iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus capable of 4K video playback

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You may not realize it, but the new Apple A8 processor on the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can handle 4K video playback even though the smaller Apple phone has a native resolution of 1334 X 750 pixels while the larger Plus model has a 1080p Full HD display with 1920 X 1080 pixels. Though you won't get a pixel-for-pixel output on the phones' screens, the A8's ability to handle 4K playback means that users who sideload 4K content would be able to still watch it on their phones.

Discovery of the ability to play back 4K content on the phone was reported by TUAW:

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can play 4K video right out of the box thanks to its A8 chip. The discovery was made by the developers of WALTR, a great Mac app that allows users to quickly upload video files to their iPhone which aren't supported by iTunes, such as FLAC and MKV files. While testing the app developers found it is possible to playback 4K videos on the iPhone 6.

Source: TUAW

Chuong H Nguyen
Chuong H Nguyen
8 Comments
  • Why would you sideload a huge file when you can have the 1080? Sent from the iMore App
  • Exactly, scale it to correct res. 720p for 6 and 1080 for 6plus. That would be twice the file size for no reason. Plus it's not like you could output it at 4k anyway.
  • CAN... not would or should. Nothing more, nothing less. Sent from the iMore App
  • Read the headline... It's capable. Doesn't say that you should do this. Probably just future proofing the chip for a future Apple TV. Sent from the iMore App
  • I think the  tv will feature an A9 chip. Sent from the iMore App
  • If the tv has an A9 & HDMI 2.0 for full quality UHD, and hopefully some decent RAM & storage, it will be more than $99.
  • I (idiotically) paid $5 to enable 4K video recording with the ProCam 2 app. It claims 30fps on the iPhone 6. It was choppy. There is no easy way to play the file on my UHDTV, which supports DLNA but the app does not. The file was .mov but there are no share / export options in the app, the only way to get the file was by plugging it into iTunes and doing the stupid app-file-transfer thing. Unfortunately, my LG doesn't want to play the .mov over the network. It can play other formats gotta run it through handbrake. Lost interest. ... Point is, I should have waited for a better app.
  • It can play it.. Whoopee! Display it in 4k on the phone.. Posted via the iMore App for Android