Not much has changed design wise with the iPhone this year, however that doesn't mean that it isn't an all new product. There are subtle differences, such as the new 7000 series aluminium and the new ION-X glass covering the display, however you cannot notice these with the naked eye. The only way to tell a difference between this years iPhone 6s and last years iPhone 6 is the subtle S badge on the back of the phone.3D Touch was this years big feature. It literally adds a new dimension to the operating system. Force press on an app icon on the home screen and you get shortcuts for that app. For example, force press on the Music icon and you get the option to play Beats 1, Search, or play your most recent song. 3D Touch also has uses inside of apps, suchas in the mail app. Lightly press on an email and you can peak at it. Swipe to the right to delete it, swipe left to mark as unread, or drag up to bring up more options. You can also do a full press (pop) to enter the email. This also works with text messages and web links.
The cameras on the device have also seen an improvement. The rear camera moves from 8 to 12MP and the front selfie camera moves from 1.2 to 5MP. This has a dramatic effect on the level of detail that images show, it also allows the rear facing camera to shoot 4K video. Live photos are a great idea, but I think they show too much video. In my opinion I think that it would be fine if the photos just animated when swiping through them, just to give a sense of movement.
The new A9 processor is a power house. It delivers up to 70% more CPU and 90% more GPU performance than the A8, this definitely shows in a GeekBench 3 test, the new 6s scores about 4400 on a multicore, whereas last years model scores about 2800 on multicore. However, this isn't where the new 6s shines the most. The new models now come equipped with 2gb RAM instead of last years 1gb. This has a dramatic improvement over the speed of the entire operating system, apps load faster and more apps can be kept open in memory. This means that Safari won't have to reload the webpage you have visited every time you move to a different app.
iPhone 6s on the left and 6 Plus on the right
The new A9 CPU also comes with a new motion coprocessor, the M9. The M9 borrows fitness features from the Apple Watch, such as being able to estimate a walking or running pace. It also allows for always on 'Hey Siri'.
The new Touch ID sensor in the 6s is said to be up to twice as fast as Touch ID in earlier models, and so far I believe this to be true. Just quickly press on the home button and the phone unlocks, it is so fast that sometimes the lock screen doesn't even show.
So far I have not had an issue with battery life, I unplug my phone at about 8am every day, and by 10pm I usually have about 25% remaining. This is even though the new models have a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor.
If you have an iPhone 5s or earlier then I would say that the new 6s and 6s Plus are a worthy upgrade, however if you have an iPhone 6 or 6 plus then I would recommend that you hold on for next year, when the phonier 7 is likely to be announced. Unless the lack of RAM and 3D touch bothers you. If you have any questions about the phone and are wondering if you should upgrade or hold off then send me a message. I am happy to help
