iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6s – Comparisons and key features
This may be superficial but Apple has stopped the production of iPhone 6 GOLD. To kick things off in this ‘versus’ article, lets start with the colour. Apple has taken off GOLD as a colour of choice when it comes to iPhone 6 and given the new iPhone 6s not three but four colours, the fourth being ROSE GOLD. We will look at this and other features in comparing the differences between the two and if it is worth buying the new iPhone 6s or hold out for iPhone 7.
Colour Options
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: Silver and Space Gray
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus: Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold (NEW)
While both generations, S or no S are identicaly, the only way to tell it apart is if you look at the markings on the back where it says ‘iPhone’ or ‘iPhone S’ otherwise, it is down to the Rose Gold or Gold option, although Gold was an option previously available on the iPhone. If you would like people to know you have the latest iPhone 6s then opt for the Rose Gold colour.
Price
The other thing you will immediately notice is the price. Keeping iPhone 6 on while introducing iPhone 6s meant, a shift in price. The new iPhone 6s is pretty much the same price as the iPhone 6 were when they were first launched. So those of you who just got the iPhone 6 before the launch might have missed out on some savings. But what kind of savings are we talking about, see tables below:
iPhone 6 over iPhone 6s Savings
| 16GB | 64GB | |
| Savings | 17.43% | 14.84% |
iPhone 6 Plus over iPhone 6s Plus Savings
| 16GB | 64GB | |
| Savings | 14.84% | 12.92% |
When choosing over which phone to buy, the biggest savings is picking an iPhone 6 over iPhone 6s with 16GB Storage. The price difference is over 17%.
Next is difference between iPhone 6 over iPhone 6s with 64GB Storage and iPhone 6 Plus over iPhone 6s Plus with 16GB Storage, both give a savings of nearly 15%.
The least amount of savings you will make is when choosing a 64GB Storage version between the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus. Here, we see a savings of only around 13%.
In any case, a smartphone with 16GB Storage feels so yesterday especially when most smartphones are now 32GB to boot. But as Apple do not offer the mid-range 32GB version, users are going to have to fork out for the 64GB if they want something more.
If you are hesitating between an iPhone 6 over iPhone 6s with 16GB Storage and a little tight on the budget, go with the iPhone 6 as it represents the highest savings.
If you are considering the bigger 5.5-inch Plus version and do not mind paying a bit more, approximately 15% more, then get the iPhone 6s Plus with 16GB Storage is for you.
Spec-by-Spec Comparison
Other differences are skin deep and one can only truly appreciate this by looking at the specifications side by side. Here, we focus mainly on the differences between the two iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.
| iPhone 6s | iPhone 6 | |
| Colours | Silver, Space Gay, Gold and Rose Gold | Silver and Space Gray |
| CPU | A9 chip with 64-bit architecture with Embedded M9 motion coprocessor | A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor |
| Storage | 16, 64, 128 | 16, 64 |
| Display | Retina HD Display with 3D Touch: 4.7-inch LED-backlit with IPS multi-touch display and Taptic Engine | Retina HD Display: 4.7-inch LED-backlit with IPS multi-touch display |
| Dimensions | 138.3 mm (H) | 138.1 mm (H) |
| 67.1 mm (W) | 67.0 mm (W) | |
| 7.1 mm (D) | 6.9 mm (D) | |
| Weight | 143 grams | 129 grams |
| LTE | LTE Advanced | LTE |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi with MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi |
| iSight Camera | 12-MP iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels with Live Photos support | 8-MP iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels |
| Panorama up to 63MP | Panorama up to 43MP | |
| 4K video recording (3840 x 2160) at 30fps | – | |
| Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps | Slo-mo video at 120 fps or 240 fps | |
| Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video | Take still photos while recording video | |
| Support Playback zoom | – | |
| FaceTime Camera | 5-MP photo with Retina Flash, 720p HD video recording | 1.2-MP photo, 720p HD video capture |
Next, we focus on the differences between the two iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus.
| iPhone 6s Plus | iPhone 6 Plus | |
| Colours | Silver, Space Gay, Gold and Rose Gold | Silver and Space Gray |
| CPU | A9 chip with 64-bit architecture with Embedded M9 motion coprocessor | A8 chip with 64-bit architecture and M8 motion coprocessor |
| Storage | 16, 64, 128 | 16, 64 |
| Display | Retina HD Display with 3D Touch: 5.5-inch LED-backlit with IPS multi-touch and Taptic Engine | Retina HD Display: 5.5-inch LED-backlit with IPS multi-touch display |
| Dimensions | 158.2 mm (H) | 158.1 mm (H) |
| 77.9 mm (W) | 77.8 mm (W) | |
| 7.3 mm (D) | 7.1 mm (D) | |
| Weight | 192 grams | 172 grams |
| LTE | LTE Advanced | LTE |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi with MIMO | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi |
| iSight Camera | 12-MP iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels with Live Photos support | 8-MP iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels |
| Optical Image Stabilisation | Optical Image Stabilisation | |
| Panorama up to 63MP | Panorama up to 43MP | |
| 4K video recording (3840 x 2160) at 30fps | – | |
| Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps | Slo-mo video at 120 fps or 240 fps | |
| Take 8MP still photos while recording 4K video | Take still photos while recording video | |
| Support Playback zoom | – | |
| FaceTime Camera | 5-MP photo with Retina Flash, 720p HD video recording | 1.2-MP photo, 720p HD video capture |
To summarise, here are the differences on the iPhone 6s:
- New Rose Gold making the colour choices 4 instead of 3, while the Gold option is removed from previous model
- Newer faster A9 chip with 64-bit architecture with Embedded M9 motion coprocessor. Apple claims the A9 CPU to be 70% faster and the GPU to be 90% faster, great for graphic intensive games and apps.
- Bigger storage option at 128GB, that option is no longer available on iPhone 6
- 3D Touch and Taptic Engine technology for the display while maintaining the same resolution
- Slightly bigger, thicker and heavier phone for better rigidity. The enclosure is made from new 7000 Series aluminium alloy, the same grade used in aerospace industry
- Faster mobile broadband with LTE Advanced. Twice as fast as previous generation with support for more LTE bands up to 23 channels and up to 300Mbps
- Faster WiFi now with MIMO antenna. Twice the speed when browsing the web up to 866Mbps
- Bigger rear camera sensor at 12MP vs 8MP on previous model
- Capable of capturing 4K video, supports Live Photos and Playback zoom not on previous
- Bigger front camera sensor at 5MP vs 1.2MP on previous model
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Key Features
3D Touch
Playing bumping up the specs game is not enough anymore. Apple had to make compelling reasons for people to switch especially for those who already have an iPhone 5s or iPhone 6. Processors are so powerful these days even on the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 that improving the speed of it would only benefit processor intensive apps. The everyday average users would not see or feel the difference.
So things have to change, this time around, Apple introduced the 3D Touch (already seen on the MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook with Retina display) to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The technology senses how deeply you press the display to access essential things quickly. Those familiar with Samsung Galaxy Note would have seen the S Pen preview and sub menu to access contextual shortcuts functions when hovering the stylus on the seen. This and other software enhancements listed below will be the key difference and reasons to go with the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus.
Apple 3D Touch uses the same idea for their multi-touch display with Peek and Pop. At the moment, only Apple’s own app such as Mail, Photo, Safari, Camera, iMessage and Contact supports this, see sample applications below. For sub menus, Apple calls this Quick Action, a list of common shortcuts that pops when tapping and holding on to certain icons on the Home screen. Again, this is only supported on Apple’s own apps until more developers take advantage of this.
- Preview an email before deciding to open
- Look at a website from inside Apple apps before going there by pressing a little more
- View photos taken while still taking new ones
- View a location by pressing an address from inside Apple apps and open the full map by pressing a little more.
- Quick Actions are pop-up menu that allow users to pick the frequently used options within an app e.g. start a message to favourite contact, bring up camera for a selfie, get directions home.
Live Photos
Available only on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Live Photos capture moments before and after a still shot to create moments with motion and sound. You can then decide to set a Live Photo as lock screen dynamic wallpaper.
The Cameras
The biggest improvement apart from 3D Touch has to be the cameras. Both front and rear facing cameras on the iPhone 6s have received a much needed upgrade. These are now 12MP and 5MP respectively. The rear facing iSight 12MP camera supports 4K video recording support, four times higher definition than Full HD resolution of 1080p.
The front facing FaceTime camera takes higher resolution selfies and self portraits. On the Plus model, you also get Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). 4K video capture and OIS may not be new on Samsung, LG, Sony or HTC photos, it is certainly a step in the right direction for Apple.
Final Thoughts
If you are upgrading from iPhone 5 or earlier models, we would recommend the iPhone 6s. If you just had your iPhone 6, stick with it for another year and wait for iPhone 7. While the features are great on paper, in practice, if you do not have them, you would not miss them. Things like Live Photos and 3D Touch (Peek and Pop and Quick Action) are great but not features that you cannot live without. We leave you with a gallery of iPhone photos.
