Apple unveils the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

4.6
Exactly one year ago today, Apple unveiled its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, its first large-screen smartphones, which ditched the tiny 4-inch display of the iPhone 5s, replacing it with 4.7- and 5.5-inch offerings. To the surprise of no-one, both handsets have been a huge hit - but the time has now come for Apple to replace them.

Today, it announced the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus - and as you've probably noticed, they look rather a lot like their predecessors. But under the hood, it's quite a different story. "While they may look the same, we've worked hard to change everything," Apple's CEO Tim Cook said today.

Indeed, that's the theme for the new devices: "The only thing that's changed is everything."

The new iPhones are made of a custom, specialized aluminum, along with what Apple says is the toughest glass available on any smartphone. The handsets are each available in Silver, Gold, Space Grey and the new Rose Gold (pink) color options.


As expected, the 6s and 6s Plus feature a new type of display with pressure-sensitivity, using 'Force Touch' technology that Apple introduced on its 12-inch MacBook earlier this year. Now known as '3D Touch', Apple calls this "the new generation of multitouch", with new interface paradigms that work inside applications and across the broader UI of iOS 9.

Depending on how hard you press, different UI functions will be presented when you push and hold or tap the screen. "It provides distinct tactile feedback for your actions, letting you know exactly what you've done, and what to expect," the company said today.

For example, a long press on an icon on the home screen brings up a list of relevant shortcuts to let you complete quick tasks, with deep integration allowing users to jump quickly to specific features in third-party apps. Developers can exploit 3D Touch to 'transform' interactions within their apps with the new gestures and pressure inputs.

It remains to be seen how intuitive these new UI features will be for users to discover - but Apple seems to think this is going to revolutionize interactions for users. "This is unlike any experience you've ever seen in a smartphone," said Apple's Phil Schiller.

The new iPhones have a completely new iSight camera, with a 12-megapixel sensor and, for the first time, the ability to record video at 4K resolution. The larger sensor allows users to take massive panoramic images too.

There's also a 5MP front-facing camera, and Apple has baked in some software trickery to use the handset's display as a gigantic front-facing 'flash' for selfies.

Of course, the new iPhones also feature greatly improved performance, thanks to Apple's A9 processor. It's 70% faster at CPU tasks compared with the last-gen chip, and 90% faster at graphics processing, and has an M9 motion coprocessor fully embedded and always-on.

An upgraded second-gen Touch ID sensor also brings improved performance, as well as Wi-Fi that's "up to twice as fast" (up to 866Mbps) according to Apple, along with support for 23 4G LTE bands.

It's not all hardware, of course - the launch of the new iPhones also marks the official debut of iOS 9, featuring enhanced multitasking, and other additions and changes which should make the new version of the OS the best so far.


Unfortunately, Apple hasn't bumped up its entry-level offering to 32GB of storage, so the cheapest of the new models must still make do with 16GB. The new range is priced the same as the last generation (on a two-year contract):

iPhone 6s
16GB - $199
64GB - $299
128GB - $399

iPhone 6s Plus
16GB - $299
64GB - $399
128GB - $499


Posted:
Related Forum: Mobile Devices

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/apple-unveils-the-iphone-6s-and-6s-plus

Comments

"Apple unveils the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus" :: Login/Create an Account :: 57 comments

If you would like to post a comment please signin to your account or register for an account.

Joyful-Posted:

So much money for phones these days it's rediculous

MuskPosted:

few of my mates have this its soo big and looks amazing

DeluxeHazardPosted:

Because this was totally unexpected from Apple.

SpeedomPosted:

"Exactly one year ago today, Apple unveiled its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s" uhhh i think it's meant to be "Exactly one year ago today, Apple unveiled its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6+" not 6s

slapshot101Posted:

Point The new 3D touch looks interesting. I've have had my iphone5 for a good while now looks like i'm upgrading to the iphone 6s.

Yeah, I decided to finally upgrade from my iPhone 5, to a 6s, I really like the 3D touch, its such a cool new way to interact now, I love how it works on Apple watch and I think its going to be even better on an iPhone. The live photos is such a cool concept too, I am really looking forward to do things with that.

AuthorisePosted:

Pozed It's all well and good them bringing out these new iPhone's but I can bet they still haven't improved the battery life on it by much.


from looking at the specs, the battery life is identical between 6 and 6s (same for +)

NissanPosted:

The new 3D touch looks interesting. I've have had my iphone5 for a good while now looks like i'm upgrading to the iphone 6s.

PozedPosted:

It's all well and good them bringing out these new iPhone's but I can bet they still haven't improved the battery life on it by much.

PolygonPosted:

_Skittle I have to give it to them, just because of the advertising there will be many people that will upgrade from the iPhone 6 to the 6S etc...


+1.
Apple were/are incredibly good at advertising.
It's a bit of a shame that they //monopolize// the Mobile Phone market though

FeetPosted:

I'm over iPhones I hate that you have to update every year