The Reign of the iPhone Continues
With new upgrades and features, the newest iPhones prove to be innovative and exciting.
October 2015
Katia Ternopolska '17
Apple has done it again. On September 19th, Apple released two new iPhones, the 6 Plus and the 6s Plus. At first glance, these phones don’t look all that different from the iPhone 6, but there are quite a few impressive additions.
Both iPhones have been upgraded to the latest and greatest technology. There is now a 3D Touch feature which allows users to access different commands based on the level of pressure they use to press on the phone’s screen. For example, a light touch will allow you to preview an email while a harder press will open the message. This feature is so advanced, it even accounts for gravity when you press on the screen. The cameras have also been updated. 12 MP pictures, 4K videos, and 5 MP Facetime cameras allow for clearer pictures and sharper videos. Similar to the front-facing “flash” on Snapchat, these iPhones will have a Retina Flash feature for front-facing pictures. The screen will flash a bright white screen when taking a picture, which allows users to take selfies in even the darkest environments. The iPhones will also have Live Photos. This feature takes a photograph the moment before and the moment after the photograph is taken and then allows you to replay it. This creates a gif-like image. The phones also come standard with A9 chips and M9 motion coprocessors, which make the phone faster and allow Siri to be accessed at any time. With these new phones, Siri will always be listening for her cue to respond to you. The Touch ID has also been improved, making it process your fingerprints faster.
Design-wise, the iPhones don’t have any major changes. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus have the same screen sizes. The 6 and 6s both have a 4.7 inch screen while the 6 Plus and the 6s Plus have a screen size of 5.5 inches. A new color was added to the iPhone family. In addition to the usual gold, silver, and space gray, rose gold is now an available color option. The aluminum used to build the phone was upgraded to 7000 Series aluminum, which is “made from the same grade of aluminum used in the aerospace industry”, according to Apple. After the outrage by iPhone 6 users about their bending iPhones, Apple knew it had to make a sturdier phone to keep their customers at bay. They also upgraded the screen glass to make it as durable as ever. Furthermore, they have now upgraded their phones to allow for landscape viewing. Before now, many apps and the home screens were not available for landscape viewing, but with the new update, this is now possible.
As an Android user, I am always skeptical when a new iPhone hits the market, but with these new features, I am impressed. It will not be long before all other cell phones on the market come standard with 3D Touch and Touch ID, but for now, these features are all bundled together to form the newest iPhones. Apple continues innovate and inspire, and these new iPhones do not disappoint.