With the iPhone 6S, Apple is trying hard to change the perception that its new flagship is merely an iterative update to its predecessor. So much that its tagline for its new iPhones is 'the only thing that's changed is everything.' The phone brings some brand-new features such as 3D Touch and takes one of the biggest leaps in terms of camera hardware. We try to find out if the iPhone 6S is the best smartphone money can buy...
Looks just like the iPhone 6
The iPhone 6S looks exactly like the iPhone 6. It's slightly thicker and heavier but you won't really notice it. However, Apple's played the colour card and introduced a new rose gold variant, which is essentially a light shade of pink with a gold tint, for people who really want to tell the world it's the new iPhone.
It also sports the same metal and glass build with rounded edges and curved front glass panel but Apple claims to have used stronger materials including 7000 Series aluminium for the body and the strongest cover glass used on any smartphone in the world. It's probably a confidence building measure after the company was embroiled in the 'bendgate' controversy with its iPhone 6 Plus buckling to external pressure and bending as evident from the large number of videos that appeared on the internet. Of course, we never bend other phones to check if they deform and treated the iPhone 6S the same way.
We think iPhone 6S is still the perfect phone if you're looking for a device that's optimized for one-hand use. If you like the iPhone 6 design, there's nothing that's going to prevent you from appreciating the 6S' form. The phone even supports the same cases.
Same old display
iPhone 6S retains the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch display that sports 750x1334p resolution packing in 336 pixels per inch. While you're unlikely to notice any pixilation or distortion unless you look really closely, we still feel Apple could have used a full-HD display. The display is perfectly readable under sunlight and has wide viewing angles thanks to dual-domain pixels. Colour reproduction is also good along with deep enough black levels. The screen also boasts of a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating to prevent smudging.
The new display also integrates sensors that can recognize different levels of force for the new 3D Touch feature (more on that later).
Unique software features - 3D Touch & Live Photos
iPhone 6S comes with iOS 9, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. Interestingly, some features of the OS are limited to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus - 3D Touch and Live Photos.
3D Touch is a new way of interacting with the phone's touch screen and is an enhanced version of Force Touch which was first seen in the Apple Watch. Just like you pinch the screen to zoom in or double tap to zoom out on most phones, with 3D Touch you press the screen forcefully for previewing content and even harder for viewing it. Apple calls the two touch levels peek and pop. The feature has been implemented in most built-in apps including Photos, Phone, Messages, Camera and Mail, and in third party apps like Facebook, Instagram, Zomato and Paytm. Apple has also put a new taptic engine that offers haptic feedback (a subtle vibration) when you peek or pop.
There are a few major applications of 3D Touch on iPhone 6S - for instance you can preview emails, messages or pictures with the peek gesture and open them with a pop. You can firmly swipe from the left edge to go the multitasking view and don't need to double tap on the Home button. You can also use the software keyboard as a trackpad to navigate around a document by a forcefully tapping on the keyboard. The Notes app is also able to distinguish between force touch and normal touch and lets you switch to a darker drawing mode when you choose the former.
One interesting application is home screen quick actions that let you go to a particular section of the app without opening it. This means you can force tap on the camera app shortcut to go directly to the selfie mode or post a tweet quickly by going directly on this screen. More third party apps are integrating this feature but we feel it could have been made more useful by eliminating the need to go inside the app. For instance force tapping on Facebook and selecting the Update status message could bring a small box that lets us update the status or force tapping on Music could show playback controls.
READ ALSO: 6 ways to get iPhone 6S at a cheaper price in India
Live Photos
Another fun feature is Live Photos. Think of having the option of shooting a 3-second animated GIF with sound each time you shoot a still. So you can see your kid in action each time you play the photo. Yes, the camera covers some action even before you hit the shutter button. Live Photos play when you tap hard on the screen. You can also set Live Photos as your wallpaper and play them by force tapping on the screen.
You can share Live Photos using iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing, or AirDrop, as well as other Apple devices, including Apple Watch. Shared elsewhere, Live Photo is sent as a still photo, or if you decide to edit it. Apple says it will be coming out soon with new API for Live Photos, so that developers can add app-to-app sharing of Live Photos too. So it's just a matter of time before you can share Live Photos on Facebook and WhatsApp.
We found playing with Live Photos fun and they make for livelier and creative wallpapers. While a number of phones including the Lumias and HTC One devices have been offering a similar feature, Apple's implementation has made it easy to discover and use.
Other iOS 9 features
iPhone 6S runs Apple's iOS 9 that introduces some new features and upgrades to system apps.The biggest update that iOS 9 brings to the iPhone is 'intelligence,' part of which is the Proactive Assistant that offers contextual information based on your email, calendar and usage pattern.
For instance, if you have a meeting scheduled in your calendar, it will remind you before time and even offer an update on traffic conditions. It adds events to the Calendar from emails and suggests actions when you connect an accessory.
Another feature is enhanced search and a better Siri (Apple's voice assistant) experience. Siri also offers search suggestions including nearby places, frequently used apps and people and local news. It's also able to search inside third-party apps, do math and conversions and display sports scores and weather forecasts. A lot of these features are unavailable in India as Apple doesn't offer directions on maps and information related to places of interest so we couldn't really use them. Deep linking or the ability to display content from apps does work to some extent. For example, searching a restaurant will display its Zomato listing if you've browsed through it in the past.
A new low-power mode reduces or turn off non-essential tasks such as visual effects and automatic downloads. The phone also won't check for new mail or update content for apps in the background as often in that mode. We found that this mode does stretch the battery at the cost of being up to date with notifications.
Visually, there's not much change but the app previews in multitasking view now appear as stacked cards, allowing you to flip through them.
Overall, iOS 9 is more about fine tuning iOS 8 and making the experience more stable. Sadly, you'll still need to rely on Google's third party apps for key features including maps and navigation, in India. Even Spotlight Suggestions and enhanced search are not available in the region.
Consistently good camera
We all know Apple was never too obsessed with megapixels but the iPhone 6S is a major upgrade after many years, progressing to a 12MP sensor on the back and a 5MP selfie camera.
Does it lead to any improvement? Well, compared to photos shot with the iPhone 6 which features an 8MP camera, pictures taken with the 6S are brighter, colours are more vivid and you'll even notice some more detail. However, it's not a huge leap as the iPhone 6 camera is already one of the best in business. Compared to other smartphones, we'll still say that Samsung's new Note phone and S6 edge+ give tough competition but the iPhone's USP is its consistency. You can just take the phone out and shoot without bothering to tinker with any settings.
Sadly, the iPhone 6S doesn't feature Optical Image Stabilisation which is only in the Plus variant. This could have made low light shots even better and reduced shake in videos.
A big addition to the iPhone 6S is support for 4K recording - the ability to shoot video in resolution four times higher than full-HD. Remember that these videos do look better than full-HD but take up more space on the phone. Also, only a few screens support 4K playback at this point in time. You're better off using full-HD if it's for personal use and you don't have a 4K device.
The iPhone 6S also uses the phone's screen as a front flash for selfies shot in low light conditions. Again, this is not the first time we're seeing this feature but selfies shot in the dark do look natural and consistently lit up when you use this feature.
Great performance
Most iPhone users don't upgrade phones for better processors or RAM alone, but Apple claims the new A9 processor that powers iPhone 6S is almost 90% faster than the iPhone 6 in graphics rendering and 75% in overall use.
We noticed minor differences in app launch times and while switching between apps. According to reports, the new iPhone comes with 2GB RAM, which is double the system memory of last year's models. We did notice some minor difference in multitasking capabilities - apps running in the background launch faster when you fire them up and Safari doesn't refresh as frequently.
Games such as Infinity Blade III and Asphalt 8 run smoothly without any stutter or lag whatsoever and showcase the graphics prowess of the iPhone 6S.
READ ALSO: 8 reasons to upgrade to iPhone 6S, 6S Plus
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is twice as fast. So, you can unlock your phone and get to the home screen faster if you use this feature.
The phone has an upgraded Wi-Fi and cellular antenna and we did notice that it loads pages faster compared to the iPhone 6 on the same network connection. It works with Airtel's 4G network without any issues and delivers decent speeds.
Apple claims the talk-time and standby time of iPhone 6S remain the same. And that is despite the new A9 processor and 4K video recording capability. In our use, we got about 12-12 hours of standby with 6 to 7 hours of usage. Our usage included checking our Twitter account every now and then, clicking some pictures, receiving emails on three accounts and making calls for at least two hours. If you play video for longer periods, the battery depletes even faster. There's not much difference in the battery backup if you compare the phone to the iPhone 6 and that's not really a good thing.
So should you take the leap of faith?
On the surface, the major features the iPhone 6S offers is 3D Touch and Live Photos but it does come with remarkable improvements in build quality, a faster processor and fingerprint scanner, upgraded camera and better connectivity. At a starting price of Rs 62,000 for 16GB, the iPhone 6S is anything but affordable so it's certainly not for everyone.
For iPhone 6 users, it's not a major upgrade. But if you find the new features like 3D Touch interesting and have a lot of cash to shell out, then we'd say nothing should hold you back.
Looks just like the iPhone 6
The iPhone 6S looks exactly like the iPhone 6. It's slightly thicker and heavier but you won't really notice it. However, Apple's played the colour card and introduced a new rose gold variant, which is essentially a light shade of pink with a gold tint, for people who really want to tell the world it's the new iPhone.
It also sports the same metal and glass build with rounded edges and curved front glass panel but Apple claims to have used stronger materials including 7000 Series aluminium for the body and the strongest cover glass used on any smartphone in the world. It's probably a confidence building measure after the company was embroiled in the 'bendgate' controversy with its iPhone 6 Plus buckling to external pressure and bending as evident from the large number of videos that appeared on the internet. Of course, we never bend other phones to check if they deform and treated the iPhone 6S the same way.
We think iPhone 6S is still the perfect phone if you're looking for a device that's optimized for one-hand use. If you like the iPhone 6 design, there's nothing that's going to prevent you from appreciating the 6S' form. The phone even supports the same cases.
Same old display
iPhone 6S retains the iPhone 6's 4.7-inch display that sports 750x1334p resolution packing in 336 pixels per inch. While you're unlikely to notice any pixilation or distortion unless you look really closely, we still feel Apple could have used a full-HD display. The display is perfectly readable under sunlight and has wide viewing angles thanks to dual-domain pixels. Colour reproduction is also good along with deep enough black levels. The screen also boasts of a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating to prevent smudging.
The new display also integrates sensors that can recognize different levels of force for the new 3D Touch feature (more on that later).
Unique software features - 3D Touch & Live Photos
iPhone 6S comes with iOS 9, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. Interestingly, some features of the OS are limited to the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus - 3D Touch and Live Photos.
3D Touch is a new way of interacting with the phone's touch screen and is an enhanced version of Force Touch which was first seen in the Apple Watch. Just like you pinch the screen to zoom in or double tap to zoom out on most phones, with 3D Touch you press the screen forcefully for previewing content and even harder for viewing it. Apple calls the two touch levels peek and pop. The feature has been implemented in most built-in apps including Photos, Phone, Messages, Camera and Mail, and in third party apps like Facebook, Instagram, Zomato and Paytm. Apple has also put a new taptic engine that offers haptic feedback (a subtle vibration) when you peek or pop.
There are a few major applications of 3D Touch on iPhone 6S - for instance you can preview emails, messages or pictures with the peek gesture and open them with a pop. You can firmly swipe from the left edge to go the multitasking view and don't need to double tap on the Home button. You can also use the software keyboard as a trackpad to navigate around a document by a forcefully tapping on the keyboard. The Notes app is also able to distinguish between force touch and normal touch and lets you switch to a darker drawing mode when you choose the former.
One interesting application is home screen quick actions that let you go to a particular section of the app without opening it. This means you can force tap on the camera app shortcut to go directly to the selfie mode or post a tweet quickly by going directly on this screen. More third party apps are integrating this feature but we feel it could have been made more useful by eliminating the need to go inside the app. For instance force tapping on Facebook and selecting the Update status message could bring a small box that lets us update the status or force tapping on Music could show playback controls.
READ ALSO: 6 ways to get iPhone 6S at a cheaper price in India
Live Photos
Another fun feature is Live Photos. Think of having the option of shooting a 3-second animated GIF with sound each time you shoot a still. So you can see your kid in action each time you play the photo. Yes, the camera covers some action even before you hit the shutter button. Live Photos play when you tap hard on the screen. You can also set Live Photos as your wallpaper and play them by force tapping on the screen.
You can share Live Photos using iMessage, iCloud Photo Sharing, or AirDrop, as well as other Apple devices, including Apple Watch. Shared elsewhere, Live Photo is sent as a still photo, or if you decide to edit it. Apple says it will be coming out soon with new API for Live Photos, so that developers can add app-to-app sharing of Live Photos too. So it's just a matter of time before you can share Live Photos on Facebook and WhatsApp.
We found playing with Live Photos fun and they make for livelier and creative wallpapers. While a number of phones including the Lumias and HTC One devices have been offering a similar feature, Apple's implementation has made it easy to discover and use.
Other iOS 9 features
iPhone 6S runs Apple's iOS 9 that introduces some new features and upgrades to system apps.The biggest update that iOS 9 brings to the iPhone is 'intelligence,' part of which is the Proactive Assistant that offers contextual information based on your email, calendar and usage pattern.
For instance, if you have a meeting scheduled in your calendar, it will remind you before time and even offer an update on traffic conditions. It adds events to the Calendar from emails and suggests actions when you connect an accessory.
Another feature is enhanced search and a better Siri (Apple's voice assistant) experience. Siri also offers search suggestions including nearby places, frequently used apps and people and local news. It's also able to search inside third-party apps, do math and conversions and display sports scores and weather forecasts. A lot of these features are unavailable in India as Apple doesn't offer directions on maps and information related to places of interest so we couldn't really use them. Deep linking or the ability to display content from apps does work to some extent. For example, searching a restaurant will display its Zomato listing if you've browsed through it in the past.
A new low-power mode reduces or turn off non-essential tasks such as visual effects and automatic downloads. The phone also won't check for new mail or update content for apps in the background as often in that mode. We found that this mode does stretch the battery at the cost of being up to date with notifications.
Visually, there's not much change but the app previews in multitasking view now appear as stacked cards, allowing you to flip through them.
Overall, iOS 9 is more about fine tuning iOS 8 and making the experience more stable. Sadly, you'll still need to rely on Google's third party apps for key features including maps and navigation, in India. Even Spotlight Suggestions and enhanced search are not available in the region.
Consistently good camera
We all know Apple was never too obsessed with megapixels but the iPhone 6S is a major upgrade after many years, progressing to a 12MP sensor on the back and a 5MP selfie camera.
Does it lead to any improvement? Well, compared to photos shot with the iPhone 6 which features an 8MP camera, pictures taken with the 6S are brighter, colours are more vivid and you'll even notice some more detail. However, it's not a huge leap as the iPhone 6 camera is already one of the best in business. Compared to other smartphones, we'll still say that Samsung's new Note phone and S6 edge+ give tough competition but the iPhone's USP is its consistency. You can just take the phone out and shoot without bothering to tinker with any settings.
Sadly, the iPhone 6S doesn't feature Optical Image Stabilisation which is only in the Plus variant. This could have made low light shots even better and reduced shake in videos.
A big addition to the iPhone 6S is support for 4K recording - the ability to shoot video in resolution four times higher than full-HD. Remember that these videos do look better than full-HD but take up more space on the phone. Also, only a few screens support 4K playback at this point in time. You're better off using full-HD if it's for personal use and you don't have a 4K device.
The iPhone 6S also uses the phone's screen as a front flash for selfies shot in low light conditions. Again, this is not the first time we're seeing this feature but selfies shot in the dark do look natural and consistently lit up when you use this feature.
Great performance
Most iPhone users don't upgrade phones for better processors or RAM alone, but Apple claims the new A9 processor that powers iPhone 6S is almost 90% faster than the iPhone 6 in graphics rendering and 75% in overall use.
We noticed minor differences in app launch times and while switching between apps. According to reports, the new iPhone comes with 2GB RAM, which is double the system memory of last year's models. We did notice some minor difference in multitasking capabilities - apps running in the background launch faster when you fire them up and Safari doesn't refresh as frequently.
Games such as Infinity Blade III and Asphalt 8 run smoothly without any stutter or lag whatsoever and showcase the graphics prowess of the iPhone 6S.
READ ALSO: 8 reasons to upgrade to iPhone 6S, 6S Plus
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor is twice as fast. So, you can unlock your phone and get to the home screen faster if you use this feature.
The phone has an upgraded Wi-Fi and cellular antenna and we did notice that it loads pages faster compared to the iPhone 6 on the same network connection. It works with Airtel's 4G network without any issues and delivers decent speeds.
Apple claims the talk-time and standby time of iPhone 6S remain the same. And that is despite the new A9 processor and 4K video recording capability. In our use, we got about 12-12 hours of standby with 6 to 7 hours of usage. Our usage included checking our Twitter account every now and then, clicking some pictures, receiving emails on three accounts and making calls for at least two hours. If you play video for longer periods, the battery depletes even faster. There's not much difference in the battery backup if you compare the phone to the iPhone 6 and that's not really a good thing.
So should you take the leap of faith?
On the surface, the major features the iPhone 6S offers is 3D Touch and Live Photos but it does come with remarkable improvements in build quality, a faster processor and fingerprint scanner, upgraded camera and better connectivity. At a starting price of Rs 62,000 for 16GB, the iPhone 6S is anything but affordable so it's certainly not for everyone.
For iPhone 6 users, it's not a major upgrade. But if you find the new features like 3D Touch interesting and have a lot of cash to shell out, then we'd say nothing should hold you back.
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