10 things you need to know about the Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
They're here! They're finally here! All aboard the Hype Train
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve been subjected to a trillion iPhone rumours over the past year.
It’s going to be made from unbreakable sapphire and liquid metal, they said. It’s going to have a 1000MP camera and make you look like David Gandy, they cried.
Well, none of those things are true, but you should still be excited, because the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are official, and they’ll be in pockets and handbags before you know it.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade, want to switch to the Apple camp, or are just plain curious, we’ve got everything you need to know right here:
1. They’re called the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
Okay, so this isn’t exactly ground breaking information, but there was a chance we’d skip straight to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and, well, we haven’t. So there.
2. They look just like the last iPhones
Seriously. Look at the pictures, and we urge you to see the difference. These are ‘s’ revisions though, so don’t act too outraged. After all, according to Apple, the only thing that’s changed is… everything.
Oh and also, there’s a new rose gold option. Ooooooooh. Aaaaaaaaah.
3. They’ve got fancy pressure sensitive screens…
… and their swanky ne tech is called 3D Touch.
The rumours were true. Apple’s blessed the new iPhones with new-fangled screens which can actually measure how hard you’re pressing them. Unlike Huawei’s Force Touch display however, you can do more than weigh Apples (heh) or zoom into photos.
In true Apple style, the uses for a fancy new slice of tech actually appear to be quite, well, useful. A slight press lets you peek at emails or photos, bringing up a glancing thumbnail which instantly disappears as soon as you break contact with the screen. Press a little harder however, and the thumbnail opens up into the fullscreen app.
It works with numbers, addresses and flight details in texts and emails, and you can even use the secondary presses to bring up contextual app icon options, right there on the home screen. Press harder on the camera icon for example, and you can select the selfie option, launching you straight into front-facing narcissist mode in an instant.
Sexy stats
Okay, so these stats aren’t really that sexy, but they are important. The iPhone 6s retains the same 4.7in 750 x 1334 screen as its predecessor, with a ppi count of 326.
The iPhone 6 Plus has, you guessed it, kept the same 5.5in 1080 x 1920 (401ppi) display, and the screen sizes are essentially what differentiates both devices – minus battery size, which Apple has yet to share.
We’re also not sure if the iPhone 6s has been graced with Optical Image Stabilisation this time around, but there are plenty more camera tricks to get excited about. Just carry on reading. You’ll get there. You’ll get there…
4. THEY’VE FINALLY SMASHED THE 8MP BARRIER
The iPhone 6’s 8MP camera was by no means a slouch (quite the opposite in fact), but still, that hasn’t stopped rabid Android fans from calling Apple out on its lowly megapixel count which, in fairness, did cause shots to suffer when cropping in.
Those days are over however, as both new iPhones now have a 12MP camera, along with a host of other imaging tweaks which could see Apple reclaim the top smartphone camera crown from LG and Samsung.
The sensor now has 50% more pixels and focus pixels (the latter promising faster and more accurate autofocus), while – you’ll love this next phrase – "deep trench isolation" results in less colour bleed in between pixels, which, in English, means more accurate colours.
Naturally the example shots Apple showed off were stunning, but we’ll wait for our own full review before we crown Apple the new imaging champion, thank you very much.
There’s also a new ‘Live Photo’ mode which records 1.5 seconds either side of the shutter button being pressed. If you hard press on these photos in the gallery, they’ll briefly playback like some sort of Harry Potter newspaper clipping.
It’s been done before (remember HTC Zoe?) but it’s the little things, like the ability to set a Live Photo as a moving Watch background, which makes this a nice, if not essential feature.
63MP panoramas and 4K video recording are also on the cards. Flip the new iPhone’s round, and you’ll find a 5MP selfie cam, and the screen itself acts as a dual white/amber flash, promising more detailed, more accurately coloured selfies. If there was ever a time to practice your People’s Eyebrow, this is it.
5. They’re (shock, horror) more powerful
A sleek and powerful A9 processor means lots of higher numbers and impressive charts, opening up a world of even prettier games and apps.
More specifically, it’s up to 70% faster, while the GPU is up to 90% faster (though faster than what, we’re not entirely sure – the original iPhone?), and we expect everything to run buttery-smooth.
The M9 motion coprocessor is also now built directly into the chip itself, which enables continuous health-tracking and…
6. They have always-on Siri
Siri now matches Google Now’s always-on functionality, which means you don’t have to manually hold down the home button to activate iOS’ voice assistant.
Saying "Hey Siri" should kick it into action, so if your time is precious, jump for joy. Thanks, new built-in M9 motion coprocessor.
7. They’re running iOS 9
No surprises here, but yes, we can confirm that the iPhone 6s will be arriving with the latest and greatest version of Apple’s mobile OS.
New features to look forward to include always-on Siri, complete with new proactive tricks, Apple Map’s Transit directions and Apple News.
8. They’re twice as fast at dusting for prints
Another quick announcement slipped in among the OMG Screen and #bestcameraintheworld announcement was the reveal that both new iPhones will have a second generation Touch ID home button that’s twice as fast at scanning your digits.
Just think what you can do with all those precious saved seconds.
9. There’s still no bloody 32GB option
Seriously Apple? You’re keeping around the 16GB model, despite the fact that we now have 4K video as an option?
We’re not going into detail about why this is a pretty stupid move, but let the record show that we’re not happy.
10. They’ll be in your hands on 25 September
And you can pre-order them from 12 September. UK prices are nowhere to be seen (surprise surprise), but Apple’s carrier prices have both new iPhones tagged with the same launch price as the last generation’s prices, so we don’t expect a price hike, at least.
Apple also announced an iPhone upgrade programme which lets customers upgrade to a new iPhone every year, from US$32 a month. Though obviously only in the US, for the time being at least. Booooo. Boo, we say.
Stay tuned for our full in-depth reviews of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
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