
The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review - IBM
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9686/the-apple-iphone-6s-and-iphone-6s-plus-review
======
jbk
> In light of these factors, I would give the iPhone 6s line the Editors’
> Choice Gold award. I believe that the criteria for this award is such that a
> product is not only one of the best in its category and an extremely good
> product in a vacuum, but pushes the smartphone user experience forward in
> significant ways.

That's quite an endorsement, that is quite rare from Anandtech, if I've been
following correctly.

I'm not always a huge fan of the iPhone, but I have to say that, after testing
the 6S, it's really tempting.

~~~
glasshead969
> That's quite an endorsement, that is quite rare from Anandtech, if I've been
> following correctly.

The last smartphone to get a similar endorsement was HTC One M7.

~~~
massysett
I had a One M7. I bought it largely because it promised good low light camera
performance. My phone was one of many with a flaw that cast a purple haze on
low light photos, rendering it nearly useless in low light. Foolishly I waited
awhile in hopes that a software update would fix it.

HTC offered some sort of replacement program but that would require me to go
without a phone for weeks.

Eventually Verizon sent me a replacement unit whose camera was even worse. I
decided my next phone would be an iPhone. I now have the 6 Plus and it's the
best point and shoot camera I've ever had, period (even counting standalone
cameras.) If something goes wrong with the phone I know I can go to an Apple
retail store and get it fixed or replaced immediately, not in weeks.

~~~
tw04
I've got an iphone 6 for work, and an S6 edge for personal use. I can say with
confidence that the Samsung camera is better. However I will say they're close
enough, and they're both so far ahead of the pack, that you could flip a coin.

~~~
cloudwalking
Blind testing swings the other way: [http://www.androidauthority.com/blind-
camera-shootout-winner...](http://www.androidauthority.com/blind-camera-
shootout-winner-650299/)

Taste is subjective, I have no doubt you like the Samsung more. But
subjectively, on average, people like iPhone photos more often than they like
Android photos.

~~~
nothrabannosir
_It turned out to be quite a close-run race between the iPhone 6S and the
Galaxy Note 5 for the title but Apple’s latest just beat Samsung’s latest with
38.2 and 34.1 percent of the 7810 votes respectively._

On an internet poll. When the results are this close, details matter. Not to
mention there are no Android photos, only Samsung, Nokia, &c. And even then,
different models.

Not saying you're wrong (I think you're right). But if you're going to quote
something, choose a believable source that sustains your point, not a dodgy
one that almost refutes it.

~~~
467568985476
Both of these phones have great cameras, but they don't hold a candle to the
performance of even crop sensor entry level DSLRs and mirrorless bodies. It
seems pointless to me to split hairs over picture quality between two strong
options when anyone who _seriously_ cares about pixel peeping wouldn't use a
smartphone for photography in the first place

~~~
Bud
This is just plainly false. There are now serious photographers and movie-
makers using the iPhone for serious photography. A lot of them.

~~~
467568985476
I think you misunderstand me... I'm not making a judgement about the art
produced with any device. The art of photography is only tangentially related
to camera gear quality. I'm saying that comparing smartphone camera quality at
the high end is an exercise in futility since these cameras are designed to be
pretty good general purpose point and shoots, and they both clearly accomplish
that.

Ultimately, smartphone cameras have very small sensors, so their "technical"
performance (the pixel peeping I mentioned) is inherently inferior to that of
larger format cameras.

~~~
massysett
And a semi truck carries more cargo than a Camry. So what? It may be true that
typical flagship phones have comparable photo quality. That's a valid point.
But throwing in the old "but an SLR is better than any phone" trope has
nothing to do with typical flagship phones having comparable cameras. Since a
typical phone customer has no interest in carrying around a dedicated camera
with a huge sensor, it makes no difference how performant the large camera is,
just like a Camry buyer does not care that a used U-Haul truck would have so
much more cargo capacity.

------
humbleMouse
I don't like the iphone 6 line. They are too big. I bike and run with my phone
all the time and don't like having a clunker strapped to my arm. I got rid of
the 6 and got a 5c and I like it way more. Just as fast as an iphone6 and 1/3
the price. By just as fast, I mean for normal use - not playing games and
using crazy apps (which I don't do)

~~~
gamegoblin
I recently downgraded from a 6 to a 5S almost entirely over size issues. If my
thumb cannot reach the url bar of the browser and all of the keyboard without
repositioning my hand, the phone is too big.

I know on the 6 you can double tap the home key to bring the screen down, but
that is a bandaid. I also found the double tap unresponsive sometimes, often
having to try two or three times, in which time I could have just repositioned
my hand.

To me, the 5 is near the optimal smartphone size.

~~~
mikeyouse
> If my thumb cannot reach the url bar of the browser and all of the keyboard
> without repositioning my hand, the phone is too big.

I know this isn't the question you asked and you've already moved on, but for
others, there is a way around this problem on the iPhone. If you 'soft tap'
the home button twice, the entire display shifts down about 3 inches.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3CTKI6pRlQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3CTKI6pRlQ)

~~~
hartator
> I know on the 6 you can double tap the home key to bring the screen down,
> but that is a bandaid. I also found the double tap unresponsive sometimes,
> often having to try two or three times, in which time I could have just
> repositioned my hand.

I think he already know that, and I kind of agree.

~~~
mikeyouse
Ah good call, I missed that part of his description.

------
vbezhenar
I wonder, how many years iPhone 6S will be able to stay relevant. For example
iPhone 4S started lagging on iOS 7. While it's certainly usable on iOS 9, it
feels as an old and underpowered device.

If you have powerful computer from 2010, it'll happily run Windows 10 and
almost any application, including almost any game in medium (or even high)
mode. I wonder, whether this race on mobile platform will continue or iPhone
6S will be able to run iOS 15 without any lags?

On an unrelated note, I really don't understand, why iOS 9 (actually iOS 7+)
is so slow on iPhone 4S. I was able to run powerful 3D games on that phone.
Like a lot of shaders, triangles, special effects, and so on. This phone
actually has good enough GPU. Why simple sliding animation could lag? Why
opening "Settings" app takes few seconds? That's crazy. Probably there are
good technical reasons for that, but I just don't understand, what they could
be. Sometimes I think that there is intentional performance bottlenecks for
old phones, so people would want to buy a new ones. I has the chance to
compare iOS 6 and iOS 8/9 on the same phone, and difference is huge.

~~~
andy_ppp
Built in obsolescence?

~~~
davnicwil
Almost certainly. I try really hard to be as un-cynical as possible about
this, but there's a great quote I heard from someone smart whose name I can't
recall right now - _economics is incentives all the way down_ \- and it
applies perfectly here I think.

What possible incentive could any phone manufacturer have to build a phone
that significantly over-lasts the rough 2 year cycle that their bulk buyers,
i.e the networks, sell the phones on?

That's not rhetorical, I'm really asking - does anyone know of any?

~~~
aljones
Seems obvious that displeasing your customer is more likely to send them to a
competitor than pleasing them.

~~~
davnicwil
Is it obvious?

What if you displease them in one way, by making older phones have a limited
lifespan, but redress that by pleasing them enough to make the difference in
other ways, for example by developing newer phones with superior features that
get them excited enough not to care so much about the shortcomings of the old
model (shortcomings which wouldn't necessarily be as apparent if the phone had
a longer lifespan)?

Might it then be the best strategy to displease your customers on purpose, and
accept the negative impact of that since it's also contributing to a wider
goal of selling more phones and making more profit?

~~~
mturmon
Above, you wondered about "what possible incentive" there could be against
obsolescence, and said you weren't being rhetorical, you really wanted to
know.

@aljones gives such an incentive.

Now, you try to cook up particular parameter values under which this reasoning
would not apply ("what if you displease them in one way..."). What is the
point of this?

~~~
davnicwil
Sorry, with respect I don't really understand your criticism.

I asked for incentives because I'm not aware of any strong ones, aljones
replied with what they thought was such an incentive. But, am I obliged to
agree? If I disagree, should I not point this out and continue the discussion
in a constructive manner?

Additionally, _cook up particular parameter values_ \- I don't understand what
you mean - we are talking specifically about the 2 year lifecycle of a phone,
and the manufacturers' incentives for keeping it as such - I didn't bring that
in out of nowhere, that's what we were originally talking about!

------
mixmastamyk
Wow, thanks anandtech, I didn't know about the 3d touch on the keyboard to
enable the "trackpad cursor mode." That should double my text input speed when
I make a mistake (often) while being much less annoying than the old way
(touch/wait/magnifying glass/retry).

I've felt ambivalent about 3d touch until now.

Now if I could get a dark UI theme on it my last gripe would go away. (No,
negative is not good enough ;)

~~~
guelo
It's the same issue as long-press, it can be super useful when you know about
it but it's just not discoverable.

~~~
mixmastamyk
I've found not only is it faster (no waiting and no necessary hand movement),
but I'm more accurate, maybe because my finger isn't in the way. Often with
the mag. glass I have to do it more than once to get the insertion point
right. The feature a minor revolution.

You're right, wish it could be more discoverable, but now that I know, am very
happy.

------
nicholas73
The iPhone 6s Plus I have is a wonderful phone, but I can't help but feel that
Apple is losing some of it's perfection. There are some obvious UI annoyances
that are present.

Such as, the Plus is a large phone so you most often open it with the phone
tilted somehow, giving you landscape mode. It does not easily revert to the
upright state without juggling it around, nor is there an option to not go
landscape on the home screen only (seriously who needs that?). It's not even
in the settings menu to disable rotation entirely - you have to find it in the
pull up menu.

Another gripe I have is that all the pull up and down menus also trigger when
you don't want it. The screen has gotten really sensitive, which is great, but
there are lots of unintended effects now.

A fanatical user running the company wouldn't have overlooked this.

~~~
CamperBob2
What drives me nuts about my 6s is the way they moved the power button from
the top of the phone to the opposite (long) side as the volume buttons. This
_guarantees_ that I cannot pull the phone out of my pocket without hitting one
button or another inadvertently, and also makes it likely that the button I
press first will be a volume button rather than the power button I wanted.

I'd like to grab the iPhone's product designer by his or her (designer) lapel
and make one thing very clear: _I should not have to look at my phone in order
to turn it on, or to orient it for use._

This stuff should be obvious basic ergonomics, but ever since they released
the infamous iPhone 4 with its perfectly symmetrical surfaces, they've always
felt compelled to do at least one minor but annoying thing wrong. My previous
iPhone 5 was a nice exception, but like its predecessors, it was just too
small.

Gotta love all these First World problems, I suppose.

~~~
gareim
"Just avoid holding it that way." \- Steve Jobs

EDIT: Interesting. Watching the votes go up and then down makes me think that
half of the people do not appreciate my comment. In that case, I feel like I
should elaborate.

If the phone is in your pocket, then reaching in has two options. One is
wrapping your hand around the sides and the other is a pinch on the front +
back. With OP's button pressing issue, I think it's more likely to be
wrapping.

I personally don't see how it would be a problem even with wrapping, unless
you're used to squeezing hard, but it can be remedied easily by putting the
phone in so that the home button is oriented top side. That also brings along
the benefits of being unable to unlock quickly and allowing you to listen to
music without straining your headphone jack as much.

If Apple had kept the home button on the top, there would be more complaints.
A top button is hard to reach, especially on the new, taller iPhones. It was
already a complaint when the iPhone 5 form factor was released. Having to
reach up to lock makes your grip on the phone a bit more tenuous. Combined
with exerting a downward force cause you're pressing the home button, dropping
an iPhone becomes more likely.

Frankly, this is the first complaint I've seen directed towards a side power
button. For right handed users (sorry, lefties), the button is easily
accessible to the thumb now. There's less balancing required to lock the
phone. I've only seen reviews that were upset at top home buttons on big
phones (HTC One series), never ones about side power buttons.

~~~
CamperBob2
_EDIT: Interesting. Watching the votes go up and then down makes me think that
half of the people do not appreciate my comment._

I don't agree with your assertion that a top button is more awkward, even on
the larger phones, but I wouldn't moderate anyone down for saying so. But
you've got to consider how many Apple users, fans, and even employees are
probably reading a site like this one. They may not have the time or
motivation or even the ability to articulate a rational rebuttal to a critical
comment, but the good ol' downvote button is only a click away. Can't take it
too personally.

And speaking of usability facepalms, there's also the wonderful HN up/down
button layout to contend with. I don't always hit the arrow I'm aiming at with
an optical mouse, much less a finger on a touchscreen. I think those buttons
amount to some kind of obscure hazing ritual or inside joke on YC's part; they
can't be that obtusely-designed on purpose.

------
firloop
Link to all content on one page: [http://www.anandtech.com/print/9686/the-
apple-iphone-6s-and-...](http://www.anandtech.com/print/9686/the-apple-
iphone-6s-and-iphone-6s-plus-review)

------
bad_user
I'm mostly an Android user and now I have an iPhone 6s, received as a gift -
this is actually the third iPhone I'm receiving as a gift, the first one was a
3GS. I like the hardware, the phone, its size. I like how polished it feels. I
really like the photos it takes. But I consider Android's software to be
superior. Others might disagree, but I have many reasons for why I prefer
Android and I think iOS is falling further and further behind.

~~~
shostack
Totally agree.

Tried an iPhone 6 and switched back to my Nexus 4 after a week because the
notifications were driving me nuts compared to Android.

I have three different email accounts, and unless I used the native Mail app
(which I hate), the Gmail app would show all of the individual email
notifications on a separate row combined across all accounts. My notifications
quickly became useless. On Android, they are rolled up into an accordion
grouped by account, so I have three separate mail notifications, and I can
long hold on them to see the top few email subject lines at a glance. SO much
better.

There also didn't seem to be a way to have more visibility into the
notifications on the lock screen the way you do on Android.

Lastly, lack of widgets.

I guess I'm one of the rare power users who cares more about the OS and the
interface than the apps.

Oddly enough, I have an iPad 2 that I use as a browsing/media/reading/gaming
device around the house and I love it for that. I almost NEVER check email on
it because I usually have my phone in my pocket and that is just easier.

\--EDIT-- Not sure why I got downvoted for stating my opinion for why I prefer
Android. iOS does some things really well, and I happen to like the Android
way for other things. Different strokes for different folks. But apparently
saying anything negative about iOS is not acceptable...

~~~
oldmanjay
I'm not sure how much this plays in, but to my eye, your comment adds nothing
to the discussion. Your personal preference isn't interesting in context.

To be fair, I can't imagine a context where I would find your preferences to
be interesting (on HN, that is) so I could be wrong. I didn't vote on your
comment in any case.

------
watmough
I am about to go read the article, but after owning a 6s+ for the past couple
weeks, I will give a few impressions first:

    
    
      * Very very very large (this is a big-ass phone),
      * Very very very very fast,
      * Some good options in the UI for heavier Mac style 'fuzzy' text,
      * Battery life is barely dented after a typical day of surfing and texting occasionally at work,
      * Phone is 'slippery' and I have to use a special grip, wrapping fingers around it to hold it securely,
      * Camera is fantastic, with people asking me 'what lens' are you using, assuming I'm on my Nikon SLR,
      * Fingerprint unlocking is here, and works perfectly.
    

All in all, it's an incredible leap from the iPhone 4S I had before. $900+ is
a LOT for a phone though.

~~~
IkmoIkmo
> $900+ is a LOT for a phone though.

Absolutely, but also, sort of not. After all, you'd want a decent phone, that
sets you back say around $200 nowadays. The $700 then is really the premium
you're paying.

Now you mentioned the 4S. It's still worth $100, whereas the resale value on a
$200, 4 years later, is probably pretty much zero in comparison.

So now you're paying a $150 premium per year for the top of the line phone.
Per month it'd be about $12.50 to have the latest tech instead of say the Moto
G (sweet entry level phone).

Is that excessive or a lot? Well if you're earning a few k a month and you're
on your phone 10% of the time, not really. Comparing it to say the cost of
your car, your food (a $12.50 lunch), your entertainment (a $12.50 movie
ticket) etc, puts it into perspective.

Anyway don't get me wrong, I'm on an iPhone 4 myself haha. I just don't have a
need right now and raised on little, $12.50 is substantial when your
disposable income is near zero, so I totally get it's a lot. But for a large
portion of Americans who are on their phone a lot, the cost-benefit for this
purchasing decision is tremendously positive.

Isn't the base model $750 btw instead of $900? Pretty sure it was. Of course
you'd need to buy a plan as well.

------
vxNsr
It's funny because despite most of this review going into very grimy detail
about chipsets and transistor sizes and such (and other things which I
honestly didn't understand) most of the comments are no different than what
one would see on a less in-depth review from theverge, arstechnica or yahoo
tech news.

I find it fascinating that Apple was able to get their process down to 14nm
using the so called "3D process" up until now I really didn't understand why
the qualcomm 810 was having so much trouble, now it makes a lot more sense.

------
kenjackson
How big of a difference is the camera on the 6s without OIS versus the 6s plus
with OIS? I can't really notice a difference in the low light pictures on the
site.

I take a lot of pictures, but I'm not someone who dives into the details (jpg
is fine for me... never even considered RAW). I prefer the 6s form factor, but
don't want to end up with a bunch of blurry pictures that would be clear if I
would have gotten a 6s Plus.

~~~
nbarAKL
Unless you're taking video very often, there's no difference. I take a lot of
photos, and I found the smaller form factor of the 6S outweighed any small
improvements on the larger handset.

~~~
MBCook
The only other place you may notice it is in low light.

I've seen some of the videos with OIS and it is QUITE noticeably more stable.

------
xixi77
Regarding battery life TSMC vs. Samsung chips, the link given in the other
article
([http://browser.primatelabs.com/battery3/search?dir=desc&page...](http://browser.primatelabs.com/battery3/search?dir=desc&page=1&q=iPhone8&sort=score))
seems quite conclusive -- sorting by score, ratings in both 6s+ and 6s are
clearly dominated by TSMC (motherboards without an "m").

This is of course as Apple states a fairly narrow and not necessarily
representative test; but if I ever decide to upgrade from my 5s to 6s, I think
I know which one I would want :)

Now, I'm not quite sure upgrade would be a good idea -- 5s seems snappy
enough, and size does bother me quite a bit. On the other hand, I just noticed
claims improved water resistance --
[http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/02/iphone-6s-waterproof](http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/02/iphone-6s-waterproof)
\-- that make me seriously consider getting one...

------
oxide
Am I naive for thinking the iPhone cost less than $600? I don't know what I
thought it might have cost, I've never been interested enough to go looking.
I...just might have expected it to be less than the PC upgrades I occasionally
fantasize about.

I'm a bit happier with the price/performance ratio of my much, much too old
smartphone after seeing that price tag.

------
chenster
I love my iphone 6+, it's just too big for my hands. The double-swipedown on
home button couldn't fully eliminate the need to use both hands in order to
get to a screen spot. The regular 4.7" should be perfect.

------
jaimex2
Why is this on HN?

~~~
chambo622
HN is for "anything that good hackers would find interesting" [1]. Out of all
possible articles to ask "why," I'm puzzled why this one - a deep technical
review about a device that many HN users use and/or develop software for -
strikes you as not fitting this criteria.

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html](https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html)

------
madez
If it only were hardware that worked for me and not for Apple if I bought it.

