What are all the differences between the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7? Which is best?

Please note that Apple has discontinued the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7. This Q&A has been updated with the latest configurations, iOS compatibility details, and more. It can be quite useful for anyone buying or selling any of these models on the used market.

There are a whopping twenty four different iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models. As always, EveryiPhone.com has documented all of them in detail. However, this Q&A primarily addresses collective differences for the sake of simplicity.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 6)

As these three lines share the same general shape and size, it would be easy to mistake any of them for one another even with a fairly detailed inspection.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6 Plus - Back)

However, there are many important differences between the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7 that are not obvious and that are well worth review as a result.

External Design & Functionality Differences

Although there are tiny differences in weight, the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus all share thin all aluminum designs with softly rounded sides.

The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models use aerospace-grade 7000 series aluminum, which is more durable and less bendable than the aluminum used in the earlier iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, though. The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus adds ion-strenghtened glass and an unadvertised rubber gasket for improved water resistance and the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus are splash, water, and dust-resistant to the IP67 standard (as well as pack ion-strengthened glass), but still are not waterproof.

All have a Lightning connector, but the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models have dual (stereo) speakers instead of one but lack the traditional bottom-mounted headphone jack that the other models have. They have much more subtle rear antenna lines, too. All three lines have a "Touch ID" fingerprint sensor, but the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus is faster than its predecessor and the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus has a taptic-engine powered solid state "clickless" Home button rather than a physical Home button like the others.

Display Differences

All three lines have a multitouch "Retina HD" display and the same dimensions, resolutions, pixel density, and contrast ratio as well as dual domain pixels, but each line is better quality and more capable than its predecessor.

The display quality and functionality is different between models accordingly:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Dimensions:	4.7/5.4"	4.7/5.4"	4.7/5.4"
Resolution:	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080
Pixel Density:	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi
Contrast Ratio:	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1
Wide Color:	No	No	DCI-P3
3D Touch:	No	Yes	Yes
Tapic Sensor:	No	Yes	Yes
Touch ID:	1st Gen	2nd Gen	Solid State
Ion-X Glass:	No	Yes	Yes

Perhaps most notably, the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus provides a "wide color" gamut (DCI-P3) and enhanced brightness that in detailed testing, the respected DisplayMate found to be "visually indistinguishable from perfect."

Housing Color Differences

For the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus lines, Apple added new color options to stoke demand.

Specifically, the color options for the iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7 include:

iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
White Front/ Silver Back	White Front/ Silver Back	White Front/ Silver Back
White Front/ Gold Back	White Front/ Gold Back	White Front/ Gold Back
Black Front/ Space Gray Back	White Front/ Rose Gold Back	White Front/ Rose Gold Back
	Black Front/ Space Gray Back	Black Front/ Matte Black Back
		Black Front/ Glossy Black Back
		White Front/ Matte Red Back*

Note that Apple warns the glossy "Jet Black" color option for the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus is particularly vulnerable to "micro-abrasions" and is not a good choice for those who are picky about damaging the finish.

*From March 21, 2017 until September 12, 2017, Apple sold a (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It has a white front and a matte red back.

Camera Differences

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus all have dual cameras, but there are notable quality differences between them.

FaceTime Cameras

Each front-facing "FaceTime" camera is better than its predecessor:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Megapixels:	1.2 MP	5 MP	7 MP
Aperture:	f/2.4	f/2.2	f/2.2
Video:	720p	720p	1080p

Most notably, the front-facing camera in the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models have larger sensors and wider aperture values (smaller f stop), which allows for more light. The iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus shoots 1080p video, also.

iSight Cameras

The rear-mounted cameras, which Apple formerly called "iSight" but dropped this branding with the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus, have even less in common:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Megapixels:	8 MP	12 MP	12 MP x2*
Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/1.8/f/2.8*
Pixel Size:	1.5µm	1.22µm	1.22µm
LED Flash:	Dual	True Tone	Quad True Tone
Lens:	Yes	Five-Element	Six-Element
Zoom:	3x	5x	5x & 2x/10x*
Video:	1080p	4K	4K
Slo-Mo:	No	Yes	Yes
Focus Pixels:	No	Yes	Yes
AIS:	Yes	Yes	Yes
OIS (Photos):	No	No/Yes	Yes
OIS (Videos):	No	No/Yes	Yes

* The iPhone 7 Plus models, and only the iPhone 7 Plus models, have dual rear cameras. There are two rear 12 megapixel cameras, one wide-angle with a f/1.8 aperture and another telephoto with a f/2.8 aperture. By combining an image from both cameras, it emulates a 2x optical zoom as well as a 10x digital zoom.

In a detailed review, DxOMark found significant improvements in the iPhone 7 camera compared to its predecessors.

Identification Differences

It is easy to mistake any of the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, or iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models for one another when they are not side-by-side.

Many of the devices can be identified by Model Number, which is listed on the back of each phone in tiny type, but not all of the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus models can be individually identified in this way.

Nevertheless, for the purpose of this Q&A, it is sufficient to note that the following model numbers refer to these devices:

iPhone Model	Model Numbers
iPhone 6	A1549, A1586, A1589
iPhone 6 Plus	A1522, A1524, A1593
iPhone 6s	A1633, A1688, A1700, A1691
iPhone 6s Plus	A1634, A1687, A1699, A1690
iPhone 7	A1660, A1778, A1779, A1780
iPhone 7 Plus	A1661, A1784, A1785, A1786

These devices also can be spotted uniquely by other identifiers.

Specifically, EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iLookup feature can precisely identify these iPhone models by Order Number (referred to as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About), and their Serial Numbers, as well.

Battery Life Differences

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s models have the same battery life as do the larger iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s Plus models, but the battery life is a bit different for the subsequent iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Talk Time (3G):	14/24 Hours	14/24 Hours	14/21 Hours
Internet (3G):	10/12 Hours	10/12 Hours	12/13 Hours
Internet (4G/LTE):	10/12 Hours	10/12 Hours	12/13 Hours
Internet (Wi-Fi):	11/12 Hours	11/12 Hours	14/15 Hours
Video Playback:	11/14 Hours	11/14 Hours	13/14 Hours
Audio Playback:	50/80 Hours	50/80 Hours	40/60 Hours

As you can see, battery life is better for the larger "Plus" models, as they have physically larger batteries, but it also is worth noting that the newer iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models have better battery life in some tasks, but inferior battery life in others.

Wireless Connectivity & Data Differences

In basic terms, each line of iPhone models support more advanced wireless connectivity than their predecessors. All of these devices support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO, GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), and UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz), as well as LTE/4G connectivity but support for specific bands varies. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models supports the fastest version of LTE Advanced which is as fast as 450 Mbps.

For details, if desired, refer to these separate Q&As:

• iPhone 6 (Four Models)
• iPhone 6 Plus (Four Models)
• iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus (Four Models Each)
• iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus (Four Models Each)

When they were first shipped, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models supported Bluetooth 4.0, but with iOS 9 installed, Apple upgraded the Bluetooth capability in these models to Bluetooth 4.2. However, on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Bluetooth 4.2 only supports improved privacy rather than increased speed. The newer iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models fully support Bluetooth 4.2.

Internal Differences

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models have much different architectures:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Clockspeed:	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz
Processor:	Apple A8	Apple A9	Apple A10 Fusion
Cores:	Dual	Dual	Quad
RAM:	1 GB	2 GB	2 GB/3 GB*
Architecture:	64-Bit	64-Bit	64-Bit
Coprocessor:	M8 Motion	M9 Motion	M10 Motion
Storage:	16/64/128 GB	16/64/128 GB	32/128/256 GB
Apple Pay (NFC):	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer:	No	Yes	Yes

* The iPhone 7 Plus models have 3 GB of RAM whereas the smaller iPhone 7 models only have 2 GB of RAM.

† Apple re-introduced 32 GB variants of the iPhone 6, but not the iPhone 6 Plus, in February and March 2017 in the US (on AT&T GoPhone and Boost Mobile), in India, Europe, and other international markets in Space Gray. The company also introduced a 32 GB variant of the iPhone 6 in Gold in China and Taiwan. The iPhone 6 was discontinued again on September 12, 2018.

The Japan-specific iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models -- the iPhone 7 (Japan) A1779 and iPhone 7 Plus (Japan) A1785 -- additionally are advertised to support Sony's FeliCa for contactless payments on iD and QuicPay as well as Suica support on JR East.

iOS Support Differences

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus originally shipped with iOS 8 and subsequently shipped with iOS 9. The iPhone 6/iPhone 6s Plus originally shipped with iOS 9 and later shipped with iOS 10. The iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus originally shipped with iOS 10.

Regardless of the version of the operating system installed when the device first shipped, all three lines support iOS 11 as well as iOS 12, although the iPhone 6 does not support some minor features.

The iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus models do not support iOS 13 or later versions of the iOS at all.

The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus are compatible with iOS 13, but do not support the Adjust Portrait Lighting and High-Key Mono photgraphy features, Dolby Atmos playback, and modest AR features (Motion Capture and People Occlusion).

The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus support iOS 14, as well. However, none support the minor Car Keys, Spatial Audio, App Clips, Location Anchors, Exposure Compensation, Burst Photos, QuickTake Video, and On-Device Dictation features.

The iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus support iOS 15, but they do not support a large number of advanced features including Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, Immersive Walking Instructions, Live Text in Photos, Live Text Translation, Visual Look Up, 3D Landmarks, Home Keys, and more.

Finally, the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus do not support iOS 16 or later versions of the iOS, including the current version.

It is not possible to install a version of the iOS earlier than the one that was pre-installed, and it is difficult even to "downgrade" to an earlier version after upgrading a compatible iPhone to a later version of the iOS.

iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7 Comparison Chart

These differences as well as other details and US pricing information is summarized below:

	iPhone 6/6+	iPhone 6s/6s+	iPhone 7/7+
Introduced:	Sep 2014	Sep 2015	Sep 2016
Discontinued:	Sep 2016	Sep 2018	Sep 2019
Clockspeed:	1.4 GHz	1.8 GHz	2.3 GHz
Processor:	Apple A8	Apple A9	Apple A10
Architecture:	64-Bit	64-Bit	64-Bit
Coprocessor:	M8 Motion	M9 Motion	M10 Motion
RAM:	1 GB	2 GB	2/3 GB
Storage (GB):	16/64	16/64/128	32/128/256
Battery Life (Hours):	10-80	10-80	12-60
Display Size:	4.7"/5.5"	4.7"/5.5"	4.7"/5.5"
Resolution:	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080	1334x750 1920x1080
Pixel Density:	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi	326 ppi 401 ppi
Contrast Ratio:	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1	1400:1 1300:1
Wide Color:	No	No	DCI-P3
Headphone Jack:	Yes	Yes	No
Ion-Strengthened Glass:	No	Yes	Yes
3D Touch:	No	Yes	Yes
Taptic Sensor:	No	Yes	Yes
Stereo Speakers:	No	No	Yes
4G/LTE Internet:	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi (802.11ac):	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth:	4.2	4.2 (Full)	4.2 (Full)
Rear Megapixels:	8 MP	12 MP	12 MP (x2)
Rear Video:	1080p	4K	4K
Rear Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/1.8/2.8
Rear Zoom:	3x	5x	5x & 2x/10x
Rear LED Flash:	Dual	True Tone	Quad True
Primary Material:	Al	Al 7000	Al 7000
Water Gasket:	No	Yes	Yes (IP67)
Touch ID:	1st Gen	2nd Gen	Solid
Apple Pay (NFC):	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer:	No	Yes	Yes
SIM Card:	Nano	Nano	Nano
Original iOS:	iOS 9	iOS 9	iOS 10
Fastest iOS:	iOS 12	iOS 14	iOS 14
Maximum iOS:	iOS 12	iOS 15	iOS 15
Original Price* (US):	US$649-US$949	US$649-US$949	US$649-US$969

* Note that these prices are for devices unlocked and paid in full upfront. Carrier subsidized options also were available.

For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPhone as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPhone.com.

So, which is best? Should I buy an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, or iPhone 7?

Just compared to each other (and not subsequent models) for most users, the iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus models are the best by far. They're (1) faster, (2) have a higher quality display, (3) have better cameras, (4) have better battery life for Internet use, (5) have the option of additional storage, (6) support faster LTE-A, and (7) are much more water resistant.

However, for those on an even tighter budget -- or those who have older, but expensive headphones that use a traditional headphone jack -- the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus remain worth consideration.

Previously, EveryiPhone.com suggested buying a used iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus over the earlier iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus because the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus models have twice as much RAM and a faster architecture and accordingly likely would support the current iOS longer. This speculation was correct and the iPhone 6/iPhone 6 Plus models had current operating system support revoked significantly earlier.

At this point, all of these models have reached the end of the road for iOS support, and app compatibility will start to wane going forward. Because they support a newer version of the iOS, though, the iPhone 6s/iPhone 6s Plus and iPhone 7/iPhone 7 Plus will be usable longer.

iPhone Purchase & Sale Options

There are no shortage of places to buy an iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, or iPhone 7. However, buying your iPhone from a quality company with an excellent track record will provide an ideal experience and save you money and time, also.

In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurbished iPhone models with free shipping. On the other hand, if you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.

In Australia, site sponsor Mac City likewise has a variety of used iPhone models sold at low prices and available with a free warranty and fast shipping across Australia.

Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.