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Josh Miller/CNET
Chalk one up for accurate rumors. The new iPhone, revealed September 9, is stretching its display and coming out in two sizes: big (4.7-inch iPhone 6) and bigger (5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus). There has been a noticeable trend toward larger screens for smartphones thanks to the phablet phenomenon. It’s an easy way for a company to show it’s upgrading its products. Look, it’s a bigger screen! It’s a realm where Android products like the Samsung Galaxy Note series and LG G3 have already ventured.
As usual with new Apple announcements, opinions are mixed. Some Apple fans can’t wait to embrace that extra display space, but some are shying away from the pocket-stretching size. Negative comments have ranged from “ridiculously monstrous” to “way too big when sitting with fitted jeans or moving around at the gym wearing shorts” (that’s according to CNET reader keithianw). Those people still have the option of picking up the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and avoiding the phablet issue altogether.
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There are some differences in the specs, as well. CNET reader Meni put a considerable amount of thought into the decision, writing, “After much back and forth I think I’ll go for the Plus. Not crazy about Phablets, but the iPhone looks a lot more manageable than say, a Note, due to the iPhone’s thinness and continuously rounded form factor. For me the deciding factors over the 4.7 are longer battery life, extra OS features, and optical image stabilization.”
Not every prospective iPhone buyer is ready to commit based on the announcement alone. Some are reserving judgement until they can have a personal hands-on with the new devices and see if the larger size is comfortable to operate and carry.
If you’re planning to buy an iPhone 6, vote in our poll, tell us which size appeals to you the most, and talk it out in the comments. If you’re avoiding the new iPhone like a plague of iZombies, you can go ahead and tell us about that, too.
The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have arrived (pictures)
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