Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines Price and Release Date Guesstimate, New Features, Complete Specs

Officially announced by Apple Inc. last September 10, 2015 1:30AM Manila Time via an exclusive media event in San Francisco, California USA, the Apple iPhone 6S Plus is the 2015 follow-up to the first ever smartphone-tablet hybrid device of the company, the iPhone 6 Plus from last year.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines, Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs Apple iPhone 6S
The new 5.5-inch phablet was unveiled alongside the Apple iPhone 6S, which sports a smaller 4.7-inch screen but has the same internal hardware, design, and build.

As I've shared, I don't know if 'serial leakers' have gotten better at what they do or if Apple has simply become worse at keeping unreleased devices under wraps but - interestingly enough - almost all of the 'leaked' information and 'industry insider' rumors about the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus that we shared here in TechPinas over the past few months turned out accurate.

In fact, almost all of the key feature of the Apple iPhone 6S Plus that I've listed down below have actually been talked about extensively before as rumors. Anyway, they're now 100% official:

The Same Design

Apple iPhone 6S Plus looks almost the same as iPhone 6 Plus from 2015 but the newer model comes with an additional 'Rose Gold' color option, which a new device hue introduced by Apple via this year's ultra-slim Macbook.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines
Apple iPhone 6S Plus and 6 Plus share the same design identity -- but the refresh is slightly thicker and heavier, due to new components inside the shell like Apple's Taptic Engine for 3D Touch.

No More #Bendgate Scandal?

One of the main criticisms thrown at the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6 just a week following their launch last year was that you can - if you really want to - bend them using your bare hands. This led to the much talked about Bendgate Scandal of 2014. This year, to address that issue, Apple used more durable materials - specifically 7000-series Aluminum and ion-exchange-processed glass - in crafting the shell of both iPhone 6S Plus and 6S.

3D Touch is Force Touch on an iPhone

Apple's innovative Force Touch screen technology that incorporates pressure sensitivity has made its way to the Apple Watch and the TouchPad of the 2015 Macbook. This year, Apple finally brings this unique display feature to its smartphone line via 3D Touch.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines
I would like to give credit to the good folks at The Verge for all images of the Apple iPhone 6S Plus used in this initial TechPinas Feature

The scratch-resistant glass touchscreen on top of the 5.5-inch Full HD Retina Display of iPhone 6S Plus detects subtle changes in pressure, allowing the user to input "half" or "full" clicks. This also enables new gestures like the all-new 'Peek and Pop' that lets you make commands or perform actions without having to fully open an app or to change where you are on the interface.

More Powerful Processor and More RAM

This year's Apple phablet features the faster and more energy-efficient 64-bit desktop-class Apple A9 chipset versus Apple A8 inside the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Apple A9 is 70% faster in graphics tasks and 90% faster in CPU tasks compared to the Apple A8 from last year. This makes the iPhone 6S far superior in gaming and overall touch performance than its predecessor.

M9, Apple’s next-generation motion coprocessor is also embedded into A9 and it allows certain iOS features and background apps to run all the time without consuming too much power.

You'll also be glad to know that the iPhone 6S Plus now has 2 GB of RAM for improved multitasking, which - as I've previously noted - is a welcome boost considering that almost all competing flagship phones from last year have 3 GB of RAM.

Higher Resolution iSight Camera and OIS for Videos

Just like the iPhone 6S, the Apple iPhone 6S Plus sports a 12 MegaPixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels, enhanced local tone mapping, and noise reduction. This module represents a clear upgrade from the 2014 Apple phablet's 8 MegaPixel shooter.

But what's really amazing about the main camera of iPhone 6S Plus is that it features Optical Image Stabilization for both stills and videos. OIS is made possible by a 'floating lens' that moves to compensate for unnecessary movements - like shaking - when taking photos and recording clips.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines
Additionally, iPhone 6S Plus' iSight camera is capable of shooting live photos that animate when you 3D Touch them, videos with a whopping 4K resolution, and artsy slow-mo Full HD 1080p 120 frames-per-second clips.

Enhanced Fingerprint Sensor

The second generation Touch ID on this year's Apple phablet reads fingerprints more accurately and faster than ever before -- allowing you to unlock your Apple iPhone 6S Plus and make app purchases more intuitively and without annoying lags.

Take Selfies Even With Low to Zero Lighting Conditions Using Virtual Front Flash

Apple iPhone 6S Plus' new camera application incorporates virtual illumination or flash for selfies in lieu of an actual LED bulb in front. Apple calls this 'Retina Flash' and it's more or less similar to the software-based 'front flash' of the LG G4, Huawei Ascend P8, as well as of Lenovo Vibe Shot.

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines, Apple Retina Flash

How does Retina Flash work, exactly? Well, it momentarily makes the display three times brighter with True Tone lighting as you snap a selfie using the iPhone 6S Plus' upgraded 5 MegaPixel FaceTime camera. This gives you wonderfully bright and clear self-portraits even when there's little natural or ambient light available.

Hey, Siri!

Both the Apple iPhone 6S Plus and iPhone 6S come with an updated version of the virtual mobile assistant Siri. One key new feature is 'Hey Siri' that lets you access the service and make commands from anywhere on the iPhone's interface. It works a lot like Android's 'OK Google' voice activation for Google Now.

Price and Release Date

In 2014, Apple's authorized resellers and network carriers started offering the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to consumers during the last week of October. And I'm inclined to believe that we're going to get the Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus around that same time this year; But I'm still hoping that they'd arrive a lot sooner. As for the official suggested retail price, based on 'historical data', the TP Guesstimates for the Apple iPhone 6S Plus are Php 43,990 for the 16GB model, Php 49,590 for the 64GB, and Php 55,890 for the 128GB version upon launch.

Update: Apple iPhone 6S Plus will be officially available in the Philippines via authorized carrier partners and retail outlets starting on November 6, 2015.

Are you a big Apple fan? If so, are you upgrading to the Apple iPhone 6S Plus this year? Which features of this cool new phablet do you like the most? Kindly share your thoughts with me via our comments section below.

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet
Price Category High-end (Flagship Level)
Dimensions158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm
Weight 192 grams
Available Colors Gold, White/Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold
Operating System iOS 9
Display Retina display, 5.5 inches (~401 ppi pixel density) widescreen, 1080 x 1920 pixels, LED-backlit IPS Display, Multi-Touch display, 1400:1 contrast ratio (typical), 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical), Full sRGB standard, Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles, Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front, Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously, 3D Touch
Processor Apple A9 Processor, M9 Motion coprocessor
RAM 2GB of RAM
Memory 16GB, 64GB and 128GB storage options, non-expandable
Camera Main iSight: 12 MegaPixels, 4608 x 2592 pixels resolution, Optical Image Stabilization for Photos, Autofocus with Focus Pixels and True Tone Dual LED flash, Features: 1.22µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture, LED flash, Backside illumination sensor, Five-element lens, Burst Mode, Hybrid IR filter, Panorama (up to 63 megapixels), Improved local tone mapping, Improved noise reduction, Sapphire crystal, lens cover

Front FaceTime HD camera: 5 MP photos, Retina Flash, Æ’/2.2 aperture, Auto HDR for photos and videos, Burst mode, Backside illumination sensor
Video Capture Main: 4K video recording (3840 by 2160) @ 30 fps, 1080p Full HD @ 60 frames per second, 720p @ 240fps
Features: Optical Image Stabilization for Videos, Cinematic video stabilization, Continuous autofocus video Take still photo while recording video, Improved Phase Detection

Slo-mo video support for 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps

Front: 720p up to 30 frames per second, Facetime over Wifi or Cellular, Auto HDR for photos and videos
Audio and Video Playback Video: AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV support at 720p
AirPlay video streaming to Apple TV (3rd generation) at up to 1080p and Apple TV (2nd generation) at up to 720p
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit
Ports 3.5 mm audio jack, new 9-pin Lightning dock connector
Connectivity 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, LTE, NFC
Network GSM model A1428*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 4 and 17)
CDMA model A1429*: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and Rev. B (800, 1900, 2100 MHz); UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 5, 13, 25)
GSM model A1429*: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25)
Sensors Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity, Barometer, 3-axis Gyroscope, Fingerprint identity sensor
SIM Card Type Single NanoSIM
Battery Built-in Rechargeable Non-removable 2,750 mAh Li-Ion
Uptime Talk time: Up to 24 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 384 hours
Internet use: Up to 12 hours on 3G, up to 12 hours on LTE, up to 12 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 14 hours
Audio playback: Up to 80 hours
Notable Features 3D Touch, Apple A9 Chipset with M9 Co-Processor, Higher Resolution iSight and FaceTime cameras, Hey Siri, Retina Flash, Second Generation Fingerprint Sensor
Announcement September 10, 2015 (1:30 AM Manila Time)
Availability Apple's Key Markets: September 25, 2015,
TP Guesstimate for the Philippines: October to November 2015 via Smart and Authorized Apple Resellers
Official Release Date in the Philippines: November 6, 2015
Price Official Carrier Prices in the United States: $299 for the 16GB, $399 for the 64GB, and $499 for the 128GB variant, all on a 2-year contract in the United States

Official Retail Price in the UK: 619 GBP for the 16GB, 699 GBP for 64GB, 789 GBP for 128GB

TP Retail Price Guesstimate:
iPhone 6S Plus 16GB w/o contract - around Php 43,990
iPhone 6S Plus 64GB w/o contract - around Php 49,590
iPhone 6S Plus 128GB w/o contract - around Php 55,890