Apple iPhone 6s, 6s Plus Equipped With ‘3D Touch’
Apple iPhone 6s, 6s Plus Equipped With ‘3D Touch’
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are here, and on the outside, they look very similar to their predecessors, save for a new rose gold color.
But Apple gave them a few internal upgrades, most notably 3D Touch, which is essentially Force Touch for the iPhone. The display supports multiple pressure points—push slightly for a preview of something (location on a map, a photo) and then push all the way to open it in full screen or the accompanying app, something Apple calls Peek and Pop.
The new iPhones arrive on Sept. 25, with pre-orders beginning on Sept. 12. Like previous iterations, the phones start at $199 for 16GB devices and cost $100 more for the 64GB and 128GB versions for those on two-year contracts. The iPhone 5s will now be free on contract, and the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus drop down to $99 and $199, respectively.
Apple, however, acknowledged the shift away from contracts to introduce its new iPhone Upgrade Program. For $32 per month ($37 for Plus models), you can be guaranteed to have the newest iPhone each year, plus AppleCare, if you buy the unlocked version at an Apple Store.
The new phones come pre-loaded with iOS 9; those with older devices can upgrade to the new mobile OS on Sept. 16.
The iPhone 6s camera gets an upgrade from 8 megapixels in the iPhone 6 to 12 megapixels on the new models, which provides a “tremendous improvement and increase in detail,” said Apple’s Phil Schiller. There’s also a 5-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, and the new phones can take 4K videos.
Schiller also showed off something known as Live Photos, which brings your images to life with just a touch. By default, your phone will take Live Photos, which captures the 1.5 seconds before and after you snap a photo. Then, when you flip through your photos or touch them, they will move.
The phones sport a second-gen Touch ID sensor, which Schiller said is twice as fast. There’s also a new 64-bit A9 processor, which Apple said provides 70 percent faster CPU and 90 percent faster GPU performance than the A8. A new motion coprocessor, meanwhile, allows more features to run all the time at lower power, so you can say “Hey Siri,” without the iPhone needing to be plugged in.
In the wake of “Bendgate” with the iPhone 6 lineup, Apple said the 6s models have Retina HD displays “made from the strongest glass on any smartphone and 7000 series aluminum, the same alloy used in the aerospace industry.”
If you need more cloud storage, meanwhile, Apple has new iCloud plans: 50GB for 99 cents per month, 200GB for $2.99 per month, and 1TB for $9.99 per month.
The phones arrive first in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S.
Also today, Apple showed off the new iPad Pro and updated Apple TV.
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