At first glance, the new batch of iPhones appear to adhere to what we’ve come to expect from an evolutionary update but as the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.
Apple first introduced the iPhone “s” variants in 2009. The label stood for speed back then, but is now indicative of a “tock” in Apple’s annual tick-tock release cadence. S models are typically characterized by modest refinements, and while they traditionally afford at least one defining feature -- the iPhone 4s introduced Siri and the 5s delivered Touch ID -- they aren’t known for generating the same sort of fanfare as generational updates.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus share much of the same hardware as last year's models, though there are some noteworthy differences. I’ll be examining the larger of the two here today, a space grey iPhone 6s Plus with 64GB of storage.
The iPhone 6s Plus features the same 5.5-inch LED-backlit Retina display as last year’s model, sporting a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 that translates to 401 pixels per inch. Other display specifications include a 1300:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 max brightness and a full sRGB color gamut.
The big takeaway here is that Apple continues to use a 1080p display at a time when much of the flagship-level competition has moved to 1440p panels. The merit of that decision is worth considering: 1440p displays include 78 percent more pixels than their 1080p counterparts. More pixels translate to a sharper display, but the tradeoff is that it takes more processing power – and in turn, more juice from the battery – to push those extra pixels.
We’ll see how having to push fewer pixels affects performance in a bit but in terms of visuals, the iPhone 6s Plus’ display looks great. Images and text are incredibly sharp without being oversaturated. Brightness levels are also quite acceptable; in a side-by-side comparison with last year’s 6 Plus, both displays look virtually identical and exhibit the same maximum brightness levels.
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