iPhone 5s vs iPhone 6: Should you buy Apple's new phone?

Apple CEO Tim Cook at the launch of the iPhone 6. Photo / Getty Images

The Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are two of the most anticipated smartphones ever released, but just how different are they from the outgoing iPhone 5s?

Body

The iPhone 5s measures 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6 mm and weighs only 112g. With a larger chassis to accommodate its increased screen size, both versions of the new iPhone 6 are larger, but flatter.

The smaller of the two handsets, the iPhone 6 measures 138.1mm x 67mm x 6.9 mm, whilst the Plus' increased screen size stretches its dimensions to 158.1mm x to 77.8 x 7.1mm.

Despite a larger footprint, both models don't weigh much more than their smaller screened predecessor. The iPhone 6 tips the scales at 129g, whilst the larger Plus weighs 172g - only 60g heavier than the iPhone 5s.

Photo / Apple

Display

One of the most obvious changes, the iPhone 6 ushers in a long awaited increase in screen size.

Expanding on the conservative 4 inch Retina screen of the iPhone 5s, the vanilla iPhone 6 ships with a 4.7 inch screen, and the 6 Plus features an expansive 5.5 inch screen - 1.5 inches larger than the 5s.

It's not just the size of the screen that's changed, with the outgoing iPhone 5S packing in 640 x 1136 pixels, and the new models cramming in 1334 x 750 and 1920 x 1080. As a result, the resolution is up from an already impressive 326 ppi (pixels per inch), to a dazzling 426ppi on the iPhone 6 Plus and a Retina HD ppi of 326 on the iPhone 6.

Photo / Apple

Camera

Apple have upgraded the front and rear cameras on both iPhone 6 models, making them more of a viable photography option than before.

The iPhone 5s sports a 8 megapixel camera on its front, capable of capturing 3264 x 2448 pictures, and 1080p video at 30fps. Capable of only 1.2 megapixel shots and 720 30fps video, the secondary camera of the iPhone 5s is best used for FaceTime video calls and selfies.

The iPhone 6 features an upgraded primary camera at its rear, with Focus Pixels and Autofocus technology allowing the iPhone 6 to focus faster and better - features usually found on DSLRs.

Apple has also improved the videoing capabilities of its new flagship, so the new iPhones can record HD 1080p video at 30fps, and have shooting modes such as burst selfies and slo-mo video, good for recording at 120fps or 240fps. A new aperture also lets in 80 percent more light.

Photo / Apple

Memory

The iPhone 5s comes with 16, 32 or 64Gb of solid state memory, whilst the new iPhone 6 models will be available in a 16, 64 and 128Gb flavours, giving you plenty of room for apps and other media.

Connectivity

One of the most glaring omissions when the iPhone 5s was launched, NFC or Near Field Communication allows users to securely pay for goods using Apple Pay.

Common place on several Android flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Nexus 5, NFC finally makes it to both of the iPhone 6 handsets.

The iPhone 6 also includes 802.11ac wi-fi, for internet connectivity up to 3 times faster than before.

Processor

The iPhone 6 is powered by Apple's latest A8 processor, with double the transistors as the one at the heart of the iPhone 5s.

As a result, the iPhone 6 has up to 25 percent faster processing power and graphics 50 percent faster than the outgoing model.

Operating System

Both iPhone 6 handsets come preloaded with iOS 8, but it's also possible to upgrade the iPhone 5s to the same system.

Battery Life

One of the most criticised features of the last iPhone, the 5s had a shorter battery life than much of its Android competition.

The 5s is capable of 250 hours of standby, and is good for 10 hours of chatting before it needs a charge.

Despite its increased power and screen size, the iPhone 6 is at least 50 percent more efficient, and can handle 50 hours of audio and 11 hours of video.

The iPhone 6 Plus offers offer a comparable 80 hours of audio and 14 hours of video, even with its larger screen.

Price - New Zealand

New Zealanders will not have long to wait with the new iPhone 6 available for pre-order from September 26.

The iPhone 6 will retail from NZ$999 for 16GB to NZ$1,299 for a128GB version; the large-screen iPhone 6 Plus will go on sale from NZ$1,149 for 16GB to NZ$1,449 for 128GB.