The iPhone 6S is all but guaranteed to be announced later today, but the big question on everybody's lips is how does it fare against the competition? While we don't know the exact specs for the iPhone 6S just yet, we've seen enough leaked information to get a pretty good idea of what to expect, so we've put what we know about the phone so far up against Samsung's mighty Galaxy S6 to give you a rough idea of whether it's worth holding out for. Of course, we'll update this article later today once we know the full specs for the iPhone 6S, but for now, here's how it's currently stacking up against the Galaxy S6.
Design
Dimensions: The Galaxy S6 is pretty compact for a 5.1in smartphone, as it only measures 143x71x6.8mm and weighs 138g. That's only a little taller than the current iPhone 6, which has a smaller 4.7in screen and measures 138x67x6.9mm. However, if rumours about the iPhone 6S's Force Touch technology are true, then it looks as though Apple's new handset may a fraction fatter, with current estimates suggesting a chassis which measures around 138x68x7.1mm. That's still shorter and narrower than the Galaxy S6, but it little thicker. I expect that they'll both feel pretty similar in the hand.
Display
Screen size & Resolution: The Galaxy S6 has a 5.1in 2,560x1,440 resolution display and it's widely expected the iPhone 6S will have the same 4.7in 1,334x750 resolution display as its predecessor. This gives the Galaxy S6 a much higher pixel density of 576ppi compared to the iPhone 6S's potential 326ppi, but we won't know for sure until later this evening.
Screen technology: Samsung always uses its Super AMOLED displays for its top-end smartphones, and the Galaxy S6 is no different. Apple, on the other hand, has always used LED-backlit IPS screens in its phones, and we expect the iPhone 6S to have one as well.
However, the iPhone 6S will supposedly have Apple's Force Touch technology as well. This means the screen will have extra sensors in them, allowing it to tell the difference between a light tap and hard push, just like on Apple's new Macbook and Apple Watch. How Apple will make use of this technology on the iPhone 6S remains to be seen, but it's almost guaranteed to be more useful than Huawei's implementation of it on its new Mate S, which only lets you zoom in on pictures and weigh small objects. In summary, the iPhone 6S could have a more useful touch screen, but Samsung will have the edge when it comes to image quality.
Performance
Processor and Graphics: The iPhone 6's current A8 chip is extremely powerful, but we're expecting Apple to launch a brand-new processor today in the form of the A9. Details are still thin on the ground, but it's been rumoured to have a 14nm fabrication process (down from the A8's 20nm process), which should theoretically make it cooler and more energy efficient. In addition, the new processor will be faster than its predecessor. There's also talk of it having 2GB of RAM, making it the first iPhone to have more than 1GB of RAM.
Samsung, on the other hand, has used its own octa-core 2.1GHz Exynos 7420 chip in the Galaxy S6, which is by far the most powerful processor we've seen on an Android smartphone. It also comes with 3GB of RAM. However, we'll have to wait and see how the iPhone 6S fares in our benchmark suite before we can see which one is best: typically, on-paper, Apple's phones look slower, but an efficient OS and processor typically gives excellent performance.
Battery: The Galaxy S6 has a 2,550mAh battery, but it looks like the iPhone 6S will have the same 1,810mAh model that's currently on the iPhone 6. This may sound quite smaller on paper, but in practice it's no bad thing, as the Galaxy S6 only lasted 40 minutes more than the iPhone 6 in our continuous video playback test. Given the more energy-efficient processor in the iPhone 6S, we expect the battery life to increase a little on the new model, so expect the phones to have both have similar battery life.
Storage
The Galaxy S6 is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models, but the current iPhone only has 16GB, 64GB or 128GB of storage. However, this looks set to change with the iPhone 6S, as it's been suggested that the entry-level model will have 32GB of storage, finally putting paid to the rather stingy 16GB version of the iPhone 6. It's also been rumoured that the highest capacity model will stretch all the way up to 256GB, but this seems unlikely at the moment, as we fully expect the 64GB and 128GB versions to make a return appearance.
Camera
It was originally suspected the iPhone 6S would have the same 8-megapixel sensor as Apple's current flagship, but the latest rumours have pegged it with a 12-megapixel camera. This is still some way off the resolution of the Galaxy S6's 16-megapixel snapper, but the iPhone 6S's camera will supposedly be able to take in more light, suggesting a larger sensor size than the current model.
Price
Apple often keeps its pricing the same every year, so we wouldn't be surprised if the entry-level model ends up costing £539, with higher capacity models available for £619 and £699. However, these prices are based on the 16GB, 64GB and 128GB iPhone 6, so this may well change if Apple does indeed go with a 32GB entry-level model.
The Galaxy S6, on the other hand, has just had a huge price drop, with 32GB models now available for as little as £410 SIM-free. The 64GB model, meanwhile, can be found for £515, while the 128GB model is around£540.
Verdict
It's currently very difficult to judge which one will be best overall and this article is really just to show how the two phones are shaping up at the moment. Post event, I'll have a better handle on the true story. Either way, the iPhone 6S certainly looks to be a significant upgrade over the current iPhone 6, so it may well pip Samsung to the post when we get one in for review. That probably won't be for another couple of weeks, as there's normally a gap of at least two weeks between Apple announcing its new handset and it actually going on sale. I'll bring you our final verdict as soon as I can.
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