The iPhone 6s is so fast, not only does it destroy the iPhone 6 in speed tests, it tops the iPad Air 2 and every Android device on the market, according to initial benchmark tests.

Apple’s engineers managed to make some huge GPU improvements on the iPhone 6s thanks to new technology that allows the the A9 chip to deliver higher performance and lower power consumption. According to early benchmarks by tech gurus at AnandTech, all the improvements add up to make the iPhone 6s nearly twice as fast as the rest of the industry.

In some benchmarks, the iPhone 6s nearly tops the Surface Pro 3:

If the fear of loss doesn’t persuade you to print the pictures on your smartphone, perhaps your curiosity about cool gadgets will. In this case, consider the Polaroid ZIP photo printer.

It is a tiny ink-free printer slightly bigger than a deck of cards that, with an easy-to-use app, lets you make small prints from your phone or tablet. The photos are the size of a business card, adding charm and fun to the photo sharing experience.

Symbols have been key to the way humans express ideas for millennia, and and as visual communications get supercharged by the internet, designers can never have too many options. The universal power of symbols inspired the creators of the Noun Project, a massive collection of royalty-free icons meant to empower designers with the means to visually express almost any idea. Right now, you can get two years of unlimited access to the Noun Project’s archives for just $39.

We’ve heard very little about the official Apple Music app for Android since the service was announced back in June, but now a third-party company claims to be running a new beta program on Apple’s behalf.

Betabound is giving Android users the opportunity to register their interest in Apple Music for a chance to get early access — but we’re not totally sure it can be trusted.

The Apple advertising campaign “Shot on iPhone 6” can now be a line on the closing credits of a Swiss news station, which now does 100 percent of its broadcasts on the iPhone.

During the summer, Léman Bleu gave each of its reporters an iPhone 6 kit to shoot their stories and use for live shots. That means a reporter with a mic in one hand can use the free hand to grip a selfie stick for live standup shots.

Apple is presenting gay propaganda with its same-sex emoticons — and Russia isn’t Putin up with it any more!

According to a new report, the Russian police are stepping up their investigation of Apple for “promoting homosexuality” with its range of LGBT-friendly emojis.

And the punishment could be a whopping 800,000 to 1 million rubles — which is roughly what Apple makes in 2.5 seconds, if our calculations are correct.

Every Apple fan is likely familiar with Steve Jobs’ pilgrimage to India, during which he formulated some of the ideas that would serve him so well in the future.

But did you know that, years later, Jobs would suggest that fellow entrepreneurs follow in his path by visiting the same mountain Kainchi Dham Ashram temple that he once had?

According to a new story told by Mark Zuckerberg, that’s exactly the advice that Jobs once laid out for the then-green Facebook CEO. And Zuckerberg was pleased to take him up on his advice.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have sold a record 13 million handsets in their first three days on the market, according to Apple.

“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook.

Apple may be one step closer to bringing Apple Pay and a permanent manufacturing base in India, following a meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tim Cook.

“Cook responded positively,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said after the meeting. “I think India does fits into his long term plans.”

Apple hasn’t advertised the iPhone 6s as being waterproof, but it seems that the new handset (unofficially) isn’t totally adverse to taking a dip.

In a new video test, YouTuber Zach Straley submerged both the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in a bowl of water and let them sit there for an hour, powered up.

While the test certainly isn’t comprehensive — and we recommend all Cult of Mac readers leave their new handsets on dry land — it certainly bodes well if you happen to accidentally drop your iPhone 6s in the bath or down the toilet sometime in the next year.

Tim Cook and Steve Jobs screenwriter Aaron Sorkin had a war of words last week.

First off, Cook made some disparaging comments about the upcoming movie biopic on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — prompting Sorkin to lash back by criticizing Apple for employing a “factory full of children in China” who are paid “17 cents an hour” for building iPhones. Ouch!

It seems that PR types have worked their dark magic calmer heads have prevailed, however, because in a new interview, Sorkin says that him and Cook “probably both went a little too far” with their comments.

Pope Francis landed on U.S. soil for the first time last week on Tuesday, September 22. He has talked to victims of sexual abuse, spoke out about his views on immigration and gave several moving speeches across the country. However, the pope was also able to impact American culture in a way that is completely unintentional: he put the mobile phone revolution on giant display.

The last time a pope visited the United States was back in April 2008 when Pope Benedict XVI was still at the reigns of Catholicism. A lot has happened in seven years. Modern smartphones were only starting to become prevalent back then. Apple had just released the first iPhone less than a year ago and Android was still in development.

The change in our culture needs no explanation because photos of crowds swarming Pope Francis through his journey across America manage to say it all. Crowds glow with endless displays.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The embargoes have lifted and the iPhone 6s reviews are in. We’ll tell you what folks love — and don’t –about Apple’s newest iPhone. Plus: Apple car coming in 2019; why we love the new watchOS 2 update; and, with our three-month Apple Music trials running out, we ponder — is the service worth paying for?

Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with more than 3,000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super-powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X — learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.

Write anything longer than a couple paragraphs or involving more than a couple sources of research, and the computer can quickly become a confusing morass of pages, websites, and notes. Scrivener 2 cuts through the computerized clutter, making it easy to simultaneously outline ideas, take notes, and view research without flitting between pages and programs. It’s an invaluable tool for anybody who writes with any degree of regularity, and right now is your last chance to get it for $19.50 at Cult of Mac Deals.

There’s never been a better time to be called a geek — the term has come to describe a culture represented by some of the biggest films, TV shows, games and gatherings in the whole world. Those who speak geek love to express their fandom for the fantastic in the tangible form of gear, collectibles, toys, apparel, artwork. Loot Crate delivers all of the above and more right to your door each month, and right now you can get a 3-month subscription for just $49.

It takes years to understand the appeal of the unboxing video. On the face of it, they’re very silly. And yet unboxing is one of digital video’s most popular and enduring genres.

Who wants to see someone else opening the box of a brand new gadget? Wouldn’t you want to do it yourself?

And therein lies their appeal — the vicarious pleasure of seeing a stranger enjoy a gadget you covet.

With that, here’s our contribution to the genre: Cult of Mac’s first unboxing video. Watch in enraptured fascination as we take the iPhone 6s Plus from its box.

We’re excited! This week marks the launch of our brand-new Cult of Mac Magazine app, version 2.0!

We’ve redesigned it to make it even easier to get all of the best Cult of Mac content in a version that’s optimized for touchscreen displays. Just zoom in with your finger and thumb to pull up a story. When you get to the end, it will automatically bring up the next one.

We’ve created a special issue for you this week, as well, as we bring you our iPhone 6s Super Guide, chock-full of handy info on setting up that brand new shiny iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, along with a ton of great tips on using Apple’s latest iOS 9 like a crazy bossman.

Download the brand new Cult of Mac Magazine app from iTunes right now, and you’ll get all this, and more, absolutely free.

Here’s the rundown of our top stories this week:

Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie, didn’t hold back his feelings about Tim Cook’s recent comments. Sorkin said that Cook has “a lot of nerve” calling his film “opportunistic,” which seems to imply that the filmmakers are capitalizing on Steve Jobs’ death. Sorkin threw additional shots too.

You don’t have to press so hard on your expensive new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus to get the groundbreaking 3D Touch working easily.

We’ve all been looking forward to this killer UI upgrade, but some users say they’re worried about breaking their new iPhone screens because they’re pushing so hard to get the “pop” level of 3D Touch.

Here’s how to make this a little easier to use.

Even though the iPhone 6s look identical to its predecessor, using the new smartphone is actually way different thanks to 3D Touch and the new Peek and Pop gestures that essentially provide wormholes to other apps. Getting up to speed with the new input method can take some time, so we’ve compiled a list of all the sweet little features you probably didn’t know about.

Here are 11 killer iPhone 6s tips to help you master your new device:

Facebook Messenger keeps buzzing at me while I’m in the app itself. It’s annoying.

It seems like I’m getting messaged more and more via Facebook Messenger these days as my buddies and family take to the mobile messaging platform to connect in real time.

But the incessant buzzing, when I’m right there staring at the conversation, has got to stop. Here’s how I did it.

If you’re trying your best to resist an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, do not walk into an Apple Store and try 3D Touch. Once you’ve had a taste of it, your smartphone simply won’t feel complete without it.

Here are four ways in which 3D Touch makes life a lot sweeter.

If you’ve braved a line (or just waited impatiently for your mail or a delivery from your local courier) and finally have your hands on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus of your very own, you may be wondering what do do with your new precious. Sure, you could call all your friends and tell them you’re speaking to them through your shiny new gadget, like I did with my Apple Watch.

And I’m here to tell you that everyone loves that.

But you’re probably looking for some cool apps to play around with, and it may be hard to know where to start — especially if this is your first iPhone. So here are a bunch of apps that should be at the top of your list.

Hipstamatic, the go-to photo app for discerning iPhone photographers, rolled out an expansive update today that lets hipness venture outside the square.

In conjunction with the availability of the new iPhone 6s and its 12-megapixel camera, Hipstamatic 300 is free for a limited time and features a ProMode for greater control, a darkroom suite with a range of editing tools, multiple formats rather than just a square frame and syncing to your iOS Photo Library.

“Stronger glass on a molecular level,” blah, blah, blah. Drop your Apple iPhone 6s and the screen can still crack.

David Rahimi, host of the PhoneBuff channel on YouTube, flew to Australia to get his hands on an iPhone 6s and 6s Plus before the rest of the world to put both phones through a drop test. Like the take away from any drop demonstration, the video showed the importance of purchasing a durable, protective case.