Raise your Glass

Size: the relative extent of something; a thing’s overall dimensions or magnitude; how big something is. (Google Web Dictionary)

For the past seven years, choosing a new iPhone has been a relatively simple affair, albeit with increasing complexity year over year.

I promise you that the above sentence was not an oxymoron.

Bear with me and let’s rewind back to 2007 when the original iPhone (which changed the world as we know it) was launched. Selection was pretty simple.

1 model and 2 storage tiers

From 2008–2012, the 3G/3GS/4/4S/5 were available in black or white, each offered with 3 storage tiers.

In 2013, Apple added complexity when the 5S was introduced in a third color (Gold) and a new low-end model (5C) was offered ….(wait for it) five colors! The storage tiers remained the same between the two models.

Dizzy yet?

An argument can be made that the choice was still somewhat straightforward between plastic and metal with the latter considered the true new iPhone. But what about the agony we endured this year?

2 new high end models (4.7 and 5.5) in three colors (Gold-Black-White), each with 3 storage tiers.

Math geeks, especially those who love permutations/combinations were in a state of Nirvana

Hell for the rest of us…

During the four days between the announcement and the pre-order, yours truly kept flip flopping like a politician. One day justifying the advantages of the plus and questioning (the very next day) the absurdity of its size. Its very existence. And so the cycle continued until 4 hours before the deadline (the reveal comes a bit later-read on).

Storage

Before I dive in to my thoughts about the phone itself, lets discuss the strange choice Apple made in terms of storage tiers this year.

16–64–128 If you haven’t had your WTF moment yet, let me spell it out.

Why keep the 16GB? With the ballooning size of retina ready apps and the media we’re creating/saving on the phone, a 16GB phone is a total non-starter. I, like many pundits, was expecting:

32–64–128 How is the 16GB option defensible considering the new camera will generate pictures/videos taking up even more space than previous generations? 32 GB would’ve been a respectable entry level tier. 16GB is just plain ridiculous.

It almost feels like Apple is forcing folks to upgrade to a 64 GB tier. But to what end?

The iPhone

What I ordered initially: Space Grey-64 GB-iPhone 6

So after some issues with the pre-ordering process, I waited anxiously on September 19th. UPS ought to have an app which shows you the route of the driver. Knowing that the damn truck was out since 6:55 am in the morning didn’t help matters much. To UPS’s credit, there was an option to pre-sign a release form for UPS to leave the package at your door if you weren’t around.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you WANT to be around when your ‘bride’ comes home for the first time.

I’ve been using a Moto X for the past 6 months, so its not like I’m totally unaccustomed to the 4.7 inch form factor. Having said that, it was still a big adjustment (and continues to be) to handle a ‘big’ iPhone. My fingers don’t reach the outer edges at all and when I do try to adjust my grip (shimmying up the to the upper edges of the screen), I’m in constant fear of tilting the phone and being party to an inadvertent drop test.

Additionally, the rounded edges make the phone comfortable to hold…too comfortable even. The combination of the adjusted one-hand grip and the rounded edges, poses a unique problem for someone (like me) who belongs to the ‘naked iPhone’ camp. We don’t believe in cases. The premise is simple.

What’s the point of marrying Aishwarya Rai if your’e going to cover her up in a burqa 24×7?

Its ludicrous to hide the beautiful industrial design behind a case AND increase the weight of the device. Yes, you do take chances with cracking your screen and or denting/scratching the chamfered edges of your iPhone 5/5S, but I’ve always been willing to make that tradeoff. And for the most part (emphasis on most), I’ve been able to keep my iPhones in one piece.

But that was about to change…

Case & Color

After playing with the Black/Space Grey for a couple of days, I was regretting not getting the While/Silver combo. The biggest drawback of the black one in my opinion is that you can’t see the Touch ID ring, which is prominent on the White/Gold models, and gives the front a lot of character. Moreover, the black front is more prone to smudges. On the third day of completing this review, I got lucky and was able to exchange it. And due to the increased chances of dropping it (for the reasons mentioned above), I gave up on my idyosyncrasy and bought a case for the first time in many years. It was an extremely bitter pill to swallow. But it had to be done. I ended up with a red leather case from Apple, to match the white/red combination of my iPad mini and also because 50% of the proceeds (for buying any red product from Apple) goes to a charity to fight AIDS.

Bendgate

As I write this review, bendgate has taken to the wires, and just like antennagate, it seems to be blown out of proportion. The aluminum frame, being longer thinner is a tad more prone to bending (physics people!) compared to previous models that had smaller frames and a thicker body. So far, 9 phones out of 10 million sold, have been reported to Apple and the internet is up in arms. The Youtube video of that douche bending the iPhone is fueling this madness. Folks, if you put that much pressure to deliberately bend your iPhone, you know what will happen?

‘It will bloody bend.’

It doens’t mean the phone is fragile. Apple often uses the word ‘Magical’ to describe its products. Please don’t take them literally. An iPhone may seem ‘magical’, but it still follows the rules of physics. Like. every. other. mobile. device.

Touch ID

Since I’m on a two year upgrade cycle for new number releases, I didn’t get to play with Touch ID with the 5S. I’m literally blown away by the speed/accuracy of the fingerprint sensor. It makes accessing the home screen so much more convenient than constantly typing in your passcode. Having said that, muscle memory occasionally kicks in and I find myself typing in the passcode to unlock. I suppose that will subside with time. Touch ID really makes me giddy in anticipation of Apple Pay starting in October. Speaking of muscle memory, I was anticpating an adjustment period with the placement of the power button on the side as opposed to the top right. Strangely, I haven’t struggled with it at all.

Camera

The camera is a MAJOR improvement from my two year old iPhone 5 (not that its camera was bad by any measure). Autofocus is almost instantaneous thanks to the Apple designed image signal processor. Face detection definitely seemed much faster than before. And oh the sweet, addicting 240 fps slo-mo. I am going to have so much fun with this.

The only thing I don’t like about the camera is the protruding lens, which takes away from the otherwise flat back and makes the phone wobble slightly if you’re using it on a flat surface. And here’s another reason how I justified getting a case. Balance restored.

Curved Glass

Phil Schiller wasn’t kidding when he mentioned (during the iPhone launch event) that iOS7/8 was designed in mind with the curved glass of the iPhone 6/Plus Swiping left to right (or vice versa) in Safari to move back and forth between web pages or an application to move back and forth between different naigational points, is so silky smooth, you really have to use it to appreciate it. This gesture was a tad abrasive on the iPhone 5/5S. Since the glass wasn’t bending, there was a scratching sensation when you swiped in from the chamferd edge. I urge you to go to an Apple Store and try this out. You’ll be a believer in a nano second.

Caveat: Once you put on the case, that silky smooth feeling is lost. Sigh.

Battery

I’ve generally had more luck with battery life compared to my wife. It probably has something to do with the fact that I regularly (once a week if not more) drain the battery from 100% to 0 and charge back to 100%. All of my previous phones have typically lasted a full day.

I’ve been trying to kill this thing but it refuses to die.

For the first two nights, I stayed up late just to drain the damn battery. Two nights ago, I gave up at 4% and that is after a day of furious usage. Last night, I gave around 20%. The battery is a beast.

Final Thoughts

I feel shortchanged from Apple because they didn’t release an iPhone 6 in a 4 inch form factor. Call me a purist, but I prefer smaller phones. There was no way I was going to buy the the 5S just to retain the smaller form factor, and so I was pretty much forced to give in to buying a bigger size. I distinctly recall that after buying a new iPhone every two years and using it for just a few days, if I happened to use the previous model, it felt so antiquated. Interestingly enough, when I was updating my wife’s iPhone 5 after a few days of using the iPhone 6, I felt a great longing for the 4 inch size. It fit so perfectly in my hands. In my opinion, its still the best phone Apple has designed so far.

My colleague asked me today if I loved my new iPhone. For the past seven years, the answer to that particular question was an immediate (and incredulous) yes.

Today I paused for a couple of seconds, contemplating my reply. Then I changed the subject.

Whereas the previous iPhones I’ve owned were love at first sight (or tap), the iPhone 6 feels like the girl who you nervously check out (with your parents around) when visiting the home of a potential blind match (perhaps with a little help by the rishtay wali aunty). You pray to God this works out and you trust that mom and dad know best.

So raise your glass for arranged marriages. Love will come later.

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Originally published at khashmi.wordpress.com on September 26, 2014.