It's been just over a year since we first saw Apple launch its supersized phablet, the iPhone 6 Plus, and now it's been given the 's' treatment with the iPhone 6s Plus, making it speedier, slightly smarter and a teeny bit thicker too. Of course, bigger doesn't always been better, but Apple proved that the original 6 Plus had legs to stand on - is its speedy new sibling just as good? We got to grips with one to find out.
The good
At first glance, the iPhone 6s Plus looks pretty much the same as last year's model - you've got the same oversized, 5.5-inch display, huge bezels, massive footprint and gorgeous 1080p screen - but there are plenty of changes under the hood. For starters, the 6s Plus has been given a speedier processor, Apple's brand new A9 chip along with 2GB of RAM, which is double from last year's model. That gives you a faster feeling system, better multi-tasking skills and the ability for Siri to always be on to listen out for your hands-free yells.
And just like the new iPhone 6s, the cameras have also been updated, with a new 12-megapixel rear snapper that packs in optical image stabilisation for steady shots, while the front-facing FaceTime cam has been boosted to 5-megapixels. That also includes the new Retina flash, which shines the display as a flash, and of course, there's the new 3D Touch display which lets you press harder on your screen to get more shortcuts. It's essentially this year's iPhone 6s, but bigger, and that can be a plus or a negative depending if you can handle it.
That 1080p display remains pretty much the same as last year's model, which looks fantastic with great viewing angles and spot-on colours - it's a solid screen that can rival even higher resolution quad HD displays. This year's 6s Plus also gets a bigger battery, which lasts a bit longer than before, but that still essentially means it'll last a whole day. iOS 9 does include some low-power battery skills though, and a quick toggle of the low-power mode should keep your 6s Plus trucking for a lot longer.
The bad
Just like last year's model, the 6s Plus is a huge, somewhat comically oversized piece of kit that manages to take the best of its smaller sibling and simply makes it bigger - but we feel it's just too big. As it retains the same base design, that means you still get ridiculous bezels on the top and bottom parts of the display where it needs room for the Touch ID sensor and the earpiece. We wish Apple would shave those bezel parts down, making for a smaller shape that'd be quite similar to the LG G4 as it'd make it a lot more pocketable - as the 6s Plus barely is.
There's also the cost too - opting for the base 6s Plus is a huge £100 more the regular-sized 6s, which you could either put towards more storage unless you really need a huge display - and that means it starts at £619 for 16GB. And again, let's face it, much like its smaller sibling, 16GB isn't really going to cut it for a lot of users any more, meaning the next 64GB step-up is 64GB for £699. That's a lot of money for a phone, and with 4K shooting powers, you'll want to opt for the more spacious model.
The 6s Plus' battery life is also not as great as some of its rivals - other phablets manage to last well over a day, and even two, on just a single charge, and Apple's low-power mode in iOS 9 isn't quite as in-depth as others by Sony or Samsung.
The bottom line
The iPhone 6s Plus takes the crown as the largest, fastest iPhone to date, but it's not a whole lot more improved over last year's model, and 3D Touch is yet to prove itself. The camera is stellar though, and with OIS included that works on video too, it may be worth opting for over its smaller sibling. But for everyone else with regular sized hands, unless you really want to pay the premium for the Plus, we'd suggest sticking with the regular iPhone 6s - or at least look at rival phablets.
No comments:
Post a Comment