What is a phone?

Ever since Apple announced iPhone 6 and 6 plus I’ve had a difficult time deciding what size of phone fits my lifestyle. Now, almost a year later, I’ve finally figured out why it was so difficult to begin with.

From the start I settled in on iPhone 6 plus. I had tested out Nokia’s 1520 previously and liked some of the benefits a large screen provided. However, even that day in line at the Apple Store I still had mixed feelings. The employee handed me iPhone 6 first and immediately I noticed how thin it was. I almost changed my mind right then.

Very different thoughts happened when I was handed iPhone 6 plus. Wow. This phone is big. Not only is it big but it is noticeably thicker and heavier. I had several doubts but left the store with the 6 plus.

iPhone 6 plus: This is not a phone

Life with iPhone 6 plus is definitely different than with the 5s. From the very first day I was keenly aware of just how aware I was of the location of my phone at all hours of the day. With previous phones my habit was to put them in my pocket go about my business. With a phone this big, it isn’t quite that simple. It does fit in my pocket but not comfortably. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t hard to get it in and out of pockets but it is big enough that it is always letting you know that it is there.

My habits quickly changed to finding a location for my phone to sit at home and at work. This new situation was working out fine until I went to visit my parents for the day. I found myself trying to find a nice safe spot for my phone everywhere I went. This works out ok most times but is difficult when you go to the movies.

Actually using the phone was just as new of an experience. This is a two-handed device. The sooner you come to grips with this fact and embrace it the happier you will be with the phone. I was able to accomplish some tasks one-handed but for the most part two hands are required. This challenged me at first to rethink the way I use my “phone”. I quickly realized that iPhone 6 plus is actually not a phone. In fact, of all the things it can do, it probably is worst at being a phone. What it is though is an excellent tablet that can be used to make phone calls.

Using iPhone 6 plus to accomplish tasks is a dream. The screen is large, spacious, and vibrant. Even simple things like texting are improved by having more of your previous texts visible. The size really makes its best showing inside of media apps. The Reeder app, a favorite of mine, is wonderfully at home on the large screen making reading news articles so easy on the eyes. When you open up a video app like MLB.com and start watching a game you wonder why you would even consider a smaller phone. Soon after you get a phone call and pick that huge screen up and put it next to your face and you remember that this is, in reality, a phone and not a tablet.

An unexpected thing started to happen as I continued to use my iPhone 6 plus. I all but stopped using my iPad. More and more every day I was making a subconscious decision to just use my phone. It is so big that switching to use iPad is not as big of a difference as it once was. This realization was the beginning of the end for me.

I started making a mental note of pros and cons of iPhone 6 plus. In the end it came down to this: iPhone 6 plus is not a better phone than iPhone 6 or iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 plus is not a better tablet than iPad. “Why then,” I asked myself, “would I use a device that is best at neither?”

iPhone 6: Back to portable

I sold my iPhone 6 plus and traded in for iPhone 6. I was immediately glad I did. The first time I sat down with my phone in my pocket and noticed it wasn’t gouging me in the stomach I took a deep breath and out and enjoyed the freedom. iPhone 6 is thin and light. I noticed a down grade in screen sharpness from the 6 plus but using my wife’s iPhone 5s for a few moments made me cringe at how I could have used such a pixelated screen just a few months earlier. Both the 6 and 6 plus have excellent screens that are bright and have very accurate colors. Sure, the 6 plus is better but both are a marked improvement from iPhone 5s.

Starting to use iPhone 6 brought me back to what life had been like before my 6 plus adventure. Everything was very similar to what life was like with iPhone 5s. My phone was portable again. I could carry it around and not worry about where it was or how safe it might be. It was in my pocket. Actually using the phone was surprisingly similar to using the 6 plus. The screen was still pretty big and I felt pretty good about the same things I loved about the 6 plus. Reeder was still an improvement on the 6 and watching movies or games was still better than watching on a 5s.

A slightly less immersive experience was a small price to pay for portability. iPhone 6 is amazingly thin. It really is. You can’t describe how great it feels in your hand and how it just feels like something that is impossible to make. It is lightweight. Doing some exercise and taking it out for a run is no problem. Using it requires less effort than the 6 plus and one thing I really noticed on the 6 that was not as big of a deal on the 6 plus is the curved glass on the edges. I struggled to get my hands around the 6 plus whereas on the 6 I found my fingers reaching the edges quite frequently. The curved glass is a welcome design improvement that allows your hands to glide easily across the screen. It is especially noticeable when doing actions like swiping through photos.

While iPhone 6 is much easier to handle I found that for me it is quite a stretch to use it one handed. With iPhone 5s I had no problem holding something in one hand (or one of my kids on an arm) while responding to a text in the other hand. This is quite difficult for me with iPhone 6. I simply can’t reach the far end of the keyboard on screen without shuffling the phone around in my palm. My inability to use iPhone 6 with one hand really frustrated me. At least with the larger 6 plus it seemed silly to try to use one hand. The iPhone 6 gives you the false appearance of being able to use it one handed.

As time went on I continued to have a silent debate with myself of what phone was really best for me. Right as Apple Watch was starting to launch I had convinced myself that iPhone 6 is not as good of a phone as iPhone 5s. I originally resisted switching back to iPhone 5s but when Apple Watch launched it came with the ability to use Apple Pay on the watch. Apple Pay was a key feature that I enjoyed with both the 6 and 6 plus. I had started to gear my shopping around locations that accept Apple Pay. Just a few weeks in to having Apple Watch I switched to iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5s: This is a phone

After switching back to 5s I felt the same kind of freedom that I had when I switched from iPhone 6 plus to 6. I was texting one-handed all day and wondering why anyone even thought that huge phones where a good idea. This is what a modern cell phone should be; portable, easy to use quickly, and easy to put away when not in use. The smaller phone gave me the ability to glance at a message quickly and reply with less disruption.

I began to find that I was using iPad more and iPhone less. Apple Watch was there to fill in the gaps. Except, it wasn’t. In reality what was happening is Apple Watch and iPhone 5s were overlapping and I began to find more device confusion. Should I use iPhone or iPad for this? Why not Apple Watch?

Having gone from the huge iPhone 6 plus down to the 6 and then back down further to the 5s I had a full picture of what different sized iPhones were capable of. With the 5s I noticed that I started heavily relying on my iPad for anything that wasn’t a quick reply to a message. Any time I felt like I wanted to open an app I’d try to get my iPad. This put me in a funny position of trying to take my iPad everywhere. iPad is portable but you shouldn’t feel like you need it in line at a lunch.

I missed the immersiveness of apps on a medium range device. So I switched phones again. I went back to iPhone 6 and I was happy I did. I loved all the things that I loved before. The screen is so much brighter and clearer and the thinness continues to astound me. The change did indeed spark the intended outcome of relieving iPad fatigue and the feeling of always wanting it close by.

Coming full circle

Going to iPhone 6 helped me appreciate more of what Apple Watch could do for me. A big hurting point the first time around with iPhone 6 was the inability to respond to texts or other messages quickly without giving it my full attention. Apple Watch resolves this and in an even better way. It is not my same one-handed iPhone 5s solution but it is quick and in many ways easier.

I have found that Apple Watch has replaced the functionality of many of the things that I loved having a smaller phone for. Namely, it is quick and always with me. Especially with the 6 plus I put myself in more situations where I was away from my phone. Having the smaller iPhone 5s used to be ideal for me because I could tote it around and have it always on my person without it being too bothersome. This is literally what Apple Watch has become. The device that is always on my person.

In my new lifestyle with Apple Watch I began to think of the same questions that had lead me away from iPhone 6 plus, to the 6 and back to iPhone 5s. With iPhone 6 in hand I started wondering what a “phone” was now.

Apple Watch: The new iPhone

In 2008 the original iPhone changed the meaning of what a phone is. It took calls and texts like a normal phone but also gave you basic weather and stock information, played your music, and allowed you to search the internet. Down the road the App Store launched and we started to get the ability to connect to other services. In the beginning, everything was simple and quick, as a phone should be. Apps were mini extensions of mostly web services. Usually to get the full power of a service, Facebook for example, you would need to go to the actual webpage on your computer.

Apps and their abilities have changed a lot over the past few years. For many apps they are no longer extensions of services or websites but rather they are the services. Instagram is not the quick glance of updates that the Facebook app originally was, rather it is complete platform in an app and only an app. As portable applications have evolved, the expectations of how our devices handle them has evolved too. When iPhone began it was not conceivable that it could be your main computer. Today however, this is becoming our reality.

Apple Watch is now what iPhone once was, a place to quickly respond and get basic information. In many ways Apple Watch is not a new device category, iPhone is. Our expectations of what our phone is, is completely different from what it was just a few years ago. Apps now offer for more than what can be accomplished on a phone.

Back to the future

Getting to know what Apple Watch is really about made me realize why iPhone 6 plus did not work for me. It was before its time. The biggest problem with such a large phone is always having to have it with you. It is too big to always be in your pocket. Apple Watch resolves this issue. I can set my phone down at home and not worry if I go in the other room. Apple Watch will tell me if something important comes up. Perhaps more importantly is that Apple Watch will allow me to respond quickly but not completely suck my attention in to the event.

A major overload began to happen with me when using iPhone 6 or 6 plus for quick responses. They are too powerful, too immersive. I tended to get stuck using my phone, getting distracted by everything available. The new abilities of larger iPhones is not a bad thing, we just need to learn when the appropriate time to use them is. I’ve switched back to iPhone 6 plus and so far, have been very happy with my decision. I appreciate the power of it, when I need it and avoid it when I don’t.

Interestingly, Apple Watch has also solved the problem I originally had of not using my iPad when I had the 6 plus. Since before, I always had my iPhone 6 plus with me I never really made a choice of whether to use it or iPad. I always used the iPhone because I already had it with me. It was easy. Now however, I make a choice of what device is most appropriate for the task and the amount of time I can commit to it.

Months ago it was a confusing and frankly, as someone in tech, a frustrating time. I was not a fan of the shift to large phones. It didn’t make sense. We’ve caught up to the future that arrived a little too early last year. Everything is shifting back in to its proper place.

Related Tags: Apple