The iPhone 6s is here and as with every other ‘s’ iPhone, it’s the usual bump in specs and features wrapped in the familiar design of the last version (iPhone 6). You may be wondering whether this would turn heads as you walk through Trincity Mall or automatically buy you Movie Towne tickets simply by asking Siri. These may be high expectations but we’ve come to expect nothing less from a company that has built a reputation for delivering high quality products. One thing is for sure: by the time you are finished reading this, you’ll know if the iPhone 6s is the smartphone for you.

3D Touch

This may be a bit difficult to explain, but I’ll try nonetheless. We are used to interacting with our touchscreen devices simply by tapping, but now Apple has added another method of interaction:Pressure.

When you push harder into the screen, it would trigger a different action other than a simple touch. For instance, you can preview a link in the web browser or even an email by simply tapping a bit harder. Additionally, you can quickly execute an action by pressing harder on a supported app icon. You can think of this feature like right clicking on a computer which brings up a context menu. You can find a demo of this feature in the video review above.

Performance and Battery Life

The new A9 chip has been bumped up, giving some impressive scores on benchmark tests. This translates into a rather smooth and snappy experience when using the device.

You should expect similar battery life to that of the iPhone 6 even though the 6s has a slightly smaller battery. Conservative users can squeeze two days out of it while power users should get through a day’s use.

However, due to the lacklustre performance of our “4G” networks, data usage would significantly impact the battery life, especially in low signal areas. I would recommend turning on low power mode to conserve some battery when needed.

Camera

The iPhone’s camera has always been top notch and even boasted the best all round camera experience available to consumers in a smartphone. However, other manufacturers have greatly improved their offering and delivered really good cameras, maybe even better than that of the iPhone 6s. The top contenders now include the likes of the Galaxy S6 series and the LG G4, all of which can now go head on against the iPhone.

The iPhone 6s has increased resolutions for both cameras, which are now 12mp (rear) and 5mp (front) respectively. The bump in resolution means 4k video recording is now available but Optical Image Stabilization is only available in the larger 6s Plus. The front camera is also aided by a flash when taking those low light selfies on the Avenue. The front flash is cleverly produced by the screen but works okay at best.

Touch ID

The iPhone’s finger print sensor was always fast but now it’s so fast that you won’t always see your lock screen. You can work around this by using an unregistered finger or resort to the lock button. This may be an unfortunate side effect of the improved sensor but few would complain given the responsiveness provided.

Wrap up

It’s commendable that Apple still manages to deliver a solid iPhone every year.  If you have an iPhone 6, it’s probably best you wait for the iPhone 7. However, if you own an iPhone older than the iPhone 6, the 6s is a worthy upgrade. Apple seems to be placing so much emphasis on one new feature in the hopes of overshadowing everything that’s still lacking. For instance, I can’t comprehend why the cheapest (yet still pricey) iPhone 6s starts with only 16 GB of non-expandable memory, especially after the introduction of 4k video recording.

The iPhone picture gets a bit more worrying when you take a look at the competition.

Samsung, arguably Apple’s closet competitor, has in recent times delivered devices that have arguably eclipsed the iPhone’s iconic design and that even deliverer similar (if not superior) performance in every area. Furthermore, Microsoft somehow managed to deliver the best keynote of the year, introducing a quantum of new devices that would intrigue anyone without an ‘a’ tattooed on hm/her.  We are on the verge of a very different smartphone experience, one where all our devices become smarter and more connected. Given time, maybe Apple’s best may no longer be good enough to endure the competition.

Tech Pulse Rating: 4 out of 5