So you’re interested in the iPhone 6S and
iPhone 6S Plus and you understand the differences between them, but are there
any deal breakers / deal makers in there? Let’s run down the very best and
worst things about these new iPhones…
1. The Best
A New Control Method: 3D Touch
The only truly new feature of the iPhone 6S and
iPhone 6S Plus is ‘3D Touch’. It works by detecting the pressure a user applies
to the screen to open up new commands. Understandably its initial features are
modest, but Apple is keen to keep it intuitive given iOS’s famous reputation
for simplicity.
3D Touch works through new hardware so there’s no
way for older iPhones or iPads to get it. The beginning of an entirely new way
to control your iPhones begins here.
Cameras / Video
In recent years iPhones have been king of the
smartphone camera world through a seamless combination of quality and
point-and-shoot simplicity. They lost that lead in 2015 to both LG (G4) and
Samsung (S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Note 5 all use the same superior sensor) but
the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are back in the fight.
The new iPhones feature a rear camera which offers
50% increase in sensor size to 12 megapixels and a front camera with a 400%
increase to 5MP. This brings the potential for photos with far more detail as
well as 4K and 1080p video recording to the rear and front cameras respectively
for the first time.
From a pure specification standpoint Apple’s 16
megapixel rivals still have the lead (and the iPhone 6S bizarrely lacks Optical
Image Stabilisation – OIS), but Apple has always excelled at image processing
so these new iPhones may reclaim the smartphone camera crown.
Superior Performance
If you own an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus chances are
you have never considered it slow. Despite this the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S
Plus offer CPU and GPU increases of 70% and 90% respectively and (while
unannounced) are expected to also jump to 2GB of RAM.
This is key as iOS 9 will bring enhanced multitasking
features which only the new iPhones are expected to be able to handle.
In addition to this you can expect faster and more
accurate performance for Touch ID on the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus as Apple
makes a push to increase the popularity of Apple Pay now rival systems from
Samsung and Google are appearing.
Durability
‘Bendgate’ was a viral phenomenon last year and
Apple – while dismissing it at the time – has ensured there will be no repeat
as the new iPhones are made from Series 7000 aluminium which is twice as strong
as Series 6000 used in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The end result is the new phones should resist
bending at any pressures you’d expect to encounter in real world use. Yes, even
when leaving the phone in your back pocket (a bad idea for pickpockets in any
case).
So that’s the good
stuff, but next the bad…
2. The Worst
Same Flawed Design But Heavier
There is no disputing the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S
Plus are beautifully made and they also look pretty great. The problem is
nothing has been done to improve their woeful ergonomics and design
impracticalities.
As such the new iPhones are just as uncomfortable
and slippery to hold as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and now they are heavier
too. Leaks suggested only fractional weight gains for the new models, but
increases of 14g and 20g for the iPhone 6S (143g) and iPhone 6S Plus (192g)
respectively will be noticeable.
Given most users also buy cases for protection and
greater grip, these are going to be heavy phones. For example, Samsung’s
5.7-inch Galaxy S6 Edge+ only weighs 153g.
Disappointing Battery Life
Yes battery capacities on the new iPhones have
gone down, but Apple has actually managed to squeeze slightly more stamina from
them. So why are they on the bad list?
Because the end result of getting more from less
simply means the new iPhones offer exactly the same stamina as the iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6 Plus. Which means Apple continues to refuse making the substantial
improvements customers desperately want.
The iPhone 6S Plus is excused as the 6 Plus already
has good battery life, but the iPhone 6 was nothing more than mediocre and as a
result so is the iPhone 6S.
With Samsung also taking a step back with battery
life in 2015, it has been a poor year for something which tops customer wish
lists year after year. Will phone makers ever listen?
Weak Charging
Of course a simple way to combat disappointing
battery life is to offer fast charging or wireless charging and, to Samsung’s
credit it did both. But unfortunately in this regard Apple remains in the dark
ages.
Fast charging is almost ubiquitous on rival
handsets and wireless charging is becoming increasingly common. For Apple to
continue to ignore both is not only frustrating and it will become a genuine
deal breaker for those coming from other handsets who are used to it.
Storage
Last year a common complaint about the iPhone 6 and
iPhone 6 Plus was that the entry level model remained just 16GB despite
the step up to 64GB and 128GB in the mid and top tier models.
If it was frustrating then, however, it is
borderline cruel to once again keep the 16GB tier with the iPhone 6S and iPhone
6S Plus. Why? Because firstly falling storage prices mean 32GB flash storage is
only fractionally more expensive these days than 16GB. And secondly because the
increased camera and video resolutions mean 16GB will be filled far more
quickly than on last year’s models.
As such the 16GB tier must be called out for what
it is: a cynical attempt to force users to spend more on the 64GB version or
pay for additional iCloud storage at a later date.
Same Old Same Old
Not everything about the iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S
Plus is so polarising. Here are some other aspects which don’t deserve the
criticism they have received:
Displays
3D Touch aside, there has been anger that the
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus have not increased the native resolution of their
displays to tackle the 2K and, in one case, 4K displays of their rivals.
This is a greater problem for the 750p iPhone 6S
than the 1080p iPhone 6S Plus, but with PPIs (pixels per inch) still far
higher than a 14-inch 4K television they remain perfectly good and I can’t see
many owners complaining during day-to-day usage.
Cost
There is no price change for the new iPhones and with
multi-year carrier contracts expected to fade in time with the full upfront
cost placed on the customer, that may disappoint some.
I’d look at it differently. The upgraded A9
chipset, increased RAM, improved front and rear camera modules, next generation
Touch ID and new 3D Touch components as well as the increased cost of a Series
7000 aluminium chassis have all been added without passing on any additional
cost to the consumer.
Of course affordability is also something iPhones
have never made a priority. They are aspirational products and if you want an
iPhone you have to pay Apple’s prices. And having read this you should now be
in a better position to know whether that’s something you’re prepared to do…
More on Apple's announcements
No comments:
Post a Comment