Everyone was convinced that the new update in the iPhone line wouldn't cause the same impact as the iPhone 6 and its 6 Plus variant last year. After all, the "S" editions seek to refine what already exists, and the new iPhone 6s does this work to the letter. In addition to correcting specific problems in its previous design, the Cupertino smartphone borrows some resources from the Apple Watch and dips its toes into the waters of 4K video.
"The only thing that changed is everything." A phrase that certainly follows Apple's style but has a much deeper meaning than it appears. Yesterday's event shared with the tech world the essence of the transition and the recognition of new challenges. The iPad Pro aims to revitalize a sluggish tablet market and minimize the effects of competing products like the Surface Pro 3; however, the work of the iPhone 6s is much harder. In addition to satisfying the (increasingly high) demands of consumers, the iPhone 6s must spread its wings under the shadow of the previous model, which was fundamental to Apple's historic quarter recorded earlier this year, with $18 billion in profits. What does the iPhone 6s bring? Let's see…
A Familiar Exterior with a More Powerful Interior
The differences regarding the screen are null. The iPhone 6s shares the same dimensions (4.7 inches on the 6s and 5.5 on the 6s Plus) and the same resolution as the previous series, but the story becomes more interesting inside the phone. The iPhone 6s features an A9 SoC (little brother of the A9X in the iPad Pro), the main camera jumps from 8 to 12 megapixels, the FaceTime camera goes from 1.2 to 5 megapixels, and with the modifications in optics, support for 4K video recording is added.
Returning to the exterior, the 6s imports the Force Touch function from the Apple Watch under the name 3D Touch, which allows recognizing different pressure levels when touching the screen and activating specific actions like "Peek" and "Pop". From a certain point of view, 3D Touch would be similar to the evolution of the "long press", and others presented it as a glorified right click, but it took a good part of the presentation, and Apple published a four-minute additional video explaining it in depth; therefore, it is likely that the user must train a bit before mastering it completely.
Another adjustment in the iPhone 6s is the use of 7000 series aluminum, which should eliminate (in theory) any possibility of "bendgate"; Siri is now "always on" activated by voice (will there be privacy issues?), and the "Rose Gold" color is added to the gold, silver, and gray models. The most conflicting point for potential users after the introduction of the iPhone 6s is the available storage. With 4K recording and 12-megapixel photos, many feel that Apple should have raised the base model to 32 gigabytes, but it only repeated the iPhone 6 formula, establishing a gap between 16 and 64 gigabytes. In Cupertino they say that cloud resources compensate for the lower physical space; however, the feeling is that it is a purely commercial decision. This brings us to the prices: $199 for the 6s model with 16 GB under a two-year contract, or $649 without restrictions. In the case of the 6s Plus, the base is $299 for 16 GB with a contract, or $749 in full payment. Pre-sale starts on Saturday, and the first deliveries will be on September 25.
