Apple Unveils the New iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

Another year, another Apple product announcement. On Sept. 9 in San Francisco, Apple unveiled the highly anticipated iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Tim Cook, current CEO of Apple Inc., said at the keynote, “The only thing that’s changed is everything.”

The new iPhone is available in four colors: silver, gold, rose gold and space gray. The 6s has kept the same 4.7 inch screen size, alongside the 6s Plus which retains its 5.5 inch display.

The external surface has stayed the same, but it is the inside that has become the game changer. The newest features include: 3-D touch, higher quality camera, alongside a new action in the camera called “live photos.”
3-D touch (Force Touch) gives shortcuts to apps and actions done often on the phone. For example, holding down on the camera app drops down multiple options accessible instantly. Such as taking a selfie or immediately recording a video.

Another feature is that links in text messages can be accessed with a gentle touch and a Safari preview will appear rather than switching to the Safari app. Simply update a status on Facebook by holding down on the app and the option appears.

Apple has enhanced its renowned smartphone camera (iSight) with 12-megapixels, an increase from the previous 8-megapixels. Apple announced that the autofocus is faster and more accurate. There is now a flash in the front facing camera, which they call “retina flash screen.”
HD videos for the first time ever now include 4K video. 4K video recording produces a higher degree of detail in every frame.

With “resolution that’s four times higher than HD video, you can zoom in on those 8 million pixels while shooting or playing your 4K videos,” as stated on Apple’s website. It’s the greatest quality the iPhone has ever seen.

Live photos allows you to take a normal photo as always, but there’s now a default option that records 1.5 seconds on each side of the photo, providing an animated capture moment when you tap on a photo that’s been snapped with this function. With 3-D touch, live photos can have sound as well to go into live photo mode. There will be a new circular icon when accessing the camera app, just tap this button and it’s “live.”

Payment plans are usually 24 monthly installments within each carrier. Apple announced their own payment plan method, “iPhone Upgrade Program,” which allows users to upgrade to the new version of the smartphone every year. It will be an unlocked phone and it will include AppleCare+.

Every iPhone you purchase, whether it’s sold by Apple or another retailer, comes with a 1-year limited warranty called AppleCare. This coverage comes at no additional charge and is automatically activated the day you purchase the phone. The free version of AppleCare offers a 1-year limited warranty against defects, and 90 days complimentary phone support.

People who buy the new 6S or 6S Plus will have to invest $129 in AppleCare+ support, a $30 increase from iPhone 6 and earlier models.
The 6S plan starts at $27, while the Plus starts at $31.

“Any iPhone you want is pretty affordable,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus started Sept. 12, and will be available in stores on Sept. 25.