Greatness: A Look at the New iPhone 6s
I’m an iPhone guy. I have been for awhile, since the Verzion iPhone 4, in fact. I’ve had iPhones 4, 5, 6, and now 6s. This out-of-cycle upgrade (for me) lead to think about which iPhone I liked the most, and why I had the deep-seeded desire to upgrade from iPhone 6 after only one year.
Look, I know that iPhone 6 was, objectively, the greatest iPhone ever made, at the time of its release. You might be of the belief that the iPhone 6s was objectively the greatest iPhone ever made at the time of the release of iPhone 6, but you would be terribly incorrect.
Why, then, was I so eager to give it up after only one year? It was the fastest, lightest, most powerful iPhone I had ever owned. And yet, my satisfaction had hit somewhere close to rock bottom. It was not a phone that I enjoyed using or owning. I longed for the days of my old iPhone 5.
Even though iPhone 6 was objectively the best, I couldn’t have been any less happy with it from a subjective standpoint. I just didn’t really realize this until I got my hands on the new hotness.
iPhone 6s is a refinement of the iPhone formula in almost every regard. New software features, such as 3D Touch and Live Photos, may initially seem like gimmicks used to differentiate the product from the past. In practice, however, both feature is fundamentally shifting how I interact with and appreciate my iOS experience. Before the reveal of iPhone 6s, I scoffed at the rumors of Force Touch implementation in iPhone. I have Apple Watch sitting here on my wrist and, although I generally like the device a lot, Force Touch seems so gimmicky to me. It serves almost no practical function on Watch — I genuinely don’t think I’ve used it in months and my experience hasn’t suffered.
In practice, however, 3D Touch is far more practical, and far more revolutionary, on a 5 inch display than it is on a 2 inch one. It is beginning of a fundamental shift in the way we interact with our devices. No longer do I have to open up my podcast app of choice (Overcast), navigate to the latest episode of one of my favorite podcasts, and click it to play. Now all I need to do is deep press the app icon and click the podcast I want, and the latest episode starts playing. I can check the contents of a URL with a deep press before I commit to looking at the page. I can easily forward a photo that a friend sends me in iMessage by deep pressing it, swiping up, and clicking forward. 3D Touch is a feature I thought was gimmicky in theory but is actually INCREDIBLE in execution. I love it.
Live Photos is a feature I was all-in on from the start. A lot of the internet seems to have taken a different position than me on this matter (calling it a gimmick, saying that the technology already exists in GIF form, etc.) but, as a huge Harry Potter fan, I was enamored from the start. The so-called criticism might be factually true (yes, GIFs are a thing that already exist), but they couldn’t be further from the mark. I can look at a GIF online and it’s a moving picture. I cannot (or at least, I don’t know how and learning would take time away from something else I HAVE to do) create a GIF myself, with sound. Now, with iPhone 6s, all I do is snap a picture. My behavior literally hasn’t changed, and yet the results of that “labor” increase drastically in both quality and quantity. A simple picture now produces a “living and breathing” photograph with built-in audio and moving visuals. Live Photos give stunning context to all of my photographs, and helps capture really heartwarming or interesting moments that would otherwise go undocumented. For example, I now have so much more adorable video of my beloved dog, which I will and can cherish forever — long after he’s gone. My only negative of Live Photos is that the framerate is not spectacular. Everything else on iPhone runs (or can run) at 60FPS, and I wish Live Photos would, too. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before this is implemented, but I think it’s at least worth pointing out.
The best thing about iPhone 6s, however, is the size. It’s slightly thicker and slightly heavier than iPhone 6. This is so, so, so, so, indescribably fantastic. I adore it. iPhone 6 wasn’t comfortable to hold. Indeed, I found it genuinely painful and uncomfortable to hold in my hand without a case. Despite the rounded edges, iPhone 6 was too light and had a slippery feeling to it. I needed to cover it in a case not only just to protect it but to use it comfortably. Now, the added heft and thickness makes for a generally more substantial device that I prefer to use, and not simply one that I am “stuck” using. I still use a case 90% of the time, to prevent damage from accidental drops and scuffs from my in-car dock. However, I now take every opportunity that I am comfortable with to take the case off and hold the phone in my hand. It feels really great.
That’s not to say iPhone 6s is perfect. The design continues to baffle me. Sure, I really love the camera quality on these devices (which has increased substantially from iPhone 6, as well). However, it seems to me to be truly, truly terrible design ethos to have the camera protrude from the casing. I genuinely hate it, and one reason for using a case is to create a flush alignment while the phone is lying flat on its back. That’s a “feature” or design concept that should come out-of-the-box, and not one that I have to fork over extra cash to achieve. Also, the antenna lines. SO hideous. Like, alright, I get it. I know why they are there (because the aluminum casing interferes with an internal antenna design), but that doesn’t excuse the execution. I hated iPhones 5 and 5s’ two-toned design, and I abhor this look, as well. It might be practical, but it’s not pretty, and it’s another reason why I do use a case. Out of sight, out of mind (except it is still in-mind. Help!).
The original iPhone had some glaring flaws, but there’s not doubt that it revolutionized not only the industry but, truly, the entire world. iPhones 3G and 3Gs brought with them important feature and speed improvements. I never owned, nor used, any of those original three iPhones so I am not qualified to speak about their quality and satisfaction provided. iPhone 4, at the time, was a modern marvel in design — I generally believe it to be the best-designed consumer good to-date — that didn’t sacrifice quality of use. Before now it was probably my favorite iPhone (as far as the feeling of satisfaction it brought at the time). I know it had atenna problems, but the Verizon edition that I had for two years never presented a single problem in that regard. iPhone 4s kept all that was great about its predecessor while incorporating speed improvements and ushering in the Siri era to the world. iPhone 5 was a better user experience than iPhone 4 was, for me, largely due to the bigger screen. It sure made some design concessions by downgrading the material from glass to metal (I GUESS metal is more practical, as it doesn’t shatter) and incorporating that hideous exterior atenna that necessitated a two-toned design. It was still a better experience. iPhone 6, however, was a complete “dropping of the ball” from Apple. It may have been the fastest, most technically advanced iPhone experience to date. However, it wasn’t pleasant to use. Apple’s only real competition, for users like me, is with itself and with the expectations it places and creates for itself. They underperformed with the iPhone 6, and despite it being the greatest iPhone ever made (at the time), it was also one of the worst iPhone experiences I have ever had.
iPhone 6s is a triumphant return-to-form for Apple. While still containing two glaring design flaws — the protruding camera and hideous exterior-antenna design. However, these don’t fundamentally take away from the user experience. On the software side, iPhone 6s and iOS 9 bring much-needed and across-the-board refinements, as well as two really killer and awesome new features in 3D Touch and Live Photos. On the hardware side, iPhone 6s is finally fun and comfortable to hold. the extra heft and thickness, while not drastic, are certainly noticeable and make the user experience drastically better.
After a few years of middling iPhones, Apple finally delivers by creating one of the best iPhones I have ever used in my life. I can’t recommend iPhone 6s enough, even (and, in fact, especially) as an upgrade from iPhone 6.
