iPhone 6s Puts Focus on Its Cameras With Higher-Quality Photos and Video, Front Flash, and More - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 6s Puts Focus on Its Cameras With Higher-Quality Photos and Video, Front Flash, and More

With the launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus a few days away, the first reviews for the new devices have begun appearing online today. Many reviewers touted Apple's inclusion of the new 3D Touch technology and the overall performance enhancements that were brought in thanks to the A9 processor. One of the biggest points of attention given in a number of the reviews, however, was the 12-megapixel camera, which has the ability to capture Live Photos and shoot 4K video.

iphone 6s photo 1
In one of its two in-depth reviews on the iPhone 6s, The Verge simply called the new smartphone's camera, "the best camera most people will ever own." Still, the site thought that the overall camera improvement from the iPhone 6's 8-megapixel offering was a "mild" update in the grand sense, given that most customers probably won't be able to tell the difference between the two unless they were side-by-side. Not to mention that most people will be using the camera on its simplest terms for social media.

iphone 6s photo 2
Pocket-lint noted the front-facing camera's 5-megapixel upgrade also has some improvements that are worth mentioning. The site described the new flash feature -- which turns the entire iPhone screen into a camera flash -- works quite well and provides impressively dynamic color palette to match the lighting situation, from "bright clean whites to creamy tones."

iphone 6s photo 3
Pointing out that the iPhone 6s rear camera upgrade is the first resolution improvement made to an iPhone since the iPhone 4 in 2011, The Telegraph called the new 12MP camera "a necessity." Impressed with the better and more accurate autofocus and bump in pixel density, the site found photos taken with the camera to have "greater depth of field, richer, more accurate colour and greater detail."

Aside from today's reviews, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have also been used in a few high-profile photo shoots in recent days, including the above photos from TIME, a set from Sports Illustrated shot at recent San Francisco Giants games, and even a few pictures from New York Fashion Week taken by Vogue. Video footage taken with the 4K-enabled iPhone 6s rear camera is also appearing online, with popular YouTuber Casey Neistat trying out the high-quality format for his latest vlog.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

This Is What the iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like

Saturday April 25, 2026 10:00 am PDT by
A recent leak provides our best look yet at the design of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Leaker Sonny Dickson recently shared images of the first iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone dummy models. The images largely conform with rumors about the designs of the three devices and provide the first real visual confirmation of how they will look. ...
app store monthly sub commitment

Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment

Monday April 27, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable...
MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...

Top Rated Comments

OSXMavericks Avatar
138 months ago
Still can't get over the fact that they wait 4 years to increase the megapixels on both front and rear + add 4k video recording and then still offer 16GB.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spendlove Avatar
138 months ago
It is a smartphone/portable computer. Not a £3000 and up dedicated pro photography camera.

Get over yourselves. If you lot lived in the North of England you'd be torn to pieces for your bleating armchair expertise.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doelcm82 Avatar
138 months ago
Still can't get over the fact that they wait 4 years to increase the megapixels on both front and rear + add 4k video recording and then still offer 16GB.
I got over it almost instantly. You must have a really bad case. Have you seen a doctor?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
naeS1Sean Avatar
138 months ago
Omg…enough about the 16GB base storage already!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
138 months ago
Some of you folks are beyond dense. The camera on this smartphone is NOT meant to try and compete with a DLSR or Mirrorless or even m43. Good lord, some of you guys just need to get a new hobby or something.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
venomgt95 Avatar
138 months ago
The 16GB. An immortal flash memory. Since 2009. 
Still rocking that beast too ;)

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)