iPhone 4S Review: It's a Sure Thing
Apple's latest S stands for Siri, speed boosts, and improved snapshots.
The initial reaction to the announcement of the iPhone 4S was muted.
First there’s that name: It’s the old phone’s name with an S attached to it. As the iPhone 3GS taught us, adding an S to an iPhone’s name can represent numerous under-the-hood improvements, but it doesn’t send shivers down your spine like incrementing a number by one and unveiling a redesigned exterior with mind-blowing features that may or may not include anti-gravity.
Apple’s never going to win a competition with the wildest imaginations of tech bloggers. But the company seems to be doing OK in the business of building phones. The iPhone 4, which remained more or less unchanged for 15 months as approximately a zillion Android smartphone models came and went, has consistently been the best-selling smartphone around.
Now here comes the iPhone 4S, which is more of a good thing: It takes the successful look of the iPhone 4 and tosses in a dual-core processor for dramatically improved speed, an upgraded camera, and some brand-new voice-command technologies.
- See Apple iPhone 4S launches
- See Apple reveals iOS launch date
- See Apple iPhone 5 launch: as it happened
Feels Like an iPhone
It’s a classic look, easily my favourite of all the iPhone designs to date. The fit and finish are immaculate; not a single thing about the iPhone 4S feels cheap. In terms of styling, the iPhone 4 feels like the most expensive electric razor ever made, or maybe like a finely-tuned luxury watch.
The same eye-popping 960-by-640-pixel screen introduced with the iPhone 4 is present on the iPhone 4S, too. Dubbed the “Retina display” by Apple, it’s got a screen resolution of 326 pixels per inch, meaning that the average human eye can’t even see individual pixels. The result is marvellous. Reading text is like looking at a printed page. High-definition videos and photos display tiny details.
With the exception of a micro-SIM card slot on the right side, the iPhone 4S is a dead ringer for the Verizon/CDMA version of the iPhone 4 introduced in February. Extremely precise cases designed specifically for the original iPhone 4 may have trouble fitting over the ring/silent switch and the volume buttons of the iPhone 4S, which are slightly shifted from their position on the GSM iPhone 4; precision cases for the Verizon iPhone 4 and less-precise iPhone 4 cases will have no trouble.
- See iPhone 4S review
- See iPhone 4s rumour round-up
- See iOS 5 review
On the front of the phone there’s a VGA-quality camera (640-by-480 pixels) that’s designed to be used for video chatting, either via Apple’s FaceTime technology or via a third-party app such as Skype or Google+. This, too, is unchanged from the specs of the iPhone 4.
In essence, only a Sherlockian attention to detail would allow you to differentiate between the GSM (AT&T) iPhone 4, CDMA (Verizon) iPhone 4, and the iPhone 4S. (Budding detectives: The symmetrical black lines on both sides of the phone are the sign it’s not a GSM iPhone 4; if there’s no micro-SIM slot on the right side, it’s the CDMA iPhone 4; if the lines are symmetrical but the slot is there, it’s the iPhone 4S.)
This does not mean that the iPhone 4S is essentially the iPhone 4 with the benefit of an extra letter. Because on the inside, the iPhone 4S is dramatically different from the iPhone 4.
Speedy 4S
Like the iPad 2 before it, the iPhone 4S is powered by an Apple-designed A5 processor. This is a dual-core processor that’s one generation more advanced than the A4 processor that powered the iPhone 4 and the original iPad.
Two processor cores don’t necessarily mean the iPhone 4S is twice as fast as the iPhone 4—that has a lot to do with how efficiently a device’s software can take advantage of spreading the workload across both cores. But the 4S’s upgraded processor definitely provides a large speed boost, akin to the upgrade from the original iPad to the iPad 2.
The results of my general-performance tests showed the iPhone 4S to be between roughly twice as fast as the iPhone 4. Apple claims graphics performance on the iPhone 4S has been boosted even more by the graphics component of the A5, with speed gains of as much as 7x. That’s a best-case scenario, but my tests with the GLBench Pro graphics benchmarking app did show enhanced graphics performance. One 3D test sequence played at roughly five times the frame rate of the same scene on the iPhone 4; another was roughly double the frame rate.
Of course, many people won’t be upgrading to the iPhone 4S from the iPhone 4, due to those pesky two-year phone contracts that cell carriers insist on. But a whole lot of people will be upgrading from two-year-old iPhone 3GSes. 3GS users will see an even larger speed increase, of course. The 4S had more than double the score on the GeekBench testing app, and loaded a test webpage in a third of the time.
The only iOS device in existence that can match up—and even beat—the iPhone 4S is the iPad 2. In most of my tests, the iPad 2 was slightly faster than the iPhone 4S. (The original iPad was similarly faster than the iPhone 4, in fact.) Of course, the iPad 2 doesn’t fit in your pocket, unless you have unusually large pockets or are a clown, or both.
iOS Speed Tests
Best results in bolded red. Larger numbers are better in all tests but Webpage and SunSpider. GeekBench and GLBench scores are from iOS benchmarking apps. GLBench scores are in frames per second. Sunspider is a web-based JavaScript test, with results reported in seconds. Webpage test is seconds to load the New York Times website from start to finish. All devices running iOS 5 except where otherwise noted.
Apple claims that talk time on the iPhone 4S’s battery is actually an hour longer than on the iPhone 4, but that Wi-Fi surfing will drain the battery an hour sooner. Apple says that the innards of the iPhone 4S have been entirely redesigned—so many components have changed, there’s no simple explanation for the change in the company’s battery-life claims. It seems clear, though, that some components are more energy efficient than on the iPhone 4 (I’m looking at you, cellular radio) while others eat more power (dual-core A5 processor).
The end result is a phone that offers largely the same battery life as the iPhone 4. However, I didn’t get a chance to run any dedicated battery tests on the iPhone 4S. In general usage, it didn’t seem to run out of battery any faster than my trusty iPhone 4.
Next: A Tale of Two Technologies, Antennas in Action, and more
Comments
Ferry Kagchèl said: Although it has been around for quit some time now it is still one of the best smartphones around
Champrizi said: The iPhone 4S doesnt offer much in the way of camera controls The sensitivity settings white balance and exposure for example are all set automatically with no way of adjusting them prior to taking a shot Theres not even an exposure compensation facility to tweak the exposure A camera manufacturer wouldnt be able to sell a compact camera with such a limited level of control unless it was for a child However it does make the camera of this smartphone very easy to use and of course extra functionality can be added via apps One useful option that is available is the ability to manually select whether the flash fires or not Those who prefer to handover complete control can leave this set to Auto - and generally we found it fired at the correct points often appearing to improve shots we considered already well-lit The flash is weak but its useful for illuminating very dark scenes or adding a little sparkle to eyes in daylight Its a very small light source so if it is the main one for an image expect strong shadows and highlights its not the most flattering option for a night-time portrait but very strong for a single LED A tap of the screen is all that is required to set the focus point The camera then usually does a quick backwards and forwards focus adjustment before the subject is made sharp Theres no clear focus indicator the subject just looks sharp when the focussing has completed Although the touchscreen is core to the iPhone Apple hasnt given the camera a touch-shutter facility This would trigger than camera to focus and take the shot with a single touch of the screen Instead after choosing the focus point the shutter icon needs to be hit to take the shot The up volume control can now also be used as the camera shutter button too - however it was very stiff indeed on our test sample meaning there was an element of shakiness about some of the photos that simply pressing the screen could accomplish However its still a nice touch to have - taking pictures of yourself is much easier with this as an option Although there is no optical zoom facility the iPhone 4s camera allows users to zoom digitally into the scene using the pinch to zoom option on the touchscreen Plus you could always look SUPER COOL and get one of those optical attachments for the iPhone 4S to make it into a longer range shooting device - but youd have to be really dedicated to do that Rather than reducing the size of the images however the iPhone interpolates the digitally-zoomed shots so they have the same 3264x2448 pixel dimensions On-screen icons provide access to the secondary camera and the grid display flash and HDR options These icons can be difficult to see when youre shooting from an awkward angle and its easy to touch one accidentally when you are trying to set the focus point Its helpful that if the camera is active when the iPhone 4S is put into sleep mode the camera is available as soon as the lock screen is swiped open You can also jump straight into the camera from the lock screen with a double tap of the Home Button although you can only see the snaps youve taken from that session meaning you cant sneak into the photo gallery of a code-locked iPhone
iPhone 4S Review said: As per my iPhone 4S review the iPhone 4S isnt the king of cell phones but its part of the royal family nonetheless Even without 4G and a giant screen this phones smart ass voice assistant
Jesus Lopez said: The problem with smart phones these days are so large and awkward to just fit in your pocket I love how the iPhone 4S can deliver a slim and sleek design while still able to stay ahead in the performance area I really like the increase in speed the iPhone gets with the dual core A5processing chip which makes it perfect to stream online video I know theiPhone 4s will go great with my employee Sling adapter from DISH Network With the Sling adapter I can stream live and recorded TV to my Android device everywhere I have 3G coverage or WiFi I am so busy that over time I have made this library of movie recording on my DVR and now I access it wherever I go and with the DISH Remote Access app I can set DVR timers on my receiver at home from my phone
IPhone 4s deals said: Love it
imaginarynumber said: Why assume that all of the discenting voices are those of Android fanboysI for one have never owned an AndroidIncreasingly I am becoming an Applehater not because of their products but because of the way that they have changed the market structure and their continuing attempts to stifle competitionThe iPhones are decent enough phones and I have no problem with people buying them- provided that they are given unbiased advice prior to purchaseUnfortunately there is undeniable bias throughout the press as a wholeespecially in the tabloids This Is evidenced by rags such as the Metro recently claiming that Jobs invented the smartphoneI am guessing that youare unfamiliar with the first revision of this article It was apre-release review based solely upon the Apple spiel and not a hands on review Most of the complaints here were based upon that and not the current revision The editor Matt addressed our complaints and I for one was happy to accept his explanationIt does not however follow that wanting to see more balance in the press makes you either an AppleHater or Android fanboiYour penultimate paragraph should be incorrect- there are more android owners than iPhone- yet due to the press hyperbole you are probably correct
John said: This website is awful for ads As for the 4S the signal quality is worse for me than my 3GS was and always drops calls when the signal strength shows even two or three bars
DarrenLoke said: Give the guy a breakYou android lovers are going around sites to accuse lots and lots of journalists that they are pro-AppleWe get it that you guys wanna be different and you dont wanna be using the same old thing millions of people are usingBut at least give them a breakAnd tell me which site is not having an overwhelming response from Apple articles about the iPhone 4SJust because you guys hate Apple does not mean everyone else should And you label every journalists biased when the percentage of their articles are consisting more Apple newsIts simple We have got more Apple news cause a lot more is interested in it than Android Even a kid knows that nowadaysPC Advisors journalists a thumbs up for giving a fair upfront review of the device I am sure you guys are excited about the new iPhone 4S as we are
Millais said: tried the iPhone 4s and Im afraid after 2 days of personal testing it doesnt match or come near to the Samsung Galaxy S2HTC Sensation
Leo said: This totally looks like an advert or a product placement
smiulika said: I just found a testsite were you can test the iPhone 5 httpsite-reviewinfo
Daryl said: I wonder what excuse Adobe use for adopting the same practice with regard to purchasing downloads Perhaps its the additional cost of having to offer support in BritishEnglish rather than American EnglishBTW Matt dont you mean that you need to add approx 7-9 to make a fair comparison and not 20 US sales taxes range from about 5-10 and I believe that as a largely consumer focused magazine you normally include UK VAT in quoted prices
Bernard said: I cant see what the fuss is about I wanted to know about Apple Iphone 4S was about and this has told me It made it clear that it wasnt an actualreview up front I find the balance between apple non-apple products absolutely fine in the magazine and as a non-techie and only occasional magazine purchaser I always use PC Pro or PC Advisor for proper reviews when I need one Keep up the great work
Matt Egan said: And yet you do seem to spend an awful lot of time on here complaining To recap were attempting to fool nobody this is the best information we have now and we will be updating this as we go At no point are we yet pretending to a judgment on the iPhone 4S subjective or objective good or bad Youll have that just as soon as we get it And yes we do have a great job but if you think all we do is reprint Apple speak you really are on the wrong website
Condom said: OK when will PCA stop fooling people with calling these things reviews This is NOT a review but is 90 lifted from the advertising releases What a great job PCA writers must have if all they have to do is reprint Apple speak This just reminds me why I cancelled my subscription to a mag which used to be so good years ago but is now well past its sell by date
Matt Egan said: Dont forget that US prices never quote taxes so to make a fair comparison with the UK you have to add on 20 at least But youre not wrong Apple has long charged us more in real terms using the excuse that as a smaller territory it is more expensive to sell into the UK
Guest said: Yet again the UK has to suffer from the 1 to 1 USDGBP pricing models Cant these big american companies stop leeching cash out of our already cash strapped pockets and offer fair pricing that takes into account the exchange rate 499 US dollars 32383 GBP