The iPhone 6S is officially on the market. Before we dive in, it's worth noting that more and more cell phone carriers are allowing customers to upgrade devices once a year or more. In the past the upgrade debate was a bit different because many people were locked in to a 2-year contract with their device and couldn't consider upgrading when the new iPhones launched. Now, that's less of a problem so many have the opportunity to upgrade to the 6S or wait for the iPhone 7 next year.
This begs the question, is the new iPhone worth the effort it takes to upgrade?
We'll do our best to keep this short and sweet. Our simple answer? Yes. Absolutely.
Performance
One of the most noticeable differences between the iPhone 6 and the 6S is the speed of the latter. A teardown done by the folks over at The Verge confirmed that Apple increased the amount of ram in the new iPhone from 1GB to 2GB, which in today's world doesn't seem like much, but when applied on a mobile operating system makes a tremendous difference. The 6S is snappy and fast almost seems like an understatement. When coupled with many of the new graphic-intensive features that are it becomes apparent just how much of a difference a ram upgrade makes. Changing between apps is quicker, web browsing is snappier (and switching between tabs doesn't mean it will have to reload every time as is has in the past), and you're less less likely to experience lag or delay in day-to-day use.
Camera
Apple made a move to upgrade their mobile cameras by moving from 8-megapixels to 12 this year with the launch of the 6S. In past years, the 8-megapixel camera has been able to hold it's own in the mobile photography world. Apple even created a successful marketing campaign based around their devices' photography prowess with the "Shot on an iPhone 6" advertisements. The 12-megapixels in the new phone means slightly sharper images (especially when zooming is involved) and the new sensor in the camera makes it possible to shoot 4K video. One of the other upgrades in this department is the introduction of live photos. By default, the iPhone 6S takes 45 pictures when you snap an image. Those 45 images don't show up in your camera roll, but they are compiled into a short video that accompanies your original still image. This may seem like a gimmick (and it may end up being that), but it allows you even more freedom to enjoy specific moments and memories in time that were otherwise constricted to a still photo before. It's a cool new feature Apple is testing out and we'll be curious to see what the world thinks of it and how Apple uses it moving forward.
3D Touch
The most prominent new feature of the iPhone 6S is the new 3D touch display. The glass of the iPhone does not move, but it is pressure sensitive to enable different levels of taptic input and feedback. Imagine a "right-click" for your iPhone. Regardless of the task, 3D Touch seeks to make whatever you're doing easier and faster. Depending on how hard you press the screen, this feature enables shortcuts, previews, and even new ways to interact with games. We fully believe that 3D Touch is going to revolutionize the way you use your iPhone. It makes using apps even easier and more intuitive, which at times seems hard to believe. We really think you're going to like it.
Features
The biggest concern coming with the iPhone 6S is that the battery sizes did not increase and actually got minimally smaller with the introduction of 3D Touch and the internal parts needed to make that feature work. With that said, iOS 9 was introduced by Apple with the claim that it optimizes your device in a way that gives back at least an hour of battery life to users on a daily basis. Thus far, we haven't heard many gripes. The iPhone 6S battery still lasts about the same amount of time as the 6 and the 6S Plus still has an incredible battery that lasts much longer than the 6S. Sure, we'd all love more battery, but for Apple to give us all these new features and to still be able to get the same battery life with a slightly smaller battery is astounding.
Also worth mentioning is that with the 6S Apple has improved upon the Touch ID sensor. We've actually seen complaints online that it works too fast. We've seen claims that people wanting to see the time on their phone will click the home button and Touch ID will identify their finger so fast that the phone will unlock. Touch ID is also more accurate and reliable. You're better off using a finger not set up with Touch ID if you just want to check the time, otherwise you'll be on your home screen very quickly.
Verdict
If it's time for you to upgrade, you will be hard pressed to do better than the iPhone 6S or 6S plus. New features combined with a powerful iOS 9 makes this mobile device one of the best on the market. There are plenty of in-depth reviews on the web for you to check out, but it's a simple decision. If you've got an upgrade available, just do it. You won't regret it.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, we'd love to help!