Blame 3D Touch for the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus' weight gains
The new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have not only gained a better display, better cameras, a faster processor and stronger casing, but also a bit of weight and thickness compared to their predecessors. However, to paraphrase South Park's Eric Cartman, the new iPhones are not fat, they're big boned.
Apple did not explain why its latest iPhones are heavier during the keynote, but the common assumption has been that it is caused by the more bend-resistant aluminum alloy used for their casings. However, environmental reports on the new flagships disprove this theory, while revealing where the actual weight difference comes from.
If you look at the iPhone 6s Plus environmental report and compare to it to last year's iPhone 6 Plus, you will notice that most components have a similar weight with the exception of the display. It is 21 grams heavier in the newer flagship; overall, iPhone 6s Plus is 20 grams heavier than iPhone 6 Plus.
The main difference between the two display generations is the addition of 3D Touch technology in the newer iPhones. It can tell how hard the user presses on the display, and uses this information to trigger different actions in the software. If you press hard, for instance, it can select items quickly, without waiting for that usual long press.
3D Touch also seems to be the reason why the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are two millimeters thicker than their predecessors, at 7.1 mm and 7.3 mm, respectively, compared to 6.9 mm and 7.1 mm for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, respectively. The added physical components have to fit somewhere, after all, and last year's design was already heavily optimized for slimness.
In case you are wondering, the weight gain from the new aluminum is just two grams, and is countered by a loss in weight in other components in the iPhone 6s Plus, such as the circuit broads and plastic. The battery weighs the same.
When comparing the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 environmental reports, we notice that the difference between their displays is 17 grams, yet the overall difference comes in at just 14 grams. Apple has made the battery, aluminum, stainless steel, and circuit broads lighter; other components, however, went up in weight.
The aforementioned difference in weight for the battery fully supports the idea that iPhone 6s does indeed have a smaller battery inside compared to last year's model. We do not yet know how this affects battery life.
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