Apple's tagline for the iPhone 6S is 'the only thing that's changed
is everything', highlighting that the brand knows this is a phone that
looks an awful lot like 2014's model.
It makes sense that Apple would try its hardest to show that, despite the handset looking identical to the iPhone 6, there have been loads of changes under the hood that make this an attractive phone in its own right.
The
chassis is stronger, the camera sharper – with a new Harry Potter-esque
way of capturing your snaps – and there's even a completely new way of
interacting with the screen. On paper, it's an impressive upgrade. See the iPhone 6S in action in our video review:
But when it looks identical to the iPhone
6, people will be desperate to know if the iPhone 6S is enough of an
upgrade to justify the price. While the upgrades seem great, is it worth
going all the way up to the iPhone 6S, or would the 6 do?
In
terms of raw price, we're in a weird situation now. Samsung and the rest
of the Android crew have been slowly ratcheting up the price of their
high-end phones to the point where they're actually eclipsing the iPhone
6S at launch.
While Apple put its phone into a market where the Galaxy S6 was significantly cheaper there are new boys on the block in the for of the Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10. Either way, the iPhone 6S has a lot to live up to.
In
the UK you'll likely have to part with between £50 and £100 upfront to
get the phone for £36-£38 per month (if you want a decent slug of data
and minutes) with the 6S starting at £539 (US$649, AU$1,079) for the
16GB model, £619 (US$749, AU$1,229) for the 64GB model and £699 (US$849,
AU$1,379) for 128GB.
It starts at $649 if you're looking to pick
it up off contract in the US, with the new $32.45 monthly cost if you're
thinking of getting locked into Apple's yearly upgrade plan.
In
reality though, the question of who this phone is aimed at isn't that
hard to answer: for most people stuck on the iPhone 5S it's clearly the
upgrade they're considering, although the recent arrival of the iPhone SE will surely tempt some of those users who want to stick with the smaller form factor.
Beyond
that there's the disgruntled Android owner who's tired of looking at
the slicker app experience Apple offers and seeing their own handset
looking sketchy in comparison.
(Of course, there are a few people
that tried Windows Phones as experiments, but they'd probably be happy
with just about any other phone if they're still using a Nokia Lumia 930).
The difference between the iPhone 6 (left) and iPhone 6S (right) is nearly impossible to seeThe issue Apple is trying to solve with the iPhone 6S (and the 6S Plus)
is how it can convince users, especially in a market saturated with
really rather brilliant smartphones, that the 'S' variant of the
impressive iPhone 6 is a worthy phone to upgrade to in its own right.
When something is so visually similar, the onus is on the brand to show that the upgrades are really worth the extra cash.
Even
if Apple keeps users within its own ecosystem there's every chance
they'll look at the iPhone 6, which is now much cheaper – so it needs to
make sure things like a stronger chassis, animated photos and a new
pressable screen are worth the extra outlay when both phones will still
work perfectly well in a couple of years' time.
Design
You've
probably already heard, but the iPhone 6S is almost identical to the 6
in every way when it comes to the chassis. There are some very subtle
differences, such as a slightly thicker frame and a little more heft,
but it's so slight that I kept getting the two mixed up when doing side
by side comparisons.
All cases fit both phones just fine too so,
apart from a small S logo on the back of the phone, nobody is going to
notice you've got the latest iPhone.
But there will be lots of you
upgrading from the iPhone 5S, and in that case you'll need to be ready
for a really big design change. The metallic chassis feels really nice
in the hand, with a ceramic-like feeling on the outside (although if
it's anything like the 6 then this can scuff over time if you keep it in
a pocket with keys, so you'll need to think about the kind of case
you'll want to keep it safe).
If you're not ready to take the leap
to the new, bigger form factor, Apple has the new iPhone SE to satisfy
your 4-inch cravings.
One
of the things that Apple is touting is the fact the iPhone 6S is made
of 7000 series aluminum, which is the strongest thing it's ever used in
iPhone construction. The obvious connection people will make is with
'Bendgate', when some users claimed their new phone had developed a
slight curve in their pocket without much pressure.
The common
belief was that these phones began to twist when placed in a rear pocket
and sat upon. While it was proven that other metal phones actually were
worse when it came to bending Apple didn't come out of the controversy
well.
So it's no surprise that, while the company won't admit the
real reason, the new iPhone is strong and never going to bend with such
pressure. However, I feel like that we shouldn't feel happy our phones
no longer bend – this seems like one of the minimum expectations I'd
have of a smartphone, not a compelling reason to buy it.
The front
of the phone is now covered in a new level of strength, with a glass
that's far less prone to shattering when dropped on the floor – now
that's something I can get behind. We've not drop tested it - we'll
leave that to some other, braver reviewer - if the screen is stronger
the responsiveness hasn't dropped.
In
the hand, the iPhone 6S still feels like a dream. Even with the extra
14g over the iPhone it feels lightweight, easy to manipulate and really
warrants the price. Samsung's new Galaxy S6 Edge invokes the same kind of feeling, and with it you don't mind spending the extra money over a more budget phone.
In
terms of design, if you've seen the iPhone 6 then you've seen the 6S.
The volume buttons, the power key, the silencer switch and the speaker
are all in the same place as its predecessor, with the grille at the
bottom very easy to cover when you're watching videos or playing games
in landscape.
If you're using the 5S, this is leagues ahead. The
construction is good, the materials solid and there's no wiggle in the
buttons at all. While you probably never bent your 5S, the idea that the
iPhone 6S is stronger will probably please you, however unnecessary the
claim is.
Apple's not done anything great with the design of the
iPhone 6S, but the iPhone 6 was such a well-created phone that using the
same chassis isn't going to harm its chances of success.
However,
combined with the higher price and the continued presence of the iPhone
6, I wish we were at least seeing some retooling of the phone to make
it seem more attractive.
Screen
The screen on the iPhone
6S seems to be identical to the iPhone 6's: we're talking a 4.7-inch
affair with 750p resolution, which keeps it firmly in the 'Retina' range
that the firm debuted all the way back with the iPhone 4.
It's
hard to rate the display, as while it fails on resolution (quite
spectacularly actually - phones a seventh the cost of the iPhone 6S
offer 1080p screens, Samsung's cheaper phone has four times the
resolution of the 6S and Sony has, inexplicably, launched a 4K phone) it
doesn't drop too badly on performance.
The
iPhone 6S display is clear, bright, laminated to the glass and insanely
colorful. The first time I saw it on the iPhone 6 I thought it was a
fake picture stuck on top of a dummy unit, such was the clarity on
offer.
So to use the same thing on the iPhone 6S makes sense -
after all, the lower pixel count means it can be thinner and the battery
can last longer, thanks to having fewer pixels to drive.
But
there are some things missing: for instance, the contrast ratio (the
difference between the brightest and darkest parts of the screen) is
still poor, with the black areas looking a little grey. Samsung's Galaxy
range predominantly uses OLED technology, which offers 'true' blacks
and high brightness and packs a much better visual punch, and would have
suited the iPhone down to the ground.
The sharpness in side by
side tests is clearly lower too - the 326 pixels per inch is very low
even compared the 401ppi of the iPhone 6S Plus - and most other models
are over 500ppi to bring really, really clear displays.
Given OLED
technology is used in the Apple Watch - and admittedly it looks
brilliant - it's a shame the same thing couldn't have been done with the
iPhone 6S.
It's important not to get too hung up on screen
resolution in a phone - after all, if it's not serving a purpose (hey,
Sony?) then it's just wasting battery. But the industry has moved on,
and the higher pixel densities on offer are starting to really bring
something to the table, with apps and general use looking pin sharp.
Here's hoping the iPhone 7 makes a massive jump forward to join the rest of the pack.
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