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iPhone 6(S)/Plus Is the 6S still a good phone?

roxics

roxics

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 4, 2013
315
154
I'm a bit torn. I've been mostly an Android user the last two and a half years after selling my iPhone 6. That was a great phone but I found myself at a concert one day and ran out of battery power halfway through. At that point I convinced myself I wanted a phone with removable batteries and also 4K video, so I sold the iPhone 6 and jumped ship to an LG G3. That lasted me about a year before the screen stopped responding to touch. I then went back to my old iPhone 5C for a few months while waiting for the Moto G5+ to come out.
The G5+ has been my phone for the last year and a half, but now it's slow and buggy.

I've owned the original iPhone, 3Gs, 4s, 5c and 6. I still own the 5c and it still works. So I'm thinking about coming home to Apple again, mostly for the reliability their hardware usually offers. I'm not sure how true that still is. I don't really like the newer iPhones though. The lack of headphone jack (which I still use in my car and for my Grado headphones) and the lack of home button/finger print scanner. I'm also not a fan of that notch. I really liked the fit, finish and feel of my old gold iPhone 6 with the brown leather apple case. The 6S would fill all those requirements and give me the 4K video my original 6 didn't have. But it's pretty expensive for an older phone. More money then I've spent on a phone in the last couple years, so how well does it still hold up?

Can I expect to get at least a couple years out of it going forward?

I told myself I'd wait until Apple announced the new phones because that 6.1 inch LCD model might be interesting. But again I don't really like that style of phone and I'm worried that come Wednesday with the announcement of the new phones, the 6S is going to disappear from the Apple website as an option you can order still.
 
roxics said:
I'm a bit torn. I've been mostly an Android user the last two and a half years after selling my iPhone 6. That was a great phone but I found myself at a concert one day and ran out of battery power halfway through. At that point I convinced myself I wanted a phone with removable batteries and also 4K video, so I sold the iPhone 6 and jumped ship to an LG G3. That lasted me about a year before the screen stopped responding to touch. I then went back to my old iPhone 5C for a few months while waiting for the Moto G5+ to come out.
The G5+ has been my phone for the last year and a half, but now it's slow and buggy.

I've owned the original iPhone, 3Gs, 4s, 5c and 6. I still own the 5c and it still works. So I'm thinking about coming home to Apple again, mostly for the reliability their hardware usually offers. I'm not sure how true that still is. I don't really like the newer iPhones though. The lack of headphone jack (which I still use in my car and for my Grado headphones) and the lack of home button/finger print scanner. I'm also not a fan of that notch. I really liked the fit, finish and feel of my old gold iPhone 6 with the brown leather apple case. The 6S would fill all those requirements and give me the 4K video my original 6 didn't have. But it's pretty expensive for an older phone. More money then I've spent on a phone in the last couple years, so how well does it still hold up?

Can I expect to get at least a couple years out of it going forward?

I told myself I'd wait until Apple announced the new phones because that 6.1 inch LCD model might be interesting. But again I don't really like that style of phone and I'm worried that come Wednesday with the announcement of the new phones, the 6S is going to disappear from the Apple website as an option you can order still.
Click to expand...

It's not a bad phone, but I couldn't recommend it due to the age. The device will be 3 years old soon. The tech is so much better in the 7 or 8, that you could go with that rather than the 6.1" LCD model.

I would look at going with the 7 or 8 because you can get more upgrades than just 3D Touch and the 4K recording the 6S provides. I would go with the 7 on a budget because it includes water resistance, dual stereo speakers, an even better camera, etc.

Though, if you can somehow convince yourself to spend $ on the 6.1" LCD model, then go for it: FaceID, new form factor, Animoji (gimmicky to me, not to some others), minimal bezels, true tone display, wireless charging, water resistance, dual stereo speakers, 64gb starting storage, OIS + 4k video recording, quick charge via USB Type C to Lightning, more RAM, etc.
 
My parents both have 6S's, i sometimes have to use their phone to help them with certain tasks. It's amazing how poor the LCD looks by comparison to the newer devices. When it comes to speed, it's not as bad as you would think. Also, iOS 12 is apparently going to sped up older phones like the 6S
 
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To me, yes, the 6S and 6S+ are decent handsets. I carry a VZW 6S+ and ATTWS 6S, generally for work needs and I don't need anything fancy or special except for reception. The two features I'm looking forward to in my next are Broadcom's new GPS chipset (I've tested a developer black box with the mobile L1/L5 chipset and it's spectacularly accurate but only a Xiaomi smartphone in China has it installed right now) and an OLED screen.

My 6S has the latest iOS 12 beta installed and it's pretty much the smoothest/fastest/zippiest it's ever been, there's another in my office with 10.3.3 and identical apps/hardware on it and it's kind of like it's swimming in olive oil by comparison.

Also, I generally wait until at least late October or early November to consider buying an iPhone, waiting for whether or not the handset passes the Telstra/Optus Blue Tick certification tests. I live and work generally in the PNW, my GF's X gets more "No Service" indicators when I'm getting solid LTE on both handsets. Right now, the 6S/6S+/8 passed while the 6 series, SE, 7 series, 8+, and X didn't get certified. I refer to Telstra due to its using pretty much the same frequencies as ATTWS in the US, Rogers in CA, and both T-Mo and USCC have a roaming interop agreement with ATTWS to use Band 12 (a sub-band of ATTWS's 700MHz Band 17). T-Mo might be my next carrier, especially if Apple can stuff T-Mo's 600MHz in somewhere...
 
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The battery life on 6s is little less than on the 6.

Yes the 6s will pretty sure be of the shelf’s from Apple after Wednesday’s. But other shops will still sell their inventory.

But for the same price as the 6s you will then find a 7
 
I still think the iPhone 6s is a great phone. I think its lifespan is shortening rather quickly in terms of Apple actually retaining in their lineup, but it still incorporates two GB of RAM, 3D Touch, 7000 series aluminum, decent camera, etc. It really depends on what someone is looking for out of the 6S, but I still certainly would recommend it if somebody wanted a solid iPhone at a cheaper price point.
 
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Absolutely yes it is.

Fantastic device still at this point in time. Runs buttery smooth on iOS 11 and its even faster on iOS 12
[doublepost=1536605584][/doublepost]
maerz001 said:
The battery life on 6s is little less than on the 6.

Yes the 6s will pretty sure be of the shelf’s from Apple after Wednesday’s. But other shops will still sell their inventory.

But for the same price as the 6s you will then find a 7
Click to expand...

My 6s lasts longer than my 6
Both on iOS 12 dev beta 10

It also had more battery life on iOS 11

Both fresh, new OEM batteries.

A9 my friend. It’s a more energy efficient chip

Battery capacity =/= battery life
 
i have the 6s + and its a great phone, does everything i need and some. There is no need to get the 7 or 8 for more speed. And apple will support it for another 2-3 years.
 
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The 6s and everything after it is still great. Is it worth buying now? Depends on budget. The very fact I can make that statement highlights the golden era of handheld computing we live in.
 
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I still have my 6S as a iPod/backup phone and it works surprisingly well on 11.4.1 so I imagine iOS12 should give it a little skip to it’s step. I love my X and was ready for a different more modern form factor but honestly I could of used my 6S for at least another year no problem
 
roxics said:
I'm a bit torn. I've been mostly an Android user the last two and a half years after selling my iPhone 6. That was a great phone but I found myself at a concert one day and ran out of battery power halfway through. At that point I convinced myself I wanted a phone with removable batteries and also 4K video, so I sold the iPhone 6 and jumped ship to an LG G3. That lasted me about a year before the screen stopped responding to touch. I then went back to my old iPhone 5C for a few months while waiting for the Moto G5+ to come out.
The G5+ has been my phone for the last year and a half, but now it's slow and buggy.

I've owned the original iPhone, 3Gs, 4s, 5c and 6. I still own the 5c and it still works. So I'm thinking about coming home to Apple again, mostly for the reliability their hardware usually offers. I'm not sure how true that still is. I don't really like the newer iPhones though. The lack of headphone jack (which I still use in my car and for my Grado headphones) and the lack of home button/finger print scanner. I'm also not a fan of that notch. I really liked the fit, finish and feel of my old gold iPhone 6 with the brown leather apple case. The 6S would fill all those requirements and give me the 4K video my original 6 didn't have. But it's pretty expensive for an older phone. More money then I've spent on a phone in the last couple years, so how well does it still hold up?

Can I expect to get at least a couple years out of it going forward?

I told myself I'd wait until Apple announced the new phones because that 6.1 inch LCD model might be interesting. But again I don't really like that style of phone and I'm worried that come Wednesday with the announcement of the new phones, the 6S is going to disappear from the Apple website as an option you can order still.
Click to expand...

I've owned a 6S+ since Day 1 and the battery is still at 89%. But I'll still replace it for $29 before year end.
 
And after a couple years with the 6S, then what?

Can't hold onto the fingerprint sensor and headphone jack forever, best to rip the bandaid off now and be done with it.

Personally I wouldn't take a 6S if it was $100 at this point. $450 for a 32 gig one today? You'd have to be out of your mind.
 
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It really is all about budget. But, my wife's 6 runs just fine and good battery life for her needs.
 
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I just bought one 6 months ago as my first iPhone ($299 @ Cricket). I have nothing but praise for this thing. It's smooth and fast and handles my basic needs quite well. I'm sure it will be just as functional for the next couple of years. If you can get a new one for less than retail, I'd say go for it. You'll probably find some good deals in just a couple of days.
 
JBGoode said:
I just bought one 6 months ago as my first iPhone ($299 @ Cricket). I have nothing but praise for this thing. It's smooth and fast and handles my basic needs quite well. I'm sure it will be just as functional for the next couple of years. If you can get a new one for less than retail, I'd say go for it. You'll probably find some good deals in just a couple of days.
Click to expand...

Yeah I've been on Cricket the last few years with Android phones and was looking to pick up the 6S outright.
I ended up doing the exact opposite and picking up two 8+ iPhones on an AT&T payment plan. One for me (256GB) and one for the girlfriend (64GB), since the second one is free over a 24 month contract. So much for sticking with Cricket and saving some money. lol
But since I was already a Cricket member it would have cost me $400 for the phone instead of $300 and I would have been stuck with space grey (wanted gold) and 32GB, which would have been a step back for me. It was also hard to justify that much money on a three year old phone. It's hard to justify the $850 I'm spending on an already one year old phone as well, but at least it's newer, bigger, has a lot more storage and is the color I wanted.
 
roxics said:
Yeah I've been on Cricket the last few years with Android phones and was looking to pick up the 6S outright.
I ended up doing the exact opposite and picking up two 8+ iPhones on an AT&T payment plan. One for me (256GB) and one for the girlfriend (64GB), since the second one is free over a 24 month contract. So much for sticking with Cricket and saving some money. lol
But since I was already a Cricket member it would have cost me $400 for the phone instead of $300 and I would have been stuck with space grey (wanted gold) and 32GB, which would have been a step back for me. It was also hard to justify that much money on a three year old phone. It's hard to justify the $850 I'm spending on an already one year old phone as well, but at least it's newer, bigger, has a lot more storage and is the color I wanted.
Click to expand...

Actually, $299 is the price for everyone-- I was already on Cricket too. (Unless you wanted the plus?) I just noticed they have 8s for $599 now and Xs for $899. Probably a good call for you though, at least your LTE won't be throttled. Cricket's top speed is limited to 8 mbps (although I frequently get 9 or so) which while is fast enough for me, may not be for everyone.
 
It is, and is the best S upgrade Apple has ever released to-date in my opinion. Its still as fast as most Android flagships and with iOS 12 its longevity has been increased further
 
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Meh - the headphone jack is not as big a deal as you might think, Lightning to headphone adapter comes bundled with the 7/8. As for FaceID - you'll never know until you try it. I was a TouchID holdout for a year, and after 24 hours with FaceID, I have to say that its a total paradigm shift. You don't even think about unlocking your phone anymore. As for 3D Touch - 99% of the time I don't use it and the 1% it ends up activating it gets in my way more than anything, with the 2 years I had my 7.

I wouldn't buy the 6S - you have so many other better choices to look at. Not that its a bad phone, but why?
 
roxics said:
I'm a bit torn. I've been mostly an Android user the last two and a half years after selling my iPhone 6. That was a great phone but I found myself at a concert one day and ran out of battery power halfway through. At that point I convinced myself I wanted a phone with removable batteries and also 4K video, so I sold the iPhone 6 and jumped ship to an LG G3. That lasted me about a year before the screen stopped responding to touch. I then went back to my old iPhone 5C for a few months while waiting for the Moto G5+ to come out.
The G5+ has been my phone for the last year and a half, but now it's slow and buggy.

I've owned the original iPhone, 3Gs, 4s, 5c and 6. I still own the 5c and it still works. So I'm thinking about coming home to Apple again, mostly for the reliability their hardware usually offers. I'm not sure how true that still is. I don't really like the newer iPhones though. The lack of headphone jack (which I still use in my car and for my Grado headphones) and the lack of home button/finger print scanner. I'm also not a fan of that notch. I really liked the fit, finish and feel of my old gold iPhone 6 with the brown leather apple case. The 6S would fill all those requirements and give me the 4K video my original 6 didn't have. But it's pretty expensive for an older phone. More money then I've spent on a phone in the last couple years, so how well does it still hold up?

Can I expect to get at least a couple years out of it going forward?

I told myself I'd wait until Apple announced the new phones because that 6.1 inch LCD model might be interesting. But again I don't really like that style of phone and I'm worried that come Wednesday with the announcement of the new phones, the 6S is going to disappear from the Apple website as an option you can order still.
Click to expand...
No it’s not
 
roxics said:
I ended up doing the exact opposite and picking up two 8+ iPhones on an AT&T payment plan. One for me (256GB) and one for the girlfriend (64GB), since the second one is free over a 24 month contract. So much for sticking with Cricket and saving some money. lol
Click to expand...

Congrats! Good Deal! I just upgraded a while ago from a 6 to an 8 and am very impressed with the iPhone 8 - great battery life, awesome camera, great screen and super fast. I thought I would miss the Headphone jack too - but have been using the airpods for phone and QuietComfort for listening to music and the lack of an audio jack pushed me into using wireless - having no wires is nice! :) 256 is a lot of storage! - I went with the 128g

Great Phone !
 
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