Mumbai, Dec 1(AZINS) Smartphones get a redo at warp speed in the world of Apple Inc., and according to the tech giant the only thing that has changed is… everything. Having acquired the iPhone 6S earlier this month, I was eager to know if this was the whole truth.

One of the biggest additions to the ‘iPhone experience’ on the 6S is the addition of the much talked about 3D Touch feature. Working similarly to Force Touch on the Apple Watch and MacBook trackpad, the iPhone 6S uses special sensors inserted in its screen to calculate the amount of force your finger applies on to the screen and responds accordingly.

Users can now use the ‘Peek and Pop’ option that can, for example, quickly preview new emails without having to open them, or force touch a URL to preview what it may look like on the built in Safari Web browser (only Safari, and not Chrome, because Apple likes to play hard,) or even fix an appointment on their calendars without having to shuffle through the calendar app.

The feature does work on several third-party applications as well. Users can post to Instagram and Facebook without having to actually open the apps. Avid Instagram users will be happy to know that they can also ‘peek’ at other profiles directly from their feeds.  Several game developers have also integrated this new feature into new games that use 3D touch for deploying different weapons or cycling though inventory--interesting enhancements to the overall gaming experience.

While this is undoubtedly a revolutionary feature that facilitates a new way to interact with the smartphone--especially newer patrons of the iPhone 6S--the feature takes some getting used to and can come off as cumbersome.  In my own personal experience, I found myself accidentally deleting, or shifting applications around my home screen several times over, before I discovered that I could adjust the amount of force the screen required to activate the sensors for the feature to work.

Even after this discovery, the feature took several days to get accustomed to. I realised that it was really more convenient to simply open and close the apps I needed to use, rather than take the extra couple of seconds to figure out how hard I should be pressing down onto my screen. Most times, I simply forgot that I COULD use the feature to save a few seconds.

3D touch is definitely a step toward the future. It is an exciting feature that does make the Apple experience unique, and I am excited to see how Apple develops it in the future. But is it really worth all the extra money when one could buy an iPhone 6, which possesses most of its other features? In my opinion, I’d much rather save up money for next September and buy the iPhone (7?). This undeniably ‘cool’ feature--along with the mandatory enhancements in the phone’s camera and construction materials--should not result in a T-Rex sized jump in the price tag.  At least not for someone who isn’t a tech-head or a privileged Apple enthusiast with enough (and more) money to blow.