Apple iPhone 6 Plus trumps the need for an iPad Mini
Yesterday ZDNet's Zack Whittaker asked if the larger iPhone 6 Plus will steal sales from the iPad Mini and I would have to emphatically state 'Yes'.
Apple announced its two new iPhones today and it was an easy choice for me to select the more powerful iPhone 6 Plus. That choice was made even easier when I decided I will no longer need an iPad Mini and can sell it to partially fund the iPhone 6 Plus.
My iPad Mini is primarily used to consume video content (streaming TV, movies, and sports apps), read ebooks, and manage my email and calendar. It is not an essential device whereas phones are essential to my daily train commute and business travel life. With a 5.5 inch display, it looks like the iPhone 6 Plus can serve as both my tablet and phone.
The iPhone 6 Plus is 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm and 172 grams. My current iPad Mini with Retina display is 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm and 333 grams. The iPhone 6 Plus has a 1920x1080 pixel resolution display with 401 ppi while the iPad Mini with Retina display has a 2048x1536 pixel resolution display with 326 ppi.
Here are some reasons the new iPhone 6 Plus trumps the iPad Mini:
- Smaller, lighter and, more pocketable form factor
- Phone functionality, including VoLTE and WiFi Calling
- Advanced camera
- TouchID with Apple Pay support
- 802.11 ac WiFi support
I was honestly surprised Apple really did go with such a large display on an iPhone and do not think Jobs would have ever gone this big with a phone. The price is what I expected and is tough to swallow, but the daily usage and need for a smartphone help me justify the very high price. I am planning to buy a 64GB model for $850 on T-Mobile, which is $100 more than current small 32GB iPhone 5S.