THE FIRST BATCH of new iPhones will be making their way to Irish users as they officially launch today.
Pre-orders from Vodafone, Three and Meteor will begin arriving to customers today while the Apple store itself has opened up orders for unlocked versions of both devices.
On Apple’s store, the iPhone 6S, which is a 4.7-inch screen, will begin at €759 for the 16GB version while the 64GB and 128GB versions will cost €869 and €979 respectively.
The larger iPhone 6S Plus, which has a 5.5-inch screen, starts at €869 for the 16GB version and rises to €979 and €1,029 for the 64GB and 128GB versions. Both devices will be dispatched within 1-3 business days according to the site.
In comparison to last year, they are a little bit more expensive than the price of an iPhone 6 last year, costing €799, €899 and €999 for the with the 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions respectively.
In stores, prices vary between the different providers depending on the contract cost and length, but if you’re interested in buying one, this is what you would pay for a 16GB iPhone 6S or iPhone 6S Plus on bill pay.
Vodafone (24 month contract)
iPhone 6S
€129.99 (€75 per month),
€249.99 (€55 per month),
€399.99 (€35 per month).
iPhone 6S Plus
€229.99 (€75 per month)
€349.99 (€55 per month)
€449.99 (for €35 per month contract).
Three (18 and 24 month contract)
iPhone 6S
€249 (€55 per month for 24 months)
€469 (€45.74 per month for 18 months)
€379 (€40.66 per month for 24 months)
€499 (€40.66 per month for 18 months)
€549 (€25.41 per month for 18 months)
iPhone 6S Plus
€349 (€55 per month for 24 months)
€569 (€45.74 per month for 18 months)
€479 (€40.66 per month for 24 months)
€599 (€40.66 per month for 18 months)
€649 (€25.41 per month for 18 months)
Meteor (24 months)
iPhone 6S
€249 (€65 per month),
€249 (€40 per month)*
€349 (€32 per month)
€449 (€30 per month)
iPhone 6S Plus
€349 (€65 per month)
€349 (€40 per month)*
€449 (€32 per month)
€549 (€30 per month)
*Prices for first two entries are for Super Deluxe 4G and Super 4G plans. The difference between the two is Super Deluxe 4G offers 15GB of data while Super 4G offers 5GB, but includes free Meteor calls and texts.
Upgraded specs
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is mainly an upgrade of the previous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with an enhanced camera, an improved A9 processor, and twice the memory of its predecessor, jumping from 1GB to 2GB.
But it also comes with a number of smaller additions. The biggest feature is 3D Touch, which can tell the difference between a light and a hard press. A hard press acts like a right-click function and brings up quick actions for specific apps.
The screen can differentiate between a long or hard press so you don’t accidentally bring up the move/delete apps option.
The other major action that 3D Touch provides is the ability to peek at messages or email.
A hard press at the centre of a text message will give you a preview while swiping up will provide a number of pre-selected responses or mark it as read.
Other features include the ability to record in 4K video, the inclusion of live photos, a feature which captures what happens before and after a photo is taken. You can set this as your wallpaper or lock screen so when you hard press it, it plays.
Although both devices haven’t exactly been free of controversy. Some users have complained that the home button heats up to the point where touching it is impossible, while iOS 9, the latest version of Apple’s operating system, has already seen two updates released in the space of three weeks as it quashes a number of bugs.
Ireland is one of 40 countries where both devices have launched today and Apple plans to sell the devices in more than 130 countries by the end of the year. On its opening weekend, Apple sold 13 million units, beating last year’s total of 10 million sold in the same period.
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