14 months after the release of the iPhone 4, Apple have finally announced its successor, the iPhone 4S. Touted as the most anticipated device ever, announcement turned out to be a massive disappointment to many offering a minor update to the iPhone 4 and leading to a 5% drop in shares.
It was originally rumoured that there would be 2 phones announced the 4s and the 5 with the 5 possibly having a new design and larger screen. Unfortunately the 5 was not announced the the 4S offered minor upgrades including a new Dual-core Apple A5 processor, and an 8 megapixel camera. These are similar specifications to phones like the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Motorola Atrix which have been around for months now.
While the iPhone 4s will undoubtedly be a fantastic phone but the main improvements come from the launch of iOS5 which will be available on the 3GS upwards.
With the announcement of the Samsung Nexus Prime just around the corner it is quite likely that the iPhone 4S will be outclassed in terms of hardware by Christmas.
iPhone 4S  |
iPhone 4  |
| Price (on contract) | $199 16GB, $299 32GB, $399 64GB | $99 8GB |
| Processor | Dual-core Apple A5 | Apple A4 |
| Display | 3.5-inch IPS 960 x 640 | 3.5-inch IPS 960 x 640 |
| Primary camera | 8 megapixel AF with flash and f/2.4 aperture | 5 megapixel AF with flash |
| Secondary camera | VGA at 30fps | VGA |
| Video recording | 1080p at 30fps, optional iMovie | 720p at 30fps, optional iMovie |
| Cellular | Hybrid GSM / CDMA "World Phone", Bluetooth 4.0 | Quadband GSM, pentaband HSPA |
| WiFi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n |
| Orientation sensing | Accelerometer, digital compass, gyroscope | Accelerometer, compass, gyroscope |
| FaceTime video calling | Yes | Yes |
| SIM standard | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
| Battery life | Up to 8 hours talk time on 3G Up to 14 hours talk time on 2G Up to 6 hours data on 3G Up to 9 hours data on WiFi Up to 40 hours audio Up to 10 hours video Up to 200 hours on standby |
Up to 7 hours talk time on 3G Up to 14 hours talk time on 2G Up to 6 hours data on 3G Up to 10 hours data on WiFi Up to 40 hours audio Up to 10 hours video Up to 300 hours on standby |
| Weight | 140 grams / 4.9 oz | 137 grams / 4.8 oz. |
| Dimensions | 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm | 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm |
{ 2 comments }
It was hardly a “massive disappointment”. The upgrade was mainly software related which in an of itself proves the iPhone 4 was/is still a great phone that can hang with the competitors.
Some points:
Lack of LTE — If you live in a big city where there is coverage or have an unlimited plan, this is disappointing. I currently don’t have LTE in my city and have a paltry 2 GB data cap — a cap that is easily blown through in one day if you use LTE like advertised (for music/video streaming and other media rich content).
The dual-core processor is the same as in the iPad 2 (read: really freakin’ fast). While Android phones are now shipping with 1.2+ dual-cores, the points by people who aimlessly harp over specs such as this continue to miss the point — specs don’t mean shit. If the software sucks, the hardware is irrelevant. Case in point: Android. Even 1.2/1.5 GHz dual-core phones have lag and stutter in basic menu navigational elements.
iOS and even WP7 on the other hand have lesser powered hardware and are far smoother.
Moving on, the camera in the iPhone 4S is once again at the very top of the mobile hill. Apple is really taking mobile photography (and now videography) to a new level.
Battery life, as always, will continue to lead because Apple actually gets it — once again, it’s not specs that consumers want, it’s a seamless, un-fractured experience that lasts longer than 12pm noon on battery.
And then of course there’s the entire Apple ecosystem: iTunes, iCloud, iOS, iPhone, App Store, etc. Android has multiple options, which in some regards is better. At the end of the day however most people don’t want to sift through various options to make them work, they just want them to work.
Benchmarks are often quoted in big Android reviews, though are wholly useless. One of the most used apps, Quadrant, is incredibly inaccurate, producing varying results with each run. Not to mention, you can’t compare benchmarks between two different operating systems. The best methods are real-world tests (ie: start up/shutdown, how long it takes a webpage to load, etc.)
While the physical design is the same, it’s ok. It’s a good design that trumps just about any other phone out there (waiting for the Nexus Prime to see what Sammy can do). The biggest changes, however, are under the hood. Add to that some major additions to iOS 5 and it’s hardly the disappointment you claim it to be.
I was perhaps overly harsh, and I agree that the best changes appear to come from iOS5 itself, however for a 14 month development time it is a pretty poor upgrade.
Hopefully the iPhone 5 will offer a much bigger jump spec wise.
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