The iPhone 4S is Apple’s revamp of the popular iPhone 4. Just like the iPhone 3G got a spec boost to the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 has done much the same. The outer shell of the iPhone 4S is similar, and pretty much identical to the iPhone 4. However, there are many changes to the internals.
Upgrade Guide
If you are trying to decide whether or not to upgrade from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S, there are some things that you may want to consider. First, let’s review the specs on the iPhone 4S.
- The iPhone 4S is available in black and white, but also available in three storage capacities: 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. 64GB is an option that previous models did not have.
Should you upgrade? Yes, if you have a 32GB iPhone but often run out of storage space. iPhone’s do not support add-on cards, so if you run out of storage space on your current iPhone, you likely have to delete apps, songs, videos, etc… In this case, an iPhone 4S 64GB may be worth it for storing items that take up a lot of space, such as songs, videos, and other media.
- The iPhone 4S is a world phone, where previous versions of the iPhone were carrier specific. Because the iPhone 4S supports both CDMA and GSM, it can be used in other countries.
Should you upgrade? Yes, if you do a lot of out of country traveling or plan on traveling abroad. The iPhone 4S will work with foreign carriers, and even data services such as maps, GPS, and the internet are good things to have when in another country.
- The iPhone 4S has an upgraded camera with more megapixels and 1080p video recording.
Should you upgrade? No, not unless the camera on the iPhone 4 is not suitable for you. The iPhone 4S only has a slight camera update with more megapixels, but the iPhone 4 already has a fairly good camera. The iPhone 4 is considered to be HD at 720p, but if you need 1080p and more mega pixels, the iPhone 4S may be worth it to buy. There are no drastic changes to the camera, such as positioning. The iPhone 4 has both front and rear facing cameras, as does the iPhone 4S.
- The iPhone 4S has Bluetooth 4.0, a similar but different technology to the Bluetooth in the iPhone 4, Bluetooth 2.1.
Should you upgrade? Probably not, unless you often use Bluetooth devices with the iPhone. The specs for Bluetooth are a bit complex, but for the most part Bluetooth 4.0 has more range and more multi tasking capabilities than the older Bluetooth 2.1 technology. To learn more about Bluetooth, jump to this Wikipedia article.
- The iPhone 4S has an estimated 8 hour battery life.
Should you upgrade? Probably not, as the iPhone 4 is rated at a 7 hour battery life. The difference may not be very noticeable, but it is something to consider if your iPhone is constantly running out of battery.
- The iPhone 4S has an Apple A5 processor.
Should you upgrade? Possibly yes, if you want a device that is more current in speed. The A5 processor is superiorly faster than the A4, and is currently what the iPad 2 runs on.
- The iPhone 4S has Siri, a voice command technology developed by Apple. Siri can do things like send messages, place phone calls, and schedule meetings via voice command.
Should you upgrade? Probably not, unless you are a fan of voice command. Existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS users can download voice apps from the App Store that may work just as good as Siri.
iPhone 4S Specs List
There are several minor changes from the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S, but the most notable ones are listed above. For a full list of iPhone 4S specs, jump to this page at Apple.
iOS 5
One thing that people should consider is that much of what makes up a smartphone experience is the operating system, or OS that is powering the phone. iOS 5 will work with iPhone 4 and even iPhone 3G, so the actual phone experience will be much the same, no matter what iPhone you have. The difference will be, that the iPhone 4S will do everything faster and more efficiently.
Hopefully, this guide has helped you decide whether or not to sell your old iPhone and purchase an iPhone 4S. If there is anything that I forgot, please leave a comment so that other iPhone owners who are considering upgrading are informed. Enjoy!
What about Siri? The A5 processor and natural (speaking) data input is pretty amazing… and will not be running on other iPhones. Seriously… This feature is a game changer for me (and certainly makes the beefed up bluetooth for hand free access to Siri a lot more compelling).
I agree. There's been a lot of posts about Siri around the web lately. If you use Bluetooth a lot and voice commands, Siri would definitely be a game changer. I'm going to stick with my iPhone 4 for the moment, and see how iOS5 runs on it, as I don't use voice command or Bluetooth very often.