iPhone 6s plus review

You asked for it and today you get it. A technical blog post and review by Pete Foster. We both got our new iPhone 6s plus(s) on Friday and he spent the weekend playing with his so that you could have a true assessment today. And let me assure you, he had so much fun!

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions.  Enjoy!  xoxo- Tanya

iPhone 6s Plus review

As you undoubtedly know by now, the NEW IPHONES ARE HERE! The big day was last Friday, which is when I received mine. I’ve had a few days to play with my new 6s Plus, and I love it. My last phone was an iPhone 6 Plus, so I wasn’t sure if the upgrade was worth it, but let me tell you, it was. As far as any of you who have an iPhone 5s (or less) – what are you waiting for?

My list of improvements from the 6 Plus to the model 6s Plus is quite impressive and the specs (don’t worry, I’ll translate later) include: Hardware stuff – A faster main chip (processor), twice as much RAM, a faster, integrated GPU, a faster, integrated Motion processor, stronger aluminum case and stronger glass, upgraded Bluetooth, faster Wi-Fi and faster LTE cellular and finally a better vibrator. The camera is really improved with a 12MP forward facing and a 5 MP selfie camera, a selfie flash, 4K video, slo-motion upgrade, faster focusing, Live Photo and a panoramic selfie. Special features include 3-D touch screen, always-on “Hey Siri”, unique IOS 9.0 features, and faster, more accurate Touch ID (fingerprint access).

So what does all this mean to you? Well, the cameras are really the most meaningful improvement – the best in 5 years! So if you take a lot of pictures or selfies, this is very, very big. Other cameras have more megapixels, but Apple’s camera is a great integration of pixels and other light processing features to give a superb picture compared to the rest of the field of smart phones. If you take video, the optical image stabilization of the Plus model and 4K – the high-definition of HDTV – many of the new flat screens are 4K – sets 6s video way ahead of everyone else. Also, the selfie flash is great for low light situations… and there’s a 67% improvement in the resolution of this camera. Finally there is also an important innovation in picture-taking – Live Photo. With Live Photo, 1.5 seconds of video and sound is recorded before and after you snap the photo. It gives you context to a still photo and is potentially so important that it is being integrated into Instagram and Facebook right now! You can also now put motion (video) into your background “wallpaper”, but I have not tried this.

Thanks to the new hardware, the whole phone runs noticeably faster, with faster fingerprint recognition, faster applications, faster focusing, faster Wi-Fi (802.11a-c the latest Wi-Fi), and faster cellular LTE data. The new 3D-Touch is interesting, and will become almost necessary as more software is written to take advantage of it, but for right now, it’s a nice to have. I like the improved Bluetooth because I listen to music on Bluetooth speakers and this improves the connection. Check out the “Hey Siri” feature which allows you to start Siri listening without touching a button. Finally, I like the improved case because too many folks I know have bent the case or broken the glass.

I’d say this is a must have if you have anything older than an iPhone 6 and a great improvement over the 6.
Some tricks to use once you get your new iPhone: Have an Apple or wireless carrier salesperson set up your new phone for you. The directions for 6s setup on the Apple support site are just plain wrong. Also, if you set up your new phone using the “restore” method rather than the “set up a new phone” method, be sure to use the “reset all settings” once you have restored your backup to your new phone. It took me days to figure out that many of the new features are not turned on unless you do this. You can find this under Settings –> General –> Reset –> Reset All Settings, or, just say, “Hey Siri…where is reset all settings?” and the right page will open automatically.

Have Fun!!! Pete