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Get to know the iPhone 6 (pictures)

Take a look at Apple's new flagship smartphone.

Scott Stein
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Scott Stein
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Meet the next iPhone

It's finally here, the iPhone 6, Apple's latest flagship smartphone. After years of phones with 4-inch screens, Apple has finally sized up, to 4.7 inches for the 6 and 5.5 inches for the 6 Plus. The 6 takes the place of 2013's 5S.

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A minor makeover

The newest iPhone doesn't deviate too much from Apple's signature design. It has a slightly updated rectangular shape and glass front panel. Like the iPhone 5S, the 6 comes in three color choices: Silver, gold, or space gray (black).

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Same metal styling

Like its predecessor, there's a smooth aluminum back cover, which keeps the phone light, yet sturdy.

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Still pocketable

Though the iPhone grew a bit, from 4.8 inches to 5.4 inches tall, the 6 is still small enough to fit in most pants pockets. That's not exactly true for the 6 Plus, which measures 6.2 inches tall and 3.06 inches wide.

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Barely-there edge

Apple shaved a few millimeters off the depth of the iPhone 6, but with its curved edges, it looks even thinner.

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Hold it up

Despite its many features, the iPhone is still a phone. Luckily, it fits nicely along your head to make the occasional call.

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In the box

With the iPhone 6, you get the well-known white Apple earbuds and a Lightning charging cable.

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iOS 8 built-in

The iPhone 6 ships with Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 8. It adds an updated keyboard, actionable notifications, and a link between iOS and Mac devices.

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iPhone-only features

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are also getting their own set of features unique to the phones. One is Reachability, a set of gestures that make it easier to use your phone with one hand.

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Landscape mode

Also new with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is landscape mode, which displays select apps, such as web browser Safari, in a landscape orientation, for a different viewing angle. On the 6 Plus, the home screen will also go into landscape mode, but it won't on the 6.

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HealthKit

iOS 8 introduces HealthKit, a system that collects fitness and medical data from your phone, fitness trackers, and health apps to give you an overall picture of your well-being. Above is the Health app, which culls all of the data into a central place.

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iSight camera

The iPhone 6 sports the same 8-megapixel iSight camera and two-tone flash from the iPhone 5S, but it still has a few new tricks. Autofocus is the star this year, with a feature called "focus pixels" that cuts down on the number of blurry photos you shoot.

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Video recording

Those focus pixels also make videos look sharper than before. iOS 8 also lets you record time-lapse video.

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Revved-up performance

Apple built a new processor for the iPhone 6, the A8, which promises fast speeds and smooth gameplay.

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Touch ID

Introduced with the iPhone 5S, Touch ID lets you unlock your phone with your fingerprints. The iPhone 6 gets it too, and with iOS 8, other apps can use Touch ID for purchases or log-ins.

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Familiar controls

Like the iPhones that came before it, the 6 has a volume rocker and ringer switch on the left edge. This time, the controls get a bit slimmer.

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Right edge

Apple moved the power/lock button to the right edge of the phone, away from the top. Keeping it company is the SIM card slot. There's no expandable memory slot on this, or any other iPhone.

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Down under

All of the ports are on the bottom of the phone. From left to right, it's the headphone jack, Lightning charging port, and speaker grill.

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Smooth top

Apple keeps the top of the iPhone smooth and simple. That's a change from previous models, where the power/lock button usually took up some of that space.

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Home button

The home button is still on the front bottom bezel. The ring around the button is for Touch ID, and you press the circle to wake the screen or control the phone.

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Around the back

The iPhone's color shows up on the aluminum back cover, which also features the classic Apple logo. Up top, you'll see the camera lens, which protrudes slightly from the body of the phone, and the flash.

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Color choices

Above, you can see how much darker the space gray color looks, compared to the white design on the silver model.

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Price and availability

You can order the iPhone 6 now, and it hit stores on September 19. Prices start at $199 for 16GB of storage, $299 for 64GB, and $399 for 128GB, with a new two-year contract on AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Off-contract and unlocked prices are $649, $749, and $849 for the 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB models, respectively.

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iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus

Though the iPhone 6 Plus isn't, on paper, much larger than the iPhone 6, the difference is apparent when you stack them.

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iPhone evolution

Apple has slowly grown the size of its smartphone from the iPhone 4S (left), to the iPhone 5S (middle), to the new iPhone 6.

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From phone to tablet

From small to large, Apple's mobile devices span a variety of sizes. In the last year, iPads have gotten smaller, and iPhones have gotten bigger to fit what customers want, and to compete with today's supersize Android phones.

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