iPhone 6s and 6s Plus FAQ: The complete guide to Apple's new phones
When can I get the new iPhones The two phones will be available for pre-order on Saturday, Sept. 12 and will go on sale Sept. 25 in 12 countries: the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Singapore. More than 130 countries and 400-plus carriers will have the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus by the end of the year.
OK, so what time exactly can I pre-order a phone Set an alarm, because iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-orders kick off at 12:01 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 12. That means 3:01 a.m. for you East Coasters. At least you might not have to work the next day.
How much do the new phones cost If you’re signing a new two-year contract with your carrier when you buy your 6s or 6s Plus, the prices are as follows for a 6s: $199 up-front for a 16GB, $299 for a 64GB, or $399 for a 128GB. Add an extra $100 for the 6s Plus: $299 up-front for 16GB, $399 for 64GB, or $499 for a 128GB.
But two-year contracts are on the way out. So what does that mean for iPhone pricing You can buy an unsubsidized iPhone 6s starting at $649 for the 16GB version and a 6s Plus from $749—add an extra $100 for each larger storage size. You can also spread out those payments with a carrier installment plan, the cost of which depends on which plan you choose, but starts at $27 per month for a 6s and $31 a month for the 6s Plus in the U.S.
And for the first time, Apple is offering its own upgrade program. You can buy an unlocked iPhone 6s with AppleCare+ from an Apple Store and choose your own carrier. Monthly payments start at $32 in the U.S. for a 6s, and $37 for a 6s Plus, and you’ll have the option to upgrade to a new iPhone after a year. If you’re planning to buy an iPhone through Apple’s upgrade program, you can make a reservation online at 12:01 am Pacific/3:01 am Eastern to buy in-store and receive help from Apple employees. More information about the iPhone Upgrade Program is available here.
Apple is also lowering the cost of its other iPhones under two-year contracts, and ditching the 5c altogether. The iPhone 6 Plus will start at $199, the iPhone 6 at $99, and the entry-level iPhone 5s is free.
Which carriers are offering the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint will all carry the new phones in the U.S., and you can also buy phones without a contract to use on whatever network you like.
What colors can I buy Colors include the standard space gray with black bezel, gold with white bezel, and silver with white bezel—and there’s also a brand new rose gold option with a white bezel. It’s similar to the Apple Watch Edition in rose gold, but less expensive because the body is made of aluminum alloy, and not, you know, actual gold.
How do the 6s and 6s Plus stack up to the 6 and 6 Plus This is an in-between year for iPhones, which means there are no major exterior changes. The 6s has a 4.7-inch display, just like its predecessor, and the 6s Plus has a 5.5-inch display, like the 6 Plus.
While they might look the same, the new iPhones are made of slightly different materials than last year’s models. Both the 6s and 6s Plus are made of Apple’s 7000 series aluminum alloy, the strongest of any iPhone ever made, which is also what Apple used to craft the Apple Watch Sport. The aluminum is aerospace industry-grade.
The phones also have what Apple calls “the strongest cover glass used on any smartphone in the world” thanks to a dual ion-exchange process that makes the glass stronger on the molecular level. The Retina HD displays offer the same resolution as last year’s models: 1334x750 for the 6s and 1920x1080 for the 6s Plus.
OK, but what’s under the hood Don’t think that because the display looks the same, it actually is the same. Apple has completely reengineered its multi-touch display with new capacitive sensors built into the display’s backlight. Those sensors measure the tiny changes in the distance between the glass and the backlight—changes caused by the pressure in your fingertip. The new display, called 3D Touch, responds to that pressure in different ways depending on how long you press on the screen. This is all powered by algorithms that combine feedback from the capacitive sensors with the information from your phone’s touch sensors and accelerometer.
Sounds complicated, but the end result are new gestures that Apple calls “peek and pop” and “quick actions.” You’ll know which you’ve unlocked based on the new Taptic Engine, similar to the one found in the Apple Watch, which responds to your pressure with taps. Taps can be long or short depending on the action you’re performing, just like the watch.
How do the internals compare The new iPhones ship with Apple’s new A9 processor, a 64-bit chip embedded with the M9 motion coprocessor. The M9 makes it possible for your iPhone to track your fitness with an accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and compass, and also supports the ability for Siri to remain always on. Just say, “Hey Siri” to summon her without needing to press the home button or plug your phone into a power source. The M9 will also add running and walking pace-tracking to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Embedding the coprocessor directly into the chip increases battery life, Apple says.
Do the new phones have better cameras Do they ever. The iSight camera (the rear-facing one) now takes 12-megapixel images, a huge jump of the previous generation’s 8-megapixel camera. Apple also added a new sensor, image signal processor, and improved optical image stabilization for the highest-quality photos the iPhone has ever taken.
The new iPhones take advantage of the overhauled camera system with a new feature called Live Photos. When you take a photo using the 6s or 6s Plus, the camera will capture the moments just before and right after the still is taken. With a press on the photo, you can watch the scene come to life instead of just staring at a static image. You can even make those Live Photos your iPhone wallpaper or your Apple Watch face.
That’s not all. The 6s and 6s Plus now support 4K video-recording in 3840x2160 resolution at 30 fps. That’s four times higher than the 6 and 6 Plus. Apple also added optical image stabilization to the 6s Plus camera for video, too.
The new iPhones also get an upgraded FaceTime camera that shoots 5-megapixel photos with Retina Flash, a new feature that makes your display flash three times brighter for low-light selfies.
So Live Photos can live on my lock screen. What about animated ones The stunning animated watch faces that we first saw on Apple Watch are now coming to the iPhone with dynamic wallpapers in iOS 9. You can watch koi float effortlessly on your lock screen, or a smokey blue plume of smoke undulate. It’s a small feature, but an impressive one that showcases the iPhone’s gorgeous graphics.
Any changes to wireless capabilities The new iPhones support up to 23 LTE bands so your phone is just as fast when you’re traveling.
Stay tuned for way more information as we go hands-on with both devices. In the meantime, shoot us some questions in the comments.