Sponsored: 4 Reasons to buy an iPhone 6s instead of the iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 is out, and you’re wondering if it’s time for an upgrade. Everyone scrambles for the newest smartphone model, but you’ll be surprised to learn that the 6s has a lot to recommend it, despite it being an older model. When you compare a few features with the respective prices, you’ll see that the 6s is a great choice.
Similar Design
Image via Flickr by LWYang
No major design differences have occurred between the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 7. Despite rumors that removing the headphone jack would make the phone skinnier or lighter, the 6s and the 7 are exactly the same size: 5.44 x 2.64 x 0.28 inches, and the 7 is only negligibly lighter than the 6s. Furthermore, the 6s and the 7 have the same 4.7″ display at 1334 x 750 pixels, so if you’re a fan of the large screen of the later model smartphone, the 6s will be perfect.
Another difference between the phones is the camera. They’re both 12-megapixel cameras, but the 7 has a wide-angle option, and more megapixels when you use FaceTime. If you don’t spend a lot of time photographing landscapes, you won’t miss the wide angle. Unless you’re fussed about having no headphone jack on the iPhone 7, you’re not going to notice the differences between the two models at all.
Powerful Processor
Apple updated the processor for the iPhone 7. The iPhone 6s houses the A9 chip, while the 7 has the new A10. Yes, the A10 is reportedly up to 40 percent faster than the A9. But the A9 was already designed with performance that would be in the same class as desktop computers, which already far outstrips most other smartphones.
If you’re a heavy gamer, you might notice the difference. The A10 chip works with graphics improvements to let the iPhone 7 process graphics-heavy games faster. For those of us playing the newest iteration of Angry Birds or still hanging on to classics like Tetris, the difference isn’t noticeable at all. In fact, the A9 is powerful enough and fast enough to serve the average person’s smartphone needs and then some. If you haven’t specifically noticed that your smartphone use habits tend to freeze your phone or ruin your experience, the A9 in the iPhone 6s will be more than enough for your smartphone usage.
No Headphone Jack
You may have heard by now that the iPhone 7 has no headphone jack. If you want to plug headphones into it you’ll need a lightning jack adapter. Apple includes these adapters with the iPhone 7 package, but it’s still an extra thing to remember when taking your iPhone 7 anywhere. Because the only place to plug the headphones in is where you plug your charger, you can’t listen to music with plug-in headphones and charge simultaneously.
The lack of a headphone jack is supposed to show us that wireless and Bluetooth headphones are the way of the future. Because of cost, however, many people haven’t invested in wireless headphones yet. Many others have expensive wired headphone models like Bose’s noise-canceling versions that don’t need to be replaced very often. Until now, those people have been happy because every smartphone has had the same headphone jack.
If you want an idea of how annoying it’s going to be dealing with an adapter, remember when iPhone changed to the lightning charger, and all your old chargers didn’t fit anymore. This is even worse, because it applies to every set of wired headphones you own. The iPhone 6s does not have this problem because it still has a headphone jack. Enough said.
Price and Updates
When new models come out, older models go on discount. Right now you can get the 6s for $100 less than the 7. Apple has continued to roll out software updates to the 4s and 5s into 2016, so Apple will be supporting your 6s for a long time to come.
The 6s is a high-quality smartphone with a large screen, a strong processor, and all the features that has made Apple stand out over the years. It easily competes with the iPhone 7 in every category, and is less expensive to boot.
