Wesley's Tool-Box

I've been using an iPhone ever since it started going on sale in Korea back in December 2009, with iPhone 3GS. The original iPhone was not compatible with Korean mobile networks and at the time of the release of iPhone 3G, laws effectively prevented anyone from using foreign cellphones on the domestic networks other than in the form of roaming. People seeking to use the latest phones from abroad eventually succeeded in persuading the lawmakers to change the rules and paved the way for an official domestic launch of the iPhone as well.

I sought to get the latest iPhone as they were up for pre-order on the domestic carrier's website. So I was able to get mine usually on the first day of the Korean release day. This continued all the way up to iPhone 5, when I was invited to the carrier's launch event, as evidenced by a certain media photo. But wanting to get my hands on even quicker, I sought out the first-wave releases from overseas starting with 5S. And with that I started doing some in-depth reviews, too.

In this way, I went through seven generations of iPhone for the past six years. The only ones I skipped were either the lower-cost version (5C) or the smaller version (6 and 6S).


Since I never sold the iPhones, they always circulated within the family. And with the most recent upgrade cycle, all the older phones not in use were returned to me for a big reunion. Yes, I now had seven iPhones in my hands.

Luckily, all of the phones were in good working conditions in general, needing just a recharge or a change of battery to return it back to life. This prompted me to do a big comparison that let me see how far iPhones have come during all these years.

One of the features that stand out on the iPhone 6S series is the 3D Touch. It's something you can immediately notice when you use the device for the first time because many of the stock apps take advantage of it. Basically, the phone's screen now knows how hard you push your finger against it, and translates it into triggering different functions.

In the home screen, a light touch on the app icon still launches it. But when you push it a bit harder, Quick Actions menu is triggered for the supported apps, letting you do get into various tasks even before the app is actually launched. It's something that I didn't know I wanted, but I would definitely miss it if it were gone. I'd be slightly frustrated to use older generation iPhones now thanks to this, sort of like how I feel about the lack of Touch ID on iPhone 5 and older. As it's the most obvious way that an app can be extended for 6S series, many of the 3rd party apps are now getting updated to enable this.


Here's a comparison video I made to show how 3D Touch lets you do more. On the left is an iPhone 6 Plus, and on the right is a 6S Plus. When I push the Photos app hard, 6S Plus shows the Quick Actions whereas 6 Plus only recognizes the long press and wants to know if I want to delete any apps.

Once into the app, pressing hard on a photo in 6S Plus lets me "peek", i.e. preview the photo, and if I push even harder, I "pop" into the photo and it's loaded on the screen. A light tapping feedback happens as I do this due to the Taptic Engine. On 6 Plus, nothing happens. This peek/pop interaction can be seen in many other stock apps, so I'm having fun trying to push the screen a lot to see there's anything more I can do.

After getting my brand new iPhone 6S Plus on its launch day in Japan, I brought it to Korea soon after. As the family enjoyed the Chuseok holidays, my daughter Celine was given the honour of opening the box of this latest iPhone. This might be becoming an annual tradition.


Compared to last year, Celine handled the unboxing much better. She definitely knew what she was supposed to do now. In the box was an iPhone that was almost exactly identical to what she unboxed last year. She happily took it out of the box to show it to everyone in the family.

The title says it all. I got my preordered iPhone 6S Plus at Osaka Shinsaibashi Apple Store on the launch day. Review coming soon!