Apple responds to iPhone 6s A9 chip supply controversy

This afternoon Apple responded to concern that the A9 chip in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were different, and that therefor the experience might be better on one or the other. Apple suggests that every chip they ship "meets Apple's highest standards for providing incredible performance and deliver great battery life, regardless of iPhone 6s capacity, color, or model." In short – despite the differences between the two chips, both called A9, Apple is comfortable with the decisions they've made.

Apple went on to suggest that "certain manufactured lab tests which run the processors with a continuous heavy workload until the battery depletes are not representative of real-world usage, since they spend an unrealistic amount of time at the highest CPU performance rate." While Chipworks tore down the chips only to discover they had different innards, several YouTube-centric publishers like Jonathan Morrison ran benchmark tests as Apple suggests.

See our iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review

Apple goes on to say the following on how well the devices actually perform in more realistic testing scenarios: "our testing and customer data show the actual battery life of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, even taking into account variable component differences, vary within just 2-3% of each other."

Small enough for you? Or will you be choosing the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus based on the interior components of the processor?

Have a peek at our full iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Review for more information on these two devices, and let us know if you've changed your mind in one way or the other.