iPhone 6s Review

iPhone 6s delivers the best smartphone experience for general users, with better cameras, ease of use, feature-packed software, and many other card-wide improvements.

Apple’s iPhone 6s may not include the highest resolution display, and we’re still not happy with the iPhone 6s’ battery life. But there’s a lot to love, with a new 3D Touch feature that lets us use common apps and features faster, and an incredibly fast Touch ID sensor.

From the outside, the iPhone 6s looks almost identical to the iPhone 6, but with smart new features, a more solid design, and improvements in key areas. As a result, the iPhone 6s is a .

iPhone 6s available at: AT&T, T mobile, sprint, Verizon Wireless and other carriers. Shoppers can purchase iPhone 6s for $199 on contract, or $0 with a monthly payment of around $21 on most carriers. Apple also sells the iPhone Upgrade Plan this includes AppleCare+ and the ability to upgrade to a new iPhone annually for $32 or more per month.

Is the iPhone 6s worth it?

What We Love About iPhone 6s

Here are the things we love about the iPhone 6s after upgrading from the iPhone 6.

Things We Don’t Like About iPhone 6s

Here are some areas where the iPhone 6s fell short, including a common complaint of our time with the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6s Review: Conclusion

Apple brags in its iPhone 6s ads on TV that “the only thing that changes is everything”. That’s a bold claim for an iPhone “S” model that looks the same except for a new Rose Gold color option, but it’s an apt way to explain the upgrades Apple includes with the iPhone 6s.

Essential IPhone 6s review details.

While not many users will need all the processing power packed in the new processor, it does provide new Live Photos and 4K recording. New cameras on the front and back of the iPhone 6s place the iPhone at the top of its class. Taking good photos is easy with the iPhone 6s, and that’s not something we can say for every Android phone on the market.

Users who already own the iPhone 6 may not find enough reasons to upgrade to the new iPhone 6s, but for owners of the iPhone 5s or older, this is an upgrade that offers users two years of significant changes.

iPhone 6s Screen and 3D Touch

Apple hasn’t upgraded the iPhone 6s screen to 1080P like your HDTV or 4K like the new videos it can record, but that’s okay. The iPhone 6s screen is 4.7 inches and looks stunning in both light and dark. Screen features don’t matter when you can offer a quality screen for users to look at.

The iPhone 6s display includes a new 3D Touch feature.

This year, instead of pushing the limits with size or resolution, Apple is adding a new way to control the iPhone 6s display. The new screen features 3D Touch, which can tell the difference between tapping, pressing, and pressing deeper.

One feature that unlocks it is the ability to tap on a movable lock screen to see the gesture, but the main reason this feature excites us is that it simplifies common iPhone tasks.

We constantly use 3D Touch Quick Actions, which turns a swipe on the iPhone 6s home screen into a small popup to jump to an activity within an app. The most common quick actions we use are;

The 3D Touch feature also works inside apps to let users “Browse” by pushing on something. Instead of tapping on a location or time someone texted you, you can tap on it to preview your calendar or map of the place. Push further to “Open” this app. This is a handy way to check items before switching apps.

3D Touch isn’t for everyone, but if you like time-saving shortcuts on common tasks, this is a great new iPhone 6s feature. App support is growing, top iPhone apps are not thought to support 3D Touch yet.

iPhone 6s Design and Durability

The iPhone 6s design is slightly thicker, but you’ll only notice it if you hold both in your hands. If you’re doing this, you’ll also notice that the iPhone 6s is slightly heavier than the iPhone 6.

Apple is switching to the new 7000 series aluminum, which is stronger than the iPhone 6, which came with complaints of easy bending last year. This new aluminum is also easier to hold, but not grippy enough to entice us to use the device without a great iPhone 6s case.

The new Rose Gold iPhone 6s color is more pink than gold but still an attractive color option that joins Silver, Gold and Space Grey.

While Apple doesn’t advertise this feature, a new seal helps protect the iPhone 6s in and out of water. You’ll still need a waterproof iPhone 6s case to go swimming with the iPhone, but the iPhone 6s is much more likely to survive if accidentally dropped in water than older models.

iPhone 6s Cameras

The new iPhone 6s cameras are great, and even if you don’t like Live Photos or plan to record 4K, there are improvements worth getting excited about.

Apple includes a new 12MP camera on the back of the iPhone 6s and a 5MP camera on the front. The iPhone 6s Plus includes the same cameras and adds optical image stabilization. You can see what the iPhone 6s camera can do in a gallery of photos taken at an NFL game by a professional photographer using iPhone 6s Plus.

The rear camera on iPhone 6s takes photos quickly and consistently delivers great results. When you need a flash, it mixes the LEDs to deliver a flash that fits the mood.

iPhone 6s cameras are great tools for photographers of all skill levels.

One of the biggest new features is Live Photos. With Live Photos, the iPhone 6s camera captures frames and audio for 1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter button. You still get a full-resolution 12MP snapshot that you can edit, print, and share – but you also get an animated photo that’s almost GIF-like, but it’s a small video with sound.

One downside to Live Photos is that you have to stay still for a second longer when you’re done taking the photo, otherwise you’ll ruin the effect. Apple’s iOS 9.1 update helps with this problem, but it’s not perfect.

Unlike a Burst Photo, you can’t just press the shutter button and pick a new frame that you like better than the image you took.

There is an app that converts Live Photo to Gif, but without it, there is no easy way to share motion photo with someone who is not currently using iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. iOS 9.1 will make it easier to share Live Photos.

iPhone 6s can also record 4K videos. These take up a lot of space, so you have to switch between 4K and 1080P in the iPhone settings when shooting a video. 4K video quality is good, but it would be nice to switch between these options in the camera app.

Apple is finally upgrading the iPhone 6s front camera from a 1.2MP sensor to a 5MP sensor and adds a smart new flash. The improved sensor means you can take better-looking selfies, and you can now use the screen as a flash to add light to your selfies. Similar to how the Retina Flash on the back of the iPhone 6s flashes in the right tone to complement your current environment. The result is selfies that look better in any light. Live Photos also work on the front camera.

Check out the iPhone 6s photo examples below to see what the new iPhone 6s camera can do.

iPhone 6s Battery Life

iPhone 6s battery life is still a major concern for power users. Apple hasn’t added a larger battery to the iPhone 6s than the iPhone 6, and even with software improvements, power users will need to find a place to charge the iPhone 6s before the end of a busy day.

On an average work day, I spend an hour and a half on FaceTime Audio or phone calls, one of the biggest battery drains on my iPhone. Alien Blue, Facebook and Tweetbot are also the apps that drain my battery the fastest.

On a typical workday, my iPhone 6s is at 40-50% by 4pm after being off the charger at 7:30am. On some days that’s enough to get me through until 10 pm, but not every day.

The new Low Power Mode extends the last 20% of the iPhone 6s battery by turning off unnecessary features with the flip of a switch. Even with this option, advanced users should consider the iPhone 6s Plus, which offers a larger battery, or look for a spare battery or iPhone 6s battery case.

iPhone 6s Performance

iPhone 6s combines a new faster Apple A9 processor, more RAM and new connectivity technology that delivers a super-fast experience.

Daily tasks like switching between apps are quick, and the iPhone’s secondary app is more likely to be ready to go where you left off; this was an issue with the iPhone 6.

There’s an incredibly fast new Touch ID sensor. Many times, after pressing the home button to turn on the screen on the iPhone, it is unlocked and ready to use.

With the new processor, Apple can keep listening to Siri all the time, even when you’re not connected to power. This makes it possible to say Hey Siri and ask questions without touching when the phone is nearby.

iPhone 6s Software

iPhone 6s runs iOS 9, which adds useful features like WiFi Search on AT&T, better Apple Pay access and support for Discover cards, upgraded Notes app, Apple Map improvements including transit options, and much more. The following slides review the new features in iOS 9. Apple is working on iOS 9.1, which will add additional features to the iPhone 6s and other Apple devices.