Upgrading to iPhone 6 or iPhone 6+, what are advantages and disadvantages for blind users?

Hey Vic, here are my findings moving from an iPhone 5 to iPhone 6:

1. The iPhone 6 definitely runs faster in iOS 8. I ended up rolling my iPhone 5 back to a jailbroken 7.1.2 (will explain why later), but when I had them both running iOS 8 the speed difference was noticeable even after I'd imported my backup and content to the new device. Other than the bugs you'll already know about, VO feels snappier, there are less load times across the board, and multitasking doesn't feel like it taxes the device at all on the 6.

2. Hard to say, because I'm comparing a brand new battery to one that's a couple of years old and will be holding less capacity by now. However, I didn't get the iPhone 6 and think the battery capacity was bad if that helps. It took a full day to wear it down from 90% to 0%, and that was the first day it arrived so I downloaded a backup from iCloud, downloaded the Alex voice, made a few more phonecalls than usual, and constantly tinkered with it after that. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the battery life.

3. Yes and no. The iPhone 6 I've got now is going back to Apple in 2 days time, because I'm not comfortable splurging that much money at a company who've just released the patchiest update I've seen from them so far (accessibility-wise). I'm pretty sure I'll miss touch ID, faster performance and a much, much better speaker enough to hop back on the band wagon following a bug fixing session at Apple hq, but I'm staying put until that happens.

Btw, surprised you didn't ask for an OCR Comparison between the cameras. For what it's worth, in my limited testing there is a difference, but I can't say it's a night and day difference experience using KNFB on both models. The 6 definitely processes faster, and I seem to need less field of view reports to get a good result, but then again I managed to get 4 broken laptops fixed with only the iPhone 5 to read the screens the other day.

Hi Victor
First of all let me start saying that I don't have iPhones 6
I do have an iPhone 5S I went to my near retailer stor last Friday to buy one of those but ovieslly I didn't
I have only 10 months with the iPhone 5S and I will write that I looked before to buy it.
according to MacRumors the specs are the follow:
iPhone
5S 1.3 Ghz dual cord A7
6 1.36 dual cord A8
6 Plus 1.39 dual cord A8
battery life
5S 10 hours
6 14 hours
6 Plus 15 hours
speed test
Launching game apps
incredibly the iPhone 5S launch first the app
remember all of them are running 64bit
Upload
very tide score but the 6 beat
download
again similar score but the 6 Plus beat
Grafics
ovieslly the new generation is 25 percent faster
but the iPhone 6Plus lags cause has bigger screen
have you heard the videos talking about bent iPhone 6plus
one of the reasons why I didn't buy the new generation was that, personally doesn't look good quality comparing to unibody iPhone 5s
feels as slippery
also I have to admit the voiceOver responded much faster at iPhone 6s

I have the iPhone 6, and I have to say that it definitely is faster thn say the iPhone 5c. Also, the battery life is significantly better.There is also a noticeable speed difference. KNFB reader performes better on the iPhone 6 as well.

I was a 5s user and then switched to the 6 when that came out because my mom needed a newer phone and was a bigger fan of the smaller screen. The 6 does seem to be just the tiniest bit faster when opening apps, but its a very, very small bit. Not really enough to make a difference in my daily use. On paper the battery doesn't seem much better, but I am noticing improved battery life in daily use. Although keep in mind I've had this phone less than a week and had the 5s for about 8 months. All in all I find that I actually really do like the bigger screen and definitely enjoy the experience of using my 6, but if I had already had the 5s and my mom hadn't needed the new phone i would have stuck with it myself for another year and seen what apple did next. I think it ultimately comes down to a matter of personal preference.

Okay let's get one thing straight about the bending of the iPhone 6+. Idiots are putting them in their pocket the phone is 5.5 inches long it is not meant to be in a pocket. I'm sorry if you want to put the phone in your pocket go with just the iPhone six. Just normal science should tell you guys that but apparently there are idiots on the Internet. Finally if you have the iPhone 5s I would not update to the six if you're coming from the five or 4s then I would go ahead and definitely update it's worth it. I got the six from upgrading from my iPhone five and I love it.

Hello Victor,

I upgraded from the iPhone 5S to the iPhone 6 Plus, and I love it. Below are my answers to your three questions:

1. Did you notice speed improvements between the prior version of the iPhone and the new one? If yes, in what areas?
A: I did notice a slight performence enhancement from the iPhone 5S to the iPhone 6 Plus. in particular, VoiceOver (and the new Alex TTS voice) is more responsive, and it seems to hang/lag less. It's worth noting, however, that I do still sometimes experience "laggyness" in certain apps and situations--so I think some of this is to do with VoiceOver itself, rather than the year-old hardware of the 5S.

2. Is the battery life of the new iPhone 6/6+ significantly better than that of iPhone 5/5C/5S? If yes, by how much?
One of the reasons I really wanted an iPhone 6 Plus was because of the better battery life. I was never very happy with the battery performance of the iPhone 5S, even after updating it to iOS 8. Given my disappointment with the battery life on the iPhone 5S, I was rather surprised (but very glad) to find how good the battery performance on the iPhone 6 Plus really is. On the iPhone 5S on iOS 8, I would consistently be down to 30-35% at the end of the day. This was with no GPS apps running, as I stayed away from those unless absolutely necessary because of the aforementioned battery performance issue. On the 6 Plus, the lowest my battery has gotten after 17 hours off the charger was 51%. An hour of Seeing Eye GPS use only used 15% of the battery, and I'm told that those results are really good. I also read a book in BARD Mobile yesterday for 3 hours and 15 minutes and the battery again held up really well.

3. If you had to do it again, would you upgrade to the new phone?
A: Yes, but I need to stress here that the iPhone 5S is a very capable phone. Just because my circumstances allowed me to upgrade to the 6 Plus after one year on the iPhone 5S does not mean it is a necessity to have a good user experience on iOS 8. So, if you're able to upgrade, I would do so; otherwise, your iOS 8 experience on the device you currently have now is pretty much what it will be until next year's release.

I recently moved from an iPod Touch 4, to an iPhone 6. I did not even seek out the 6+ at the store. The iPhone is huge compared to my little Touch. Initially, it felt like I was carrying a TV remote control . I am getting used to it, and other than the size I like everything about it. For me, someone who keeps the device in a pocket most of the time, the 6 was the right choice.

When I first held the iPhone 6 I was surprised how long it was compared to the 5. It's longer and wider, but not big and bulky like some folks said it was. I am quite pleased with the 6 and would recommend it to anyone who needs an upgrade from the 5. Although, if you simply can't afford a 6, go for the 5S and I think you'll be extremely happy with what you have.

Hi.

Personally, I do not like the idea of a phone with a larger screen than the perfectly sized 4.0 inch iPhone 5s I have.
If you are upgrading from the 4s, I would get the 6 or 6 plus because that is a major jump in terms of hardware.
If you have the iPhone 5 or 5s, it's probably not worth it unless you either want Alex or just want a bigger screen.
Then you have the issue that you may want to upgrade anyway just so you aren't left in Apple's speedy planned obsolescence cycle in which Apple purposefully slows down older devices in the hopes to get their most loyal customers to rush out and buy the new and supposedly greatest device ever. Well, this is my view on Apple's market strategy, and it's probably not too far off. The only reason I would have gotten an iPhone 5s or 6 if I did not already have one was for Alex, which is a huge step forward in my honest opinion.

That was my reactoin when I saw the 6+, more like an iPad than an iPhone. To me, this rather defeats the object. I personally am not upgrading as I bought my iPhone 5S outright last December and the jump to the 6 doesn't seem worth the improvements i would get at this stage. If i were upgrading, I would go for the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 because at least this would fit in my pocket. Clearly some of you see the value of something larger, which is fair enough, but I really don't get that I'm afraid.

I've just read the article on here by someone who tested the 6+ and concluded that it was bigger, but better, making typing easier. I can see the logic in that. It wouldn't swing it for me as I haven't any difficulties typing on the 5S, especially with braille screen input included, but there is that choice now at least. Having said that I don't know what trousers the writer of that article was wearing if it fitted in their pocket! I could probably fit the 6+ in a coat, but not in a suit jacket or trousers, or jeans or some such.

Hi all, I upgraded from a iphone5 to the iphone 6+ and am very happy with device. Well i tried out both 6 models and what conviced me was
1. The sound of the speakers ( in direct comparison better , and far better than the 5) 2. The battery life is great
3. Landscape mode. This feature is only on yhe 6+ and for me is really cool. It is alot easier to got through settings, safari, etc. it's like using an ipad, so less back scrubbing, more info on the screen.

The size question for me came down to this. As i layed my five over the six, the six was a little bigger. When i layed the six over the six+, the plus was alittle bigger. That made me "feel" the difference. The six+ is bigger, but only at first glance and try. After a while it isn't that big at all. By the way I wear levi's 550 and 501 size 32-30 and the 6 + fits in my front pockets just fine. That is my 2 cents worth, but it all comes down to personal preference. So enjoy whatever you chose and party on,

Take care Fritz