The haze around the iPhone 6s has been lifted, review embargoes are up and people can finally start talking about the next iteration in the iPhone series. Technically, the 6s is an in-betweener — the phone that hold us over to the release of the iPhone 7, but it apparently does that job well.
Outright, the 6s isn't for everyone. If you have an iPhone 6, the upgraded features might not be compelling enough to be worth the cost; if you have an older variant of the iPhone – it's worth the cost.
Overall, what does the 6s offer? Much better performance and a better camera. The battery life and screen are relatively the same and the phone itself is more durable — it won't bend.
According to The Verge, the 6s is simply the best phone on the market, but not worth it for current iPhone 6 or 6 Plus owners:
So I'm just going to put this out there, and then we can all handle the emotional consequences together: if you are thinking of buying a new phone, and you have anything older than an iPhone 6, you should buy an iPhone 6S Plus. It is the best iPhone ever made, and it is right now the best phone on the market.
But if you have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus and you’re not ready to sign up for a yearly phone upgrade program, you might not feel the usual pull to get a new iPhone unless you really want a better front-facing camera. The speed improvements are incremental, the battery life is about the same, and it'll take a while for developers to really make use of 3D Touch. And by the time that happens, it will probably be time to buy an iPhone 7.
If you were to ask the Wall Street Journal what they thought, they would echo the Verge's thoughts, "If you have an iPhone 6, you won’t be overly jealous of those who get a 6s—maybe just a tad envious of those Live Photos."
Now, The Loop was the most impressed by the device – they expected Apple to make certain changes and Apple delivered:
Quick Actions, 3D Touch, faster Touch ID, 4K video, better photos, Live Photos—these are all things that are going to make the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus even better for me as a user.
That’s what I expect from Apple—make the software and hardware fast and easy to use. Allow me to be efficient and get my work (or play) done quickly, and with an ease of use that they’ve become known for.
That’s what I expect and that’s what Apple delivered. In the time that I’ve been using the new iPhones, I haven’t found anything I didn’t like or that didn’t work as it should.
That’s quite an achievement considering how much has changed.
Finally, Yahoo’s review of the iPhone 6s will have you wondering if the review was hungry or simply enjoyed likening the iPhone 6s' features to gravy, 'really delicious gravy':
The speed and the 3D Touch features are the meat of the upgrade. The rest is just “s” gravy, but really delicious gravy.
