-time smartphone buyers.
Australian Pricing and Carrier Availability
In Australia, the 16 GB iPhone 6 Plus launched at A$999 outright, with 64 GB at A$1099 and 128 GB at A$1199. Telstra offered the device on a range of 24-month plans starting around A$80 per month with included data, while Optus and Vodafone positioned their offerings slightly lower to attract budget-conscious customers. JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman also sold the handset outright, often bundled with accessories or store credit during promotional periods.
| Model | Display | Camera | Battery | Launch Price (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 6 Plus | 5.5-inch 1080p | 8 MP + OIS | 2915 mAh | A$999 |
| LG G2 Mini | 4.7-inch qHD | 8 MP | 2440 mAh | A$399 |
| Micromax Canvas 5 | 5.2-inch 1080p | 13 MP | 2900 mAh | A$280 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 4 | 5.7-inch Quad HD | 16 MP + OIS | 3220 mAh | A$1099 |
Pre-orders opened on 12 September 2014, and the handset reached Australian shelves on 19 September. Demand quickly outstripped initial supply, with online store delivery windows slipping into October for many configurations. Apple later expanded its Sydney flagship presence and opened new locations in Brisbane's MacArthur Central and Perth's Karrinyup Shopping Centre to handle growing foot traffic.
Buyers drawn to the budget segment can also explore the budget Canvas Spark handset for a glimpse of entry-level hardware from the same era. Refurbished and second-hand units continue to circulate through Australian classifieds and trade-in counters, often at a fraction of their original retail cost. For anyone weighing up the iPhone 6 Plus against contemporary flagships, the table above offers a quick side-by-side reference of how it stacked up against direct competitors.
Looking back nearly a decade later, the iPhone 6 Plus occupies a curious place in smartphone history. It was not the first phablet, nor the most spec-laden, but it was the device that convinced millions of iPhone loyalists to embrace larger screens. Subsequent iPhone generations have only grown in stature, yet the 6 Plus retains a nostalgic charm for those who remember unboxing their first Apple phablet. Subscribe to New Mobile Arrivals for ongoing retrospectives on the handsets that defined mobile computing, and leave a comment with your own iPhone 6 Plus memories below.