Head To Head: iPhone 6s Vs. iPhone 6 -- Worth The Upgrade?

iPhone 6s Vs. iPhone: Should You Upgrade?

Apple takes the iPhone to the next level, unveiling its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with a bevy of new pluses, from 3D Touch to 4K video, advanced photo features and a better processor. But is it enough to get you to ditch your current iPhone 6 Plus?

It depends. Are you a passionate shutterbug? Does a new touch interface excite you? Is a 70 percent performance jump important to you when it comes apps? Do you like to continually upgrade your phone? Let's break down the differences between the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 6s Plus and see.

iPhone Dimensions/Order Date

Preorders for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus start Sept. 12 with an in-store arrival date of Sept. 25.

The differences between the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 6s Plus when it comes to dimensions are as follows:

iPhone 6 Plus

Height: 6.22 inches

Width: 3.06 inches

Depth: 0.28 inch

Weight: 6.07 ounces

iPhone 6s Plus

Height: 6.23 inches

Width: 3.07 inches

Depth: 0.29 inch

Weight: 6.77 ounces

3D Touch

Absolutely the biggest new feature in the iPhone 6s family of phones is 3D Touch. This is a new feature that takes advantage of the pressure you apply to a screen when using the iPhone's on-screen finger swiping and tapping. With 3D Touch, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, you can peek inside email messages without opening them just by holding your finger down gently on top of the message. Press a little harder and longer, and the email message will launch.

Apple calls the gesturing "peeking" and "popping open," and the new interface technology is being utilized by many developers creating new gaming opportunities and shortcuts to opening specific features in apps. In some ways, it feels as if Apple is bringing the right-click function to the iPhone in the same way right clicking on a file or app gives you a pop-up menu of options.

This new 3D Touch technology, called a Taptic Engine, is built into the display, so for those using iPhone 6 Plus, there will be no OS update to bring this feature to your phone.

Stronger Body, Stronger Display

Comparing screens of the iPhone 6 Plus to the iPhone 6s Plus, they both have the same 5.5-inch diagonal screens. The new iPhone displays are made of a stronger, ion-strengthened glass that Apple says is the strongest glass on any smartphone.

In a move to thwart any future questions regarding the phones' bendability, both iPhone 6s phones are made of a stronger 7000 series aluminum alloy that Apple says is used in the aerospace industry.

The new phones will come in silver, space gray, rose gold and gold aluminum finishes.

Chip Vs. Chip

Both the iPhone 6s models sport the A9 chip, the third generation of Apple's 64-bit chips. Apple claims it runs 70 percent faster than its predecessor, the A8 (used in iPhone 6 Plus), in general-purpose processing and 90 percent faster in GPU performance.

Apple says processor improvements are a huge win for game developers when it comes to delivering more complex games with better graphics. The M9 motion co-processor also is upgraded from M8. This is a part of the processor that enables biofeedback features, such as health tracking. With the M9, those features are baked right into the A9 chip for better, more reliable tracking.

The iPhone 6 Plus is powered by A8 SoC, Apple's own in-house 64-bit processor running at 2.0GHz, along with the M8 motion co-processor, Apple's secondary processor dedicated to sensory input.

Camera Vs. Camera

Apple has added a 12-megapixel camera to the rear of both the iPhone 6s models. That's a significant upgrade from iPhone 6 models, which both have 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras. Another difference when it comes to the camera is that the 6s models support panorama images up to 63 megapixels, vs. iPhone 6 panoramic images at 43 megapixels.

The new camera can shoot 4K video, something the iPhone 6 Plus couldn't do.

As for the FaceTime camera, the iPhone 6s models both get a big 5-megaxel jump up from the iPhone 6 with a 1.2-megipixel camera. Another nice addition for 6s users is that it uses the phone's screen to double as a True Tone Flash for selfie snapshots.

Live Photos = Photo Fun

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have a bevy of fun ways to manipulate images after the fact. But with the iPhone 6s, Apple is turning the photo fun factor up a notch with Live Photos. This feature is turned on by default, and when activated, records multiple stills when taking a picture. That allows you to view images as tiny three-second videos, if you want.

To use the Live Photo feature, you use the new 3D Touch capabilities. When viewing a Live Photo, just press down on the image to activate a tiny video of 1.5 seconds before the picture and 1.5 seconds after. The feature is also triggered when swiping through your photo gallery and creates a very cool sensation, as images come alive for an instant as you swipe past them.

Pricing

Apple has changed the pricing on its iPhone 6 line of phones with the introduction of the iPhone 6s family of phones. Pricing for the iPhone 6s Plus models based on two-year contracts starts at $300 (16 GB), $400 (64 GB) and $500 (128 GB).

That pricing is identical to the iPhone 6 Plus model. Apple has also matched the price of the iPhone 6s with iPhone 6 with pricing at $200 (16 GB), $300 (64 GB) and $400 (128 GB). Penny pinchers can now pick up an iPhone 5s for free (with a two-year contract). Previously, the iPhone 5s models were $100 for the 16-GB model and $150 for iPhone 5s.

New Upgrade Program

Don't want to get stuck with last year's model iPhone? That's why Apple has introduced a leasing option for iPhones via Apple retail stores called iPhone Upgrade Program. The way it works is, you pay Apple $35 a month and every year on your anniversary date, you are eligible to trade in your old iPhone and upgrade to the latest one.