The iPhone 6 Review
by Joshua Ho, Brandon Chester, Chris Heinonen & Ryan Smith on September 30, 2014 8:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- Mobile
- iPhone 6
Video Quality
At a high level, video recording seems to be mostly similar. Both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 continue to rely on EIS for video stabilization, both seem to use somewhat similar optics and sensors, and both can only shoot 1080p video. However, the details are really where we see improvements in the iPhone 6. For starters, the iPhone 6 now has 1080p60 video support, which is definitely helpful for improving spatial resolution and general performance. There's also 720p240 slow motion video, which is an addition to the 720p120 video that we saw in the iPhone 5s.
| Video Encode Settings (Approx.) | ||||||
| iPhone 5s | iPhone 6 | |||||
| 1080p30 | 17 Mbps High Profile H.264 | 17 Mbps High Profile H.264 | ||||
| 1080p60 | - | 27 Mbps High Profile H.264 | ||||
| 720p120 | 27 Mbps High Profile H.264 | 31 Mbps High Profile H.264 | ||||
| 720p240 | - | 42 Mbps High Profile H.264 | ||||
As you can see, there's really not a massive difference in encoding bitrate, at least for the standard video record settings. However, even casual examination shows just how big a difference there is when comparing video from the iPhone 5s to video from the iPhone 6.
While the YouTube compression is likely to make it hard to see whether the iPhone 6 really has better video quality, when viewed at full resolution with Quicktime it seems that there is some level of improvement, but this could be due to the smaller field of view that is used when compared to the iPhone 5s. This tighter FOV also seems to be part of the reason why the stabilization is more effective than before. At various points in the video, it's quite obvious that the iPhone 6 is also benefiting greatly from PDAF as we see seamless transitions throughout the video and consistently better focus while the iPhone 5s is locked from the start and would require multiple taps to refocus the video.
1080p60 brings significant improvements to temporal quality, as capturing fast motion is noticeably more fluid when compared to 1080p30. Video stabilization is also retained, which makes 1080p60 an easy choice when capturing fast-moving objects.
As with the iPhone 5s, the original video on NAND is saved to play back at either 120 or 240 fps, but on the phone and when uploaded to social media the slow motion versions play back certain parts at 30 fps. As far as I can tell, there's relatively little difference in the image quality between the two modes, but this advantage is unlikely to hold when in lower light situations as the frame rate inherently caps the exposure time.
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cheinonen - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
If means if you run them at maximum volume and you have a passage of music that is at 0dBFS (absolute maximum) then they can clip. However, if you look at something like the Galaxy 5S, the iPhone 6 can be a few levels below maximum volume and still have more power output into a 15 Ohm load. Only the HTC M8 so far does more power into a 15 Ohm load.0dBFS and maximum volume likely don't occur all that often (and for the sake of your hearing, they really shouldn't), but if they do the iPhone 6 will clip. However, the only phone so far that won't clip and produce that kind of power output is the HTC M8, so it's not really a huge negative, it just shows that HTC really built a great headphone amp.
Hxx - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
thanks Chris that makes more sense. I only run the usual itunes type music on my IP5 and I doubt ill be running into this clipping issue. Just noticed my IEMs were rated at 16 ohms and wasn't sure what to think especially since I already preordered the 6. Thanks again man. Great article.Calista - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
Would say it's the first iPhones I have felt tempted to buy. Great camera, battery-life in place, speedy SOC and iOS can for the first time in five years compete with Android. It's truly a complete package. Of course, we should expect one of the most expensive phones to also be one of the best.SunLord - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
God that is an ugly ass phone... Those thick white lines on the back make it look god awful should've kept it to how the 5s did it with a white top and bottom. Did they fire everyone who designed the 5s and replace them with retarded color blind spider monkeys? At least the 5s in gold looked goodkyuu - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
"I've always felt like the HTC 8X had one of the most compelling shapes for a phone, and the incredibly thin feel of the iPhone 6 definitely reminds me of that."Uh, what? The iPhone 6 is not shaped like the 8X. It's just a really thin, flat slab. The 8X has a countered back.
Not sure what's to like about the iPhone 6's design, btw. It's just a really unnecessarily thin piece of slick metal. I don't get it.
JoshHo - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
To clarify that comment, it's really the thin feel of the edge. The 8X really felt razor-thin at the edge, and the iPhone 6 has a similar feel at the edge.kyuu - Wednesday, October 1, 2014 - link
I see, that makes a little more sense. Thanks for the clarification. Probably should clarify the wording in the article to make it clearer that you're referring to the edge rather than the overall shape of the phone.solarisking - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
You guys completely glossed over the Qualcomm modem. Didn't even put the part number in there (9625). I'm wondering what bands to these iPhone support? Do they all have the exact same chip? Exact same hardware for each service and the only difference between them is which SIM card they are provisioned with? Also, why not go with the even newer and smaller 9635? The 9625 was announced in friggin 2011 and sampled in 2012 with quantity available in 2013. Yeah, the 9635 has more features than they need but it's still newer and smaller, i.e. uses less battery.NEED MORE INFO!!!
solarisking - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
In this thread: tons of angry Samsung owners wishing Apple would bend to their will.araksonofthunder - Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - link
Amazing. A phone review with everything except how it performs as a phone. You know, that thing you do when you speak into the device and your voice comes out of another device thousands of miles away.