After a long time spent deciding, and despite having enough disposable cash for the X, I'm keeping my 6S+ 64GB and replacing the battery. Because I've previously never kept an iPhone for longer than 2 years, I decided to check the stats on Coconut Battery and it's rapidly approaching 800 cycles, unsurprisingly, with capacity well below 80% of the original value. I got it on launch day in 2015.
£79 is a small price to pay for another year's usage, especially if it makes the phone seem like new, as others who have taken this step are saying - I do like to consider the environment, so this seems to me the best compromise. Battery life is really my one and only gripe with the phone..for example, this morning, I took it off of the charger at 7 AM, and before 9 AM it had already dropped to 50% with less than moderate usage; just some light Safari browsing, Apple Music, iMessage and Snapchat.
I'm sincerely hoping that next year's offering will tempt me more, having been disappointed that the 8 wasn't more of an upgrade. I liked the glass back on my 4S for sure, but I don't want or need wireless charging, nor any of the other recycled 'features' from other phones that Apple is trying to sell us this on the 8/8+. I'd never consider the SE, which is in essence a 5 year old design, and after switching to the Plus models, I told myself I'd never go back to a smaller screen. If my phone had broken or something, I would have gone for the X. I'm not sure about the whole 'notch' thing, but it seems like it'll take up noticeable real estate in most apps, something that doesn't happen on my phone currently. The resolution and display in general on the 6S are fine for any user anyway. I'm also concerned about how easily that stainless steel bezel will scratch, especially after my experience with the original stainless steel Apple Watch, after which I vowed never to jump in with first generation tech, due to the many bugs and glitches I experienced that tarnished the user experience.
I honestly think we've reached 'peak smartphone' at this point, seeing as Apple have maintained the same fundamentals in design since the 6 launched way back in 2013. The camera on my 6S is just fine, as a marked improvement on the already impressive 6 camera - portrait lighting is just a glitzy software gimmick. iOS 11 runs well, again an impressive improvement over the 6 due to the marked RAM upgrade, so performance isn't an issue and should only get better as the 11.x updates come in. I use the headphone jack many times each and every day, so the ability to charge and listen to music through decent headphones without having to also charge them too is invaluable to me, especially when travelling light. Touch ID removal seems like a step backwards, as I find it to be incredibly reliable.
