Meet The Apple iPhone 6S And 6S Plus, The Phones That ‘Change Everything’

Apple has taken the wraps off the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, it’s most powerful and personal device yet.

Apple chief Tim Cook unveiled the 4.7in iPhone 6S and 5.5in iPhone 6S Plus at an event in San Francisco, revealing upgraded hardware, camera and iOS 9 functionality.

The new devices will also feature 3D Touch, a potentially revolutionary feature which allows the device to monitor how hard a user is pressing on its screen, and perform different actions accordingly.

The iPhone 6S will start from $199 and the iPhone 6S Plus $299 upon their release, with both new devices available to pre-order on September 12 before going on sale on September 25.

All change

Under the slogan, “the only thing that’s changed is everything”, the new iPhones (pictured left) offer a significant hardware upgrade on their predecessors.

Inside, there’s an all-new A9 chip which, Apple’s third generation 64-bit chip which features new transistor architecture, Described by Phil Schiller as the “most advanced chip ever on a smartphone”, the A9 is 70 percent faster whilst carrying out CPU tasks and 90pc faster when doing GPU tasks than the preceeding A8 processor. It also has the newly-improved M9 motion coprocessor embedded into the chip, which means it is always on and able to track functions such as fitness tracking.

The new devices will both run iOS 9, which will be made available on September 16, and offer all the new features included there, such as powerful Spotlight search, a more intelligent Siri and enhanced iPad capabilities.

Get touchy

However Apple has also introduced a new feature into its latest device, one which could change the way users interact with their devices.

Expected by many to be released as ‘Force Touch’, 3D Touch has been included on many Android devices to date, in the form of a long-press function, and has also been likened to having a customised right-click function on a home PC.

Apple was keen to show off the many applications of 3D Touch, which Schiller described as, ” unlike any experience you’ve seen in a smartphone”.

It can display a list of most-used apps when accessed on the homescreen, but is also built-in to many apps to offer up a wide range of options. The demos showcased onstage included accessing a map view of an address found in a text message, and can also be used to flip through photos.

Live view

The other new feature that Apple was keen to showcase involved the hugely improved camera. The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will both feature an all-new 12MP iSight rear camera that packs in twice as many pixels as its predecessor, offering more detailed images than ever before, and can also capture 4K video.

On the front, there is a 5MP ‘FacetimeHD’ camera, which for the first time can be supported by the device’s retina display for improved flash capabilities. The new A9 chip allows the screen to flash up to three times brighter than usual.

But in order to make experiencing your photos more immersive than ever, Apple has launched a new ‘Live Photos’ feature that it says will make images live brighter. When selected (which it is by default), Live Photos captures one and a half seconds of surrounding action both before and after the image is taken, which when viewed can make your image come to life, such as traffic roaring through a city or waves lapping at a beach.

Speedy

Elsewhere, Schiller revealed that the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will support LTE-A networks, which offer network connections up to twice as fast as before, and will also carry support for 23 LTE bands – the most in any smartphones.

Wi-Fi networks have also received a speed boost, with Apple saying access is again more than twice as fast than before.

The new devices will feature a new form of glass that Apple says is tougher than any used in its past devices, and will be available in four finishes, including rose gold, using the same alloys used in the aerospace industry.

And to help convince Android users over to the new devices, Apple has even developed a new ‘move to iOS’ app for Google-powered phones that makes it easier to get all your information onto your new device when you change.

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will be the first devices to benefit from a new payment option for customers buying at an Apple Store. The all-new iPhone Upgrade Program will offer customers the opportunity to get a new unlocked iPhone each year, with customers able to choose their carrier, for just $32 a month.

What do you know about the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch?