2015 has been a tough year for Apple. After a big breakthrough with two completely new devices in 2014, only the updated S models are presented this year. Apple fans will have to give up their expectations of something phenomenally new, but the introduction of 3D Touch technology is very interesting.
Apple offers the iPhone 6s in three memory trims: 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. We cannot recommend the lower bundle to anyone, because without a microSD slot, this amount of memory simply cannot be enough. After installing the operating system and several applications, the user has less than 10 GB of free space. This can be enough for a very ascetic phone use or for those who store all their data on iCloud.
We had a 128 GB version on our test (so all criticism of the 16 GB version won't count), but there is reason to believe that the 64 GB version will be the most popular with buyers. The additions in the form of Bluetooth v4.2 and LTE Cat6 modules can be recognized as very useful. The NFC module is needed only for the Apple Pay system, which has not yet been implemented in Russia.
iPhone 6s: pricing and availability
Apple is offering its new iPhone starting September 25 in its own stores, mobile operators and free trade. You can become the proud owner of the 16 GB version for 51,000 rubles. You can get additional storage space (64 GB version) only for 60,000 rubles. At the top of the price list is the 128 GB version costing 67,500 rubles.
Apple learns: 7000 aluminum in new iPhone 6s
The iPhone 6s is significantly heavier and slightly thicker than its predecessor. In principle, it seemed to us a good solution, but the weight of the phone turned out to be not very well balanced - there is an obvious trim on the top. The body material itself and its processing are at the highest level. The new 7000 aluminum alloy should make the iPhone stronger. The use of a new body material made some adjustments to the color palette - gold and gray received new shades. The shade "rose gold" also looks very decent, which, most likely, will be very popular among the female audience.
Apple has forgotten how to: battery even smaller capacity in the iPhone 6s
Battery capacity in the iPhone 6 was an issue. Not critical, but a problem. Now Apple is reducing the battery capacity from 1810mAh to 1715mAh. I'm sorry, what? Yes, you read that correctly - Apple is lowering battery capacity. In our ranking of smartphones, there are only three phones that come with an even smaller battery.
Why did the thickness of the phone increase as the battery shrinks? There is a suspicion that due to the thicker aluminum casing and additional equipment of the screen with 3D-Touch function, for which it was also necessary to find a place. During the test in light surfing mode, we managed to count a measly 5 hours and 40 minutes of work. The "power saving mode" built into the operating system does almost nothing.
The talk time with the maximum signal level is still worse - only 4 hours 7 minutes. In our ranking, the iPhone, thus, becomes one of the worst in this indicator. Repeating the experiment over and over did not change anything. And not only the iPhone 6s turned out to be bad for those who make non-stop calls, but the large iPhone 6s Plus also became worse than its predecessor in this respect.
Apple iPhone 6s: good display, but weak battery A weak battery caused the iPhone 6s to slide down our smartphone rankings. By the way, here's what's interesting: out of pure curiosity, we gave the battery the highest rating (100 points). If the 6s runtime were the best among all the tested phones, it would have moved up to the 4th place at the most.
Continuing the manipulation with the numbers, we got a few more interesting facts. If the iPhone 6s had a battery from the # 1 phone (Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge), it would only come in at # 8. Thus, the reason for the low position of the iPhone in our ranking is not only the battery.
The acoustics of the phone are fine, but we are a little annoyed by the constant background noise. Hands-free mode is still useful and good. Earpods included. How they sit in the ear - everyone decides for himself, and we note that they sound very good.
Apple preserves: display and performance
With a 4.7-inch, 1334-by-750-pixel screen, iPhone is still easy to use. In the test, the screen showed super-results: it is bright, incredibly contrasting and gives a perfect white color. The performance of the Apple smartphone is once again improved: the new A9 processor and 2 GB of RAM allow you to freely navigate the menus and provide extremely fast loading of applications, for example, for working with the camera.
Apple aspires: camera is bigger, but not better
The iPhone 6s camera is now 12-megapixel and shoots in 4K. This, of course, is great, but it does not affect the real quality of the images very much. Yes, the picture can now be scaled even better, but on the screen you will not see any special details during normal viewing.
Nevertheless, Apple's camera is still very good, and with many possibilities. In particular, she can conduct high-speed shooting and take animated, so-called "live" photographs. It works very well and looks a bit like GIF animation.
The Retina-Flash function can be recognized as very practical: the lighting from the screen when taking a selfie simulates a flash and can be very useful for capturing everything that surrounds you. Good thing, as shooting in the dark without flash is not the iPhone's strongest point. In addition, the presence of an optical stabilizer continues to be a big plus.
Innovation: iOS 9 and 3D Touch
iOS 9 is a great operating system if you're comfortable in the world of Apple devices. The interface of the system is quite convenient, and it itself has excellent performance. Siri voice assistant gives you faster, more complete answers, gathers information, and makes recommendations.
The real innovation is the new 3D-Touch function. It appeared thanks not only to iOS 9, but also to the new, especially touch-sensitive screen of the new iPhone. Depending on how much you touch the screen, the phone performs certain actions. For example, lightly clicking on the icon of the "Camera" application, you will open the context menu, and with a stronger press you will select the desired functions - activate the front or rear camera.
In the "gallery" you can select it with a light click on the picture, and delete it with a stronger one. The same goes for emails. However, this is a funny toy, nothing more, since messages can be opened differently, but a little longer. We liked the way in Safari you can press links a little so that an additional browser window immediately opens to preview the new page. If the content interests you - just press the screen with your finger and the link will open in a new window.
We wouldn't call 3D-Touch intuitive. The thing is that in different applications light and full pressing is programmed for different functions, and for some time it will not be entirely clear which applications support 3D-Touch and which do not. Because of this, we believe that some of the intuitiveness of iOS 9 is also lost.
You will find more detailed information about the innovations and their tests in our review of the operating system from Apple.
iPhone 6S: alternatives
Anyone who wants an iPhone will buy the iPhone. We understand this very well. Still, I would like to recommend an Android smartphone, which is better and more convenient. If you're interested in quality and design on an iPhone, here's our number one: the Samsung Galaxy Edge. It has an incomparably better battery, a cool curved screen at the edges, an excellent camera and rich equipment. For example, there is an NFC module and a USB input. For a complete set with 32 GB of memory, you have to pay 44,000 rubles.
If the size of 5.5 inches is too big for you, or the amount of memory of 32 GB is too small, wait for the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact, which at the start of sales should cost 38,000 rubles. The Z5 has not yet been tested in our lab. However, after he has already been in our hands at IFA-2015, we have every reason to suspect that he will beat the iPhone, if he does not fail during the tests. And we hope not for the battery.
