“The only thing that’s changed is everything,”. “These are the most advanced smartphones in the world.” said Tim Cook before unveiling the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.
The new iPhones look exactly the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but this time the display is covered by a new even tougher glass and features 3D Touch which is similar to the Force Touch functionality that was first introduced with the Apple Watch and MacBook touchpad earlier this year.
Using 3D Touch you can “peek” at content in apps like email, and if you keep holding you would open that particular mail. 3D Touch allows you to press down on the iPhone’s screen to pull up new menus, activate shortcuts, and generally interact with the device in new ways.
This has been woven in throughout the iOS interface and default apps to give extra contextual functionality tied to pressure detection. Apple’s Taptic Engine is also built into the phone to provide feedback.
The new iPhone 6S Plus will come with a new processor, the A9, which promises to be 70 percent faster than Apple’s current A8, with up to 90 percent better graphics performance. The M9 co-processor is, for the first time, embedded directly into the main A9 chip.
The biggest update to the new iPhones, as expected, is the camera. Both new iPhone 6s models will come with a all-new 12MP iSight camera that is apple to shoot and edit 4K video.
The new iPhones are also able to take Live Photos, which are still photos but when you use 3D touch to press on the photo it will animate into a brief video with sound. The trick is done by capturing the 1.5 seconds just before and immediately after the shutter is triggered for the photo. It’s not technically a video, as it’s still capturing 12-megapixel shots on either side, at full quality. These Live Photos will be accessible across Apple’s product range, including OS X El Capitan Macs, iOS devices, and even the Apple Watch.
iPhone 6s with 16GB will start at $199 on a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6S Plus with 16GB will start at $299 on a two-year contract.
Preorders for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus start this Saturday, September 12th, and general availability will follow on September 25th.
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