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via The Verge

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus do indeed draw 2A if the charger is capable of providing it (they'll slow down to 1A and even lower as they get near 100% charged) so yes, they'll charge faster if you use the iPad charger (or other similar one capable of providing >1A).

The previous iPhones do not draw more than 1A so it's no faster to use an iPad charger.

Oh this is classic. Made my morning.

Have you thought about getting the Note4? That's coming out soon!

Ooh I love this one!! :D

Are pics going to be better than a 6? Isn't the stabilization feature (the only difference between the two cameras that I know of) going to be something that effects video v. stills?

T-Mobile / USPS packaging follies
 

My new iPhone 6 Plus arrived via UPS yesterday. I followed T-Mobile's instructions to return my 5S (I bought the Jump package allowing me to trade it in), putting it in the bubble bag supplied and attaching the prepaid Merchandise Return Label (actually a USPS label). I took it to the post office, intending to buy some insurance - "You may purchase optional insurance from the Postal Service at your expense."

Surprise! Two postal clerks told me that one can't buy anything with this type of label. You can't insure it, you can't certify it, you can't do nuttin'.

I'd now be doubly furious I mailed it and it disappeared, so I bought an envelope, wrote the address on it along with "Apple Return" in two places, and packed the original bubble-bag inside. I got back in line, bought the insurance and postage and mailed it off.

Because I have the time, I called T-Mobile afterwards to let them know and they credited my account for the extra five bucks I spent on postage and envelope.

So far I like the phone. :)

I played around with the Plus a bit at Best Buy this afternoon.

Looking at some web sites side by side with my 5S in landscape mode.

Easier to read but given the resolution differences, it doesn't display more text so it wouldn't save much scrolling.

I then looked at the same sites on my iPad Mini Retina.

I'd say the amount of content displayed is closer to the 5S than the iPad Retina Mini, in landscape mode.

ios8 has resolution and text size settings and a setting for the default mode of the display. Did you try any of those?

-David

In the settings app?

No must admit I didn't.

Maybe the advantage of the bigger screen for browsing is more apparent in portrait mode and the fact that you're less likely to have to zoom in on the Plus.

I flew from LAX to Italy this week. No problems at all. I think the phone is fantastic.

How about exercising with it?

I guess you could, but it is very light. I doubt you'd see much gain. I recommend sticking with dumbells.

Heh.:D

Considering the bending issue, not sure you want to put it on an arm strap, if your upper arm is long enough to accommodate it.

I've started using SPI belts (actually a knockoff that is suppose to be water/sweat resistant).

May also try something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATIE5ZE/...=IF64H3K0NH65R

That pouch is 6 x 4 inches, which may be too big to have on your waist if you're doing some exercises which require bending your torso. That isn't big enough for the 6 Plus, supposedly they're going to come out with something slightly bigger.

I can get $310 gift card for my 5s but now I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to keep it as a backup and for using at the gym, even if I do get a 6 Plus.

I'll be flying through dubai airport next Friday night and wondering if any stores in the airport will stock the iPhone 6plus. Anyone know the airport well enough to know which store might stock it?

It's in settings/display and brightness.

There's (I think they are new) controls for text size, which is a slider on it's own page and also a toggle for bold text. I have the bold text option enabled on my 6, it's much easier for my old eyes to read. I played with larger text size also, but didn't like that as much as just the bold text.

There's also a setting for "Display Zoom" on it's own page, you can choose "standard" or "zoomed", and it shows three different screens as examples of how they look in either mode, so you can compare. I tried that too, but for me, the best option was just bold text and standard mode on the 6.

Anyway if you get a chance, play with all those setting on the 6+ and then see what you think of it.

-David

In the mide of Terminal One of DXB is the largest duty free you've probably seen. There is a substantial electronics department there. The iPhone is out in Dubai, but I'm not sure if a version not tied to service is out yet. Be sure to know the models that cover the LTE frequencies you want.

Would the Verizon iPhone 6/6 Plus be compatible with Smartone in Hong Kong? Also, does Smartone use TD-LTE bands? If so, since Verizon's version doesn't include TD-LTE bands on the phones, how much of a difference would I notice?

Thanks!

While I haven't personally confirmed this to be gospel, I am told that there is only one SKU for the 6 and one for the 6+ so they should be carrier agnostic.

Got my T-Mo 6 that I ordered through Apple.

Popped in my AT&T SIM - all set and working fine.

I will say, this thing is a little big, and I really don't like the button on the side. I'm not sure I'll be as good with one-handed operation here. So far, I keep using two hands. I'm a little surprised that this is the small version. The Plus would be impossible for me.

I got the 6 on launch day and within a week I dropped it and it shattered the screen. $130 to fix, but since Apple had not supplied the store with new screens as of yet, they replaced my phone. Now I need to find a stronger case. My spigen didn't hold up...at all.

I have a Note 3 and an S5. Both do everything the iPhone 6 does. And more. And they don't melt a hole through the desk when you update the operating system.

https://www.apple.com/iphone/LTE/

Looks like there's two(ish) models (down from three on the 5/5s/5c). There's much more overlap in frequencies now, and AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all use the same model now. The ATT/VZW/TMO version is missing just a few bands that the non-North-American (and Sprint) phones have:

All other bands are covered by the ATT/VZW/TMO. I haven't seen those particular frequency bands mentioned in my searches of all of the countries I've visited in the last few years, so I think it's pretty much now a world phone. (ETA: Upon further Googling, those bands are used by some carriers in China, Taiwan, and Japan.) (ETA again: I missed this helpful post earlier, which touches on these four bands--that poster claims they're used in a few other countries, too.)

The GSM and CDMA models appear to have different SKUs, which may represent a difference in the 2G/3G radios on the devices (the CDMA ones likely have both CDMA and GSM radios), but at least the LTE bands are now unified between them.

While I haven't done any scientific testing, anecdotally, my iPhone 5 seems to charge quite a bit faster when I use a 1.5A+ charger. I've bought several off of Amazon (for much cheaper than the Apple ones) and have been quite satisfied with their performance.

Where would one unload an iPhone 6 that was nearly free because of all the iPhone 6 launch trade-in promos? Carrier is Sprint, and I'm content with my old iPhone 5 for the time being.

Sprint stuff is so hard to sell.

If you're spending any length of time in New Zealand, you want a nice camera.

Probably nicer than any phone camera.

NZ along with Iceland are suppose to be among the most beautiful places in the world.

Good point. That said, I've happily relied on just my iPhone camera for extended travel in probably 20 countries over the last three years, and it's done quite fine for me. I'm not planning on selling any of my pictures to any calendar publishers...

Right, but as I said, are you referring to the BYOD discount ($15/mo on smaller plans, $25/mo on larger plans)? If so, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I would need to give up my unlimited data plan and change to a Mobile Share plan in order to receive a BYOD discount.

If I can keep my current plan and somehow still receive the BYOD discount, then what you say makes sense in my case.

I actually have my AT&T SIM, as I had put a local (Eircom/Meteor) SIM in the phone the day before it was stolen. Regardless, that's a non-issue, as AT&T corporate stores will happily give out a replacement SIM at no charge.

I tried that; the direct numbers to each Apple Store actually transfer to a central call center. The information they have about availability mirrors what is shown on store.apple.com. There's no way (that I can tell) to get in touch with someone at the store itself short of driving over there and talking to someone--which still isn't out of the question. I might try to pop in tomorrow morning and see or at least ask about upcoming shipments, what time they usually arrive, what time they typically start selling the devices, etc.

Right - BYOD (I called it "paying for your device in full" since you could have gotten the device from the carrier).

I'm sure you know better than I would, but most people who are holding on to the unlimited data plan don't actually use more data than the standard plans allow these days. Plus, last I looked into it, the unlimited data grandfathered plans didn't allow tethering, which, for many of us, is an essential feature these days.

I don't doubt you're right, but I use 5GB+ each month. (Yes, it is throttled after the 5GB mark.) And you're right about tethering, although work pays for a Mifi, so I'm covered there.

I do appreciate you trying to bring some alternative ideas to light, though (and I'm mildly tempted by the idea of buying the VZW/TMO model, as it would be SIM-unlocked out of the gate, making it easier to travel with), but paying almost $1K for an unlocked device is a bit beyond what I'm willing to part with.

I really wanted the T-Mobile plan, which has unlimited data in theory, but slow after a tier that you pay for. In this case, for you, 5 GB is $70/month. But then you get some free international roaming, which is slow, but could be nice. And tethering works AFAIK, on the US service.

Another important note here: you said you switched your SIM on your old phone. That won't work on a new subsidized one from AT&T for two years, and after two years, you'll still need their mysterious blessing.

Seems like the Straight Talk deal is better. Unlimited voice, text and 3 GB of LTE data (and throttled after) for $45 on AT&T or T-Mobile. $495 for the year.

I'm paying $59 for 2 GB of data Mobile Share on a BYOD plan with Premier discount. If I go over 2 GB, overage charges hit me.

If you can do without voice minutes (or use VOIP), T-Mobile/Wal-Mart has a plan with 100 minutes, unlimited texts, and 5GB of data for $30/mo.

T-Mo won't work for me, domestically, at least. I travel very extensively by road across the US each year. T-Mo's coverage is not sufficient for me. Heck, their coverage map shows 2G both at home and in every place my family lives and that I visit each year, not to mention the roads in between those places.

Internationally, it would be nice to have data upon arrival in each country, but the throttled speeds would not be acceptable to me for anything more than a brief transit through the country. I would likely still end up purchasing a local SIM for faster speeds and the ability to tether, so the appeal of the free international roaming is limited.

I'm aware of that. A relative is upgrading to the 6, too, and I will be obtaining that person's old iPhone 5 for use as my international travel phone (since my unlocked iPhone 5 was stolen).

I do appreciate you trying to offer alternative solutions, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about the options available to me, and I have very specific reasons I want to purchase the specific model and carrier I mentioned at the subsidized, contract price. My question for the thread here was about availability of that specific model and how best to improve my chances of securing that specific model.

I feel 100% the same way.

On another note, and somewhat related to this thread: is it to be expected this time next year we'll be seeing the iPhone 6S, and this time in 2 years we'll be seeing the 7?

If history is any guide.

It depends if you are on an individual plan or family plan, and if you are on an individual unlimited grandfathered plan, you are probably better off staying there. I had a family plan with unlimited data on all the devices, and I decided to switch over to Next and saved a ton of money. I had been watching my data usage and found out that my 5 lines only used about 7GB total a month. I was paying over $300 a month. I switched to the 10GB shared plan and it went down to under $200 a month. Now they have the special running that if you do the 15GB plan, you get 30GB. So I upped to it and only pay $30 more. It is not unlimited... but 5 lines sharing 30GB is more than I would ever use and I could tether on every single phone which is cool.

And as a bonus... I upgraded all the phones (with 2yr contract discount price) just before I switched over to the mobile share value plan. So I am still on contract... but I am not paying for any of the phone anymore. I think this is some kind of loophole.. but I am not complaining. I saved $1800 already for the next 2 years!

Hmm. You bring up a good point, actually. I'm indeed on a family plan, and 30GB is more than we would consume. I hate to give up the "unlimited" plan, just out of principle, but I'll have to look and see if it does save me a chunk of change. And if I can take advantage of that loophole, too... :D

Oh trust me, it was really hard for me to give up the unlimited plan too. But the saving was just too attractive especially when I include the $20 or $25 family unlimited TXT per month that I don't have to pay anymore. The other thing is that most of the other lines (except for mine) don't do upgrade every 2 years.. so after 2 years of a new phone.. I was just paying AT&T extra for no reason at all. I didn't like that.. just out of principle LOL. :p

great tips here, thanks! is it really a loophole, or is it desgined that way to keep the customers ?

I have no idea, but I told my coworker who is on the Verizon mobile plan to see if he could do the same trick switching to the cheaper per device version for edge plan pricing. He couldn't do it.. Verizon would not lower the per device charge if your line is still under contract.