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iPhone 6s / 6s Plus - should I upgrade from an iPhone 6 / 6 Plus?

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iPhone 6s / 6s Plus - should I upgrade from an iPhone 6 / 6 Plus?
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Pick your phone iPhone 4s | iPhone 5 or 5c | iPhone 5s | iPhone 6 or 6 Plus

With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus just around the corner, you might be thinking that it's finally time to upgrade from your old phone. But should you, and what will you get out of it.

Here's our handy guide, if you're figuring out whether to upgrade from an iPhone 5s to the 6s or 6s Plus. You'll get:

A bit more power

Apple says that the new A9 chip in the 6s delivers 70 percent faster processing and 90 percent faster graphics processing over the 6. Which certainly seems like a lot, but history tells us that, in the real world, it will be a slight bump.

Apps might load a bit faster. Games might push a few more polygons (if developers chose to harness the extra GPU power). iOS might zip around a little faster. And the device will be future proofed for longer.

But don't expect massive changes out of the box. And don't expect iPhone 6s only games for… well, many many years. The 4s is still supported by many developers, after all.

A lot more memory

The iPhone 6 has 1GB of RAM. Reports from developers suggest that the 6s and 6s Plus will have 2GB. This makes everything run smoother, and also lets apps stay in memory for longer.

3D Touch

The only real new feature to appear in the 6s and 6s Plus is 3D Touch. This is a new way of interacting with apps and iOS, where the pressure of your touch input can lead to different interactions on screen.

That might involve lightly tapping on an email in your inbox to see a pop-over preview. Or lightly tapping on an icon on your homescreen to get some quick commands. It's like a mix of a right mouse button and the ability to hover the mouse cursor.

For games, you could push down hard while shooting to zoom in. Developers will have to add the features in, so you'll have to wait for updates before your favourite apps and games get 3D Touch functionality.

A slightly better camera

The iPhone 6s has lots of cool new tech to give you even better photos and videos. That includes a jump from 8 megapixels to 12 and noise reduction for sharper shots, and Retina Flash on the front-facing camera for lighter selfies.

It can also take 4K videos, and do 1080p videos at 120 frames per second and 720p videos at 240 fps. It's definitely a much better video camera.

The same space, screen, and battery

These phones probably have more in common than they have differences. You've got the exact same screen, the same choices in storage space, and the same battery life estimations. It can Bluetooth 4.2 now, if that excites you?

There's one extra colour to choose from

The iPhone 6 and 6s both come with a white front and silver back ("Silver"), a black front with gray back ("Space Gray"), or a white front with gold back ("Gold"). The 6s, however, can rock a white front with a pink back ("Rose Gold").

You won't need a new SIM card or accessories

The 6s takes the same Nano SIM and has the same lightning connector as your 6. You might need a new case though, because…

It's ever so slightly bigger

The 6s and 6s Plus are 2mm taller, 1mm wider, and 2mm thicker than the 6 and 6 Plus. You probably won't notice it, but you might feel the added bulk of that 3D Touch Taptic motor.

The 6 is 129g, while the 6s is 143g. The 6 Plus is 172g and the 6s Plus is 192g. Better start doing push ups!

The verdict

Apple has established a pattern of holy new devices with huge new looks and features every other year - and then smaller "s" iterations in the year between them. The iPhone 6s is, unsurprisingly, one of those iterations.

So, everything is either exactly the same or slightly better than your current phone. The only big new features are improved video in the camera app, and that 3D Touch. Is that enough to make you get a new phone?

Mark Brown
Mark Brown
Mark Brown is editor at large of Pocket Gamer