The Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review
by Ryan Smith & Joshua Ho on November 2, 2015 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- Mobile
- SoCs
- iPhone 6s
- iPhone 6s Plus
Video Performance
Now that we’ve discussed still image quality we can start to look at video quality. This is a major highlight for the iPhone 6s’ this year as the main reason for increasing the resolution of the sensor is primarily to enable 4K video recording. Interestingly enough, for the iPhone 6s Apple has also added 1080p120 slow motion video capture along with OIS in video recording for the iPhone 6s Plus. It’s interesting to see this change, as in the past it looked like Apple was solely relying on their EIS mechanisms to smooth out video instead of using OIS. In order to test these changes, we rely on relative testing between two phones to see how both perform in terms of video stability, resolution, and exposure/focus quality.
| Apple iPhone 6s Encoding | ||||
| Video | Audio | |||
| 1080p30 | 17 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 83 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 1080p60 | 26 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 83 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 4K30 | 50 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 83 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 1080p120 | 50 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 83 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
| 720p240 | 40 Mbps H.264 High Profile | 83 Kbps, 44.1 KHz AAC | ||
For 1080p30 video, Apple continues to use H.264 high profile encoding at around 17 Mbps bit rate, which is carried over from the iPhone 6. AAC at about 84 Kbps in a single channel is also carried over from the iPhone 6. It’s likely that mono audio is used because the microphone setup doesn’t really support stereo audio, but in future iterations it would definitely be interesting to see stereo audio recording. For all other modes, encoder settings appear to be constant with variations in bit rate based upon frame rate and resolution.
| OIS Testing |
When comparing the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6 for general image stabilization quality it feels like they’re both pretty much identical. If you’re not careful about holding the phone relatively still EIS is going to feel a bit limiting. However, Apple’s EIS is quite good compared to something like the Galaxy Note 5’s video OIS due to its rather unnatural dampening effect, in which there are pockets of local stability punctuated by no stabilization at all. It’s also interesting to see how the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus appear to still have an edge over the Note 5 when it comes to continuous auto focus as in this scene the Note 5 takes some time to recognize that the subject of the video is out of focus and some contrast AF bracketing is used to verify the correct focus point. By comparison, the iPhone 6s appears to snap to the correct focus point almost instantly.
The iPhone 6s Plus is clearly the best out of these four phones though as it manages to combine the rather natural EIS of the iPhone 6s with properly implemented OIS. The algorithm for using OIS appears to be intelligent enough that overall image stability is prioritized over locally minimizing camera shake, which shows as footsteps in the video are properly dampened along with hand shake, but the major deviations are left alone. This looks much more stable when compared to the Note 5 because the Note 5 does appear to cancel out major movements in the video, but as soon as the OIS runs out of travel there is a strong correction that causes an unnatural jerking effect.
| 1080p30 & 1080p60 Video |
Here, the iPhone 6s compares pretty favorably with the best video cameras in the Android space. Relative to the Galaxy Note 5, the iPhone 6s has better color reproduction and dynamic range. This is especially evident when looking at shadows in the scene. Although this scene was shot towards the end of the day, the Note 5 makes the trees look much more yellow than they should be for accurate color. Due to the wider field of view, the Note 5 appears to have less detail as well, but zooming in should resolve the issue.
However, the iPhone 6s does end up worse than the Note 5 in some ways for this video. One obvious issue here is that the lack of OIS means that high frequency motion is especially hard to compensate for, which is more obvious in this test where I’m basically standing still instead of walking around trying to push the OIS beyond its travel limits. The Note 5 also has noticeably better audio quality due to the use of stereo recording.
The iPhone 6s Plus does go a long way to remedy these competitive deficits though, as the addition of OIS means that hand shake is pretty much eliminated in these relatively still videos. Apple’s use of a rather tight crop by default also means that the noticeable edge distortions induced by OIS are hard to notice, but given that a lot of people seem to prioritize field of view over general optical quality this may be considered a negative.
Weirdly enough, when comparing the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 6 there are some very real improvements to detail in 1080p video. It’s possible that we’re looking at the result of the 12MP sensor providing more pixels for oversampling here, as the field of view for both is pretty much identical. Overall image stability is basically the same here, which leads me to believe that cinematic video stabilization/EIS introduced with the iPhone 6 is basically unchanged when compared to the iPhone 6s. Color reproduction basically looks the same as well. Recorded audio is noticeably different in profile to make things less tinny, which is a nice improvement but not really enough to make audio recording in these situations better than the Note 5.
Meanwhile for 1080p60, it feels like the gap is even wider when it comes to detail as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus has pretty much equivalent detail to the 1080p30 mode but with a higher frame rate. Color reproduction takes a noticeable dive as well towards overexposure and an even stronger yellow tint which is kind of surprising to see. The iPhone 6s continues to maintain a noticeable lead in quality over the iPhone 6 as well.
| 4Kp30 Video |
In 4K30, once again we see a surprising gap in fine detail and shadows. Color rendering of the trees also continues to be strongly saturated with yellow, which is a bit unrealistic for this scene. In stark contrast with most of the phones I’ve tested, 4K video on the iPhone 6s still has cinematic video stabilization active. There’s also no actual recording limit, which I tested by recording 4K video for roughly half an hour until it was evident that the phone wasn’t going to stop recording. When comparing to the iPhone 6’s 1080p30 output it’s evident that there isn’t really any compromise other than additional storage use.
| Slow Motion Video |
In 120 FPS slow motion the iPhone 6s’s are basically as good as it gets. Due to the resolution advantage no other OEM is really challenging Apple here. The 1080p120 video isn’t quite as high in detail as 1080p30 or 1080p60, but even a high quality 720p video isn’t really comparable.
Meanwhile in 240 FPS detail is comparable when comparing the iPhone 6s to the iPhone 6, but the iPhone 6s does appear to be slightly improved. I suspect we’re mostly looking at limits of the resolution here rather than encode or camera-level limitations.
Overall, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are both some of the best phones on the market for video capture. The iPhone 6s Plus manages to lead over the iPhone 6s by virtue of its OIS, but even without it the iPhone 6s is clearly pulling ahead of others when it comes to slow motion and 4K video capture. Looking at both video and still image performance together, the iPhone 6s Plus arguably has the best camera in an iOS or Android smartphone today. It isn’t necessarily the best at sheer detail for still images, but the camera doesn’t do anything wrong. The iPhone 6s Plus leads in overall low light photo quality, camera user experience, and overall video quality. The iPhone 6s is decidedly a few steps behind due to its lack of OIS, so as a result I would rank it around the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S6.
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nerd1 - Saturday, November 7, 2015 - link
720p screen in 2015, worse battery life, no sd slot, no wiress charging, terrible camera and still THE BEST phone huh?It has best performing processor, no one argues that, but I still wont touch it with a stick.
JaytB1 - Sunday, November 8, 2015 - link
I use iPhone mainly because of the better security/privacy, no carrier/manufacturer delay/total dismissal of security/OS updates, earlier/exclusive/better releases of triple A games/apps and uncluttered interface. I agree with the gold award, the iPhone 6s (plus) is the first phone in a while that made me see that there are still possibilities to innovate in the smartphone space.I've seen Android users avidly defending their high PPI's, megapixels, core counts. Oh, but it's customizable and I can put a ton of widgets on my homescreens. There's only a small minority of tech obsessed people who care (proof is in the huge low/medium end market share, indicating the amount who don't care for specs but just want a working phone). For me, all I want is to launch an app, not stare at my home screen. In the past, Android users where more often than not boasting about benchmarks and how their hardware was superior. Now that the tables are turned, hardware all of a sudden doesn't matter as much anymore or the tests must be rigged by a biased Anandtech (who has nothing to gain and everything to loose if they were posting nonsense).
I've seen Samsung and other manufactures add so many gimmicks to their phones, many of which are plain impractical (try doing 'airview' while jogging and you'll get the picture).
I admit that fast charging would be nice but, for me, completely unnecessary (it's not like an iPhone charges slow in the first place).
Then there's wireless charging, you do realize that you still have to plug in the charge pad with a cable right? So the only difference is that you don't need to plug that cable into your phone, but you'll need more power to fill your device up as compared to using a cable (more waste power) and a permanent spot for your charging pad. Again, for me I don't really see the appeal for that either.
We could also talk about PPI but to keep it brief, I'd rather have a device perform well with individual pixels I can't distinguish, than a screen that would impact performance with pixels I still can't see... But more of them.
I could go on about how a blind photo evaluation test on a respected Android site had Android users voting the iPhone 6s as having the best overall picture quality, but now that the iPhone scored a tiny bit lower than some Android phones in one test, it suddenly has a 'far inferior' camera. Then there's the RAM, curved screens and so many other things I could mention, but my point is that I think Android users can't recognize a genuine game-changing feature-list because they're so used to getting bombarded by tons of arguably useless high spec lists and gimmicks that are marketed as 'the next big thing'.
It's almost as if Google took over the reality distortion field from Apple. Just wait a couple of years when all Android devices have 'Android sense' (or something) displays (3D touch), THEN it will be a game changing feature because they'll have 1000's of pressure levels they can sense as compared to the 'useless' iPhone's (hypothetical) 128 levels.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm not trying to bash Android or people who choose to use it, I just don't like those who post nonsense without anything to back it up just so they can sleep at night having convinced themselves that they bought the right phone. I've been a reader of this site for years and believe their test results to be correct, as they've always been. People who claim otherwise should come with facts or stop sprouting nonsense.
I, for one, agree with the review and think it's the phone with the best all round feature set on the market today. Is it perfect? Of course not, but it's a genuinely forward thinking and exceptional smartphone in a stale smartphone market, and that deserves that gold award in my book.
Thanks for the review!
Aritra Ghatak - Sunday, November 8, 2015 - link
As the reviewers pointed various aberration and distortions associated with using a brighter lens and that it is wise Apple went with the F 1/2.2 aperture lens. Could you please explain how Samsung manages with an F 1/1.9 aperture lens in Galaxy S6? Or for that matter the F 1/1.8 lens in LG G4 or Nokia Lumia 720/730?patamat - Sunday, November 8, 2015 - link
Well, we all know who Anand went to work for after writing few "balanced" reviews like this one.(apple ...)
Psymac - Monday, November 9, 2015 - link
Where is the phone function analysis of this iPhone?zimmybz - Tuesday, November 10, 2015 - link
I guess I'll try to build the bridge for the Droid guys here that are having a hard time.I haven't had an iPhone since the Galaxy S came out. Been a droid user since.
I recently got a 6S Plus. I sold a Note 5 and cancelled a pre-order for a Nexus 6P.
I will say it since nobody else will. The Note 5 has a great camera, S-Pen is cool, and enough RAM to keep multi-tasking running, but otherwise it's a shitty phone. The battery life and Touchwiz still leave a LOT to be desired. Build quality is great, but it suffers from what every other Droid phone suffers from - fractured, fragmented hardware eco-system and specs driven production. (Hang on)
If you need to know why you should cancel a 6P pre-order, look at the subreddit (Holy crap, lol.)
Anyways, in my first week with the 6S Plus, I hit 22% battery with 88 hours standy and 13 hours usage. That is completely insane.
Back to the Note 5 - look at the graphs on the review here. This phone absolutely DOMINATES the Note 5 across the board, a fact which I can confirm first hand.
I can also tell you that holding the phones side by side looking at the same picture taken on the Note 5, the displays are functionally indistinguishable from the other. (So much for all that resolution, I guess)
This is a large reason why the Note stutters against the 6S Plus. It's pushing a LOT of pixels that aren't really evident in day to day use, especially sitting next to the iPhone.
I guess I finally reached the point, I just want the best phone every year regardless of manufacturer or software.
Until Google makes it's own hardware in house and breaks free of QualComm, Apple is going to beat them every year going forward. I'm not 20 anymore, I don't care about a home screen widget. I want the battery not to drain from some stupid Google Play Services memory drain while the phone is sitting on my desk.
I don't want Samsung Services blowing up the battery either. And - NO - I should not have to root kit, Package Disable, Power Saver, Turn off Location, etc, etc, etc. I paid $1000 for a premium handset with lots of features.
Oddly enough, the iPhone can leave all that crap on and STILL get good battery life. The arguments for Android are shrinking right now. I'll never buy another Samsung phone again. I will miss the S-Pen, but Touchwiz is heinous, even in it's current iteration.
I would really love to see Google put up a fight in the premium handset market, but I don't think their hearts are in the hardware QUITE yet.
Anyways, happy 6S Plus user here, 4+ year droid convert at the moment. We'll see what next year brings.
zeeBomb - Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - link
Ss or bs (sorry I just had to)JTRCK - Friday, November 13, 2015 - link
I actually returned a 6S Plus for the Nexus 6P and the main reason was PRICE. They are as equally performant in day to day tasks, but the Nexus 6P had better multitasking performance for me due to the buttons and added power of a side launcher which is not possible on iPhone. I basically never have to go to the home screen again when using Google docs, searching the web, etc... I tried both out for about a week. The only feature I liked on the iPhone 6S Plus better was the cooler white colors of the LCD; other than that the Nexus 6P was better "for me" in every aspect. The phone "flies" in every sense of the word. No stutters, no lag, no unresponsiveness (typical of Samsungs). I have been an iPhone user since the 3GS. I also used the iPhone 6 Plus this year for 5 months.And I truthfully don't understand all this commotion over the new iPhone 6S Plus being the best phone ever released. Outside of "3D touch," there is not much difference in day to day performance or general use between both this year's model and last year's model. That is generally a great testament to iOS stability and performance. So much so that my old iPhone 4s opened apps faster, surfed faster, multitasked faster, etc, than my now defunct Note 4. Apple has been on top of their game for years, IDK why android fans have only now noticed. But iOS is truly very limited. You will sooner or later find out the gates keep you truly locked in.
But the main factor for me, again, was price. I do not in any way find the iPhone to be a better phone than the Nexus 6P. In fact, I find its system to be inferior in a multitude of ways. Is the iPhone Better than the Note 5 and all its clumsy and useless features? Yes. But the Nexus 6P is in a category all its own. Especially for $650. That is exactly what I paid for the 128GB model compared to the $1,170 I paid for the iPhone 6S Plus.
astroboy888 - Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - link
"FinFET transistors are necessary because as transistors get smaller their leakage (wasted power) goes up, and without FinFETs leakage would spiral out of control. In fact that’s exactly what happened on the 20nm nodes from Samsung and TSMC; both companies thought the leakage of planar transistors could be adequately controlled at 20nm, only for leakage to be a bigger problem than they expected"It is not they "discovered" 20nm leakage was high; therefore they switched to 16nm FinFet. This is an incorrect comment.
FinFet transistors structure had been on the road map and in development at TSMC for more than 10 years. TSMC's first finfet transistor was demonstrated in 2002 when the inventor Professor Chen-Ming Hu of UC Berkeley was working at TSMC as CTO. Therefore Finfet process had always been on the roadmap for 16nm process. The 20nm planar process had always been on the road map as a planar process. Every process node takes about 3-5 years to develop, so the customers (semiconductor chip designers) signs up 3-5 years before hand to co-work with TSMC to design a chip for that process. These were communicated ahead of time and contracts where signed.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the semiconductor industry was pushing for SOI (Silicon On Insulator such as GaAs "Gallium Arsenide), which completely eliminates leakage current. But the transistor performance turned out to be too unpredictable and too expensive to manufacture. Therefor the industry stuck with silicon, until FinFet structure was invented in 2000 and manufacturing process perfected some 10 years later.
gonsolo - Thursday, November 12, 2015 - link
If I may suggest something: I'd like to see app startup times as a benchmark from iPhone 5 onwards. This is something I'm doing a lot; waiting for apps to start.