Overall product rating: 9/10

iPhone 6: Size and build

While press shots of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus side by side make the former look a little on the small side, on it’s own terms the iPhone 6 more than holds its own. Like an oversized, single-piece iPhone 3GS, some 138.1mm high and 67mm wide, it’s a sizeable upgrade on the last batch of iDevices. All curves and understated form, it manages to squeeze a 1.2-inch bigger screen into a body that’s somehow thinner than its predecessor (there’s 0.2mm in it).

The iPhone 6’s refined structure has been thought through in much the same way as the Mac Pro reinvention, with design choices that are about both form and function, the edges tapering round its newfound curves to not just look slick but offer a reception boost, too.

I’ve long maintained that the iPhone 4 to 5S “Block” era felt like a regression from the pocket-pleasing original design, and for me at least order is restored. This aluminium execution is as elegant as an iPad Air but on a sleeker, smaller scale. No faux leather, no plastic parts – it’s what a modern phone should look like. And despite all that metal, it weighs just 17g more than the last one. It’s super-light.

Speaking of the iPhone 5S, those white/gold, white/silver and black/“space grey” colourways get another runout – hey, at least they didn’t add a blue option – with the usual selection of proprietary protected cases bringing the colour if you so wish. For us, the silicon proved more popular than the leather in the phone’s tight-fitting form, easily slipping on and adding traction on your pocket lining.