The iPhone 5 is likely to sell like hotcakes this holiday season but if you are after a new smartphone you shouldn’t automatically disregard the iPhone 4S as it’s still a very impressive phone and of course is now cheaper than the iPhone 5. While many people will always prefer the latest device on the market we shouldn’t automatically assume that newer is better so we thought we’d look at the iPhone 4S vs. the iPhone 5 so you can see if it’s worth going for the iPhone 5 or saving a bit of money with the 4S.
This is always assuming you’ve made up your mind that you want an iPhone of course as there are many other notable handsets around at the moment such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or the LG Nexus 4. Both of these examples are Android devices though and we know that many people who have previously purchased an iPhone are likely to stick with Apple’s iOS platform. The iPhone 5 released on the latest iOS 6 operating system but of course as the iPhone 4S is also an Apple device this has also received the update. So what key differences are there between the two specs-wise?
One of the major differences is that the iPhone 5 has the new A6 processor as opposed to the A5 chip of the iPhone 4S and Apple claims this is twice as fast so that really is a consideration we should take into account. The iPhone 5 also stepped up in display size to 4-inches instead of the 3.5-inches of the iPhone 4S and many have appreciated the larger screen on the latest iPhone. Resolution of the display has also increased from 960 x 640 to 1136 x 640. The iPhone 5 also has LTE connectivity too but apart from these factors many things are exactly the same.
For instance storage options are the same on both phones and both have an 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p video capture. There’s a slight difference with the front-facing camera though as the iPhone 4S only had a VGA camera while the iPhone 5 has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing shooter. Battery life is around the same for both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 so you can see that the iPhone 4S still has a lot to recommend it.
Apart from specifications the appearance and feel of the phones also comes into play though and for some this can be even more important than specs and features. The iPhone 4S comes in black and white while the iPhone 5 is two-toned in either black and slate or white and silver. Because of the display increase in the iPhone 5 the phone has got longer so dimensions of the newest iPhone are 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm and it weighs only 112g, despite the extra size. The iPhone 4S on the other hand measures 115.2mm x 58.6mm x 9.3mm and weighs 140g.
As you can see then, the iPhone 5 is longer but quite a bit slimmer and is also much lighter. Many consumers will no doubt appreciate the high quality materials used and it being slimmer and lighter but there are others who have said that the newest iPhone now feels so light that it almost feels like a toy and some simply seem to prefer the more solid feel of the iPhone 4S in the hand.
Looking at the facts it’s certainly not time to write off the iPhone 4S and some don’t consider the differences worth upgrading to the iPhone 5 for. If you’re considering buying either right now though, Apple is selling the 16GB for $99 on the usual two-year contract with Verizon, AT&T or Sprint while the equivalent iPhone 5 model is $199 with a two-year contract. The 32GB iPhone 5 is priced at $299 while the 64GB version is $399, both with contracts. The difference in up-front price of the 16GB iPhone 4S and 16GB iPhone 5 is $100 and hopefully our look at the two phones may help you decide if it’s worth you paying the extra for the latter model.
On a personal note I currently use an iPhone 4S and didn’t consider it worthwhile upgrading to the iPhone 5 on release. If I was choosing between them now though then I would probably decide that paying the extra $100 was worth it but of course this is based on my personal requirements from a smartphone and we all vary in this. We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the iPhone 4S vs the iPhone 5.
If you were buying the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 now would you pay the extra for the newest model because of the specs? Maybe you prefer the feel and design of the iPhone 4S and so will opt for that one and save some money? Send us your comments about this.