Professional chemist explains why iPhone battery life may never reach 2-3 days

As Apple has continued to make the iPhone thinner and thinner with each passing generation, many users have voiced the opinion that they’d much rather have a thicker device with a bigger battery than a device on the verge of becoming impossibly thin. While Apple has undoubtedly increased the iPhone’s battery life over time, those advancements typically accompany a new form factor that allows for a bigger battery.

When Apple maintains the same form factor across generations, the leaps in battery life are more subtle. For instance, the battery life for video playback, Wi-Fi usage, audio playback, and 3G Internet usage on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s are exactly the same.

With the leap from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 6s, Apple did make a number of more noticeable battery life improvements, but many users still find themselves having to juice up more frequently then they would like.

With this as a backdrop, one has to wonder if people complaining about iPhone battery life is just a fact of life or if battery technology will ever advance to such an extent that complaints about battery life seem like a relic from a bygone era. Might we see a time in the near future where iPhone battery life is measured in days and not hours?

Tackling this issue, Dee Strand, the Chief Scientific Office at Wildcat Discovery Technologies, recently sat down for a Reddit AMA where she asked readers to ask her anything (anything at all!) about lithium ion battery technology.

Of course, it didn’t take long for someone to ask a question about the iPhone.

The posed question reads: “All I want to really know is when do you think my iPhone will be able to go a good 2-3 days of actually heavy daily use days before needing to be charged.”

Strand responded:

I love this question. First of all, I am not addressing any particular cell phone company or model – all answers are general trends. The answer may be never – as the definition of “heavy daily use” means many things. With every improvement in the battery, the cell phone company wants to add more features (and so do you – consumer demand drives more features). Bigger screen, brighter display, more apps, touch screen features, etc. All those great features are designed to work such that your phone can (hopefully) last a day with recharge overnight. The batteries will continue to get better, but the phone will continue to to [sic] get even better. Your current cell phone battery can last several days if you don’t use many of the features. On the other hand, if you really do have “heavy use,” it would be difficult for any phone to guarantee several days of charge.

It’s an interesting and rather astute answer. In fact, we’ve already seen it play out before on previous iPhone models. Battery technology isn’t stagnant, but it does move forward at a relatively measured pace. Over the years, as battery technology has improved, Apple has adorned the iPhone with more and more battery-draining features, from LTE support to the Retina Display originally introduced on the iPhone.

Looking forward, it stands to reason that any leaps in battery technology may be completely offset by crazy new technologies Apple incorporates into future iPhone models. If Apple strongly believes that 10-12 hours of usage is reasonable before needing to recharge, it’s a safe bet that Apple will focus more on the user experience than on squeezing out 2-3 days worth of battery life.

It’s important to note that multi-day battery life isn’t some far-fetched notion. Indeed, if battery life was the deciding factor in smartphone ownership, the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 would be the most popular device on the market.

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iPhone users plagued by Safari bug after updating to iOS 9.3

iPhone owners are reporting a mysterious bug in Safari after updating to Apple’s latest iOS 9.3 release. Some are finding that the browser freezes and crashes when they tap links on a webpage, and must be force-closed.

The issue is primarily affecting iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus owners, according to 9to5Mac — but has been experienced on older iPhones and some iPads, too. It is only appearing under the latest iOS 9.3 update that was rolled out last week.

Although the problem occurs mostly in Safari, it can also happen when opening links in other apps, including Messages, Mail, and Notes. Instead of taking users to a webpage, the app freezes and crashes, and must be force-closed from the app switcher.

In some instances, tapping the link does nothing at all, whereas tapping and holding causes the crash. The video below demonstrates the issue.

Apple is yet to respond to this problem, which hundreds of users have reported on its official Support Communities forum, and on social networks. Some say disabling JavaScript helps in Safari, but the problem persists in other apps, and there is no workaround just yet.

Apple has already had to rollout a second iOS 9.3 update after the original starting bricking older iPads, leaving users unable to activate them. Here’s to hoping there’s another fix for this issue soon.

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iPhone SE Review: Smaller Gets Smarter With Better Battery Life to Boot

Apple’s powerful new 4-inch iPhone has the size and battery performance that many have been waiting for

Most smartphones now come in two sizes—big and huge. Apple’s new iPhone SE is the first one made for everybody whose thumbs lack the wingspan of eagles.

The phone, which goes on sale Thursday, packs Apple’s best phone processor and camera into a width of just 2.3 inches. And it does it with significantly better battery life and Apple’s lowest-ever starting price, $399.

After years of the “phablet,” the small phone is back with a vengeance.

This is about more than fads—it’s about physiology. The iPhone SE is an acknowledgment that picking a smartphone should be like choosing shoes. Style and function are parts of the equation: You might not be caught dead without heels, but their fit and comfort matter. When you consider your phone, it matters how you’ll hold it, and where you’ll stash it.

The first time I held the iPhone SE, whose screen measures 4 inches diagonally, it felt comically tiny to my fingers and eyes, which are now accustomed to much more. I wouldn’t want to use it as my everyday phone, but as many as 20% of Americans would prefer a 4-inch phone. Apple says it sold 30 million older, slower (and cheaper) models at that size last year. Yet remarkably, no other major manufacturer offers a high-end phone at this size in the U.S.

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The iPhone SE, left, lasted two hours longer than the 6s, right, in a Wall Street Journal battery test. The compromise is the screen: The SE’s screen is smaller with fewer pixels, and it lacks the 3D Touch function.PHOTO: EMILY PRAPUOLENIS/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

The iPhone SE is a win for ergonomic choice, but Apple doesn’t score any points for originality. The new phone is nearly indistinguishable from the three-year-old iPhone 5s, which is a hair thicker and less pleasantly rounded than Apple’s more recent designs. (The SE even fits in most existing 5s cases.) The SE will come in Apple’s newer rose-gold hue, but it lacks design improvements you’ll find in Apple’s competitors, such as waterproofing and expandable storage.

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It’s almost as though Apple is transplanting new brains into old iPhone 5s bodies. (Apple isn’t literally doing that, though the concept does seem like it could be a big boon for the environment.)

On most important functions, the iPhone SE doesn’t disappoint. Its A9 processor, exactly the same one that’s in the iPhone 6s, zips through apps and the most graphically challenging mobile games. (By a test called GeekBench, it’s about 70% faster than the 5s.)

The 12-megapixel rear camera is capable of Apple’s Live Photos video trick, and performs admirably in most settings—though, like the iPhone 6s, it’s now bested in low-light shooting by Samsung’s new Galaxy S7. The iPhone SE even includes Apple Pay, so you can leave your wallet at home at least some of the time.

The standout news is battery life. Unlike many other recent Apple products, the iPhone SE’s is a significant improvement over its predecessors’. In my lab stress test, which cycles through websites with uniform screen brightness, the SE lasted 10 hours—more than two hours longer than both the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s, and nearly three hours longer than the Galaxy S7.

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The iPhone SE, top, is a bit thicker than the iPhone 6s, bottom. With its 4-inch screen, the SE is the same size as the old 5s. But it is much faster, and its battery life is longer. PHOTO: EMILY PRAPUOLENIS/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

The compromise you must accept for that performance is the SE’s screen, which is not only smaller but also packs in fewer pixels and noticeably less contrast than the iPhone 6s. It also isn’t pressure sensitive, so it can’t do Apple’s 3D Touch trick of popping up menus with a hard press of your finger.

Some people will be drawn to the SE for its price. At $399 without a contract—$250 less than its larger sibling—the iPhone SE might appeal to parents, corporations or people on a budget who are considering their first iPhone. But keep this in mind about the real cost: The 16 gigabytes of storage at that price is hardly sufficient to take advantage of all the latest apps and photo capabilities, let alone cover you for years into the future. If you want this phone, pay the Apple tax and get the 64GB version for $499.

The biggest reason you’d want this phone is because it’s a better size for your hand. So, in the absence of a shoe-measurement contraption for hands, how do you know the right size?

After consulting ergonomists and physical therapists, I can report there is some science to it. You must weigh three factors, all of them trade-offs:

What you can see. When it comes to productivity, bigger is better. The phablet trend was essentially chasing the ergonomic reality that we get more done—and even remember more of what we read—on larger screens. Larger phones also have larger virtual keyboards, and the largest phablets boast beefier batteries. The 25% difference in screen area between the iPhone 6s and iPhone SE could have an impact on your work.

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The iPhone SE is available in Apple’s newer rose-gold finish. PHOTO: EMILY PRAPUOLENIS/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

What your thumbs can reach. Most of us use thumbs to operate smartphones, but they vary considerably in reach. You can do a quick test in a store: Go to the drawing mode in the iPhone’s Notes app (or pull up a free Web drawing app such as Awwapp.com). Hold the phone with one hand and swoop your thumb like a windshield wiper. The arc that you draw defines what your thumb can comfortably reach. (You can also see how your thumbs measure up on different screen sizes in our online Journal Hand-o-Meter.)

What you can comfortably hold. The more your hands have to stretch, the more uncomfortable it becomes to grasp a phone—and the more likely you are to drop it. As a test, try holding your hand like you’re making the shape of a gun, and then gripping the phone between your index finger and thumb. If the iPhone SE fits more snugly in the knuckle closest to your palm, it’s likely a better match. (The outer knuckle works too, but it’s a less secure grip.) And don’t forget where you’re going to store your phone: People who insist on stuffing phones into tight jeans might want a smaller size; people who keep them in bags may not care.

I’m happy to see the iPhone SE, partly because I think that the world needs a small phone. A selection of them, truthfully. This is a mini, yet mighty, start.

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It's A Myth: Closing Apps Will Not Save Your iPhone Battery Life

That'll teach you to leave home without an iPhone charger. 

The Washington Post reports that an Apple exec has confirmed that there's no truth to the theory that closing open apps on your iPhone will prolong battery life. In fact, going in to shut down apps further drains the battery, since apps have to be reloaded later.

The revelation came in an email exchange between Apple Senior Vice President Craig Federighi and a customer named Caleb. Federighi confirmed that apps don't affect iPhone battery life when they're not active — they freeze when not in use. That differs from many Android phones, like the Samsung Galaxy, which do benefit from shutting down running apps. 

As the Post notes, disabling location services or the Background App Refresh feature can help you avoid battery depletion. 

Beyond that, the best solution may be to simply bite the bullet and start traveling with a charger. We'd never dream of asking you to stop using your camera as a mirror or reconsider cyber-tracking your Uber driver's every move.
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How to recover from iPhone update gone bad

Q. Ever since I upgraded my iPhone to iOS 9.2.1, it’s been acting crazy. It powers off when I don’t want it to, then won’t let me shut if off when I try. How do I shake it out of this?

A. The latest update to Apple’s mobile operating system landed poorly on the iPhone 5s of the friend who sent this e-mail. The symptoms included not just those shutdown snafus but also weird behavior with scrolling and typing that she charitably summed up as “lots of very funky stuff going on.”

To fix that, you should try doing the update the old-fashioned way--through Apple’s iTunes desktop software.

I know, iTunes is nobody’s favorite app from Apple these days. But it also retains the singular ability to perform a complete backup of a phone, down to its saved passwords, and then reload your apps, data and settings intact after restoring the system software to factory condition.

So either fire up your own Mac or PC or that of a friend -- you can also go to an Apple Store -- and plug your iPhone into it. Select the phone in iTunes and click the buttons to set up a backup to “This computer” and to encrypt it, then click “Back Up Now.”

You’ll have to set a password to protect that backup, but OS X will offer to remember that for you. I won’t scold you if you write down that password, as long as the paper involved isn’t a Post-It note stuck to the monitor of a computer other people use.

After the backup finishes, click the “Restore iPhone” button to have iTunes erase the device, install a clean copy of the latest version of iOS and then put back your own apps, data and settings. That should generally work; see, for example, this report on Apple’s tech-support forums of a successful resolution via this route.

If your iPhone has descended into a state in which it won’t even turn on, try its “Recovery Mode.” Plug it into the computer, then press and hold its Sleep/Wake and Home buttons until it restarts and then goes from displaying a white Apple logo to showing the iTunes icon.

At that point, iTunes will open a dialog asking if you’d like to “Update” or “Restore” the device. The first will put a clean copy of iOS onboard while preserving your stuff; the latter will wipe the phone first before reinstalling iOS, so you’d best have a backup handy.

If you can’t even get that to work, you can try putting the device into “DFU” (Device Firmware Update) mode, in which no part of iOS runs and iTunes sees it as a blanked device that can only be restored to factory settings. For help with the somewhat tricky sequence of button pushes that invokes DFU mode, see Rene Ritchie’s walkthrough at iMore.

What if you have an Android device that’s been misbehaving? In Google’s mobile operating system, you can restore a device to stock condition in the Settings app: Tap “Backup & reset,” then tap “Factory Data Reset.”

You can also invoke Android’s own recovery mode if the phone has become too unstable to let you navigate to that part of the Settings app, but the procedure involved varies by phone, so you’ll have to check the documentation for your own model. 

Android and iOS, however, stop resembling each other once you try to get your old data back in place. Although much of your information should be automatically synced to the cloud services of Google and others, a lot of app-specific data is not, which can leave you stuck with some tedious reconstruction of your settings.

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iPhone 7 concept imagines a game-changing dual camera system

One of the more intriguing features that we might see with this year’s iPhone 7 is a dual camera setup that features both a standard wide-angle lens camera and a secondary telephoto lens that would be capable to capturing zoomed-in pictures and videos. MacRumors’ videographer Matt Gonzalez has put together a terrific concept video that shows us just how cool it would be to have such a dual camera system on your iPhone and he draws on actual Apple patents to give us a realistic look at how it might be implemented.

In his concept, Gonzalez shows how Apple could let you see two different views on your iPhone at the same time — one from the standard camera and one from the zoomed-in camera. Unlike other phones on the market with dual-camera setups, the concept iPhone 7 camera would let you use them both simultaneously. Here’s a drawing from an Apple patent that shows what this could look like:

In theory, this kind of technology could help users put together some really impressive videos where they can use two different shots of something and have them transition into one another. So for instance, if you’re filming a baseball game, you can use the zoom-in camera to get a closeup shot of a batter and then switch to the regular camera once the batter hits the ball to get a better look at the whole field.

Check out MacRumors’ full concept video below to get a better idea of how this would work.

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How to use your iPhone's share button like a pro

One of the best features of your iPhone or iPad that you're probably not using is the share menu.

You know it — it's the strip of apps that appear when you tap the share button (the little square with the arrow erupting out of it) within an app. Introduced in iOS 8, the sharing system — which other apps can work with via a tool called "share sheets" — in iOS lets you send documents, URLs, photos and other files to other apps and services. The share icon (below) is available in a slew of core iOS apps and plenty of third-party apps, too.

SEE ALSO: How to get Siri to read you any webpage

And tons of apps include share-sheet support. But you might not know about it, because Apple keeps this power-user feature relatively hidden.

Here's how to get the most out of your iPhone's share button.

Going beyond the basics

Before iOS 8, iOS limited how you could share information and files between apps. If you were lucky, you could email or text a link some place else. But starting with iOS 8, Apple added support for third-party apps. Some apps really take advantage of the share sheet and can perform smart actions based on the type of document you want to share.

The iOS share button

By default, the sharing menu lets you share a URL, document or photo with Messages, Mail, and the Reminders app. You can also add the item you're sharing to the Notes app. Wouldn't it be great if you could put your favorite apps here, too?

You can, and here's how. Open an app with share-sheet support (we'll use Safari for our purpose) and tap the share button.

At the top of the screen, you'll see the apps already enabled and set up for sharing. Scroll all the way to the right until you select a button that says "More."

When you tap on this button, it'll open up a configuration menu to set up your share sheet.

Enabling and re-arranging apps

Tons of third-party apps support the iOS share system. When you open the "More" menu, you'll see every app that supports share sheets that's installed on your device.

There are toggles to turn support for an app on or off. This basically just determines whether an app will show up in your share sheet options or not.

Some apps such as Mail and Messages are always going to appear but you can turn-off support for other apps you might not use.

You can also arrange apps in the order you want to use them. This is especially useful if you have lots of apps with share sheet support installed.

Simply tap on the hamburger menu on the right hand side of screen and drag the app up or down to place it in the order you want it to appear.

Special features

Depending on the app, you can enable various functions in the share sheet, too.

As an example, I use the bookmarking service Pinboard. I have a bunch of different Pinboard clients installed for iOS (it's really hard to pick my favorite) and many of them have more than one share sheet option.

The app Pinner, for instance, has two share sheet options. One is simply a "Quick Pin," which will save the URL to my Pinboard quickly and without user interaction.

Pinner has two share sheet options. The second (Pinner) brings up a secondary window.

If I tap "Pinner," however, it opens up a secondary window where I can add a description for a link, tags and toggle whether I want the link to be saved publicly or privately.

App-specific shares

Different apps will have different default share options. For instance, in the Photos app on iOS, the share options are different than they are in Safari.

In Photos, you can choose to share to your iCloud Library and there are a host of third-party camera apps — including Snapchat — that support the share sheet, too.

You can also select and share text in apps such as Mail, Safari and Notes. This is especially useful if you want to add a snippet of text to a note or create a calendar entry based on something in an email.

The built-in Notes app has particularly great share-sheet support. You can add photos, text or a URL to an existing note or a new note, straight from the share sheet.

Apps with great share support

We'll be honest, there are a plethora of apps with great share support, but some really go a level beyond.

A few of our favorites include:

Pinterest — Works in multiple apps. In Safari, it'll even let you select the photo you want from a web page to share to your favorite board.

Snapchat — Share photos from your camera roll directly into Snapchat.

Slack — Slack is a must-have app for plenty of offices and the share extension lets you share text, photos or document directly into Slack.

Tumblr — Like Pinterest, Tumblr is an iOS app that tends to support the latest and greatest iOS features. Share support in Tumblr is robust and it works on web pages, with Apple Music and in Photos.

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iPhone 6 vs. iPhone 6s Buyer's Guide

Apple's smartphones have been released on a "tick-tock" cycle since 2008. The iPhone 6 lineup represented a "tick" year, which involved a complete design overhaul, while the iPhone 6s lineup was part of a "tock" year, which generally focused on camera and processor improvements, new features such as 3D Touch and Live Photos, and incremental refinements like faster Touch ID, LTE, and Wi-Fi. 


From a distance, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s lineups look and feel like virtually identical smartphones. It is true that both models share several attributes, but the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have many features that are not included on the year-older iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. So, which one should you choose to purchase or upgrade to? What about the rumored iPhone SE and iPhone 7? Let's take a closer look. 

Shared Features Between iPhone 6s and iPhone 6

Design

Apple fulfilled consumer demand for larger-screen smartphones with the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus, and it retained those sizes for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. If you prefer another screen size, the so-called 4-inch "iPhone SE" is expected to be announced at Apple's rumored March media event. All older iPhones released in 2013 or earlier also measure between 3.5" and 4" diagonally. 

Virtually all other design aspects of the larger iPhones are the same, including a unibody aluminum shell, 2.5D curved glass, round edges, pill-shaped volume buttons, circular speaker grilles, and more. Apple has always stuck with nearly identical designs for iPhone "S" models, including the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in 2008-09, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s in 2010-11, and iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s in 2012-13. 

iOS 9

iOS 9 is focused on intelligence and proactivity, enabling iOS devices to learn user habits and act on that information through app suggestions, notifications, and a customized "Siri Suggestions" interface populated with the user's favorite contacts and apps, nearby places, and relevant news stories. 

iOS 9 includes several new features and improvements beyond Proactive Siri and Search, including Apple News, Apple Maps transit routing, Notes checklists and sketches, app thinning, a simpler HomeKit setup process, under-the-hood battery life enhancements, built-in two-factor authentication, and more. 

Battery Life

The iPhone 6s has a 1715 mAh battery, which is smaller in capacity than the 1810 mAh battery that was in the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6s Plus has a 2750 mAh battery, also smaller in capacity than the 2915 mAh battery that was used in the iPhone 6 Plus. 

Apple may have used a smaller battery to make room for vital 3D Touch components in the new iPhones, both of which include a new part called a "Taptic Engine." The Taptic Engine provides haptic feedback for 3D Touch gestures and also powers the vibrations for alarms and notifications. 


Nevertheless, efficiency improvements introduced with the A9 chip and other performance enhancements have resulted in the two devices offering the same battery life as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. 

On paper, the iPhone 6s offers up to 14 hours of talk time, 10 days of standby time, 11 hours of video playback, 10 hours of Internet use on LTE. The iPhone 6s Plus offers 24 hours of talk time, 16 days of standby time, 14 hours of video playback, and 12 hours of Internet use on LTE. 

New Features Found Only in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

Faster A9 Chip with 2GB of RAM

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have a 64-bit Apple A9 chip with 2GB of RAM for up to 70% faster CPU performance and up to 90% faster graphics compared to the 64-bit A8 chip with 1GB of RAM in iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The upgrades result in apps opening slightly quicker and overall improved speed across iOS, apps, and games. 


Apple has also directly embedded the M9 motion coprocessor into the A9 chip for increased performance and efficiency. Both the iPhone 6's M8 and iPhone 6s's M9 connect to the accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, and barometer for fitness tracking, but only the M9 is efficient enough to detect audio input in the background for always-on "Hey Siri"functionality on iOS 9 or later. 

Improved Cameras with 4K Video

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have an upgraded 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera and 5-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera, compared to an 8-megapixel iSight camera and 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Coupled with the A9 chip, this translates to faster auto focus, and improved color accuracy, details, and sharpness, particularly in low light. 


The FaceTime camera's jump to a 5-megapixel sensor is especially noticeable, resulting in significantly reduced noise for "selfies" and other photos. The front-facing shooter still lacks LED flash, but Apple introduced a new feature called "Retina Flash" that flashes the display when you take a photo. The feature is based on a custom chip that makes the display flash up to three times brighter than usual. 


Camera+'s comprehensive gallery of side-by-side iPhone camera comparison photos
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can also capture 4K video at 30FPS, allowing iPhone users to take videos with incredible levels of detail. 4K video joins 240FPS Slo-mo video and Time-Lapse video, both features introduced in past-generation devices. Time-Lapse video gains new stabilization features with the new iPhones. 

Apple also says the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus cameras have improved local tone mapping, improved noise reduction, panoramas up to 63 megapixels, playback zoom, and the ability to shoot 8-megapixel still photos while recording 4K video. iPhone 6s Plus also exclusively has image stabilization for video. 

Live Photos

Live Photos is a new feature exclusive to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. When enabled, the feature captures an extra 1.5 seconds before and after a shot, with the footage being used to animate the photo with movement and sound. The result looks something like a short GIF. 

When a 3D Touch press is used on a photo, it comes to life with animation to add a bit of context. Live Photos are not true videos, but rather a combination of a 12-megapixel JPG with a MOV file that contains 45 frames playing back at around 15 frames per second. Live Photos take up about twice the space of normal photos. 

Live Photos can still be viewed on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 

3D Touch

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus models have new pressure-sensitive screens that can detect the level of force applied to the screen, allowing for a new technology called 3D Touch. The new feature builds upon traditional multi-touch gestures like tapping, pinching, and swiping by introducing two more interactions called Peek and Pop, Quick Actions home screen shortcuts, and pressure-sensitive drawing in supported apps. 

Peek and Pop enable you to preview content within iOS apps without opening it. If someone sends you an address in Messages, for example, you can press down the screen lightly to Peek at the location on Apple Maps, without leaving the conversation. If you want to view more details about the address in Apple Maps, you can press a little bit harder and the Pop gesture will switch you to the app. 

Quick Actions are one-tap shortcuts that work right from the Home screen by firmly pressing on the icon of any supported stock or third-party app. By pressing on the Facebook app icon, for example, a Quick Actions menu pops up with shortcuts for writing a post, uploading a photo or video, taking a photo or video, or viewing your personal profile. Many popular apps have been updated with the feature. 

But is 3D Touch something that you will use? For some iPhone users, the feature is not as natural of an experience as tapping, pinching, or swiping, so it may take some time before Peek and Pop gestures become registered in your muscle memory. Even then, Peek, Pop, and Quick Actions trim only a few seconds off most tasks. Ultimately, the convenience of 3D Touch comes down to personal preference. 

Faster Touch ID

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have a next-generation Touch ID sensor that detects your fingerprint faster, but the difference only amounts to a fraction of a second over the iPhone 6. Some users have complained that the new Touch ID is actually too fast, preventing access to the Lock screen when pressing the home button. 

Faster LTE and Wi-Fi

Apple says data speeds on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are theoretically up to twice as fast -- up to 300 Mbps -- with LTE-Advanced, and the 23 supported LTE bands are the most of any smartphone. 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO is also up to twice as fast on iPhone 6s, with theoretical speeds up to 866 Mbps. The improvements lead to faster web browsing, messaging, video buffering, and other data-based tasks. 

Other Features

• More Colors and Storage: iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are available in Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, and Space Gray with 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage capacities. Meanwhile, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are currently only offered in Silver and Space Gray with 16GB and 64GB storage.
• 7000 Series Aluminum: Apple addressed iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus bending issues, colloquially known as Bendgate, by switching to 7000 series aluminum on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have 6000 series aluminum. Apple alsostrengthened weak points of the new iPhone shell for increased durability.

Side-by-Side Comparison

iPhone 6

• 4.7" and 5.5" Screen Sizes
• Ion-strengthened glass
• 6000 Series Aluminum
• A8 Chip/M8 Motion Coprocessor
• 1GB of RAM
• 8-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera
• Up to 1080p video recording at 60FPS
• Focus Pixels
• Panoramas up to 43 megapixels
• Touch ID
• LTE
• 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Hey Siri

iPhone 6s

• 4.7" and 5.5" Screen Sizes
• Stronger ion-strengthened glass
• 7000 Series Aluminum
• A9 Chip/M9 Motion Coprocessor
• 2GB of RAM
• 12-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Up to 4K video recording at 30FPS
• Focus Pixels
• Panoramas up to 63 megapixels
• Faster Touch ID
• LTE Advanced
• 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi with MIMO
• Bluetooth 4.2
• Always-on Hey Siri
• 3D Touch
• Live Photos
• Retina Flash
• Playback Zoom

Pricing

• iPhone 6 (16GB): $549
• iPhone 6 (64GB): $649
• iPhone 6 Plus (16GB): $649
• iPhone 6 Plus (64GB): $749

Pricing

• iPhone 6s (16GB): $649
• iPhone 6s (64GB): $749
• iPhone 6s (128GB): $849
• iPhone 6s Plus (16GB): $749
• iPhone 6s Plus (64GB): $849
• iPhone 6s Plus (128GB): $949

Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program, Trade Up With Installments, and carrier financing are also available. 

Which iPhone Should You Buy?

Buying Later

If you are planning on purchasing a new iPhone, consider holding off for about six months if possible. Apple's much-rumored iPhone 7 will likely be released in September, and the next-generation flagship smartphone is expected to be significantly different than the iPhone 6s. 

Multiple sources have reported, for example, that Apple will remove the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 in favor of an all-in-one Lightning connector for audio output, charging, and connecting peripherals. 

The iPhone 7 would support Lightning-equipped headphones, along with Bluetooth wireless headphones as usual. Apple may also release a digital-to-analog adapter that supports EarPods and other wired headphones with 3.5mm stereo jacks. The device may also have adual-lens camera system. The new hardware could be based on LinX technology, allowing for brighter and clearer DSLR-quality photos and several other major advantages. 

Other rumors claim the iPhone 7 could have a fully waterproof design, stereo speakers, no rear antenna bands, a flush rear camera, and wireless charging if readied in time. The device is expected to be thinner overall and, like the iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6, could have an entirely new design aesthetic. The screen sizes will likely remain 4.7" and 5.5" like the previous two generations. 

Meanwhile, Apple will reportedly launch a new 4-inch iPhone at its rumored March 21 media event. The so-called "iPhone SE" is expected to resemble an upgraded iPhone 5swith an A9 chip, 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera, 16GB and 64GB storage capacities, NFC for Apple Pay, VoLTE calling, and more. The device will likely be Apple's entry-level iPhone and could have a lower price accordingly. 

Buying Now

If you must purchase a new iPhone now, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are unsurprisingly Apple's best smartphones right now. The A9 chip, 3D Touch, Live Photos, improved cameras, second-generation Touch ID, faster LTE and Wi-Fi, and many other new features are worthwhile upgrades, while the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus remain good options for budget-conscious customers. 

If you you take a lot of photos with your iPhone, consider purchasing the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. The smartphones have significant camera upgrades, including higher-megapixel iSight and FaceTime lenses, 4K video recording at 30 FPS, Retina Flash, larger panoramas, and optical video stabilization on the iPhone 6s Plus. 

The iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus are also ideal if you plan on keeping the iPhone for a while, as both smartphones are notably faster and will remain more competitive with future-generation devices. Apple's A9 and A9X chips will likely continue being used in 2016 devices, including the so-called "iPhone SE" and new 9.7-inch iPad. 

3D Touch is also a major new feature that makes the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus worthwhile. Apple has included similar pressure-sensitive screens on the Apple Watch and MacBooks, and it will likely expand the technology to other devices going forward. Many developers are still updating their apps with 3D Touch support. 

Nevertheless, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are still very capable smartphones for those on a budget. Apple no longer sells Gold or 128GB versions of the devices, but the models that remain are each $100 cheaper than the comparative iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus model. Both smartphones should continue to receive the latest iOS updates for at least three to four years. 

Ultimately, choosing between the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 comes down to price and features. You can decide to save $100 by purchasing the older iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, or put that money towards a package of new features, including an A9 chip, 3D Touch, Live Photos, improved cameras, second-generation Touch ID, faster LTE and Wi-Fi, 7000 series aluminum, and more.
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