iPhone 6S

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iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
IPhone 6s Logo.svg
IPhone 6S Rose Gold.png
iPhone 6S in Rose Gold
Brand Apple Inc.
Slogan "The only thing that’s changed is everything."[1]
Generation 9th
Compatible networks GSM, CDMA, 3G, EVDO, HSPA+, LTE/4G, LTE Advanced/4G+
First released September 25, 2015; 14 months ago (2015-09-25)
Units sold 13 million in launch weekend
Predecessor iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
Successor iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
Related iPhone SE
Type Smartphone (iPhone 6S)
Phablet (iPhone 6S Plus)
Form factor Slate
Dimensions 6S:
138.3 mm (5.44 in) H
67.1 mm (2.64 in) W
7.1 mm (0.28 in) D
6S Plus:
158.2 mm (6.23 in) H
77.9 mm (3.07 in) W
7.3 mm (0.29 in) D
Weight 6S: 143 g (5.0 oz)
6S Plus: 192 g (6.8 oz)
Operating system Original: iOS 9.0
Current: iOS 10.2, released December 12, 2016 (2016-12-12)
System on chip Apple A9
CPU 1.85 GHz dual-core 64-bit ARMv8-A[2][3] "Twister"
GPU PowerVR GT7600 (hexa-core) [4][5]
Memory 2 GB LPDDR4 RAM[6][7]
Storage 16, 32, 64, or 128 GB SK Hynix TLC NAND connected via NVMe[8]
Battery

6S: 3.82 V 6.55 W·h (1715 mA·h) Li-Po[7][9][10] 150 min charge time for an average of 8h 15 min use[11]

6S Plus: 3.8 V 10.45 W·h (2750 mA·h) Li-Po[12] 165 min charge time for an average of 9h 11 min use[13]
Display 6S: 4.7 in (120 mm) Retina HD, LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1334 × 750 pixel resolution (326 ppi) with Dual Ion Exchange strengthened glass and 3D Touch
6S Plus: 5.5 in (140 mm) Retina HD, LED-backlit IPS LCD, 1920 × 1080 pixel resolution (401 ppi), 500 cd/m2 max. brightness (typical), with Dual Ion Exchange strengthened glass and 3D Touch
Rear camera Sony Exmor RS IMX315 12 MP (1.22 μm), true-tone flash, autofocus, IR filter, Burst mode, f/2.2 aperture, 4K video recording at 30 fps or 1080p at 30 or 60 fps, Slow-motion video (1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps), Timelapse with stabilization, Panorama (up to 63 megapixels), Facial recognition, Digital image stabilization, Optical image stabilization (6S Plus only)
Front camera 5 MP, Burst mode, f/2.2 aperture, Exposure control, Face detection, Auto-HDR, 720p HD video recording, Retina flash
Sound Mono speaker, 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
Connectivity [14] [14]
Hearing aid compatibility M3, T4
Website www.apple.com/iphone-6s/

The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus (stylized as iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus) are smartphones designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. The devices were announced on September 9, 2015, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco by Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook,[15] and went on sale on September 25, 2015.[16] The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus jointly serve as successors to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus of 2014 and were the flagship devices of the iPhone series until September 7, 2016, when they were replaced by the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.[17]

The iPhone 6S has a similar design to the 6 but updated hardware, including a strengthened chassis and upgraded system-on-chip, a 12-megapixel camera, improved fingerprint recognition sensor, and LTE Advanced support. The iPhone 6S also introduces a new hardware feature known as "3D Touch", which enables pressure-sensitive touch inputs.

The iPhone 6S set a new first-weekend sales record, selling 13 million models, up from 10 million for the iPhone 6 in the previous year.[18][19][20]

Specifications[edit]

Hardware[edit]

iPhone 6S is nearly identical in design to iPhone 6. In response to the "bendgate" design flaws of the previous model, changes were made to improve the durability of the chassis; the 6S was constructed from a stronger, 7000 series aluminum alloy,[21] "key points" in the rear casing were strengthened, and touchscreen Integrated circuits were re-located to the display assembly.[21] Alongside the existing gold, silver, and space gray options, a new rose gold color option was also introduced.[22]

iPhone 6S is powered by the Apple A9 system-on-chip, which the company stated is up to 70% faster than Apple A8, and has up to 90% better graphics performance.[22] iPhone 6S has 2 GB of RAM, more than any previous iPhone,[6] and also supports LTE Advanced.[21] The Touch ID sensor on the 6S was also updated, with the new version having improved fingerprint scanning performance over the previous version.[23]

While the capacities of their batteries are slightly smaller, Apple rates iPhone 6S and 6S Plus as having the same average battery life as their respective predecessors.[24] The A9 system-on-chip was dual-sourced from TSMC and Samsung. Although it was speculated that the Samsung version had worse battery performance than the TSMC version, multiple independent tests have shown there is no appreciable difference between the two chips.[25][26] Although the device is not promoted as such, the iPhone 6S has a degree of water resistance because of a change to its internal design, which places a silicone seal around components of the logic board to prevent them from being shorted by accidental exposure to water.[27]

Their displays are the same sizes as those of the iPhone 6, coming in 4.7-inch 750p and 5.5-inch 1080p (Plus) sizes. The iPhone 6S features a technology known as 3D Touch; sensors are embedded in the screen's backlight layer that measure the firmness of the user's touch input by the distance between it and the cover glass, allowing the device to distinguish between normal and more forceful presses. 3D Touch is combined with a Taptic Engine vibrator to provide associated haptic feedback.[28] Although similar, this is distinct from the Force Touch technology used on the Apple Watch and Retina MacBook, as it is more sensitive and can recognize more levels of touch pressure than Force Touch.[29][30] Due to the hardware needed to implement 3D Touch, the iPhone 6S is heavier than its predecessor.[31]

iPhone 6S features a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, an upgrade from the 8-megapixel unit on previous models, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It can record 4K video, as well as 1080p video at 60 and now 120 frames per second.[32][33]

iPhone 6S and 6S Plus were originally offered in models with 16, 64, and 128 GB of internal storage. Following the release of iPhone 7 in September 2016, the 16 and 64 GB models were dropped, and replaced by a new 32 GB option.[34] For improved storage performance, iPhone 6S utilizes NVM Express (NVMe), resulting in a maximum average read speed of 1,840 megabytes per second.[8][35]

Software[edit]

See also: iOS, iOS 9, and iOS 10

iPhone 6S ships with iOS 9; the operating system leverages the 3D Touch hardware to allow recognition of new gestures and commands, including "peeking" at content with a light touch and "popping" it into view by pressing harder,[28] and accessing context menus with links to commonly used functions within apps with harder presses on home screen icons.[28] The camera app's "Retina Flash" feature allows the display's brightness to be used as a makeshift flash on images taken with the front camera, while "Live Photos" captures a short video alongside each photo taken.[21][33]

Reception[edit]

The Verge described the 6S, in particular the Plus model, as "right now the best phone on the market...There just aren't other companies that can roll out a feature like 3D Touch and make it work in a way that suggests the creation of entirely new interface paradigms, and every other phone maker needs to figure out exactly why Apple's cameras are so consistent before they can really compete." [36] The Guardian commented that the phone "has the potential to be the best smaller smartphone on the market, but its short battery life is deeply frustrating" and described the camera as "not leagues ahead of the competition anymore."[37]

The Register praised performance, noting that "we’re now using phones with the performance of current PCs," but described 3D Touch as "just a glorified vibrator" and "no good...it's not binary...and you still don’t know quite what’s going to happen until you try."[38] AnandTech awarded the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus its second ever Editor's Choice Gold Award for a phone, based largely on the phone's performance and the addition of 3D Touch.[39] An additional topic noted by journalists around the same time has been the better rate of security updates on iPhones compared to Android phones, with 90 percent of Android phones running insecure and outdated versions.[40]

Record launch sales[edit]

On the Monday following the iPhone 6S' launch weekend, Apple announced that they had sold 13 million models, a record-breaking number that exceeded the 10 million launch sales of the iPhone 6 in 2014.[18][19][20]

First ever iPhone sales decline[edit]

In the months following the launch of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple saw its first ever quarterly year-over-year decline in iPhone sales,[41][42] attributed to a saturated smartphone market in Apple's biggest sales countries and consumers in developing countries not buying iPhones.[43]

Hardware issues[edit]

Unexpected battery shutdowns[edit]

In November 2016, Apple announced that a "very small number" of iPhone 6S devices manufactured between September and October 2015 have faulty batteries that unexpectedly shut down. While Apple did note the battery problems were "not a safety issue", it did announce a battery replacement program for affected devices. Customers with affected devices, which span "a limited serial number range", were able to check their device's serial number on Apple's website, and, if affected, receive a battery replacement free of charge at Apple Stores or authorized Apple Service Providers.[44][45][46]

In December 2016, Apple revealed new details about the issue, stating that the affected devices contained a "battery component that was exposed to controlled ambient air longer than it should have been before being assembled into battery packs". The statement also said that customers "outside of the affected range" may also experience unexpected shutdowns, though clarifying that some shutdowns can occur under "normal conditions" because the iPhone tries to "protect its electronics". Apple also said that an upcoming update to the iOS operating system will include additional diagnostic tools to help Apple find more information about different kinds of battery issues.[47][48][49]

Timeline of models[edit]

IPhone 7 IPhone 7 IPhone SE IPhone 6S IPhone 6S IPhone 6 IPhone 6 IPhone 5S IPhone 5C IPhone 5 IPhone 4S IPhone 4 IPhone 3GS IPhone 3G IPhone (1st generation)
Sources: Apple press release library[50]


References[edit]

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  2. ^ "iPhone 6s customer receives her device early, benchmarks show a marked increase in power". iDownloadBlog. September 21, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015. 
  3. ^ "A9's CPU: Twister - The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review". AnandTech. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015. 
  4. ^ "iPhone 6S Review". GSM Arena. October 2015. 
  5. ^ "Apple A9 / PowerVR GT7600". NotebookCheck. September 2015. 
  6. ^ a b Cunningham, Andrew (September 14, 2015). "Xcode's iOS simulator reports 2GB RAM for iPhone 6S, 4GB for iPad Pro". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 14, 2015. 
  7. ^ a b "iPhone 6s Teardown". iFixit. Retrieved September 25, 2015. 
  8. ^ a b Tokar, Les (October 4, 2015). "iPhone 6S Uses NVMe Storage – Performance Determined By Capacity". The SSD Review. p. 1. Retrieved February 14, 2016. 
  9. ^ Sumram, Husain (September 9, 2015). "Apple's 3D Touch Video Confirms 1715 mAh iPhone 6s Battery". MacRumors. Retrieved September 11, 2015. 
  10. ^ "Apple iPhone 6s Teardown". Teardown. Retrieved 26 September 2016. 
  11. ^ Google Nexus 5X battery life test results are out
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  13. ^ iPhone 6s Plus posts excellent battery life, matches the Galaxy Note5 to the minute
  14. ^ a b "iPhone 6s specs". Apple. Retrieved September 12, 2015. 
  15. ^ Ben Fox Rubin; Shara Tibken (September 9, 2015). "Apple unveils iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, aiming to tighten grip on high-end smartphones". CNET. Retrieved December 21, 2016. 
  16. ^ Matt Elliott (September 25, 2015). "How and where to buy the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus". CNET. Retrieved December 21, 2016. 
  17. ^ Dan Seifert (September 7, 2016). "iPhone 7 and 7 Plus announced with water resistance, dual cameras, and no headphone jack". The Verge. Retrieved December 21, 2016. 
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  21. ^ a b c d Moynihan, Tim (September 9, 2015). "You Can't See the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus' Biggest Changes". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved September 12, 2015. 
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  27. ^ "Apple's Clever Tech Makes the iPhone 6s Nearly Waterproof". Wired. Retrieved 3 October 2015. 
  28. ^ a b c Tyrangiel, Josh (September 9, 2015). "How Apple Built 3D Touch". Bloomberg News. Retrieved September 12, 2015. 
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  32. ^ Dent, Steve (September 9, 2015). "Apple's iPhone 6s camera makes a huge leap in quality". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved September 12, 2015. 
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  50. ^ Apple Inc. (2004-2016). Press Release Library. Retrieved April 6, 2016.

External links[edit]

Preceded by
iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus		 iPhone 6S / iPhone 6S Plus
9th generation		 Succeeded by
iPhone 7 / iPhone 7 Plus
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=IPhone_6S&oldid=756431468"