Go Big or Go Home: Apple Officially Unveils iPhone 6 With Larger Displays
The sixth-generation iPhones also come with a new Retina HD display and a mobile payments system that some say could upend the credit-card industry.
By Geoff Weiss •
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Ask and ye shall receive, Apple fanboys and girls.
Though Apple has sold roughly 500 million iPhones since the device's introduction in 2007, people have long clamored for a larger screen display -- particularly given the comparative expanses of competing Android and Windows devices.
Today, those calls have been answered. Apple announced its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which feature screens measuring 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, respectively. For reference, the iPhone 5s measures 4 inches, while the iPad mini clocks in at 7.9 inches.
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The iPhone 6 is priced at $199 for 16 GB, $299 for 64 GB and $399 for 128GB. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 Plus is $100 more at every tier. The phones will ship on September 19, and arrive equipped with iOS 8, which will be available for everyone on September 17. The same three colors will be available as with the fifth generation iPhones: gold, silver and space grey.
While Apple has historically avoided larger screen sizes in order to make its devices more wieldy in-hand, the sixth-generation iPhones will feature new "one-handed" and "landscape" modes for easier use.
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So, big screen and easy-to-use interfaces, all in one new package. They are also the slimmest iPhones yet: the iPhone 6 measures .27 inches wide while the iPhone 6 Plus measures .28 inches.
Perhaps most notably, the devices will ship with a mobile payments feature called Apple Pay, which enables users to complete retail transactions with a simple touch of a smartphone. Incorporating NFC (near field communication) technology, users simply hold their finger onto the Touch ID home button and hold the device near a contactless reader, whereupon a secure payment is instantly transacted, Apple said.
Other features include a new "Retina HD" display with curved edges, increased battery life, faster processing speeds and a revamped camera for capturing slo-mo and time-lapse videos.
Related: Should You Buy an iPhone 5S Now or Wait For the iPhone 6?
