iPhone 6s: Apple unveils new handsets with 3D Touch pressure-sensitive screen and rose gold option

Screens can tell how hard they are being pressed and open up new menus, which company says will make navigating around phone quicker

Attendees inspect the new iPhone 6 during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Apple has unveiled new iPhones, with screens that know how hard they are being pressed and that can make still pictures move.

The new phones were pitched on two big new features: the 3D Touch display, and an improved camera that can take pictures up to 12-megapixels.

The 3D Touch display uses pressure-sensitive technology to allow people to press hard for extra information. It works mostly by bringing up shortcuts — so hard pressing on the Maps app would bring up the option to navigate home, for instance, and a deep tap on the Camera icon would bring up the option to go straight into selfie mode.

Pricing will be the same as the iPhone 6 has been this year (Reuters)

(Getty Images)

That front-facing camera also got upgraded along with the back one. It now takes pictures up to 5-megapixels, and also has a flash for taking pictures in the dark — which lights up the screen three times as bright as normal to act like a normal flash.

The back camera brings support for videos in 4K — which is not yet supported on the Apple TV, or many computers. It also brings a new feature known as Live Photos, which takes video either side of a still image so that pictures can be reanimated — bringing movement to a picture of a lake, for instance, or watching people get together for a family photo.

The phone itself is made of a new aluminium alloy that Apple claims is much stronger.

Inside is an improved A9 processor, which Apple says is 90 per cent faster at performing some tasks than the one in the iPhone 6.

It also brings new wireless capabilities so that it can connect to the internet much faster.

Pricing for the iPhone 6s is the same as the 6 was last year.

It will be available in the UK for £539 for the 16GB model, £619 for the 64GB model and £699 for the 128GB model. The 6 Plus is the same but £80 more for each version.

They will be released on September 25 in the UK and a range of other countries. Pre-orders begin on Saturday.