Apple promised three major updates with the iPhone 6s: 3D touch, camera and performance. Let’s go through the checklist.
The A9 chip easily delivers. Already outstanding responsiveness and fluid handling are taken to the next level. No issues there. The 12MP stills and 4K videos may be late but they’re executed in the typical Apple fashion. A long-awaited camera upgrade finally delivered. Not quite picture-perfect, without OIS and considering owners of 16GB iPhones may be running out of storage pretty soon. 3D Touch? Well, the new touchscreen is the beginning of the journey to a richer user experience but not quite the destination yet. We’ll have to wait and to see the really clever implementations that developers are going to come up with.
We’d call that 2 and a half out of three - not a bad score card. The big stuff still missing: some sort of water resistance, wireless charging, higher screen resolution. Now, none of these could’ve been delivered in a phone that’s re-using last season’s design. The iPhone 7 perhaps? If ever.
Here’s the deal. The regular iPhone models update the design, and once in a while, screen size. The S models focus on the insides. The iPhone 4S introduced Siri and the first big camera upgrade. The iPhone 5S brought about 64-bit processing and a fingerprint sensor. Alongside another camera upgrade, the big thing to look at in the iPhone 6S - and look forward to in Apple in general - is the pressure-aware screen that does add an extra dimension to how you interact with a device.
This is yet to reveal its full potential but looks like something developers will be keen to play with. It can be the new pinch zoom( something we do take for granted but which was a huge breakthrough back in its time) . That said, Android makers are experimenting as well. ZTE and Huawei in particular - not the names you’d expect in the same review as an iPhone but it goes to show how the market has evolved.
We cannot help the thought either that someone at Apple was looking at the Samsung Note, the hovering S-pen and Air Command thinking, We need to be able to do the same. With a tip of a finger.
Anyway, we’ll have a good look at the potential rivals in due time.