Every year for the past few years I have had a new iPhone. From 3 to 3S, from 4 to 4S, from 5 to 5S and then to 6 Plus. I regard it as my duty to test them out for the benefit of readers. Now, for the first time on this treadmill, I am wondering if I should take a break. The 6 Plus is so good that it could easily handle another year of use. Event the battery, which in previous phones had begun to lose its mojo after twelve months, is holding up well.
Normally I wouldn’t think twice. I would have reserved a phone already. But this year I have a nagging doubt about which phone to choose, 6S or 6S Plus. It’s a size thing mainly. I have had the 6S for a good nine months and have been near totally satisfied. I like the bigger screen and, right from the day it arrived, I stopped carrying around an iPad mini. The larger 5.5in screen was a useful compromise between the mini and the old 5S.
The Plus has only one real disadvantage. It is a rather big for most pockets and can get uncomfortable, for instance, in the front pocket of a pair of jeans. I find myself hankering after something a bit smaller. I fear, though, that if replace the 6 Plus and with the smaller 6S I could regret the decision. Would I be happy again with a smaller screen, even though the 6 is considerably larger than the iPhone 5?
So I am again on my favourite perch, the fence, wondering what I should do. I had a similar dilemma earlier in the year when deciding between an all-dancing 13in MacBook Pro and the compromised 12in MacBook. I went for the compromise and now know that I definitely made the right decision. But will it be the same with the iPhone?
I am strongly tempted to buy a new 6S for the pocket and turn the 6 Plus into a reading/working device, much like an iPad, to keep in the bag. It has the advantage over the iPad of being able to send texts and make calls, plus it is much lighter and could be carried around permanently in my camera bag.
The fence, as ever, is feeling uncomfortable. I can however afford to wait for the new iPhone 6 to become generally available in Apple Stores before I make a decision.