How the size compares to my head.

I began to wish for a giant phone when people first started whipping those huge Samsung Galaxy phones out. “That’s a huge phone,” I would say. “I want one.” I honestly can’t say why I wanted a huge phone. Maybe I want a big phone in the same way that men want a big gun. What would Freud say? I don’t know.

I had confidence that Apple would come out with a “phablet” soon enough. Their “our phone is the exact size of your thumb’s range” argument seemed weak to me, plus they had just gone back on their own insistence that the original iPad was the perfect size by coming out with the iPad Mini. The iPad Mini is superior to the original iPad, and I assumed the giant iPhone would be superior as well. I eagerly awaited the announcement, and now have had one for about a month. Here are my impressions so far.

1. You will get ripped on a lot for having a “big ass phone.”

Be prepared to have interesting talking points! Everyone will expect you to answer to why you purchased this mammoth beast. I usually say something like, “I bet most people who are buying the big phone are women, because they can put it in their purse instead of their pocket.” This seems to satisfy most inquisitors. Side note: Do men secretly wish they could have purses? I hope so. It’s hands-down the best way to travel with at least four lip balm options at any time.

2. The phone will not confound your tiny hands.

People seem to think the iPhone 6+ will defy the natural deftness of opposable thumbs. I haven’t had this problem. I think I used two hands already on my iPhone 5 mostly because my hands were too small to operate it one-handed anyway, so continuing to use two hands has been seamless. I never even resort to using Apple’s reachability feature.

That’s not my hand, but you get the idea of how it looks in a hand.

3. It will not replace your iPad, iPad Mini or laptop.

Some reviewers have expressed that this isn’t a phone, it’s a hand-sized super computer. And while that might be true, I’m still not going to blog on it, open work documents on it, watch T.V. shows on it or read books on it. The laptop and iPad Mini are still better for that, and mine have not been cast under the coffee table in lieu of the iPhone 6+ yet.

I still like my iPad Mini, even though it doesn’t have retina display.

4. Instagram, photos and anything visual becomes a delight on the iPhone 6+.

Be prepared to see new dimensions in your friends’ Instagrams. While everyone else might be focusing on the cute baby grin in the center of their photo, the iPhone 6+’s huge screen will let you see the giant mess in the background. Your photos will also be held more accountable for their formerly negligible features now that you can see them. That said, all your apps and photos will be much more beautiful to look at, and your eyes will enjoy not having to squint so much.

One of the better photos I took with the iPhone 6+.

5. You will not suddenly become a great photographer.

The camera is killer on the iPhone 6+, but not so life-changing that it can take beautiful pictures of your Tasmanian Devil-like dog headbanging in low light.

Old phone vs. new phone. Old phone is sooooo cute.

6. Everyone else’s phones start to look tiny.

They look like iPhone Nanos or something.

7. You might want a kickstand. 

I use my Apple iPad cover so often to hold that puppy up while I watch countless hours of Hulu that I started to want one for my giant phone. I got this SurfacePad case because it was fairly close in design. It has done a nice job of propping my phone up while I play movie trailers for people. It also holds my ID and check card, which, paradoxically, means my giant phone can replace my giant purse, which was my justification for getting a giant phone in the first place. The combination is somewhat wallet-sized.

I wish the case was magnetized like the Apple case though, so that when I opened it my phone automatically turned on. If Apple made a cover for the iPhone 6+ similar to their iPad cover, I would prefer that. Nonetheless I am enjoying my SurfacePad case. It makes my phone seem like a secret book I’m reading.

8. You might need a little time to get used to the Touch ID feature and the side lock button.

I didn’t have a password on my old phone because the time it took to enter one outweighed the fun of thinking I might have secret secrets that need a pass code to protect. On this phone, I have to have one (otherwise Apple ensures me thieves will steal my credit card info), but luckily I can use Touch ID to skirt it. I had to program in four whole different fingers, and it still takes awhile to get my phone open compared to not having any of these bells and whistles. It also destroys my hope that when I burned my palms on a fireplace window as a baby I deleted my fingerprints, Men in Black-style.

The side lock button becomes intuitive soon enough, but be prepared to turn your volume up over and over in an attempt to use it.

9. Apple Pay will take some time to “pay” off.

I was jazzed about using Apple Pay once I got this giant phone, but have not found myself using it much. It doesn’t work with my main bank, which is Simple, and they only have it at Walgreens and Kowalski’s (at least out of the stores I go to regularly). It does feel cool using my thumb to pay for toilet paper though, and I’m optimistic about this feature when it becomes more widespread.

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Strangely enough, the accessory most at risk because of my giant phone isn’t my computer or my iPad, but surprisingly, my purse. If this phone could somehow have a lip balm feature, and my doors could be unlocked by my thumbprint, I might not need a purse at all.

If you’re thinking about getting this phone, I say, do it! I love mine, and wouldn’t go back to a tinyphone.

–Becky Lang

Photos by Grant Wilson and Neil Olstad.