Articles about iPhone 6s

Now that Samsung has taken the wraps off Galaxy S7, and also made it available for pre-order, many of you will be wondering how the new device stacks up against Apple's iPhone 6s. Both are flagships with impressive hardware and top-notch software, and both are offered in the same price range. But, which one is best for you?

With Galaxy S7, Samsung has refined last year's recipe, giving prospective buyers pretty much everything they could hope for. Meanwhile, iPhone 6s, while not all that different to its predecessor in most areas, feels like a bolder step forward for Apple. Choosing between the two will not be easy.

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Apple has finally acknowledged that the battery percentage shown on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus may not always be accurately displayed by iOS 9. Users have reported issues since the two flagships were introduced last year, in September.

According to user reports, the battery percentage on the two devices will stop updating after a certain level is reached, leading to an empty battery much sooner than indicated. Users say that a restart will force iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to display an accurate readout again, at least temporarily. But what causes it?

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In some markets, consumers who want to get an iPhone 6s can expect to pay about $1000 just to get their hands on the base model. In India, for instance, the 16 GB version of Apple's smaller flagship officially arrived with a price tag of $935 (Rs 62,000). At the other end of the spectrum, an iPhone 6s Plus with 128 GB of storage could be had for a whopping $1390 (Rs 92,000).

The high barrier of entry seems to have been too much for many prospective buyers because Apple has just slashed the prices of its latest flagships by at least 10 percent across the board in India. A price cut so soon after an iPhone launch -- keep in mind, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were officially announced in September -- is unheard of.

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Battery cases have proven to be very popular with iPhone users, as they protect the device and greatly improve battery life without having to sacrifice much in terms of usability. Even though there are lots of options to choose from, even for Plus-sized models, Apple is now adding its own interpretation to the fold.

Unlike other accessory makers which focus on both the standard and the Plus models, with its first iPhone battery case, called Smart Battery Case, Apple is now only targeting iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s users. Is it worth considering?

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So you bought iPhone 6. You love the understated styling of the aluminum enclosure and how the device feels in your hands. But iOS is a dog brain. It's loyal and friendly, but you want more than a tail-wagger that needs to be let out to pee. HTC has your back, with the shockingly similar-looking One A9. The imitator gives you close-enough design benefits with the extra bang of the freshest Android (Marshmallow).

Over the Black-Friday-to-Cyber-Monday weekend, one in ten A9 buyers moved up from iPhone 6 or 6s series devices, according to HTC. The manufacturer has a holiday special ending Jan. 7, 2016 that allures some switchers. Trade-in one of the Apples for full discount off the A9's purchase price (HTC mails a $499.99 check after receiving the old device). Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge traders get $200 and LG3 and LG4 owners $100.

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If you're smartphone shopping this holiday and wondering what to buy, my primer can assist—with caveats. I focus solely on Androids that are higher end but affordable, and I ignore iPhones. No slight against Apple devices is intended. I figure that people who want an iPhone won't likely consider an alternative. Also: The differences aren't as pronounced. For example, the major benefit choosing 6s or 6s Plus over the two previous models is slightly lower price (3D Touch is an unnecessary gimmick). The major benefit picking 5s over the 6 or 6 Plus is again price but also smaller size.

Among Androids, differences abound—and many, such as older OS versions or custom UI skins, are carrier or manufacturer imposed. That's without considering the bloatware that either or both parties might impose. I intentionally focus on devices that offer the most value for price paid, which includes upfront or payment-plan purchased unlocked.

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Without even turning on the HTC One A9 (which I haven't yet), the physical similarities with iPhone 6/6s are unmistakable. The smartphones share striking design ethic, separated by the shape of the home-button fingerprint sensor, placement of the rear-facing camera, and left-side SIM and microSD card slots. But these differences aren't immediately obvious.

My question: Is this the Android for people wanting the iPhone 6s look but something more flexible than the iOS platform? If there is truth in marketing, HTC's tag lines reveal much: "Design worth imitating", which while referring the company's One legacy also could be interpreted as backhanded praise or even fist-to-snub about Apple's device, which some could argue imitates earlier One models. "Power to choose"—customization and personalization options not offered on fruit-logo handsets.

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When HTC announced One A9, the Taiwanese maker said that its new smartphone would only cost $399 when it goes on sale in US. But, as it turns out, that is in fact, a "very limited-time promotional offer", as the price will be bumped up by $100 shortly after it starts shipping.

How limited is that offer? Well, the $399 asking price only applies to orders placed before 12:01 am on November 7. Afterwards, buyers will have to shell out $499 to get their hands on the smartphone. It is a very strange decision, as the lower cost is one of the few things that One A9 has got going for it.

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You may have read that some iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus units have better battery life than others, and that, in order to get the "best" version, your new smartphone must come with the TSMC-made A9 processor. The A9 processor manufactured by Samsung has been said to be less energy efficient, leading to shorter battery life. But how much of that is true though?

Consumer Reports has tested two iPhone 6s units, one with a TSMC-supplied A9 processor and the other toting a Samsung-made A9 chip, and found that that the difference in battery life between the two units is entirely negligible. So, naysayers can now put an end to all the "chipgate" talk.

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Over the past couple of days I’ve read two interesting iPhone 6s stories from my colleagues. Brian Fagioli says Apple’s Live Photos has a big privacy issue, while Joe Wilcox says the way the Nexus 6P’s fingerprint scanner works is superior to that of the Touch ID scanner on the iPhone 6s.

With respect to both writers, they are wrong. The problems they refer to with the iPhone 6s aren’t problems of Apple’s making, they are user errors, pure and simple.

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The iPhone 6s Plus is my first-ever Apple smartphone and I am loving every minute of it. While I was a bit nervous about leaving Android, my worry was for naught. Quite frankly, I am mad at myself for not switching sooner -- it is a wonderful experience.

One of the coolest features of the newest iPhones, besides 3D Touch, is Live Photos. If you aren't familiar, these are animated photos which complement the still. This works by appending 1.5 seconds of "video" to both the beginning and end of the picture. The user can then make the photo "move" by hard-pressing on the screen. While it is a wonderful thing on paper, I have discovered a rather big privacy issue in practice.

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Live Photos is one of the big new features available in Apple’s latest iPhones. As a quick refresher, these are a cross between a photo and a video -- 1.5 seconds of footage is recorded before and after the shot is taken, and when you press down hard on a Live Photo, using 3D Touch, it plays.

There is one big problem with Live Photos though, and that’s while you and other iOS 9 and Mac OS X El Capitan users can enjoy them in all their animated glory, share one with users on other platforms -- Windows or Android, for example -- and all the recipient will see is the standard still image. Where's the fun in that? Thankfully, Live Photos can now be shared as animated GIFs. Here’s how.

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A jury has decided that Apple infringed on patents owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The A7, A8, and A8X processors used in iPhones and iPads since 2013 included technology owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's licensing arm.

US District Judge William Conley had previously indicated that Apple could be hit with a bill of up to $862.4 million, but it is now down to the jury to determine the levels of damages that must be paid. The chips feature efficiency-improving technology, and can be found in some iPads as well as the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus.

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No matter which flagship smartphone you get, you are very likely to be happy with its camera quality. According to DxOMark, this year's crop of premium handsets from Apple, Google, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony is extremely close in terms of photo and video quality.

But, while other makers have shown major improvements in this area over their previous efforts, Apple seems to have stagnated with its new iPhone 6s, which is no more better than last year's iPhone 6 despite having a new rear-facing camera. (DxOMark has not yet tested the iPhone 6s Plus phablet, but it is unlikely to be significantly better than its predecessor either.)

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As with every previous version of iOS, it had to happen -- jailbreak instructions for iOS 9 have been released. Rumors have been circulating for a little while that a group called Pangu was on the verge of releasing a jailbreak tool, and now it's available.

Pangu Jailbreak for iOS 9 cracks open iOS in next to no time, opening up the possibility of installing apps and applying tweaks that would not otherwise be possible. Whether you're rocking a new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, or you have an iPad or older handset the whole process can be over in less than five minutes. Here's what you need to do.

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