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iPhone 6S And iPhone 6S Plus: 11 Important New Features

This article is more than 8 years old.

They are nearly here. On September 9th Apple will formally announce the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, the successors to the most successful iPhones in history. And thanks to a myriad of leaks we know have a very clear picture of the changes Apple will make, along with some disappointments.

Let’s break them down...

The Good Stuff

The following changes are virtually nailed on for the new iPhones and you can read more about each one from the hyperlinks beside each:

1. Force Touch - Apple’s biggest risk will be altering the iOS input method for the first time. Force Touch will bring additional controls via a strong press of the screen. This must prove intuitive or Apple will damage the famously simple usability of iOS - Read more

2. 12 MP Rear Camera With 4K Video - after multiple generations using an 8MP camera, Apple will make a 50% sensor increase for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. The increased sensor size will bring greater detail to shots and enable video to be shot in 4K ‘Ultra HD’ for the first time - Read more

3. 5MP Front Camera With 1080p Video - equally important for our selfie obsessed world is Apple will finally give the iPhone’s neglected front camera a major upgrade with a 400% increase to 5 megapixels. This will also enable 1080p ‘Full HD’ video recording - Read more

4. Size Increase - Breaking with tradition, the new iPhones will be fatter than their previous generation and gain some weight. Is this a problem? Not given this is to accommodate the Force Touch sensor - Read more

5. Stronger Chassis - Another key factor in the positive aspect to the weight gain of the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will be a move to stronger 7000 Series Aluminium. A leaked chassis has already been tested on video showing massive strength improvements - Read more

6. Apple A9 Chipset - iPhones get faster every year and the new models will be no exception. The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will get Apple’s next generation A9 chipset for increased CPU and GPU performance - Read more

7. Increased RAM - while the A9 is expected to offer only relatively modest improvements compared to the A8x seen in the iPad Air 2 last year, arguably more crucial will be the new iPhones’ doubling of RAM to 2GB of LPDDR4. The Air 2 jumped to 2GB last year and it will be crucial to the enhanced multitasking capabilities which will come with the new iPhones - Read more

8. Upgraded Touch ID - with Samsung and others now offering fast, accurate fingerprint sensors, Apple will look to step ahead with a new generation of Touch ID which it believes will be the fastest and most accurate fingerprint sensor on the market - Read more

9. Enhanced voice calls - Apple will add an extra microphone beside the speakers in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus to make voice calls clearer and to take full advantage of growing support for HD calling - Read more

10. Sapphire Lens cover - This will depend on whether Apple can solve production issues, but the expectation is the new iPhones will sport sapphire camera lenses to offer greater scratch resistance. Apple has used sapphire in the iPhone home button for some time - Read more

11. Rose Gold - To make the Apple Watch, the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will be offered in an additional rose gold finish - Read more

But it isn’t all good news. Next is a look at the areas where potential upgraders are most likely to be disappointed...

The Bad News

Leaks have revealed Apple will not be enhancing every aspect of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Here is a list of the unchanged features some will find disappointing:

1. 16GB base model - the same 16/64/128GB storage options remain. 16GB will be potentially problematic given the increased size of photos from the enlarged camera and video resolutions - Read more

2. Identical designs - as stylish and well made as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are, their slippery finishes are frustrating and nothing will change here

3. Same display size and resolution - with 2k and even 4k smartphones now on the market Apple’s so-called Retina Displays are now falling behind, but the 4.7-inch 750p and 5.5-inch 1080p panels will be unchanged in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus respectively

4. No 4-inch model - Apple is expected to still sell the iPhone 5S, but all talk about a premium 4-inch model has faded with slim hopes that one might appear next year - Read more

5. Pricing - don’t expect the new iPhones to be any lighter on your wallet. Leaks suggest they will be priced exactly the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Cost and Availability

Apple began iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus mass production in mid August and expects total shipments in 2015 to reach an incredible 90M units.

This expectation comes from the huge number of iPhone 5S owners it expects to upgrade (more 5S models sold than iPhone 5) with new iPhones deliberately targeting two users generations back rather than one, to coincide with the expiry of typical carrier contracts.

Remaining Surprises

Apple nearly always manages to keep something up its sleeve for a surprise on the night. But this year I expect that will be more to do with other lines (such as an upgraded Apple TV). There is also talk it will unveil an upgraded iPad, but I would not expect that until later in the year.

Still with a mass of new features coming in iOS 9 we live in hope of the famous announcement that there will be ‘One More Thing...’

Read more - Apple iOS 9 Vs iOS 8: What's The Difference?

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