Joanne Rhee
Staff Writer
Apple has recently unveiled its newest addition to the iPhone family: the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Since the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on September 9, users have speculated what new features they would find in the next generation of the iPhone.
For the most part, many people have noted that the iPhone 6s has a limited number of changes. In terms of design, the newest model looks exactly the same as its predecessor. The iPhone 6s is slightly thicker than the iPhone 6 due to reinforced material to prevent the phone from bending easily—a problem many users found with the iPhone 6. This also means it weighs more.
Additionally, the iPhone 6s also features a stronger glass screen, which will hopefully prevent it from shattering as easily as previous iPhones.
Ironically, the thickness in the phones is not caused by larger batteries. In fact, the batteries in the newest generation are smaller than those of its predecessors. The new A9 processor is supposed to be more efficient and use less power than previous versions, and the trade-off allows for users to have about the same amount of battery life as before.
The iPhone 6s has a 1785mAh battery, compared to the Galaxy S6 with a 2,560mAh battery. Even though the Galaxy S6 has a bigger battery, it has been optimized to fully charge in a quick 90 minutes. The iPhone 6s does not have a rapid charge option.
Another design change is the addition of a new phone color: rose gold. Users will now be able to choose between space grey, silver, gold, and rose gold.
Users of the iPhone 6s will also notice an upgrade in the camera. The iPhone 6 only has 8 megapixels (MP), so the 12MP camera on the iPhone 6s is a major upgrade. However, the iPhone camera is still on the lower end compared to other competing smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy 6s has a better camera at 16MP, and Sony’s Xperia Z5 far exceeds any of its competitors with a 23MP camera.
The front facing camera has been upgraded to 5MP from 1.2MP, which is the same as the Galaxy S6’s camera. The Galaxy S6 also has higher resolution at 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. In comparison, the iPhone 6s has 1,334 x 750 pixels.
One major change is the addition of 3D Touch. This feature allows users to perform different actions based on how hard they touch the screen. This will allow users to have more options and menus depending on the pressure of the tap.
Overall, the iPhone 6s has only a few modifications and improvements from the iPhone 6. It seems that many of these improvements were made to keep up with other smartphones on the market like the Galaxy S6, its biggest competitor.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are set to be released to the public on September 25. For the eager beavers who can’t wait to get the phone, pre-ordering is available on the Apple Online Store. Like its predecessor, it will only be available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB.