If you’re puzzling over which iPhone you should buy, but you lack the funds for a new model, then you may be tempted to pick up an older iPhone. Apple continues to support iPhones for several years after release, and they tend to perform well for a long time. The oldest iPhone that Apple now sells is the iPhone XR, making both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S a bit long in the tooth. If you’re choosing between the two devices, though, we’re happy to help you decide.
The successor to Apple’s iPhone 6 was the iPhone 6S. It looks identical to its predecessor, so you may be wondering what the difference is. Below, we spell out the hardware specifications of both iPhones and dip into an analysis of the categories where you’re likely to see the biggest differences.
Every new iPhone is faster than those that came before, and the iPhone 6S is no exception. Apple jumped from the A8 chipset that was in the iPhone 6 to its A9 chipset. Similarly, the 6S upgraded from the M8 coprocessor to the M9. These upgrades translate to faster processing speeds — about 70 percent faster, according to Apple. The iPhone 6S also boasts 2GB of RAM, which is double the RAM in the iPhone 6. That means that the iPhone 6S is noticeably faster than the iPhone 6 in most tasks and a much more capable multitasker. In terms of storage, both come in 16GB, 64GB, or 128GB versions.
The iPhone 6S actually has a smaller battery than the iPhone 6, but the more efficient processor balances things out and it tends to last a bit longer on an average day. Both charge via the Lightning port and take a similar length of time to juice up.
Winner: Apple iPhone 6S
Design and durability
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In terms of look and size, there isn’t much of a difference between the two, in fact, you’ll struggle to tell them apart. The iPhone 6S is 0.01 inches thicker and half an ounce heavier, but those are hardly noticeable differences. Both phones are 5.44 inches tall by 2.64 inches wide, and both feature a 4.7-inch display. Both have the headphone jacks, a Lightning port for charging, and that iconic Touch ID home button that was a feature of iPhones for many years.
Both phones are aluminum, so they’re pretty tough, but the iPhone 6S is built from superior Series 7000 aluminum, which should be a little stronger. This change may have been a response to the bendgate furor around the iPhone 6 Plus.
Winner: Tie
Display
Both of these iPhones have a 4.7-inch display with a 1334 x 750-pixel resolution, which works out to 326 pixels per inch. There’s no dividing them here. Only the 6S has Apple’s 3D Touch technology, but we’ll deal with that in the special features section below. Visually speaking, there’s no difference between these displays.
Winner: Tie
Camera
The iPhone 6S blows the iPhone 6 out of the water in the camera department with a seriously beefed-up main camera and a much-improved selfie camera. The main camera is rated at 12 megapixels, up from 8 megapixels, and the front-facing camera has jumped to 5 megapixels from a woefully inadequate 1.2 megapixels. The 6S is also capable of shooting 4K resolution video, while the iPhone 6 is limited to 1080p. You can expect to capture much better photos with the iPhone 6S.
Winner: Apple iPhone 6S
Software and updates
Initially, the iPhone 6 launched with iOS 8, and the iPhone 6S launched with iOS 9. Since then, the iPhone 6 has maxed out with iOS 12, but the iPhone 6S has been upgraded to iOS 13. Apple is releasing iOS 14 later this year, which will support iPhone 6S — and which will leave the iPhone 6 yet another operating system behind.
Winner: iPhone 6S
Special features
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Immediately apparent is the inclusion of the 3D touch feature on the iPhone 6S. Essentially, 3D Touch is enabled by a pressure-sensitive screen that can pick up on how hard you press the display. You can lightly press to peek into things, for example lightly pressing on a photo in your gallery will give you a pop-up preview. You can press harder to pop straight into the content.
The iPhone 6S also supports a slightly newer and better Bluetooth version and it comes in Rose Gold, which is not an option with the iPhone 6.
Winner: Apple iPhone 6S
Price and availability
If you want to buy an iPhone 6S or an iPhone 6 today, then you’ll likely be buying a refurbished handset or a used phone. Prices vary widely, but you can pick up an iPhone 6 starting from around $110 and an iPhone 6S will cost $40 or so more.
Overall winner: Apple iPhone 6S
There’s no doubt that the iPhone 6S is a better phone. There isn’t a huge gap between them; the main differences are the improved performance and the better cameras in the iPhone 6S, but they are important updates. Since both can be had pretty cheaply now, and the iPhone 6S is liable to last you a bit longer, we would definitely recommend it over the iPhone 6.
With new models such as the iPhone 16 recently hitting the market there are plenty of great phone deals among previous generations. And while iPhone 15 deals have a lot to offer, so does the previous generation iPhone 14. Today’s best iPhone 14 deals are scattered across retailers, so we’ve done the heavy lifting and rounded them all up below. Several of them will give even the best Apple deals a run for their money. You’ll find both new and refurbished iPhone deals among them, and you can also see what kinds of savings some comparable phones have available by checking out the current Samsung Galaxy S23 deals, Google Pixel 8 deals, iPhone SE deals.
Apple iPhone 14 -- from $446, was $699
With the Apple iPhone 14 you’re getting what is still one of the most popular smartphones on the market. This is the iPhone 14 model that’s meant for everyone. It holds back a few features you can only get on the Pro model, but it still has an impressive 6.1-inch display, an impressive camera, and dozens of ways to personalize your iOS experience with widgets and fonts. The phone can reach up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge, and it’s powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip. Face ID, emergency SOS via satellite, and super fast 5G cellular connectivity round out the top features of the Apple iPhone 14.
Buy Refurbished at Amazon — from $446
A new iOS 18 update with major bug fixes is coming soon
We have some good news for those waiting for an iOS update. According to 9to5Mac, a reputable private account’s social media post suggests that a new update for iOS 18 might be coming soon. However, it’s likely to be iOS 18.0.1, not the much-awaited iOS 18.1 update many are anticipating.
The new iOS 18.0.1 update is expected to feature bug fixes, including one that addresses an iMessage bug. Perhaps more importantly, the adjacent iPadOS 18.0.1 update could finally provide relief to iPad users who experienced bricking issues when installing iPadOS 18.
New iPhone SE 4 details just leaked. Here’s what we learned
The iPhone SE will finally get a new look, though it might still appear identical to a two-generation-old mainline model. This nugget of information comes from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who claims that the next “SE” trim could arrive early next year.
“The new model will resemble the iPhone 14, including the notch cutout at the top,” says the report. That means the upcoming iPhone could also be the last Apple smartphone with a physical home button with the integrated Touch ID sensor.
