Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago. Back in 2014, if you wanted a big phone, you basically had to buy an Android. Apple was stubborn. They insisted that the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5s was the "perfect" size for one-handed use. Then everything changed.
The iPhone 6 Plus release date was Friday, September 19, 2014.
That morning, the lines outside Apple Stores weren't just long—they were historical. People weren't just camping out for a faster chip; they were waiting for the "Phablet" era to finally hit the iOS ecosystem. If you were there, you remember the energy. It was the first time Apple gave us a choice between "big" and "huge."
The September 2014 timeline
Apple didn't just drop the phone out of nowhere. The buildup was intense. Tim Cook took the stage at the Flint Center in Cupertino—the same place Steve Jobs unveiled the original Mac—on September 9, 2014.
Here is how the actual rollout looked:
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- Announcement: September 9, 2014
- Pre-orders opened: September 12, 2014 (and they were a mess, with the site crashing for hours)
- Official Launch: September 19, 2014
- Global expansion: It hit 20 more countries on September 26, including Italy, Spain, and New Zealand.
By the end of that first weekend, Apple had sold over 10 million units of the 6 and 6 Plus combined. That was a record at the time. It’s wild to think about now, but the 6 Plus was actually the harder one to find. While the smaller iPhone 6 sold in higher volumes eventually, the Plus model was constantly sold out. If you didn't snag a pre-order in those first few minutes on the 12th, you were looking at a 3-to-4-week shipping delay almost immediately.
Why the iPhone 6 Plus release date changed everything
Before this, "big phones" were a niche. Samsung was winning the market with the Note series, and Apple was losing ground. The 6 Plus wasn't just a bigger screen; it was a statement.
It had a 5.5-inch Retina HD display. To us today, 5.5 inches sounds tiny—the current Pro Max models are nearly 7 inches—but in 2014? It was a surfboard. It was the first iPhone with a 1080p resolution. It also had things the smaller 6 didn't, like Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) for the camera and a massive battery that could actually last two days.
The "Bendgate" shadow
We can't talk about the launch without mentioning the drama. Shortly after the iPhone 6 Plus release date, videos started surfacing of the phone bending in people's pockets.
Lewis Hilsenteger from Unbox Therapy famously bent one with his bare hands. It became a PR nightmare. Apple eventually reinforced the frame with the 6s Plus the following year, but for those of us who bought the original on day one, there was a genuine fear of sitting down too fast while the phone was in a front pocket.
The specs that mattered (and still do)
The internals were a major jump. The A8 chip was the second-generation 64-bit architecture. It was 25% faster than the 5s, which sounds modest, but it handled the increased pixel count of that 5.5-inch screen surprisingly well.
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Wait, let's look at the launch pricing. It’s almost painful to read:
- 16GB: $299 (with a 2-year contract)
- 64GB: $399
- 128GB: $499
If you wanted it contract-free, the 16GB model started at $749. Imagine only having 16GB of storage today. You’d run out of space just downloading the iOS 18 setup file.
Was it actually a good launch?
It was the best of times; it was the "bendiest" of times.
Despite the structural concerns, the iPhone 6 Plus remains one of the most important devices in Apple's history. It proved that Apple users wanted screen real estate. It forced developers to rethink app design, leading to the "Reachability" feature where you double-tap the home button to slide the screen down. Sorta clever, sorta clunky.
The phone eventually lost software support with iOS 13 in 2019. It had a good five-year run. Today, it’s mostly a collector's item or a "first phone" for a kid, but it set the blueprint for every Max model we use now.
If you're looking to buy one now for nostalgia or as a backup, just keep in mind that the 1GB of RAM is the real bottleneck. It’ll struggle with most modern websites. But for a piece of tech history? The day that 5.5-inch screen hit the shelves was the day the small phone died.
Next steps for you:
If you still have an old 6 Plus lying in a drawer, don't just throw it out. Check if it's eligible for a trade-in credit or, better yet, turn it into a dedicated music player or a digital photo frame. Just make sure you aren't storing anything critical on it, as security updates for that model ended years ago.