When Apple unveiled and subsequently revealed the latest generation of iPhones, the common thought was that the iPhone 6 was a massive leap forward for the company but the larger iPhone 6 Plus was just a step too far. It was massive and cumbersome, many claimed. Even Pocket-lint scored it half-a-star lower than its stablemate in our reviews of both devices.

However, having now lived with an iPhone 6 Plus for well over a month, using it day-in and day-out as our primary smartphone, we've grown rather fond of the beast of a phone. So much so that we can't see ourselves ever going backwards and dropping down in screen size again.

So here's the reasons we genuinely feel that the phone was perhaps misunderstood when first released and that, for us at least, make us believe that it's actually a better option than the iPhone 6.

1. That massive screen is great for watching films on

One of the reasons we opted for an iPad mini 2 over an iPad Air last year was that the mini was a better option for watching films or TV shows when travelling - and we're talking about the physical aspect rather than anything else. If travelling in economy on a plane or sharing a table on a train, space is at a premium and an iPad mini ensured you didn't have to overlap with nearby passengers. The iPhone 6 Plus is better still. For a start, you'll already have it on you, and its 5.5-inch screen is just about big enough to watch a film without the experience being degraded.

READ: Apple iPhone 6 Plus review

2. The screen is higher resolution

It's a simple one this. The iPhone 6's 4.7-inch Retina HD display is 1334 x 750 while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 1920 x 1080 Retina HD display. For most everyday tasks that matters not a jot, but as Netflix's latest app update proves, being able to view content in Full HD 1080p is a better experience, full stop. The pixel density of 401ppi makes apps and games look crisper than the 326ppi of the iPhone 6 too.

READ: Apple iPhone 6 review

3. Battery life

We have noticed a dramatic increase in the daily battery life of the iPhone 6 Plus over an iPhone 5S, let alone the 6. It has a larger battery and even in Apple's estimated figures, it lasts for longer with talktime and data use - up to 12 hours on 3G, LTE or Wi-Fi, the company claims. In our real world experience, we have never run out of battery in a day, even with heavy use. That includes watching a TV show or two, playing several games that require an internet connection, listening to music and talking to several callers.

READ: Best iPhone 6 Plus apps: The best apps optimised for the 5.5-inch monster

4. Weight

It might seem odd but we prefer the weight of the iPhone 6 Plus to the iPhone 6. As phones get slimmer, the weight has reduced over time, but it is reassuring to know that it's still in your pocket without having to constantly pat it to make sure. That's not to say the 6 Plus is heavy - at 172g far from it - but it has just the right weight to let you know it's around.

5. Harder to steal (albeit easier to spot)

Admittedly, this didn't happen to us but a friend with an iPhone 6 Plus encased in the official Apple leather case managed to hang onto his device when a thief on a bike tried to snatch it out of his hand. If it were smaller the thief might have got a better purchase on it. The case also helped by being less slippy than the aluminium casing of the phone itself.

6. A better screen for the Sony QX1

In our tests of the Sony QX1 add-on camera (which will appear on Pocket-lint soon), we found the iPhone 6 Plus a better screen to attach to the wireless snapper. The QX1 needs to be connected to a smartphone so you can see the images being taken and the larger the screen, the more you can see how a picture will work. It's even better for video capture too. And even if you don't use a QX1, it's nice to have that larger screen for the normal iPhone camera too.

7. Better for small kids

Those of us with kids are often known to hand our mobile devices over to our small children from time to time, so they can play a Cbeebies app or the like. The larger the phone, the easier it is for them to use the touchscreen accurately so they can play a game.

8. More apps on screen

If, like us, you hoard apps then having more available per homescreen the better. There are now plenty of apps we consider being essential to our daily lives, including many of the Apple originals, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Instagram, Google Maps and many more. It's nice to be able to have them all immediately accessible when you turn on your phone, without having to swipe through additional screens.

9. Better for word processing

With Microsoft having recently released a dedicated version of Word for the iPhone, and plenty of word processing apps for iOS being available, it is handy to have a larger screen and keyboard if you want to use your device to create documents when on the move.

10. Bigger keyboard is better for texting

As well as word processing, a bigger keyboard makes sending a text a lot easier we find. Especially with our sausage fingers.

11. It's more of a statement

Finally and completely subjectively, we find that the iPhone 6 Plus makes more of a statement when you get it out in a meeting or amongst friends. We've certainly been asked more about it than any other phone we've ever owned. Of course, that statement might be "I'm a massive tool", but we can live with that.

Let us know your feelings on the iPhone 6 Plus too. If you own one or would never consider it because it's too massive, let us know your thoughts in the comments below...