Apple’s iPhone 6s review round-up: The best smartphone in the market?

This is the S year of the iPhones, and that means a little or no change when it comes to the design and a few internal upgrades. Apart from the size and some software, both devices are almost identical and most reviews should be applicable to both as the hardware and OS remains the same. Here’s a quick review round-up about how the iPhone 6S fares.

Design-wise, the iPhone 6s looks just like its predecessor. The size is almost identical so you can also use the previous cases to protect the device. Besides, there are new colours in leather and silicon to indulge in. The whole bend-gate drama last year has ensured that the company invested in 7000 Series aluminium to build both iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. the glass on the outside is also more sturdy now.



But Walt Mossberg points out, “The back of the phone can be a bit slippery, especially because it has rounded edges. That made the iPhone 6 the first model I have ever felt the need to use with a case, and the same applies to the 6S.”

Moreover, both devices are now heavier than their predecessors. “Both the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are both tangibly heavier and thicker than their predecessors. If you’ve spent any time handling the older models you will feel the added heft,” adds Nilay Patel of TheVerge.

The highlight of the device is 3D Touch display, and most reviews have been ranting about how beautifully the feature works. “For me, 3D Touch is something that once you use, you won’t be able to stop. Going back to my iPhone 6 after spending time with 3D Touch on the iPhone 6S, I feel lost. I constantly want to Peek at links in Messages or preview photos,” Mashable review by Christina Warren states.



The camera section is where there is some improvement with the front camera being bumped to 5MP. “I shot more than a dozen scenes with five different smartphones—the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus alongside last year’s iPhone 6 models and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5. You still can’t find a better all-around smartphone camera than the one on the iPhone 6s Plus. But the changes from last year’s iPhones, including more megapixels for still photos and video, are mostly hard to spot. And in some cases, I actually preferred the Samsung’s shots,” writes Geoffrey A. Fowler of WSJ.

Another aspect that is receiving accolades is the Live Photos feature. Though a small upgrade, this feature could work wonders if you want to re-live memories of the past. “Live Photos are great. I was fully prepared to dismiss them as an S-year gimmick. But they’re actually quite compelling. Some are briefly humorous, others are totally worthless; but when you get a good one, it’s really something else. If I were a new parent, I would upgrade to the 6s for Live Photos alone. It’s a powerful feature, powerfully executed,” points out Buzzfeed News’ John Paczkowski.

However, the 16GB model is facing a lot of public ire. And, why shouldn’t one especially when Apple is introducing 4K video recording and Live Photos. After all, taking a 4K video means up to 375MB of size per minute. Does a base model at mere 16GB make sense? For Apple it does, but not for consumers.

“Live Photos are about twice the size of a typical 12 megapixel photo, so I can store fewer of them on my phone. But I’m not buying the 16 GB iPhone, nor do I see why anyone would. The only thing a 16 GB iPhone is good for is Apple’s margins and making people wish they’d spent the extra money on a 64 GB iPhone,” further points out Paczkowski.

“That extra size makes me even more disappointed that Apple decided to keep the 16GB option available for the iPhone 6S. It just seems silly,” Mashable writes in its review.
It is nice that there is an option to ensure that the video doesn’t start accidentally.
In terms of performance, going by the reviews that are out, the device is super-fast and won’t disappoint. “The iPhone 6S is fast. It’s theoretically faster than anything on the market and in practice, it never lags and never stutters. It won’t be a noticeable difference if you’re on an iPhone 6 — except when it comes to web browsing. The dual-core A9 chip is the third-generation 64-bit processor from Apple. According to Geekbench, it’s clocked at 1.83 GHz per core. This is up from 1.4 GHz on the iPhone 6, explains Mashable.

When it comes to the battery life, there are varied views. So, we can’t comment unless we have taken the device for a loop test.

Mossberg concludes that “The iPhone 6S is the best smartphone out there, period. If you already own last year’s model,” said Mossberg, “you might not find its new features compelling enough to upgrade. But, if you own an older iPhone, or an Android phone you’re ready to ditch, this new iPhone will make you much happier.”

“The iPhone 6S is the best smartphone on the market, and 3D Touch is a truly forward-looking feature,” concludes Mashable.

Though the device is just an upgrade  over its predecessors, there’s a lot to like. The camera and performance have been bumped to ensure a great experience. Most of the reviews have been raving about the device and going by far to call it the best smartphone on the market. However, we will know how they fare once user reviews are out on a large scale.