TechRadar not overly impressed with 6s

[Broadus]

I just read the TechRadar review, which is probably the least positive review of the ones I've seen. Bottom line:

FOR

• Great design
• 3D Touch impresses
• Stable OS

AGAINST

• Battery life low
• Live Photos don't always work
• Price high for a low-res screen

Verdict

"Apple's idea that 'The only thing that's changed is everything' seems instantly to be a bit of misnomer. Yes, on paper you can point to a lot of things: improved structure, new interface method, Live Photos, a sharper camera, a more powerful engine, but in reality only 3D Touch offers a significant upgrade.

"The iPhone 6S is a long way from a bad phone because, simply, it's an iPhone. That's not me saying that anything Apple does it going to be great, but the reason so many people fall over themselves to get the new iPhone is because they know it will be a solid experience with very intelligent interface touches and a great app store, coupled with a great camera. To many, that's all they need.

"But being part of the Apple experience comes at a high price - literally. It's still one of, if not the, most expensive flagship phones on the market, and as such needs to impress in every way, which the iPhone 6S doesn't quite do. The iPhone 6 remains on sale at a lower price, and the difference between it and Apple's latest phone is negligible.

"If you're desperate to get a new iPhone, and can afford it, I'd recommend the new iPhone 6S wholeheartedly, especially if you're jumping from a 5S. It's got a great interface that's only going to get better, and the overall package is still excellent.

"However, if you're a little more thrifty (and still in the Apple camp) then perhaps the iPhone 6 will suit your needs a little more adequately - you're not losing a lot and still getting a great phone.

"It's only because last year's model was so impressive that the iPhone 6S gets four stars - it needed a massive leap forward to eclipse that model, but it's still a great phone in its own right."

 

[noobinator]

I love how they say it's a Low Res screen just because other manufacturers are having a pissing contest with screen resolution. You got 1080? I got qhd! lolz You got qhd? I got 4k lolzers

1080p is the perfect resolution for a phone this size until batteries make a huge leap forward. I don't want to sacrifice battery to get a screen that will appear minimally better to my eye.

 

[Broadus]

1080p is the perfect resolution for a phone this size until batteries make a huge leap forward. I don't want to sacrifice battery to get a screen that will appear minimally better to my eye.

Agreed. How does the Samsung S6 battery life compare with that of the iPhone 6 or 6s?

 

[CEmajr]

Agreed. How does the Samsung S6 battery life compare with that of the iPhone 6 or 6s?

Not as good. Especially in standby.

 

[MikesGravity]

I love how they say it's a Low Res screen just because other manufacturers are having a pissing contest with screen resolution. You got 1080? I got qhd! lolz You got qhd? I got 4k lolzers

1080p is the perfect resolution for a phone this size until batteries make a huge leap forward. I don't want to sacrifice battery to get a screen that will appear minimally better to my eye.

Not only battery life, the screen takes a lot more processing power which I would rather be used elsewhere.

 

[joonyaboy]

Agreed. How does the Samsung S6 battery life compare with that of the iPhone 6 or 6s?

It's actually very bad. I've had one for a month now and it drains almost twice as fast as my iPhone 6

 

[HippieMagic]

They are right...

Other than a different battery, 3D Touch, front camera, rear camera, RAM upgrade, processor upgrade, touch ID sensor, radio, aluminum back and glass it is the same phone as last year's model.

Whether or not it looks or even feels like a totally different phone doesn't necessarily mean much. Love or hate the changes they are definitely there and definitely all pretty significant. The price isn't even THAT high. It is pretty on par with most phones and frankly they are better designed using better quality parts than a lot of phones out there so even if it is a bit more expensive it isn't a huge stretch.

I am not saying it is the perfect phone or anything. Just seems like a lot of reviews out right now are either overwhelmingly positive or nitpicking which says tells me there is more bias than truth in some of them, but I am not sure where the bias is yet. I read a lot but don't believe many at all at this point. I will be excited to actually see what the truth really is tomorrow because I have a feeling we haven't really read it anywhere yet.

 

[sterl320]

who cares, its still gonna sell better than any other phone on the market.

 

[ssl0408]

The review is fair to me. The screen is a low resolution (smaller iPhone) screen, and there's no getting around that. It would have been nice if they made the smaller iPhone 1080p to match the plus. I thought I'd be buying the 6s, but it just feels like a waste of money to me. They didn't bother to upgrade the screen or put OIS on the smaller phone so I'm sticking with the 6 until the 7. Buying an iPad instead this weekend

 

[Lobwedgephil]

Battery is my only worry, if it is the same as the 6 which they say it is I'm fine with it.

 

[Subwaymac]

I love how they say it's a Low Res screen just because other manufacturers are having a pissing contest with screen resolution. You got 1080? I got qhd! lolz You got qhd? I got 4k lolzers

1080p is the perfect resolution for a phone this size until batteries make a huge leap forward. I don't want to sacrifice battery to get a screen that will appear minimally better to my eye.

Then don't buy an iPhone because the battery was already bad enough, this new model is even worse. The screen is not very good compared to other phones. People buy iPhones because they think they are the best and the operating system is simple to use.

The only way the battery will be better is if you use the new power saver function all the time.

 

[noobinator]

Then don't buy an iPhone because the battery was already bad enough, this new model is even worse. The screen is not very good compared to other phones. People buy iPhones because they think they are the best and the operating system is simple to use.

The only way the battery will be better is if you use the new power saver function all the time.

Oh ok, how long have you been using the new phone to make this determination on the battery?

 

[dave420]

Why would anyone care about the battery life? I want the phone to be as thin as possible even if it means I have to charge it multiple times a day and it will die when I need it the most.

 

[HippieMagic]

I do have some concern over the battery but newer chips can easily counter a smaller battery. I am not that concerned with screen resolution at this point. If I could see the pixels without sticking my nose on the screen it would be different, but as it stands I think it is perfectly fine right now. I don't even really care about 4k right now but a better camera is always welcomed.

I would like to see at least 1080p on the next smaller iPhone, though.

 

[EthanNixon]

I hate when people say 1080P is a low resolution screen. If it's higher than 300PPI, then I am happy. I don't need 400+ PPI. I've had phones that have that, and they look nice, but not any sharper than a 1080P screen. If your eye can't see a difference, what's the point of having it?

Also, I am 100% against the "retina" moniker, but we can't get past that now.

 

[fsumom]

I take reviews with a grain of salt. I'm coming from an iPhone 4 with a cracked screen. I'm fairly certain I'll be in awe once I receive the 6s.

 

[mattopotamus]

I have the 6 and I am actually really excited for the 6s. Since updating to IOS 9, I am getting frame drops all over the place. Hopefully the extra ram, cpu, and gpu upgrades fix this. 8.4.1 was fine, but 9 really drops frames when going to spotlight or swiping right to the new "google now" type area.

 

[Broadus]

The review is fair to me. The screen is a low resolution (smaller iPhone) screen, and there's no getting around that. It would have been nice if they made the smaller iPhone 1080p to match the plus. I thought I'd be buying the 6s, but it just feels like a waste of money to me. They didn't bother to upgrade the screen or put OIS on the smaller phone so I'm sticking with the 6 until the 7. Buying an iPad instead this weekend

It seems the review would have been a bit more even-handed had the reviewer noted (unless I missed it) that battery life was negatively impacted with the higher resolution screens.

 

[uwdude]

They are right...

Other than a different battery, 3D Touch, front camera, rear camera, RAM upgrade, processor upgrade, touch ID sensor, radio, aluminum back and glass it is the same phone as last year's model.

Whether or not it looks or even feels like a totally different phone doesn't necessarily mean much. Love or hate the changes they are definitely there and definitely all pretty significant. The price isn't even THAT high. It is pretty on par with most phones and frankly they are better designed using better quality parts than a lot of phones out there so even if it is a bit more expensive it isn't a huge stretch.

I am not saying it is the perfect phone or anything. Just seems like a lot of reviews out right now are either overwhelmingly positive or nitpicking which says tells me there is more bias than truth in some of them, but I am not sure where the bias is yet. I read a lot but don't believe many at all at this point. I will be excited to actually see what the truth really is tomorrow because I have a feeling we haven't really read it anywhere yet.

I agree, some of the sites' reviews seemed to be just glowing without much review, and other sites that weren't glowing were just reiterating the same usual complaints about iPhone, like being more expensive or only an S upgrade, so they didn't ring true either. It's almost like nobody really reviewed it, lol. I guess we will see tomorrow. I think it IS going to feel like a different phone, myself.

 

[Newtons Apple]

Battery is my only worry, if it is the same as the 6 which they say it is I'm fine with it.

I would bet that it will be very close to the 6 when it comes to battery.

 

[noobinator]

I would bet that it will be very close to the 6 when it comes to battery.

I can say with near certainty that Apple engineered this very carefully making sure the battery was very close to the previous models. They wouldn't release something with noticeably worse battery life. It may take a few updates to clear out some bugs that weren't seen in testing but the end result is battery very close to last years models.

 

[uwdude]

I would bet that it will be very close to the 6 when it comes to battery.

I agree with this too, I don't think Apple would put out an upgrade with significantly reduced battery life.

 

[frifra]

Not as good. Especially in standby.

So, when the screen is actually off.

 

[hutrebug]

I really think battery life can be better. There's no shame in having a 9mm thick phone to accomodate more battery. At the very least, it enhances build quality.

A little slim is good, but we don't want the equivalent of anorexic fashion models in our phones.

 

[CE3]

Their sample photos are horrible. I certainly hope the camera is better than that.