Feature Articles

Talking about the New Apple iPhone 4S

By Sidney Wong & Seow Tein Hee - 5 Oct 2011

Talking about the New Apple iPhone 4S

Will the Real Apple iPhone Please Stand Up?

No company in the world can generate the scale of media buzz over its products as Apple. As early as late last year, rumors and speculation about Apple's iPhone 4S had been circulating from one end of the globe to the other. Now that the shroud of mystery has cleared, let's take a look at the hits and misses on the Apple iPhone 4S.

Clearly, these aren't the (rumored) iPhones we are looking for.

Specifications Facts Rumors
Display Size
  • The iPhone 4S will have the same 3.5-inch display as the iPhone 4.
  • The iPhone icon used in Apple's Photo Stream beta for developers revealed clues on how the next iPhone will look like. The display seems to be larger.
     
  • Inside sources of Case Mate stated that the iPhone 5 will have a 4-inch display. The other model, iPhone 4S is said to have a similar form factor (hence same 3.5-inch display) as the iPhone 4.

 

Curved Glass
  • No
  • Industry sources claimed that the next generation iPhone model will adopt a curved cover glass. Apple is said to have purchased 200-300 glass cutting machines to be used by glass makers.
Dimensions
  • The iPhone 4S has similar dimensions as the iPhone 4.

 

Processor
  • The iPhone 4S will be equipped with Apple A5 dual-core processor.
Camera
  • The iPhone 4S sports a much-improved 8-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture, backside illumination, image stabilization and a hybrid IR filter.

 

Storage Capacity
  • The iPhone 4S will be available in three storage capacities: 16GB, 32GB and 64GB
  • Reuters reported that Apple has plans to launch a 8GB iPhone 4 to increase sales in emerging markets.
     
  • According to information from Case Mate, the iPhone 5 will come in two storage capacities: 16GB and 32GB.
Colors Available
  • The iPhone 4S will be available in both black and white.

 

iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 4

So what are the major differences between the new iPhone 4S, versus its predecessor, the iPhone 4? To summarize, what you'll see on the new iPhone 4S are:

1. A faster Apple A5 dual-core 1GHz processor like the iPad 2; the iPhone 4 utilizes a single-core A4 1GHz processor.

2. An 8-megapixel camera, with f/2.4 aperture, backside illuminated sensor, image stabilization and a hybrid IR filter. In comparison, the iPhone 4 comes with a 5-megapixel camera. The front camera for both remains at VGA resolution.

3. Video recording is also bumped up to 1080p for the iPhone 4S, while the iPhone 4 is capable of 720p resolution.

4. The iPhone 4S supports HSDPA with 14.4Mbps downlink speed; the iPhone 4 is pegged at 7.2Mbps.

5. Siri, a voice command feature that lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and interacts with you when you asks questions. Siri is deeply integrated into the overall system, allowing you to do nearly everything with a simple voice command. According to Apple, this is still a beta feature, with English, French and German language support currently available.

6. And, one of the oddest thing here, is that the iPhone 4S weighs 140g, which is 3g heavier than the iPhone 4. It's likely due to the new chips.

7. Talk time on 3G with the iPhone 4S is rated at 8 hours (7 for the iPhone 4). Strangely, standby time has dropped to 200 hours (300 for the iPhone 4); Internet use has dropped to 9 hours on Wi-Fi (10 on the iPhone 4).

8. The iPhone 4S has a new antenna design and is a world phone.

9. The iPhone 4S has Bluetooth 4.0; the iPhone 4 uses Bluetooth 2.1.

Apple iPhone 4S, meet your predecessor, the not-so-different iPhone 4.

Here's a handy table for you to take note of, if you're interested in getting the iPhone 4S.

Specifications iPhone 4S iPhone 4
Operating System
  • iOS 5
  • iOS 4.3.5 (iOS 5 come 13th October)
Processor
  • Apple A5 Dual-Core 1GHz
  • Apple A4 Single-Core 1GHz
Built-in Memory
  • 512MB RAM
  • 512MB RAM
Display
  • 3.5-inch TFT capacitive IPS touchscreen / 640 x 960 pixels / 326ppi
  • 3.5-inch TFT capacitive IPS touchscreen / 640 x 960 pixels / 326ppi
Camera
  • 8-megapixel / Autofocus / LED flash / 1080p HD video recording @ 30fps / Face detection / Video Stabilization
  • 5-megapixel / Autofocus / LED flash / 720p video recording @ 30fps
Siri 
  • Yes
  • No
Connectivity
  • Built-in GPS with A-GPS and Google Maps / Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP support / USB 2.0 / WLAN 802.11b/g/n / HSDPA 14.4Mbps
  • Built-in GPS with A-GPS and Google Maps / Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support / USB 2.0 / WLAN 802.11b/g/n / HSDPA 7.2Mbps
Storage
  • 16GB / 32GB / 64GB
  • 8GB / 16GB / 32GB
 3G Talk Time
  • Up to 480 minutes 
  • Up to 420 minutes
Battery
  • TBC
  • 1420mAh
Dimensions
  • 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm
  • 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm
Weight
  • 140g
  • 137g

Incidentally, the iPhone 4S will be available in Singapore from 28th October, confirming what our sources told us earlier on. Three storage variants will be available, and the prices that have been announced apply to consumers who are purchasing the iPhone 4S from a US telco with a 2-year contract. Nonetheless, to give you a rough gauge on how much the iPhone 4S will cost with a 2-year contract when it comes to Singapore, the prices are:

  • Apple iPhone 4S 16GB: US$199 with 2-year contract
     
  • Apple iPhone 4S 32GB: US$299 with 2-year contract
     
  • Apple iPhone 4S 64GB: US$399 with 2-year contract

Meanwhile, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS will still be available for sale. According to Apple, the 8GB iPhone 4 will be sold at US$99, while the iPhone 3GS will be free when you sign a telco contract for both devices. Do note that the availability of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS is subject to your local telco's decision to continue with the sales of these previous generation iPhones. If you prefer to get your phones without contract, the 8GB iPhone 4 and the 8GB iPhone 3GS are available for S$788 and S$548 (with tax) respectively on the online Apple Store.

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