MANILA, Philippines — The iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 are identical twins and as the name suggests the 4S is just an iPhone 4 with minor changes and a few new features. If you buy phones just for their looks then you are better off with the more affordable iPhone 4 and if you are an existing iPhone 4 user and would like to have a taste of what an iPhone 4S offers, then all you need to do is update your device. You can get about 80% of the 4S in your iPhone 4 when you update to iOS 5. The 20% — features, changes and tweaks — exclusive to the iPhone 4S are within the glass and steel enclosure.
Processor: The iPhone 4S uses the A5 — the first dual-core chip in an iPhone, this is the same processor used in the iPad 2. The A5 provides twice the power and more than seven times faster graphics compared to the iPhone 4 that uses A4 chip.
Camera: The primary camera of the 4S is now 8-megapixel, the camera’s ability to snap successive photos without lag shows the power of the A5 chip, the multiple-shot capability of the 4S is impressive.
Video recording: The powerful A5 also allows the camera to shoot video in 1080p with image stabilization, the iPhone 4 records in 720p in non-stabilized mode.
Battery life: Apple claims that the iPhone 4S has longer talk-time in 3G compared to the 4.
OS: Both phones will run using the latest version of iOS, the 4S is installed out of the box, while you need to update yourself your iPhone 4. The major difference is Siri in the 4S. Siri is a voice recognition app that translates your voice commands into action. It can set alarms, call someone, search the web, aswer questions, check the weather and many more. Maps and other location services however could not be used in the Philippines.
The iPhone 4S may have an old design, but surely you would be impressed with the new specs. If you own a three-year old iPhone 3G or a two-year old 3GS then it is worth the upgrade. But if you have the iPhone 4 updated to iOS5 you could still enjoy majority of its features. (ART SAMANIEGO, JR./Manila Bulletin)
Specifications:
Height: 4.5 inches (115.2 mm)
Width: 2.31 inches (58.6 mm)
Depth: 0.37 inch (9.3 mm)
Weight: 4.9 ounces (140 grams)
Cellular and Wireless: World phone
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900,
900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850,
900, 1800, 1900 MHz) CDMA
EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900
MHz)4 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n
2.4GHz only) Bluetooth 4.0
wireless technology
Display: Retina display 3.5-inch
(diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch
display 960-by-640-pixel resolution
at 326 ppi 800:1 contrast ratio
(typical) 500 cd/m2 max
brightness (typical)
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic
coating on front and back Support
for display of multiple languages
and characters simultaneously
Camera, Photos, and Video:
8-megapixel camera
Autofocus
Tap to focus
Face detection in still images
LED flash
Video recording, HD (1080p) up to
30 frames per second with audio
Video stabilization
Front camera with VGA-quality
photos and video at up to 30
frames per second
Photo and video geotagging
Cellular and Wireless:
World phone
UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900,
1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE
(850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900
MHz)4
802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n
2.4GHz only)
Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Power and Battery:
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion
battery
Charging via USB to computer
system or power adapter
Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G, up
to 14 hours on 2G (GSM)
Standby time: Up to 200 hours
Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G,
up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback: Up to 10 hours
Audio playback: Up to 40 hours
Other Features:
Three-axis gyro
Accelerometer
Proximity sensor
Ambient light sensor
