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apple-history / iPhone 6

# iPhone 6

Essentials

Family: iOS

Codename: ?

Minimum OS: iOS 8.0

Maximum OS: iOS 8.4

Introduced: September 2014

Processor

CPU: Apple A8 (Cyclone v2)

CPU Speed: 1.4 GHz

CPU Cores: 2

FPU: integrated

Bus Speed: ?

Register Width: 64-bit

Data Bus Width: 64-bit

Address Bus Width: 64-bit

Level 1 Cache: 64 kB data, 64 kB instruction

Level 2 Cache: 1 MB on-processor

Level 3 Cache: 4 MB on-processor

Motion Coprocessor: M8

Onboard RAM: 1 GB

Maximum RAM: 1 GB

Video

Screen: 4.7" multi-touch

GPU: 4-core PowerVR GX6450 (via A8)

Max Resolution: 1334x750 ("Retina")

Video Out: HDMI, VGA (via Lightning adaptors), AirPlay

Camera: 8 MP back (w/dual LED flash), 1.2 MP front

Storage

Flash Drive: 16/32/128 GB

Input/Output

Lightning: 1

Audio Out: stereo 16 bit mini

Speaker: mono

Microphone: mono

Sensors: Touch ID, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Three-axis gyro, barometer

Networking

Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, NFC

Bluetooth: 4.0

Cellular:

- Model A1549 (GSM, North America)
  - UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  - LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)
- Model A1549 (CDMA, Verizon)
  - CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  - LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29)
- Model A1586 (Global)
  - CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
  - GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  - FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)
  - TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41)
- Model A1589 (China Mobile)
  - UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  - TD-SCDMA 1900 (F), 2000 (A)
  - GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  - FDD-LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26)
  - TD-LTE (Bands 38, 39, 40, 41)

Location: Assisted, GLONASS, Digital Compass, Wi-Fi, Cellular

Miscellaneous

Battery Life:

- Talk 14 hrs (3G)
- Standby 250 hrs
- Internet 10 hrs (3G/LTE), 11 hrs (Wi-Fi)
- Video 11 hrs
- Audio 50 hrs

Dimensions: 5.44" H x 2.64" W x 0.27" D

Weight: 0.28 lbs.

Introduced in September 2014 alongside the larger iPhone 6 plus, the iPhone 6 represented the most radical change to the industrial design of the iPhone since the iPhone 4; it shifted away from the hard edges of the previous four years back to the rounded corners of the iPhone 3GS, while maintaining the aluminum backing of the iPhone 5. But the most significant change to the iPhone 6 was to its dimensions; Apple chose for the first time to make the iPhone 6 not only taller, but wider.

The change in dimensions was necessitated by the need to increase the size of the screen (from 4" to 4.7", more in-line with industry competition) and the desire to maintain the existing 16x9 aspect ratio, and was not without consequence; a new software gesture (the home button double tap) was introduced to allow access to the top half of the screen for smaller hands, and for the first time the power button was moved from the top to the right side of the case, in what proved to be a fairly controversial change. While the iPhone 6 was wider and taller, it was also thinner; so thin in fact, that it forced Apple into another design trade-off: the improved camera could not be mounted flush with the otherwise smooth case backing.

The larger screen maintained both the aspect ratio and pixel density of the iPhone 5s, resulting in a higher resolution. As with previous resolution changes, the iPhone 6 maintained several legacy modes for non-optimized apps: those optimized for the iPhone 5 and 5s would be scaled up, and older apps would be both scaled and letterboxed.

The iPhone 6 shipped with an Apple-designed A8 chip, which like the A7 was based on a 64-bit architecture, and included improvements both to performance and energy usage. It also included an improved M8 "motion co-processor" which now added support for a new barometer sensor, which measured air pressure as a proxy for changes in altitude.

The iPhone 6 included, for the first time, a near field communication (NFC) chip which, in conjunction with Touch ID, enabled a fingerprint-authenticated payment system dubbed "Apple Pay". With launch-day support from a number of banks and vendors, Apple Pay was billed as a replacement for the wallet. Support was not total, however, so this claim would remain hyperbolic for some time.

Other hardware improvements included upgrades to the camera optics and sensors for both cameras, support for the 802.11ac Wi-Fi specification, improved LTE speed, and support for Voice-over-LTE and Wi-Fi calling.

The iPhone 6 maintained the color combinations (white/silver, black/space gray, and white/gold) and price tiers of the iPhone 5s, but bumped the flash capacity of the high end model to 128 GB:

- 16 GB / $199 ($649 unsubsidized)
- 32 GB / $299 ($749 unsubsidized)
- 128 GB / $399 ($849 unsubsidized)

Picture Credits:
Apple, Inc.