The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the latest in a line of Apple phones stretching back to the original in 2007. Year after year, release after release, they've grown bigger, faster, more powerful, and better. You can see it in the specs and feel it in the experience. Now, some people believe specs mean everything. That you can sum up any phone, any device, by the rows on a spreadsheet. Other people believe specs mean nothing. That it is experience and experience alone that defines a device. The truth, as is often the case, lies smack in between. Specs matter in that they're needed to deliver an experience. If the specs aren't sufficient, the experience will suffer. If they specs aren't utilized, then they don't matter. Since Apple uniquely controls everything from the chipset to the software and services, they're best positioned to wring every ounce of experience out of their specs. So, with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, what are those specs?
| iPhone | iPhone 3G | iPhone 3GS | iPhone 4 | iPhone 4S | iPhone 5 | iPhone 5c | iPhone 5s | iPhone 6 | iPhone 6 Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Code Name | M68 | N82 | N88 | N90/N92 | N94 | N41/N42 | N48/N49 | N51/N53 | N61 | N56 |
| Model Name | iPhone 1,1 | iPhone 1,2 | iPhone 2,1 | iPhone 3,1 | iPhone 4,1 | iPhone 5,1 | iPhone 5,3 | iPhone 6,1 | iPhone 7,2 | iPhone 7,1 |
| Launch OS | iPhone OS 1.0 | iPhone OS 2.0 | iPhone OS 3.0 | iOS 4 | iOS 5 | iOS 6 | iOS 7 | iOS 7 | iOS 8 | iOS 8 |
| Screen Size | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 3.5 inches | 4.0 inches | 4.0 inches | 4.0 inches | 4.7 inches | 5.5 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 480x320 (163ppi) | 480x320 (163ppi) | 80x320 (163ppi) | 960x640 (326ppi) | 960x640 (326ppi) | 1136x640 (326ppi) | 1136x640 (326ppi) | 1136x640 (326ppi) | 1334x750 (326ppi) | 1920x1080 (401ppi) |
| Screen Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | IPS LCD | I PS LCD |
| System-on-a-chip | Samsung S5L8900 | Samsung S5L8900 | Samsung APL0298C05 | Apple A4 | Apple A5 | Apple A6 | Apple A6 | Apple A7 | Apple A8 | Apple A8 |
| CPU | ARM 1176JZ(F)-S | ARM 1176JZ(F)-S | 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 | 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 | 800MHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 | 1.3GHz dual-core Swift (ARM v7s) | 1.3GHz dual-core Swift (ARM v7s) | 64-bit 1.3GHz dual-core Cyclone (ARM v8) | 64-bit 1.38Ghz dual-core (ARM v8) | 64-bit 1.38Ghz dual-core (ARM v8) |
| GPU | PowerVR MBX Lite 3D | PowerVR MBX Lite 3D | PowerVR SGX535 | PowerVR SGX535 | PowerVR dual-core SGX543MP4 | PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3 | PowerVR triple-core SGX543MP3 | PowerVR G6430 | TBD | TBD |
| Co-processor | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | M7 Motion | M8 Motion | M8 Motion |
| RAM | 128MB | 128MB | 256MB | 512MB | 512MB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
| Storage | 4GB/8GB/16GB | 8GB/16GB | 16GB/32GB | 16GB/32GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/32GB/64GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB | 16GB/64GB/128GB |
| Cellular Data | EDGE | 3G 3.6 | HSPA 7.2 | HSPA 7.2 | HSPA 14.4 | LTE/DC-HSPA | LTE/DC-HSPA | LTE/DC-HSPA | LTE Advanced | LTE Advanced |
| SIM | Mini | Mini | Mini | Micro | Micro | Nano | Nano | Nano | Nano | Nano | |
| Rear Camera | 2MP | 2MP | 3MP/480p | 5MP/720p, ƒ2.8, 1.75µ | 8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ | 8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ | 8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.4, BSI, 1.4µ | 8MP/1080p, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ | 8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ | 8MP/1080p 60fps, ƒ/2.2, BSI, 1.5µ OIS |
| Front Camera | none | none | none | VGA | VGA | 1.2MP/720p, BSI | 1.2MP/720p, BSI | 1.2MP/720p, BSI | 1.2MP/720p, BSI | 1.2MP/720p, BSI |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.0+EDR | Bluetooth 2.0+EDR | Bluetooth 2.1+EDR | Bluetooth 2.1+EDR | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 | Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g | 802.11b/g | 802.11b/g | 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz) | 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz) | 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz) | 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz) | 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz, 5GHz) | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| GPS | none | aGPS | aGPS | aGPS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS | aGPS, GLONASS |
| Sensors | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometer | Ambient light, accelerometer, proximity, compass, gyroscope, infrared, fingerprint, barometer |
| Mic | Single | Single | Single | Dual | Dual | Triple | Triple | Triple | Triple | Triple |
| Connector | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | 30-pin Dock | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning |
| Height | 4.52 inches (115mm) | 4.55 inches (115.5mm) | 4.55 inches (115.5mm) | 4.54 inches (115.2mm) | 4.54 inches (115.2mm) | 4.87 inches (123.8mm) | 4.91 inches (124.8mm) | 4.87 inches (123.8mm) | 5.44 inches (138.1 mm) | 6.22 inches (158.1mm) |
| Width | 2.40 inches (61mm) | 2.43 inches (61.8mm) | 2.43 inches (61.8mm) | 2.31 inches (58.6mm) | 2.31 inches (58.6mm) | 2.31 inches (58.6mm) | 2.33 inches (59.2mm) | 2.31 inches (58.6mm) | 2.64 inches (67.0mm) | 3.06 inches (77.8mm) |
| Thickness | 0.46 inches (11.6mm) | 0.48 inches (12.3mm) | 0.48 inches (12.3mm) | 0.37 inches (9.3mm) | 0.37 inches (9.3mm) | 0.30 inches (7.6mm) | 0.35 inches (8.97mm) | 0.30 inches (7.6mm) | 0.27 inches (6.9mm) | 0.28 inches (7.1mm |
| Weight | 4.72oz (135g) | 4.69 oz (133g) | 4.72oz (135g) | 4.83oz (137g) | 4.94 oz (140g) | 3.95oz (112g) | 4.66oz (132g) | 4.30oz (122g) | 4.55 oz (129g) | 6.07 oz (172 g) |
| Battery | 1400mAh | 1150mAh | 1219mAh | 1420mAh | 1440mAh | 1440mAh | 1510mAh | 1560mAh | 1810mAh | 2915mAh |
| Colors | Aluminum | Black/White | Black/White | Black/White | Black/White | Slate/Silver | Blue/Green/Pink/White/Yellow | Space gray, Silver, Gold | Space gray, Silver, Gold | Space gray, Silver, Gold |
| Launch Price | $499/$599 on contract (no subsidy) | $199/$299 on contract | $199/$299 on contract | $199/$299 on contract | $199/$299/$399 on contract | $199/$299/$399 on contract | $99/$199 on contract | $199/$299/$399 on contract | $199/$299/$399 on contract | $299/$399/$499 on contract |
| Release Date | 6/29/2007 | 7/1/2008 | 6/19/2009 | 6/24/2010 | 10/14/2011 | 9/21/2012 | 9/20/2013 | 9/20/2013 | 9/19/2014 | 9/19/2014 |
Reader comments
iPhone to iPhone 6: History in specs
iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S screen resolutions are off by one model.
Thanks, fixed!
Where are all the stories going viral today? iPhone 6 battery life horrible. WiFi not working. Keyboards crashing. Apps crashing on iOS 8 78% more than on iOS 7. C'mon imore, fair and balanced.
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We're working on covering every bug, along with solutions.
Our goal isn't to just cut and paste stuff without context or thought, it's to help people have better experiences with their phones.
We'll be trouble shooting every common bug we come across this week.
Rene is the most biased person I've ever read.
Posted via the Android iMore App!
Hugs!
Totally no difference in specs between the iphone5s and 6. Just a larger screen.
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Except cameras, battery, processor, upgraded radios. But yeah no difference at all....
Lol
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iMore needs to find a better way to post these charts. Can anyone see the whole chart in their browser window? I had to paste it into Excel to make sense of it.
Its their new website layout, horrible. I understand their marketing strategy, but this is going to drive members away from this site.
There's no marketing strategy to the new layout, but it is new and we will encounter glitches. Feedback helps us make it better :)
Get those phones off the concrete! Jeezus!
That was my first thought too!!
So..... ^you guys^ mad....?
iphone6 specs needed to be the same as 6+ as currently not worth the upgrade from the iPhone5s. iphone 7 will be worth the upgrade for me, I hope.
Quiz question for Rene and the rest of you...
How may different models of iPhone since its inception including all memory sizes across all networks globally have apple released? Virtual pint for the winner if I only new the answer myself...
Optical Image Stabilization is the only major difference. Sure on specs the 6 Plus has more ppi, but honestly, it's hard for me to tell. Of course, the bigger will have a better battery because of its bigger size. And landscape mode is only relevant on the 6P. I ordered my Soave gray 6 Plus Saturday!
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Haha Friday for me.
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Gosh, those sure are some impressive specs these iphones have had over the years........if only high end android was privelages enough to have specs like these
Oh wait, that's right, high end android demolishes anything apple has ever produced, lolololo
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Thank you for taking the time to share.
Every time I see that picture, I cringe!
Me too.
The one thing that always gets me is that the original iPhone had the biggest battery for quite a few generations.
Also that even apple knew the iPhone 3G was the same as the original sans 3G hence the code name iPhone 1,2.
In Australia an unlocked 6 is only 16% more expensive that a similar 5S. One of our Telco's (Virgin) actually has a plan where the 6 is $1 per month cheaper than the 5S. So it appears to be an easy decision to get the 6 given it's bigger screen and (slightly) better specs.
However, the 2 iPhone problems (bending, IOS 8.0.1) of late point to reduction in their initial reliability. Which is the reason I just purchased a 5S. Perhaps next time (6S?) I will have the confidence to go with the latest.