Apple used its September reveal event to officially announce the iPhone 6s, the latest iPhone and an iterative update to last year's iPhone 6. Now that the specifications are a known quantity, it's finally possible to put new and old side-by-side and work out whether the differences between the two are worth paying for an upgrade.
Design
From the outside, there's little to differentiate the iPhone 6s from the iPhone 6. Both use the same overall design, with a metal back, glass front with rounded edges, and a power button on the side rather than the top, as with older, smaller iPhones. The camera lens still protrudes slightly out of the back of the case. The new model does use a different aluminium alloy, however, which has been custom-fabricated specifically for the iPhone 6S. This is almost certainly a response to the infamous #bendgate iPhone 6 early adopters suffered through. It's tougher, despite weighing roughly the same, so you're unlikely to notice the difference in your hand, but it shouldn't bend in your back pocket, either.
Both phones are available in Silver, Space Grey and Gold colours, with the iPhone 6s also available in a new Rose Gold (pink, to most people) colour too.
Display
As expected, Apple has saved a screen resolution update for next year's iPhone 7, preferring instead not to mess with the existing formula. Both the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 have the same 4.7in, 1334x750 pixel resolution, 326ppi pixel density display. It's currently not clear if they are using the exact same panel, or whether image quality will differ between the two models.
However, the iPhone 6s stands apart with 3D Touch, a new pressure-sensitive capacitive display which can be used to perform quick actions, peek at apps without fully opening them and jump into particular parts of an app from the home screen, simply by pressing down with a little extra force to the screen. The functiuonality is build throughout iOS 9, which will be launching on the 16th of September.
Hardware
It's inside that the two phones begin to separate. The iPhone 6 has an Apple-made A8 processor, M8 motion co-processor and 1GB of RAM, but the iPhone 6S gets an almost total overhaul. The Apple A9 processor is more than twice as fast in 2D tasks and as much as 90% faster in games, thanks in part to a greater use of the Metal programming language in iOS 9. The M9 motion co-processor tracks your step counts and other motion-based activity without taxing the main processor, as before, but it now connects directly to the microphone for always on Siri voice commands, without needing to be connected to a power supply.
Touch ID is now twice as fast to unlock as the iPhone 6. Wi-Fi has been upgraded to support 866MBps 802.11ac wireless networks, and LTE mobile data also gets a speed boost in countries that have the infrastructure to support it. Flash storage also gets a speed boost, so it should be up to twice as fast as the outgoing iPhone 6.
Camera
The iPhone 6 uses an 8-megapixel iSight camera - the same resolution to previous Apple handsets, albeit with larger 1.5 micron pixels, an f/2.2 aperture lens and the ability to shoot 1080p video at 30 or 60fps. It can also record slow-motion video at either 120 or 240 frames per second, and has a True Tone flash for more accurate white balance when shooting in low light. It lacks optical image stabilisation, however, which is restricted to the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone 6s goes one better, with a 12-megapixel sensor that matches the iphone 6 for pixel size, lens aperture and 1080p video abilities. It also gains 4K video recording in an Apple smartphone for the first time. It can still record in slow motion, and retains the True Tone flash, but unfortunately doesn't gain optical image stabilisation - that's a feature that will remain limited to the Plus model.
The iPhone 6s also gains Live Photos, where the camera sensor records 1.5seconds of footage as you press the shutter button. This short video clip plays automatically as you swipe between images in the Photos gallery, or when you unlock your phone if you use a Live Photo as a lockscreen wallpaper. You'll be able to watch Live Photos on OS X and other iOS devices, but it's not currently clear if you'll be able to record them on hardware other than the iPhone 6s.
Price
Unsurprisingly, Apple reduced the official retail prices of the iPhone 6 as soon as the iPhone 6S was revealed. You can now buy the 16GB iPhone 6 for £459 SIM-free, or get the 64GB version for £539. The 128GB model has been discontinued.
The iPhone 6s fills in some of the gaps left by the iPhone 6 dropping down Apple's sales chart. The entry-level 16GB model will cost £539 SIM-free, the 64GB model will cost £619, and the top-end 128GB model will set you back £699. UK mobile networks have yet to confirm contract pricing for the new handsets, but we'll be sure to update this article as soon as we learn the average amount you'll have to pay, both upfront and monthly, in order to take a new iPhone home. The phone is set to arrive on the 25th of September.
Verdict
The iPhone 6S may not look different from its predecessor but Apple has been true to its word when it comes to changing almost everything else for its new flagship smartphone. The display has gained pressure sensitivity with 3D Touch, the camera is upgraded to 12-megapixels and the processor is faster than ever. iPhone 6 owners are still unlikely to splash the cash when their current, and still excellent, handset is only a year old. But those with older iPhone models can feel smiug in the knowledge that the extra year of waiting hasn’t been in vain.
