It is 2026. If you walk into a crowded coffee shop, you’ll see plenty of titanium edges and dynamic islands. But look closer at the guy in the corner or the grandmother checking her mail. There is a decent chance you’ll still spot that familiar, massive forehead and chin. The iPhone 6s Plus refuses to die. Honestly, it’s a bit of a freak of nature in the tech world. Most phones from 2015 are currently sitting in landfills or leaking battery acid in a junk drawer, yet this specific model still has a pulse. It’s the Rasputin of smartphones.
Why?
Maybe it’s because it was the last "big" iPhone to keep the headphone jack. Or maybe it’s because Apple accidentally over-engineered the internals because they were terrified of another "Bendgate" PR disaster. Whatever the reason, this device represents a specific peak in mobile history that we haven't really seen since.
The ghost in the silicon: Why it lasted so long
Apple’s A9 chip was a monster. At the time, we didn't realize how much of a leap it actually was over the A8. It wasn't just a 70% increase in CPU performance; it was the jump to 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM. That sounds like nothing now. Your toaster probably has more RAM today. But back then, doubling the memory from the standard iPhone 6 meant the iPhone 6s Plus could suddenly handle modern web scripts and background processing without gasping for air every time you switched apps.
📖 Related: Why the Clearest Picture of the Sun Looks Like Popcorn (and How We Got It)
It felt like magic.
The move to NVMe-based storage controller technology—the same stuff used in MacBooks—meant that opening an app was nearly instantaneous compared to the sluggish Android competitors of the era. If you’ve ever wondered why your old 6s Plus still feels "snappy" while navigating basic menus, that’s why. It wasn't just marketing fluff. It was a fundamental architectural shift.
The Bendgate redemption arc
We have to talk about 7000 Series aluminum.
After the iPhone 6 Plus started folding in people's pockets like a cheap lawn chair, Apple went into overdrive. They didn't just tweak the design for the iPhone 6s Plus; they swapped the entire metallurgy. They used a zinc-aluminum alloy that was literally used in the aerospace industry. It made the phone slightly heavier—you definitely feel that 192-gram heft—but it also made it built like a tank. You can’t bend this thing. I’ve seen these phones survive drops that would shatter a modern glass-backed iPhone 15 into a million glittery shards.
The display that actually pushed back
3D Touch is the great "lost" feature of the iPhone era. For a few years, the iPhone 6s Plus featured a pressure-sensitive layer under the glass. You could press hard on an app icon to "Peek and Pop." It was tactically satisfying. It felt like the phone was alive.
Eventually, Apple killed it. They replaced it with Haptic Touch (which is basically just a long press) because 3D Touch was too expensive and difficult to manufacture. But for the purists? Nothing beats the physical click of a 3D Touch display. It’s one of those "if you know, you know" features that makes the 6s Plus feel like a premium relic from a more ambitious time.
Real-world photography in the age of computational AI
Let's get real about the camera. It’s 12 megapixels. By 2026 standards, that’s "budget" territory. It doesn't have Night Mode. It doesn't have a 10x periscope zoom. It doesn't have Cinematic Mode.
But it has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
The regular 6s didn't have it, but the iPhone 6s Plus did. In daylight, the photos are surprisingly honest. There’s a lack of the aggressive AI sharpening and "watercolor effect" you see on modern mid-range phones. It’s just... a photo. For people who want their pictures to look like reality rather than a filtered fever dream, there’s a weirdly nostalgic charm to the A9's image signal processor. You’ll struggle in a dark bar, sure. You’ll get grain. But the shutter lag is still impressively low.
The headphone jack and the "Pro" legacy
The iPhone 6s Plus was the end of an era. It was the last time you could charge your phone and listen to high-quality wired headphones without a dongle. For musicians and field recorders, this phone became a legendary "B-cam" or secondary recording device.
Think about the sheer utility.
- No Bluetooth latency issues.
- No lost AirPods.
- Plug-and-play with any car aux cord from 2005.
It sounds trivial until you're on a long flight and your wireless buds die. The 6s Plus just keeps going.
The software wall and where we are now
Technically, the iPhone 6s Plus topped out at iOS 15. Apple finally cut the cord on major OS updates a few years back. Does that make it a brick? Not exactly.
You can still download about 80% of the apps on the App Store. Most developers target older versions of iOS for a surprisingly long time to keep their user base high. You can still use Spotify. You can still use WhatsApp. You can still browse Reddit. The limitation isn't the software yet; it’s the battery. These old lithium-ion cells degrade. If you’re still using one, you’ve likely had the battery replaced at least twice, or you’re living your life tethered to a wall outlet like a digital IV drip.
The environmental argument nobody makes
We talk a lot about "Right to Repair" and sustainability. The most sustainable phone is the one you already own. The iPhone 6s Plus is one of the most repairable iPhones ever made. You can pop the screen off with two Pentalobe screws and a suction cup. The battery isn't buried under layers of logic board.
In a world of "glued-shut" electronics, the 6s Plus is a DIY dream.
What people get wrong about "Old" tech
There’s this myth that once a phone hits the five-year mark, it’s useless. That’s a narrative pushed by manufacturers to keep the upgrade cycle spinning. The iPhone 6s Plus proves that if the hardware is fast enough at launch, it can survive a decade.
We see this with the A9 chip.
Back in the day, people complained the phone was too big. They called it a "Phablet." Now? It’s smaller than an iPhone 15 Pro Max. Our hands adapted, but the phone stayed the same. It’s actually quite comfortable to hold because of those rounded aluminum edges—none of that "digging into your palm" feeling you get with the modern flat-edge design.
How to actually use a 6s Plus in 2026
If you have one in a drawer or you’re thinking about picking one up for $50 as a "distraction-free" device, here is the move.
✨ Don't miss: The Meaning of AR-15: Why Most People Get the Name Wrong
First, ignore the "this phone is obsolete" warnings. They’re mostly security-related. Don't use it for your primary banking if you’re worried about the lack of the latest security patches, but for everything else? It’s fine.
The Maintenance Checklist:
- Check the Battery Health: If it’s under 80%, the CPU will throttle. It will feel slow. Change the battery and the phone will literally "wake up."
- Clean the Lightning Port: Most "charging issues" on this model are just pocket lint. Use a toothpick. Be gentle.
- Use a Lightweight Browser: Safari is fine, but sometimes Opera or specialized "Lite" browsers handle the modern, ad-heavy web a bit better on older hardware.
- Turn off Transparency Effects: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. Turn on "Reduce Transparency." It takes the load off the GPU and makes the UI fly.
The iPhone 6s Plus isn't a flagship anymore. It’s a tool. It’s a testament to a time when Apple was trying to prove they could make a "plus-sized" phone that wouldn't break, wouldn't slow down, and wouldn't abandon the features people actually used. It’s a piece of history that still makes phone calls. That’s more than you can say for most tech from ten years ago.
Next Steps for Current Owners:
Identify if your device is part of the 2016 battery replacement program or if it has been serviced by a third party. If the screen is cracked, consider a $25 DIY kit rather than a professional repair, as the internal layout is famously forgiving for beginners. Finally, offload large video files to an external drive to keep the 16GB or 64GB flash storage from hitting its capacity limit, which is the primary cause of "boot loops" on this specific generation.