The New iPhone's Changes aren't Groundbreaking, but They are Solid
Apple’s hardware event a few days ago was met with a pretty resounding sigh as things like the iPad Pro were announced starting at $799.00 (without peripherals). People lamented the focus on the Apple Pencil, citing the famous Steve Jobs quote that suggests iPad is doomed once they release a stylus. Of course the harsh reception, warranted or not, was going to happen. There are people who are hyper critical of Apple products no matter what, and a lot of whom were looking for something a little cheaper in their new iPad. However, when it came time for the tried-and-true iPhone 6S and 6S+ reveal, the dust settled. The sighs turned to an intrigued smirk because the new iPhone is seeing a few significant upgrades this year.
Firstly, there’s Force Touch. Well, not it’s Force Touch anymore, it’s 3D Touch, but it’s exactly the same thing as the Apple Watch counterpart. Pushing a bit harder with your finger will now bring up a quick menu of context-appropriate options. When you force touch on your camera app, a menu on your home screen will have options for a regular photo, a selfie, video recording, or slo-mo recording. It saves a few taps here and there, and is generally good for productivity if working from your phone. Any dates, times, events, and phone numbers utilize force touch as a “peek” into the details of the event. Pushing even harder on the “peek” pop-up will open those details in a full window that no longer requires 3D Touch. The general consensus is that it’s fast and efficient. If it remains that way, 3D Touch is a welcomed improvement on iOS.
The other major boon to the iPhone 6S and 6S+ is the camera upgrade. The back camera now has 12 megapixels, up from 8 on the previous model, and the front-facing camera now is now 5 megapixels, up from 1.2. This means all photos taken on your iPhone 6S/+ will be more crisp, with better focus and stabilization. Additionally panoramas are now taken at 63 megapixels, a big jump from the previous 43 megapixels, with this feature. Aside from spec upgrades to the camera, there are also Live Photos. In what essentially makes a GIF out of your photos, Live Photos records 1.5 seconds before and after you take a still image. If you Force Touch that still, the clip plays. It’s an interesting feature that sounds gimmicky, but it seems to work well, and who doesn’t need a few extra GIFs in their life? The last of the camera upgrades is 4K video recording. This has been possible on other smartphones for a while, and now Apple is part of the 4K video club.
There are a few bells and whistles to the 6S upgrade that, while not on the same level of significance as the new camera or Force...I mean 3D Touch, are coming to the new iteration. Behind the scenes, Apple is using an A9 processor to speed up performance. The new processor is nearly twice as fast as the A8 used in iPhone 6, and the difference in UI performance is easy to see. You can also now speak to Siri without having your phone plugged in with “Hey Siri.” Just speak those words to your phone at any point, and you’re in. The Touch ID sensor is improved for 3D Touch, which will improve Apple Pay experience as a by-product. Aesthetically, the phone is the same, though there’s a new rose gold color option to choose from.
With prices starting at $199.00 with a 2 year contract (the same as when iPhone 6 was released), the 6S/+ is an objective improvement over the previous model. The changes are not groundbreaking, but they’re solid. It’s a good thing Apple closed the show with iPhone, because I’m sure the vibe would be much different if they closed with iPad Pro.