How do Apple's two new flagships compare? We take a detailed look at the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus
After many months of waiting and watching
the rumour mill Apple has now finally revealed the iPhone 6s and iPhone
6s Plus to the world. Once again, however, the rumour mill has proven so
thorough and efficient that most of the new features were already known
about well in advance - there aren't too many surprises here!
Apple used to make it easy for you when considering to buy an iPhone. You only needed to decide on the color and the storage size you wanted. But it threw all that to the wind with the introduction of the “Plus” model iPhone last year. And as expected, when Apple introduced the iPhone 6s this year, it also released its larger sibling, the iPhone 6s Plus.
There is a lot of potential for next year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus as well. Both handsets will be dramatically different to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, incorporating a brand new design language and potentially the thinnest chassis EVER at 6mm. Other notable additions will, of course, by Apple’s iOS 10 update, a raft of new specs and hardware such as new display technology, a new A10 CPU and potentially more RAM. According to always-on-the-money-analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the handset will be just 6mm thick, making it pretty much the same as Apple’s current iPod Touch model, which is pretty damn thin. Kuo also believes Apple will release an update to the iPhone 5c in 2016, called the iPhone 7c. The iPhone 7 Plus will also be the first iPhone EVER to feature 3GB of RAM, according to the analyst. This will be yet another point, alongside OIS for the camera, to differentiate Apple’s standard iPhone and Plus iPhone models.
Apple will also debut the next instalment of its iOS platform next year as well, likely at WWDC 2016. It will almost certainly be called iOS 10, unless Apple does a Microsoft and skips a few numbers. iPhones running iOS 10 are showing up in Google Analytics and that means Apple is already busy testing the next build of its mobile platform. Exact features and details for iOS 10 are pretty slim on the ground at present, but we have compiled a Wishlist of what we’d like to see introduced inside iOS 10 — how much will actually make the cut remains to be seen, though!
If you’re wondering whether or not the iPhone 6s is all it’s cracked up to be you might want to check out our iPhone 6s Review article which pulls together a bunch of early verdicts on the phones from a bunch of national newspapers and trusted Apple news sources. Beyond this, we also have an in depth look at 12 of iOS 9’s Best Hidden Features as well as an update on what you can expect from iOS 9.1, which is due out later this year alongside the iPad Pro.
The obvious difference between the two are the screen sizes, but they do have a few other differences you should know about when deciding which to buy. Here’s how both compare.
Read: AT&T’s new promo will give you a free iPhone 6s
Technically speaking, the iPhone 6s Plus’ display is superior on the resolution front. Not only does it have more pixels, it’s got a higher pixel per inch (ppi) density at 401ppi versus the iPhone 6s’ 326ppi. That being said, the smaller iPhone 6s actually has a slightly better contrast ratio of 1400:1 compared to the iPhone 6s Plus’ 1300:1. That means the smaller iPhone’s display can display just a bit more difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks.
The fact that Apple’s iPhones use 720p and 1080p displays put them quite a bit behind Android’s biggest and best handsets which have been using QHD panels for quite some time now. Fore the most part 1080p is adequate enough, though anyone coming from an 2014/15 Android handset with QHD will notice the shortfall when using the iPhone 6s — 720p is VERY 2011/12.
Still, detail is excellent on both as is colour reproduction and blacks. Apple will almost certainly update to QHD in 2016 and, if reports are to be believed, AMOLED panels in 2017/18. As is always the case with iPhone, though, Apple doesn’t do keeping up with the Jones’, preferring instead to do its own thing without paying any mind whatsoever to what the competition is doing specs-wise. Whether you’re cool with this is entirely down to you. Personally, I prefer the choice and affordability of Android. But that’s just me.
As for the design, both feature aluminum bodies with rounded corners and while their physical length and height dimensions are of course different (due to screen size) the smaller iPhone 6s wins on thinness being just 7.1mm thick versus the iPhone 6s Plus' 7.3mm thickness.
The iPhone 6s is also noticeable lighter than the iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 6s weighs just 143 grams versus the iPhone 6s Plus’ 192 grams.
Related: What to know about new mobile platforms
While the longer battery life for select tasks and the optical image stabilization for photos and video will be the only things needed to sway some people to the larger iPhone 6s Plus, the majority of people will make their decision on one simple thing: screen size. If that’s the case for you the deciding question is do you want a smaller 4.7-inch phone that easily fits in any pocket or do you want a larger phablet device?
Credit: KnowYourMobile
Apple used to make it easy for you when considering to buy an iPhone. You only needed to decide on the color and the storage size you wanted. But it threw all that to the wind with the introduction of the “Plus” model iPhone last year. And as expected, when Apple introduced the iPhone 6s this year, it also released its larger sibling, the iPhone 6s Plus.
There is a lot of potential for next year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus as well. Both handsets will be dramatically different to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, incorporating a brand new design language and potentially the thinnest chassis EVER at 6mm. Other notable additions will, of course, by Apple’s iOS 10 update, a raft of new specs and hardware such as new display technology, a new A10 CPU and potentially more RAM. According to always-on-the-money-analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the handset will be just 6mm thick, making it pretty much the same as Apple’s current iPod Touch model, which is pretty damn thin. Kuo also believes Apple will release an update to the iPhone 5c in 2016, called the iPhone 7c. The iPhone 7 Plus will also be the first iPhone EVER to feature 3GB of RAM, according to the analyst. This will be yet another point, alongside OIS for the camera, to differentiate Apple’s standard iPhone and Plus iPhone models.
Apple will also debut the next instalment of its iOS platform next year as well, likely at WWDC 2016. It will almost certainly be called iOS 10, unless Apple does a Microsoft and skips a few numbers. iPhones running iOS 10 are showing up in Google Analytics and that means Apple is already busy testing the next build of its mobile platform. Exact features and details for iOS 10 are pretty slim on the ground at present, but we have compiled a Wishlist of what we’d like to see introduced inside iOS 10 — how much will actually make the cut remains to be seen, though!
If you’re wondering whether or not the iPhone 6s is all it’s cracked up to be you might want to check out our iPhone 6s Review article which pulls together a bunch of early verdicts on the phones from a bunch of national newspapers and trusted Apple news sources. Beyond this, we also have an in depth look at 12 of iOS 9’s Best Hidden Features as well as an update on what you can expect from iOS 9.1, which is due out later this year alongside the iPad Pro.
The obvious difference between the two are the screen sizes, but they do have a few other differences you should know about when deciding which to buy. Here’s how both compare.
Read: AT&T’s new promo will give you a free iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Specs
Here’s the specs for the iPhone 6s:-
Display: 4.7-inch display with a 1334x750-pixel resolution at 326ppi
-
Dimensions: 138.3mm x 67.1mm x 7.1mm
-
Weight: 143 grams
-
Storage: 16, 64, or 128GB
-
Processors: A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and M9 motion coprocessor
-
Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 5 MP photos and 720p HD video.
-
Rear camera: iSight camera. 12 MP photos. ƒ/2.2 aperture. 1080p video. True Tone flash.
-
Battery: 1715 mAh. Up to 12 hours battery life mixed usage
-
Touch ID: yes
-
NFC: yes
-
Display: 5.5-inch Retina HD display with 1920x1080 resolution at 401 pixels per inch (ppi)
-
Dimensions: 158.2mm x 77.9 mm x 7.3 mm
-
Weight: 192 grams
-
Storage: 16, 64, or 128GB
-
Processors: A9 chip with 64-bit architecture and M9 motion coprocessor
-
Front camera: FaceTime HD camera. 5 MP photos and 720p HD video.
-
Rear camera: iSight camera. 12 MP photos. ƒ/2.2 aperture. 1080p video. True Tone flash. Optical image stabilization.
-
Battery: 2750 mAh. Up to 12 hours battery life mixed usage
-
Touch ID: yes
-
NFC: yes
iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Display & Design
Of course the biggest difference between the two new iPhones are in the display department. The iPhone 6s features a 4.7-inch display with a 1334x750-pixel resolution at 326 ppi and the iPhone 6s Plus features a 5.5-inch display with a 1920x1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi.Technically speaking, the iPhone 6s Plus’ display is superior on the resolution front. Not only does it have more pixels, it’s got a higher pixel per inch (ppi) density at 401ppi versus the iPhone 6s’ 326ppi. That being said, the smaller iPhone 6s actually has a slightly better contrast ratio of 1400:1 compared to the iPhone 6s Plus’ 1300:1. That means the smaller iPhone’s display can display just a bit more difference between the brightest whites and the darkest blacks.
The fact that Apple’s iPhones use 720p and 1080p displays put them quite a bit behind Android’s biggest and best handsets which have been using QHD panels for quite some time now. Fore the most part 1080p is adequate enough, though anyone coming from an 2014/15 Android handset with QHD will notice the shortfall when using the iPhone 6s — 720p is VERY 2011/12.
Still, detail is excellent on both as is colour reproduction and blacks. Apple will almost certainly update to QHD in 2016 and, if reports are to be believed, AMOLED panels in 2017/18. As is always the case with iPhone, though, Apple doesn’t do keeping up with the Jones’, preferring instead to do its own thing without paying any mind whatsoever to what the competition is doing specs-wise. Whether you’re cool with this is entirely down to you. Personally, I prefer the choice and affordability of Android. But that’s just me.
As for the design, both feature aluminum bodies with rounded corners and while their physical length and height dimensions are of course different (due to screen size) the smaller iPhone 6s wins on thinness being just 7.1mm thick versus the iPhone 6s Plus' 7.3mm thickness.
The iPhone 6s is also noticeable lighter than the iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone 6s weighs just 143 grams versus the iPhone 6s Plus’ 192 grams.
Related: What to know about new mobile platforms
iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Battery
Another major difference between the two new iPhones is in battery life. As can be expected, the iPhone 6s Plus packs a much larger battery because it needs it to power its larger screen. It has a 2750 mAh battery versus the iPhone 6s’ 1715 mAh battery. But that larger battery in the iPhone 6s Plus doesn’t just go to powering the bigger display. It also leads to longer battery life in individual tasks. Here’s how the battery life compares between the two in Talk Time, Standby Time, Internet Use, Video Playback, and Audio Playback:-
Talk time: iPhone 6s – 14 hours on 3G. iPhone 6s Plus – 24 hours on 3G.
-
Standby time: iPhone 6s – Up to 10 days (250 hours). iPhone 6s Plus – Up to 16 days (384 hours).
-
Internet use: iPhone 6s – Up to 10 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours
on 4G LTE, and up to 11 hours on Wi‑Fi. iPhone 6s Plus – Up to 12 hours
on 3G, up to 12 hours on 4G LTE, and up to 12 hours on Wi‑Fi.
-
Video playback: iPhone 6s – Up to 11 hours. iPhone 6s Plus – Up to 14 hours.
-
Audio playback: iPhone 6s – Up to 50 hours. iPhone 6s Plus – Up to 80 hours.
iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Camera
The final difference between the two new iPhones is in the rear camera department. While both have the exact same 12MP iSight camera, the iPhone 6s Plus wins it here because it also has optical image stabilization, which the iPhone 6s does not. Optical image stabilization can make your pics look a lot better by using optical components of the lens to reduce vibrations and camera shake. It should also be noted that that same optical image stabilization found in the iPhone 6s Plus also works for video. If your iPhone is your only camera, and you really enjoy taking a lot of pictures, getting the 6 Plus could be worth it.iPhone 6s vs iPhone 6s Plus: Cost & Verdict
And then there is the cost. Both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come in silver, gold, rose gold, and space grey and in 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB storage capacities. Unlocked the 4.7-inch iPhone 6s will cost £539 (16GB), £619 (64GB) and £699 (128GB). The iPhone 6s Plus will cost £619 (16GB), £699 (64GB) and £789 (128GB).While the longer battery life for select tasks and the optical image stabilization for photos and video will be the only things needed to sway some people to the larger iPhone 6s Plus, the majority of people will make their decision on one simple thing: screen size. If that’s the case for you the deciding question is do you want a smaller 4.7-inch phone that easily fits in any pocket or do you want a larger phablet device?
Credit: KnowYourMobile
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