Software
THE PICK OF EACH OPERATING SYSTEM’S NEW FEATURES AND OUR VERDICT ON WHICH IS BEST
iPhone 6: iOS 8
1. SWIPE GESTURES
The larger size means having the back button in the top left is no longer so convenient.
Solution: the ability to swipe back through screens by dragging your thumb from the left-hand side. In Safari, you can also go in the opposite direction through previously navigated web pages. While not all apps have yet incorporated the trick, it surely won’t be long before most do.
2. METAL
We’ve briefly alluded to this before; what it does is remove all the junk between the hardware and apps.
This should mean that response time can be faster, graphics more impressive, but with the overall power drain reduced – efficiency has been a buzzword throughout the creation of iOS 8. This could also mean older devices eke a little more juice out of their arthritic and creaking batteries.
3. WIDGETS
With iOS 8, Apple’s finally integrated the ability to do more than just control the Music app from the home screen, but without dropping its iconic grid of apps.
Actually, not quite the home screen – you must pull the notifications zone down, from whence apps can be controlled without jumping in, to quickly bid on a Fender Telecaster while playing Guitar Hero, for instance.
4. KEYBOARD UPGRADES
The keyboard on the iPhone 5S was cramped to say the least, but the new default option is much better, with clever word predictions and more accurate tapping.
The real change, however, is the option of red-hot, new QWERTY action from the App Store, with the excellent Swiftkey and Fleksy no longer bound to the Android platforms. Damn You AutoCorrect will be even less funny as a result.