The Apple iPhone 5 has just been announced in a whirlwind of publicity at an event in San Francisco and so far the first verdicts seem to be pretty good. Many of the specs and features that were widely rumored over the last few months and weeks arrived as anticipated and it looks as though it will be as big a hit as all the analysts expected. We want to take a look now at its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, compared with the iPhone 5 to see what the differences are in the specs.

We’ve already given readers details on the first official news on the iPhone 5 and also pricing, pre-order and release date details so hit the links for more on those. However if you’re wondering whether it’s worth upgrading your iPhone 4S for the iPhone 5 then we may be able to help you decide. First off the iPhone 5 steps up to an A6 processor instead of the A5 dual-core processor in the iPhone 4S. Apple claims the new processor is twice as fast as the A5 and that’s quite a claim! The new screen size of the iPhone 5 is 4-inches as opposed to the older 3.5-inch display on the iPhone 4S and resolution has increased from 960 x 640 to 1136 x 640.

Both the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S have 1GB of RAM (to be confirmed) while internal storage options are the same with 16, 32 and 64GB models at the same prices. Both feature an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and flash but while the iPhone 4S front-facing camera is VGA, the front-facing shooter on the iPhone 5 is 1.2 megapixels. Video capture capabilities on the new iPhone remain the same as its predecessor at 1080p.

The iPhone 4S lacked 4G LTE connectivity but the iPhone 5 steps up to the plate as it’s LTE-equipped. Moving on to the FaceTime feature this was WiFi-only on the iPhone 4S with iOS 5 but the new iOS 6 enables FaceTime on WiFi and Cellular. The iPhone 4 used microSIM whereas the newer version has the new nanoSIM and the battery life lasts for around the same times with some minor improvements for the iPhone 5. Color options for the iPhone 4S were black or white and the new iPhone 5 also comes in two color options, black with slate and white with silver.

As far as dimensions go the iPhone 4S measures 115.2mm x 58.6mm x 9.3mm and weighs 140 grams. The sleeker and thinner iPhone 5 measures 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm and weighs only 112 grams. We’ve given you the main spec differences but if you want all the fine details head to Engadget here.

We’d like to hear what you think about the iPhone 5. Do you think it will be worthwhile upgrading your current handset to the iPhone 5? Are you impressed by the specs or is there any aspect that has disappointed you? Why not let us have your comments on this and share your opinions with others.