A Lifestyle, Grooming And Technology Blog

Wednesday 28 October 2015

The Review |  iPhone 6s Plus


I've had the new iPhone 6s Plus for just over a month now right from launch day so I thought it was time to give my impressions after a my first few weeks using the device as my daily driver. My previous iPhone was last year's iPhone 6 in space grey. This is the first time I've opted for the "Plus' version of an iPhone and I'm so glad I did! Within 10-15 mins of switching from my 4.7" display on the 6 to the massive 5.5" 6s Plus I was already completely sold. 

The iPhone 6s Plus mirrors the pricing model of it's 2014 predecessor, which means you could spend between £619 - £789 on the phone depending on your choice of storage options. Here's where my first issue with the device appears - why on Earth are Apple still making 16GB iPhones?! With apps regularly topping 1GB and the newly arrived 4K video files taking up twice as much storage space as regular HD video, it feels like Apple are still trying to keep their base price model without offering power users or storage hungry consumers a 256GB capacity option. 

I went for the 64GB storage option this time around and haven't run into to many issues yet it terms of the device filling up but then I don't tend to store a huge amount of data on the device itself, opting for Apple's own iCloud monthly storage plan instead.


There's no doubt that 3D Touch is the stand out feature from this year's iPhone. The clever screen technology has previously been found in the Apple Watch and the track pad of the new MacBook Pro. It enables the new iPhones to recognize the level of pressure you're applying to the display, and react differently depending on how much force you're using.

At launch, 3D Touch felt like a gimmicky addition to this year's iPhone with very few developers having had time to build the tech into their apps prior to the devices hitting shelves. It was only a handful of Apple's stock apps that utilised the ability to launch specific elements of apps from the home screen so the experience felt very disjointed.

However, just over a month later I'm pleased to say that thousands more apps have now have 3D Touch capability including Facebook, Twitter, and Bloglovin to name but a few. It now feels as if 3D Touch could well become the next pinch to zoom or swipe feature that iOS users around the world now use on a daily basis. It feels so fluid jumping right into the selfie mode within the camera or launch right into a new tweet straight from the home screen!

Apple claims the new 64-bit A9 offering is 70% faster than its predecessor at CPU tasks, while it bests graphically intensive GPU tasks by a whopping 90%. Those claims aren't exactly noticeable right off the bat when doing every day tasks like browsing the web or messaging but as developers learn to take advantage of the new power under the hood I imagine we've not yet even scratched the surface of what the device is capable of.


The Verdict 

Apple has reinvigorated its phablet without rewriting the playbook thanks to its smart 3D Touch technology and a more power under the hood. It's not the upgrade some will have been hoping for, but it's unexpected hit features and continued best in class camera optics make this the best smartphone of 2015.


SHARE:

No comments

Blogger Template Created by pipdig