The Gen XY Lifestyle
Slightly Better, Slightly Pricier: Apple iPhone 6S & 6S Plus
Cooling-off day doesn’t just apply to politics. It’s also a good time to think about whether the new iPhones are worth buying.
For one thing, the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are now available in a new colour: Rose Gold. The shell is now made with a different process and features high grade, 7000 series aluminium. To be expected, the screen isn’t made from sapphire glass, although Apple does claim that the ones used on the new iPhone are the hardest in the market right now.
The crux of any S-variant iPhone is that it’s an evolution, so we’ll see more of incremental upgrades. This time the phones feature a new A9 processor, which Apple claims is up to 70% faster than its predecessor, while the graphics unit is 90% faster.
The upshot of the increased processing power is that you now have the horsepower to shoot 4K video at 30 fps; the camera units also get a bump, and now features a 12-megapixel sensor on the rear and a 5-megapixel sensor on the front. The front-facing camera also gets a clever boost with what Apple calls a retina flash – the screen now doubles up as a flash for low-light situations. Say goodbye to dark, grainy selfies.
Other minor additions include Live Photos, which is kind of similar to HTC’s Zoe. The photos that you take are extended into a short clip, complete with sound, to make your photo browsing experience more dynamic. Apple also touted its ‘Move to iOS’ app to help Android users to transfer their data over to an iPhone.
The biggest feature of the new iPhones, with some help from iOS 9 (available for download on September 16), has to be 3D Touch. With a new array of sensors and a Taptic engine, 3D Touch touts a more natural feedback response, as well as increased control options simply by varying the pressure imparted by your digits. You can open up quick action menus for a slicker, speedier experience.
However, all these cool stuff comes at a price; and it’s no surprise that the new iPhone weighs in at a heavier price division – the tricked out iPhone 6S Plus will set you back S$1,558. The colours Gold and Rose Gold are reserved for the new iPhones unfortunately, and the same could be said for the 128GB storage option. Prices are generally a little higher than before; pretty much the current state of things when it comes to the premium end of smartphones.
Pre-orders start on 12 September, while the phones will go on sale on 26 September. You can expect telco offers to be revealed soon too.
New Pricing and lineup (Updated)
iPhone 5S (Silver, Space Grey)
16GB S$728, 32GB S$798
iPhone 6 (Silver, Space Grey)
16GB S$888, 64GB S$1,048
iPhone 6 Plus (Silver, Space Grey)
16GB S$1,048, 64GB S$1,218
iPhone 6S (Silver, Space Grey, Gold, Rose Gold)
16GB S$1,048, 64GB S$1,218, 128GB S$1,388
iPhone 6S Plus (Silver, Space Grey, Gold, Rose Gold)
16GB S$1,218, 64GB S$1,388, 128GB S$1,558
Registration of interest at the big three telcos have begun, but only Singtel has released its prices but no prices have been confirmed so far. You can register your interest at the following links.
Singtel
iPhone 6S with combo 3 plan – 16GB: S$337, 64GB: S$476, 128GB: S$615
iPhone 6S Plus with combo 3 plan – 16GB: S$476, 64GB: S$615, 128GB: S$755(*Prices in the link on the page are for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Our apologies for the error)
