This year, Apple launched the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. While there are several similarities, there are some obvious (and not so obvious) key differences. Despite a screen size that I’m not normally a fan of at all, I’ve been going back and forth trying to decide between the two. In the end, it didn’t really matter if I had decided on the iPhone 6 Plus or not, because finding one proved difficult. (Not that Cam had any issues, of course.)

So, I left a retail store today with the Space Grey 64GB iPhone 6 in hand. Well, in the box. I wanted to wait until I got home, sat down, had some breakfast, and collected my thoughts before I took it out and really got a good look at it. I wanted my first experience with the iPhone 6 to encompass not only looking at it in the wild, but also holding it, utilizing the bigger display, the thinner chassis, all that.

I wanted this to be a true first impression.

So I got home and took it out of the box. The first thing I noticed is the first thing everyone will notice, especially if they’re coming from an iPhone 5s as their daily driver: the iPhone 6 is big. No, it isn’t the biggest, and it’s not even as big as the iPhone 6 Plus, but it is indeed big. The thing is, the moment you pick it up, that size suddenly feels manageable in a whole new way. The iPhone 6’s size is perfectly balanced, as far as I’m concerned, with the overall design of the device. It works, and it works well.

It’s thin, and lightweight, but has just enough weight to ti that it certainly doesn’t feel like a toy. It’s sturdy. And while I thought I’d miss the chamfered edges of the iPhone 5s, the new design, where the display gently curves into the edges of the handset, make swiping gestures not so abrasive anymore. It takes a bit more to stretch across, but it’s certainly worth it.

It’s pretty obvious that this is a design change that’s not meant to just be all about the increase in display real estate. This is an entirely different iPhone, and I’m a big fan of the changes that Apple has made. The device feels great in the hand, and even with the larger display it’s comfortable to use.

But, there are things I don’t like, too.

I initially thought I wouldn’t care much about the protruding camera, because I don’t actually ever look at the camera itself. More than that, though, I’ve felt with other smartphones where the cameras protruded even further, and that never really bothered me. But on the iPhone 6 (and iPhone 6 Plus), it does indeed seem a bit off. I’m not a huge fan, but I guess I don’t hate it.

Then there are the antenna bands on the top and bottom. Look, I’m just going to admit right here and now that I absolutely hated looking at them in leaked images and videos of the pre-release builds. I was hoping beyond hope that Apple would not use that specific design in the final product. But, here we are and that’s exactly what they did. And I still hate them. It doesn’t necessarily look unfinished to me, but the aesthetics for this specific part of the design is easily my least favorite. Is it enough to start making me use a case? Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.

The iPhone 6 is another beautiful piece of hardware from Apple, even with the antenna bands and camera. Even after just a short period of time with it, and with so much more to do with it, it’s easily one of my favorite devices of the year. I can only imagine it’ll get better from here (both with just this device, personally, and with whatever Apple designs down the road).

Did you get your hands on an iPhone 6 today? If so, what do you think of it?