Apple iPhone 6S Plus vs. Apple iPhone 6S Size and Specs Comparison, Side by Side Photos : Both Arriving via Smart Postpaid on November 6, 2015

The Cupertino company's dual 2015 flagship smartphones - the Apple iPhone 6S and the bigger Apple iPhone 6S Plus - are finally landing in the Philippines on November 6, 2015.

You can get both handsets for free via Smart Postpaid Plans as a bundled device with the MVP-company's leading digital and mobile services. I will show you the official price schedule and plan matrix as soon as I get them.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Anyway. I made this post for my readers and followers who are now at wits' end trying to figure out which of these two models is right for them.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

If I had to choose one, as some of you already know, I'd definitely go for the Apple iPhone 6S Plus in Rose Gold. First, because I like enjoying content on a big screen (that's 4.7-inch HD on the iPhone 6S versus 5.5-inch Full HD on the iPhone 6S Plus) and I need that model's optical image stabilization for both photos and videos as a blogger who attends lots of events. Why Rose Gold? Well, it's the color that's currently unique to this year's releases and I think it looks great.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

But I understand that we all have our preferences.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Some of you may prefer the smaller iPhone 6S because it's just as powerful as the larger model but it's easier to hold and it takes up less space in the pocket, in the pouch, or in your clutch bag.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Although both of these iPhones look exactly like the 2014 models they superseded, iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are now tougher and more durable as their shells are crafted using less bendable 7000-series Aluminum and ion-exchange-processed glass.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

So what are some key new features that you can enjoy on these 2015 iPhones?

New Touchscreen with Pressure Sensitivity

Apple's new Force Touch technology that incorporates pressure sensitivity on touchscreens has made its way to the Apple Watch and the TouchPad of the new Macbook. This year, Apple brings this unique innovation to its smartphone line via 3D Touch.

The scratch-resistant touchscreen of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus detects subtle changes in pressure and now allows the user to input "half" or "full" clicks. This enables new gestures like the all-new 'Peek and Pop', letting you perform actions without having to fully open an application or to jump to another page or section in the interface.

12 MegaPixel iSight Camera

The Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are equipped with a 12 MegaPixel iSight camera with 1.22µ pixels, enhanced local tone mapping, and noise reduction. This represents a clear upgrade from the 8 MegaPixel shooter on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. As such, you will be able to snap not just bigger but also more brilliant and crisp photos using the 2015 release.

Additionally, the new iSight camera on both phones is capable of shooting live photos - ala GIFs - that animate when you 3D Touch them, videos with 4K resolution, and slow-mo Full HD 1080p 120 frames-per-second clips.

Although both handsets have the same image sensor, Apple iPhone 6S' main camera module is better as it features Optical Image Stabilization mechanism, which compensates for unnecessary hand movement while snapping photos or recording videos for clear and crisp stills and steady clips.

5MP Selfie Cam with Software-Based Front Flash

Apple iPhone 6S and 6S Plus' revamped camera application incorporates virtual flash or illumination 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 G3 and G4, Huawei Ascend P7 and P8, as well as of Lenovo Vibe Shot.

How does it work, exactly? Retina Flash momentarily makes the display three times brighter with True Tone lighting as you snap a selfie using the enhanced 5 MegaPixel FaceTime camera, for wonderfully bright and clear self-portraits even in low light.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Improved Internal Hardware

Whereas the 2014 iPhone 6 and 6 Plus run on the 64-bit Apple A8 processor, this year's models feature the faster and more energy-efficient Apple A9 chipset. This powerhouse CPU is complemented by 2 GB of RAM for improved multitasking, which is a welcome boost given that some flagship Android smartphones from last year already have 3 GB of RAM.

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 two 2015 models far superior in gaming and overall touch performance than their predecessors.

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

Second Generation Fingerprint Sensor

The New Touch ID on this year's iPhones reads your fingerprint more accurately and faster than ever before -- so you can unlock your phone and make app purchases seamlessly, without annoying lags.

Hey, Siri!

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus come with an updated version of Apple's virtual mobile assistant, Siri, incorporated in iOS 9. One key new feature is 'Hey Siri' that lets the user access the service and make commands from anywhere on the phone's interface. It works a lot like Android's 'OK Google'; In fact, it is - obviously, clearly - Apple's answer to that.

Apple iPhone 6S versus Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Alright! Now, here are photos of me holding both the Apple iPhone 6S and Apple iPhone 6S just to give you an idea of how they fit in the hand.

I think my hands are pretty 'regular-sized' for a guy (I'm 5'8 1/2 -- not sure if there's a connection there) and I've actually met quite a few girls who just have ever slightly smaller hand size as me.

I also included a complete technical specifications table for both models and highlighted the 'areas' where the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus differ. I think most geeks will find that helpful too.

Apple iPhone 6S

Apple iPhone 6S Philippines

Apple iPhone 6S Philippines

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Apple iPhone 6S
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen)
Price Category High-end (Flagship Level)
Dimensions138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm
Weight 143 grams
Available Colors Gold, Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold
Operating System iOS 9
Display Retina display, 4.7 inches (~326 ppi pixel density) widescreen, 750 x 1334 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, 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, Improved Face Detection, 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: Cinematic video stabilization, Continuous autofocus video Take still photo while recording video, Improved Face 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 1,715 mAh Li-Ion
Uptime Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 240 hours
Internet use: Up to 10 hours on 3G, up to 10 hours on LTE, up to 11 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 11 hours
Audio playback: Up to 50 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 Philippines: November 6, 2015 (Official)

Apple iPhone 6S Plus

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines

Apple iPhone 6S Plus Philippines

TechPinas Smartphone Technical Specs Table (TSTST)
Name Apple iPhone 6S Plus
Type Slate Form Factor (Full Touchscreen), Phablet without Stylus
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 Philippines: November 6, 2015 (Official)

Having seen the side-by-side comparison shots, the key features, and the technical specifications table of both the Apple iPhone 6S and Apple iPhone 6S Plus, I want to ask you: Which of the two models are you more likely to get when they become availaable in the Philippines? Why? Kindly share you thoughts with me via our comments section below. Looking forward to hearing from you, TP Friends!