Apple has finally announced the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. These two hotly anticipated smartphones have been unveiled in a special event in San Francisco, California, attended by 7,000 people. This is the biggest iPhone launch in the history of the corporation, and consequently Apple is making a pretty big deal out of its two new smartphone contenders. So what is the lowdown on the next generation smartphone and phablet?
Design
The first thing to know is that Apple has not significantly redesigned the iPhone range. The physical construction of the devices remains the similar to the last generation iPhone 6, with most of the alterations in the smartphone series being achieved internally. However, it is notable that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will both be available in the rose gold colour that was popularized by the Apple Watch.
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In addition, a brand new Apple custom aluminum alloy has been used in the construction of the devices, with Apple promoting the fact that this is utilized regularly the aerospace industry. Apple also suggested that a new type of stronger glass will be used in the display of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
3D Touch
Force Touch was a strongly anticipated aspect of the iPhone 6s, but Apple has instead chosen to rebrand the feature for the next generation iPhone 6s devices. Instead of being named Force Touch, Apple has instead decided to call the feature 3D Touch, with the name indicating the extra dimension to the screen from previous versions.
For those who are unaccustomed to this technology, Force Touch enables users to access various applications and features by pressing down on the units with differing degrees of severity.
As is standard with Force Touch, the iPhone 6s will offer haptic feedback as part of the 3D Touch experience. However, the taptic engine has been updated so that it can provide different feedback for different gesture and touch commands.
There are many uses of 3D Touch on the iPhone, these include accessing camera options, gaining instant access to previews within the Maps application, and a wide variety of uses related to social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
New A9 Processor
The new A9 processor will be found in both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and this is the third-generation of the 64-bit chip that Apple has used in previous handsets. However, this is a significantly powerful unit, capable of 70 percent faster performance than the A8 chip that was used in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Its graphics capabilities are even more impressive, with a 90 percent improvement over the iPhone 6.
Collaborating with the new A9, the new iPhones will feature a brand new M9 coprocessor that is always on, to help detect motion for apps like Health. TouchID is said to particularly benefit from this new processor setup, being twice as fast as it was in the previous iPhone 6.
Camera
As had been widely anticipated, Apple confirmed that it would improve the megapixel rating in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to 12-megapixels. This represents a 50 percent improvement over earlier generations of the iSight camera.
Apple has also neatly sidestepped the possibility of lower image quality by including a new feature described as ‘deep trench isolation’. This separates photographic diodes, which in turn ensures that low quality is more accurate, while crosstalk and noise is reduced. 4K video shooting capability is also included, with each frame featuring 8 million pixels.
The new iSight camera still protrudes slightly from the body of the phone, as in the last generation iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
In addition to the rear-facing improvements, Apple has also bumped the front-facing camera up to 5-megapixels. Another interesting innovation is the inclusion of a new front-facing flash feature, enabling enhanced selfies to be produced. This utilizes the LED screen to deliver the TrueTone flash that is typically located on the rear of cameras.
Apple has also addressed a traditional bugbear of mobile phone cameras, by attempting to improve the low-light shooting of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The display will effectively grow 300 percent brighter when shooting takes place, ensuring that there is sufficient light for any photographs taken.
Apple has also introduced a new feature called Live Photos. This involves the iPhone 6s unit taking a few extra frames of photos before and after the process is activated, ensuring that each of your photos can feature snippets of live action.
Other features
Both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus support 23 LTE bands up to 300mbps, alongside WiFi up to 866mbps. And Apple has also announced a nifty new application that enables users to migrate data from the Android operating system to iOS should you be considering an alteration in your smartphone ownership. Apple was also strongly pushing new iCloud storage pricing plans during its presentation, with the 1 TB quotient now available at $9.99 per month.
Price and release date
Apple has frozen the price of both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Both will be delivered at exactly the same prices and configurations as the previous iPhone generation, beginning with a $199 and $299 price for the 16 GB model.
It was noticeable throughout the presentation that Apple has attempted to deliver similar specifications and features with both of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus this time round. In the last generation, the iPhone 6 Plus was the more capable performer, so it will be interesting to see a full spec list once the consumer electronics giant makes one available.
As was generally expected, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will be released on September 25, with pre-orders beginning one week earlier.