The Color That Matters: A Comprehensive Review of the New iPhone 6s

What color is that? It's not rose gold, but that's all that matters to us right now. Our army of shoppers at Consumer Reports went out to get the new iPhone 6s and brought back eight of them, including four of the standard models, four of the plus models, and one in rose gold for good measure. Today, we're excited to put these devices through our rigorous testing protocol, designed to get a thorough understanding of their performance.

Before we dive into the testing, let's set some expectations. If you're already using an iPhone 6, you might not notice much of an improvement with the new model. However, if you're upgrading from an earlier device, this is definitely a step up. Our first impressions are pretty impressive, but we'll be looking closer at how it compares to other phones in our ratings.

Camera Capabilities: A Closer Look

One of the standout features of the new iPhone 6s is its camera. We're testing not only the still camera but also the upgraded selfie camera and live photo capabilities. Apple claims that the 6s has the most durable glass on any smartphone, which we wanted to put to the test. Our scratching apparatus is designed to simulate real-world wear and tear, and we'll be using precision software to analyze photos and determine how much detail the camera can reproduce.

We found that the still camera is only slightly improved over the iPhone 6, with no noticeable difference in noise. This might be disappointing for some users, but it's worth noting that this is a significant upgrade, especially when compared to earlier models. The addition of 4K video capabilities is also brand new to this phone, and we're eager to see how it performs.

Selfie Camera: A New Level of Quality

The front camera on the iPhone 6s has been upgraded to 5 megapixels, which provides a significant improvement over the standard model. We found that selfies taken with the new camera are noticeably better in low-light conditions, thanks to the introduction of Retina flash. This feature lights up the screen for a more even and flattering shot.

The front camera also boasts a wider angle lens than its predecessor, allowing users to capture more friends and scenes in their selfies. We're excited to see how this new technology impacts user experience.

Live Photo: A New Dimension of Capture

One of the most innovative features on the iPhone 6s is live photo. This technology allows for the recording of videos that also capture a few seconds before and after the moment, creating a unique and engaging visual experience. We're eager to see how this technology performs in practice.

In our tests, we found that live photos are indeed three times larger than standard still photos, which can be a consideration when storing them on your device or sharing them with others. However, this may vary depending on the specific camera settings and usage scenarios.

Durability: Does the Cover Glass Live Up to Its Claims?

Apple claims that the cover glass on the 6s is the strongest and most durable in any smartphone. We put our devices through a rigorous scratch test using calibrated picks to determine the hardness of each surface. While we did notice some scratches, we were surprised to find that the difference between the two models was negligible.

In other words, both the iPhone 6s and 6s plus scratched with ease, particularly when subjected to masonry drill bits – hardly a realistic testing scenario for most users! However, this does suggest that the cover glass is quite resilient, which is reassuring for anyone concerned about durability.

Battery Life: What to Expect

Our battery tests are being conducted in the radio frequency isolation chamber behind me. This specialized environment simulates real-world usage patterns, allowing us to gauge how long your iPhone 6s lasts on a full charge. We'll be wirelessly connecting these phones to a base station emulator, which will put them through various scenarios until the battery drains.

As we conclude our testing, we're eager to share our comprehensive review of the new iPhone 6s with you. Will it surpass its predecessor? How does it compare to other top-rated smartphones on the market? Stay tuned for our full analysis and find out what sets this device apart from the rest.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat color is that it's not rose gold that's all that matters to you right this morning Consumer Reports army of shoppers went out to get the new iPhone 6s that's right we buy them just like you do and we got eight of them in house we got four of the iPhone 6s and four of the 6s plus even one in rose gold in our labs today we're gonna be testing the new 12 megapixel camera we're also gonna be checking out the new upgraded selfie camera and live photo and we decided to go a step further apple claims that the 6s has the most durable glass on any smartphone since we have our scratching apparatus right here we decided to check that out we're gonna perform our scratch test on the 6s for comparison we'll also test the iPhone 6 in our still camera test we analyze photos using precision software to determine how much detail the camera can reproduce another way we do that we strategically organize this table of carefully selected junk to intentionally stress the camera in our preliminary camera tests we found that the still camera is only slightly improved over the iPhone 6 there was no noticeable difference in noise which makes your photos with greeny ultra-high definition 4k video is brand new to this phone our first impression is pretty impressive but we'll be looking at it further and comparing it to other phones with 4k so what does all this mean for your pictures and video if you're already using an iPhone 6 you're really not gonna see that much improvement if you're using an earlier model this is definitely a step up as for your selfies with the new 5 megapixel front camera we found an improvement only in the ones we took in low-light compared to the 6 that's because of the new retina flash that lights up the whole screen the front camera also has a wider angle lens than the 6 so you can get more friends into your shot be able to look at live photo which records a second and a half a video on each side of a still photo we wanted to figure out how much space it can take up on your phone once we transferred a live photo to a computer we found it's actually saved as two files one MOV and one JPEG in the test pattern photos we took we found the live photo was three times the size of the still photo alone but this may vary depending on what you're taking a picture of Apple claims the cover glass on the 6s is the strongest most durable glass used in any smartphone it says the glass is made using a special dual ion exchange process which makes it stronger at a molecular level we wanted to see if that meant it was more scratch resistant for our scratch test we put the phones under our abrasion tester and used pics calibrated to the Mohs hardness scale a scientific standard the heart of the pick the more likely it is to scratch a surface we started scratching with a pic that's about as hard as glass we kept going to the next hardest pick in the scale until we saw a noticeable scratch we found the cover glass on the iPhone 6s isn't any more scratch resistant than the six they both scratched with the pic that's about as hard as a masonry drill bit these are just the initial findings of all the tests we could finish in one day other tests we perform take more time like our battery tests it's going on in the radio frequency isolation chamber behind me for part of that test we wirelessly connect these phones to a base station emulator which simulates continuous use the test runs until the battery drains will also be doing voice quality tests by mounting a phone to this head and torso simulator we then use of speech analyzer to determine how clear your calls will be we'll be back to you with our full review as soon as our testing is complete we'll let you know how this new iPhone stacks up against not only the iPhone 6 but also the other phones at the top of our ratings youwhat color is that it's not rose gold that's all that matters to you right this morning Consumer Reports army of shoppers went out to get the new iPhone 6s that's right we buy them just like you do and we got eight of them in house we got four of the iPhone 6s and four of the 6s plus even one in rose gold in our labs today we're gonna be testing the new 12 megapixel camera we're also gonna be checking out the new upgraded selfie camera and live photo and we decided to go a step further apple claims that the 6s has the most durable glass on any smartphone since we have our scratching apparatus right here we decided to check that out we're gonna perform our scratch test on the 6s for comparison we'll also test the iPhone 6 in our still camera test we analyze photos using precision software to determine how much detail the camera can reproduce another way we do that we strategically organize this table of carefully selected junk to intentionally stress the camera in our preliminary camera tests we found that the still camera is only slightly improved over the iPhone 6 there was no noticeable difference in noise which makes your photos with greeny ultra-high definition 4k video is brand new to this phone our first impression is pretty impressive but we'll be looking at it further and comparing it to other phones with 4k so what does all this mean for your pictures and video if you're already using an iPhone 6 you're really not gonna see that much improvement if you're using an earlier model this is definitely a step up as for your selfies with the new 5 megapixel front camera we found an improvement only in the ones we took in low-light compared to the 6 that's because of the new retina flash that lights up the whole screen the front camera also has a wider angle lens than the 6 so you can get more friends into your shot be able to look at live photo which records a second and a half a video on each side of a still photo we wanted to figure out how much space it can take up on your phone once we transferred a live photo to a computer we found it's actually saved as two files one MOV and one JPEG in the test pattern photos we took we found the live photo was three times the size of the still photo alone but this may vary depending on what you're taking a picture of Apple claims the cover glass on the 6s is the strongest most durable glass used in any smartphone it says the glass is made using a special dual ion exchange process which makes it stronger at a molecular level we wanted to see if that meant it was more scratch resistant for our scratch test we put the phones under our abrasion tester and used pics calibrated to the Mohs hardness scale a scientific standard the heart of the pick the more likely it is to scratch a surface we started scratching with a pic that's about as hard as glass we kept going to the next hardest pick in the scale until we saw a noticeable scratch we found the cover glass on the iPhone 6s isn't any more scratch resistant than the six they both scratched with the pic that's about as hard as a masonry drill bit these are just the initial findings of all the tests we could finish in one day other tests we perform take more time like our battery tests it's going on in the radio frequency isolation chamber behind me for part of that test we wirelessly connect these phones to a base station emulator which simulates continuous use the test runs until the battery drains will also be doing voice quality tests by mounting a phone to this head and torso simulator we then use of speech analyzer to determine how clear your calls will be we'll be back to you with our full review as soon as our testing is complete we'll let you know how this new iPhone stacks up against not only the iPhone 6 but also the other phones at the top of our ratings you\n"