IT'S OFFICIAL: iPhone 6s and 6s Plus unveiled ! (Features)

 

 

At its big event Wednesday afternoon, Apple just unveiled its new iPhones, the 6S and the 6S Plus. 

On stage, CEO Tim Cook says that the company has "changed everything" about the iPhone, and that the two new models are the "most advanced smartphones in the world."

The iPhone 6S will have a 4.7-inch display and the 6S plus will have a 5.5-inch display. It's offering a new "rose gold" model that uses an entirely new aluminum than prior phones. 

With a two-year contract, the 6S starts at $199 for 16 GB and the 6S Plus starts at $299. Pre-orders start September 12 and they go on sale in-store on the 25th.

Even if you don't plan on buying a new iPhone, you can get Apple's latest software, iOS 9, on September 16. 

Here's the line-up:

 

 

 

The biggest improvements are a new sensor technology called "3D touch" that introduces a bevy of new shortcuts and an improved camera. There's also a faster processor.

We've got more details below, but here's a quick-and-dirty look at all the upgrades:

 

 

3D touch

The new iPhone will also have something called "3D touch," which is an upgrade to the "multi-touch" technology that lets you swipe and pinch your iPhone screen.

 

 

Apple's calling it a "whole new dimension to how you interact with your iPhone." Basically, the screen can recognize force, meaning that you can do different things depending on how hard you touch the screen.

This opens up a whole range of new shortcuts. For example, you can open up new menus depending on how hard you touch the screen. Apple's naming the two new touch-types  "peek" and "pop."

 

 

"This is unlike anything you've ever tried before," Apple's Phil Schiller said on stage. 

The point of 3D touch is to save you time. For example, if you're in the Mail app, you can lightly touch a particularly email message to see its content. When you release your finger, you'll go back into your main inbox. However, if you press down harder, you'll dive right into the message so you can fully read it and respond. 

 

 

If you press down on an app on the homescreen, you'll get a new menu of shortcut options. For example, if you press the camera icon, you can automatically open up the selfie camera for example. On Facebook, you can update your status via the home screen. 

Here's Apple's Craig Federighi taking an "emergency selfie."

 

 

Apple's new iPhones will also have a new processor that's 70% faster than its last one. Apple's calling the new processing chip the "A9." The added speed combined with 3D touch will be great for gamers, Apple says.  For example, you can switch weapons in a shooting game by 

pressing down harder on the screen, instead of by having to lift your finger off the screen.

 

The new processor also has an always-on motion co-processor, for motion-tracking, and a better Touch ID system.

 

The new iSight camera

 

Apple says that it's also improved its camera that has 50% more mega-pixels than the last version: Introducing the 12 MP iSight camera.

 

Even though more megapixels can lead to "noisy" images, Apple says that it's gone to great lengths to keep the details of iPhone photos looking sharp and the colors as accurate as possible. 

 

Here's an un-retouched photo taken on the new iPhone:

 

 

Apple says that the new iPhone camera is better than ever at taking low-light photos and even bigger panoramas. It can take HD videos and even 4K videos, which have even more detail than HD. The Facetime camera got an upgrade too, so you can take more detailed selfies.

 

There's also a better flash that will light up three-times brighter while still keeping colors looking accurate. 

 

Apple also introducing a new feature called "Live Photos." You take a photo as regular, but Apple captures 1.5 seconds of additional content on either side. So, even though it doesn't take up as much space as a regular video, you're essentially getting little videos, so you can make your photos animate.

 

 

 The new iPhones will also have 23 bands of LTE — the most on any smartphone — and wi-fi that's twice as fast. 

 

Pricing

 

Both phones will go on sale on September 25, though pre-orders start the 12. The iPhone 6S will cost $199 with a contract and the iPhone 6S Plus will cost $299 with a contract. 

 

 

Apple's also starting something called the "iPhone upgrade program" that will make it cheaper for people to get new iPhones every year. You'll pay $32 a month for two years, but get a new iPhone every year. 

 

 

"These are truly the best iPhones we've ever created," CEO Tim Cook said on stage.