AppleInsider Staff
Hours after Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus went on sale in launch countries New Zealand and Australia, the team at iFixit tore into the new device to reveal an expectedly smaller battery and a slightly reworked internal layout.
While a full teardown has yet to be published online, iFixit is posting pictures of the process on Twitter. With a chassis design only slightly tweaked from last year's model, iPhone 6s contains only a few internal changes to make room for a larger Taptic Engine vibration mechanism and 3D Touch-enabled display.
So far, photos have revealed a 1,715 mAh battery, down from the 1,810 mAh cell found in iPhone 6. The drop in overall charge capacity shouldn't impact running time thanks to more efficient silicon like the A9 processor and embedded M9 motion coprocessor.
Other enhancements for this year's "s" update include a 12MP iSight camera with 4K video capability (and optical image stabilization applied to both still and video footage on 6s Plus), a 5MP FaceTime shooter with Retina flash, faster Touch ID module, faster LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity, stronger cover glass, a frame made from 7000 series aluminum and a new rose gold color. The hardware enables advanced iOS 9 functions like always-on Siri, Live Photos and more.
Apple's iPhone 6s is rolling out worldwide on Friday, with preorder shipments already arriving at houses and brick-and-mortar Apple Stores in New Zealand and Australia. Apple exhausted launch day preorder supply on Monday, meaning the only way to get a unit on Friday is to visit a company store or authorized reseller.
Update: iFixit has posted ongoing progress of the teardown to its website.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
20 Comments
What no ones talking about: The Taptic Engine Apple decreased the battery size and added the Taptic Engine for a reason. The iPhone is even heavier, something Apple doesn't like to do. I truly believe the Taptic Engine will sell the iPhone to many people making these compromises worth it.
Every year when the teardowns arrive, I am struck by the appearance of the iPhone insides. They resemble what I as a teenager imagined alien tech would look like.
Every year when the teardowns arrive, I am struck by the appearance of the iPhone insides. They resemble what I as a teenager imagined alien tech would look like.
HE'S ON TO US!
[quote name="WelshDog" url="/t/188472/first-iphone-6s-teardown-reveals-smaller-battery-tightly-packed-components#post_2782092"]Every year when the teardowns arrive, I am struck by the appearance of the iPhone insides. They resemble what I as a teenager imagined alien tech would look like.[/quote] The same for their Macs, too. Other OEMs have gotten better since the iPhone's rise to fame, but some are really awful. Check out this Moto X teardown from just two years ago. It's not even in the same league. Look at all that wasted space on the fibreglass which results in wasted space inside the device. [LIST][*] https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Motorola+Moto+X+Teardown/16867 [/LIST]
I'm going to be very curious to see how this all pans out.
Every item mentioned above in the article 'should' theoretically add to heavier draw on battery. And none of the components (to my knowledge) are of a smaller die than the components from last years 6 model. Also, there are more Individual components than for the 6, and the components (CPU etc) are more powerful; (therefor, more power hungry).
Love any other perspectives. But in any case, I'll find out for myself soon enough.