To upgrade 4S to 5 or not?

yinz said:

How so? Software and hardware, I feel they are relatively the same. The only difference being the screen size. Any further comments about it being "completely different?"

4s feels more durable (for everyday wear, not drops) because of the materials used to build it: stainless steel and glass vs aluminum and glass. Thoughts?

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i was talking about the exterior more so. all iphones feel the same software wise. the bigger screen is a huge improvement after using it for a while. going back to the 3.5 seems weird.

Wait for the 5S.

I upgraded from 4S to 5. I wasn't going to but then a family member wanted my 4S as a secondary phone, so I ended up getting a 5.

At first I didn't notice any major changes, but after using it for a while I noticed little improvements in many areas which made it a quite significant upgrade.

iPhone 5:
- larger and better screen - photos look fabulous
- faster processor, apps load faster and better browsing experience
- lighter
- thinner
- better front camera

After handling iPhone 5 for a while my 4S feels like a brick. However, I find the built quality is better with 4S.

Not exactly 100% happy with the upgrade, somewhere in the 90s, but I didn't regret it either.

I would just wait for the 5S. Especially with all this news of Apple changing their upgrade cycle.

x-evil-x said:

i havent paid for an iphone in over 4 years because staying up to date keeps resale value high. so why not upgrade for free. phones keep improving but phones from years ago do the same thing as today just slower...

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That has been my experience also, I bought my first iPhone 3 and since then I have been able to sell my phone to pay for my upgrades.

Works for me.

If I had the iPhone 4s, I'd wait till the iPhone 6 came out. My wife on the other has a 3Gs and is getting an iPhone 5 from me this Christmas. That's a big jump in terms of an upgrade.

The 4s can certainly hold out longer. By the time the iPhone 6 comes out the should hopefully be a bigger upgrade than going to a iPhone 5 from a 4s, IMO.

yinz said:

How so? Software and hardware, I feel they are relatively the same. The only difference being the screen size. Any further comments about it being "completely different?"

4s feels more durable (for everyday wear, not drops) because of the materials used to build it: stainless steel and glass vs aluminum and glass. Thoughts?

Click to expand...

The 5:


HAS LTE
Is more than twice as fast
Has a bigger, better calibrated screen
Is thinner and lighter
Has a better rear camera lens and HD facetime
Has 5Ghz wifi N
Has better battery life
Has CURRENT charging technology
Will be supported by accessory makers going forward
Is worth 3x as much on the secondary market
Has a rear facing camera mic
Has a much better speaker/earpiece/noise cancellation

I could go on, but saying it's basically the "same" is like saying a Ferrari 599 is basically the same as a Toyota Celica. The Celica is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's nowhere near the "same".

And ya, it's true the 4S might scratch slightly less easy, but try dropping it on it's glass back and see how "durable" it is. The 5 may not be cosmetically perfect after a drop, but odds are you can still use it (it won't shatter... the back at least). Aluminum was a trade off to make it thinner and lighter. Most people really like that about it. Some don't (and they usually are the people who either can't upgrade or can't afford the 5... go figure right???).

The 5 pwns the 4S. And the 4S was a fine phone. That's how good the 5 is.

itjw said:

The 5:


HAS LTE
Is more than twice as fast
Has a bigger, better calibrated screen
Is thinner and lighter
Has a better rear camera lens and HD facetime
Has 5Ghz wifi N
Has better battery life
Has CURRENT charging technology
Will be supported by accessory makers going forward
Is worth 3x as much on the secondary market
Has a rear facing camera mic
Has a much better speaker/earpiece/noise cancellation

I could go on, but saying it's basically the "same" is like saying a Ferrari 599 is basically the same as a Toyota Celica. The Celica is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's nowhere near the "same".

And ya, it's true the 4S might scratch slightly less easy, but try dropping it on it's glass back and see how "durable" it is. The 5 may not be cosmetically perfect after a drop, but odds are you can still use it (it won't shatter... the back at least). Aluminum was a trade off to make it thinner and lighter. Most people really like that about it. Some don't (and they usually are the people who either can't upgrade or can't afford the 5... go figure right???).

The 5 pwns the 4S. And the 4S was a fine phone. That's how good the 5 is.

Click to expand...

Sorry, but most of those are negligable specs that hardly matter to most end users. If iPhones sold on specs alone, it would be outsold by any other flagship android phone. The fact of the matter is, the iPhone sells feel and usability and most of your specs matter little to the average user. Most wouldnt even note those as differences. So no, iPhone 5 does not pwn the iPhone 4s.

At most, it is a slight improvement. The iPhone 4s still holds a lot of value and is not as underrated as you claim. Also, as a Car person, I must say your analogy is terribad... It's more like a Ferrari 458 and a Ferrari 430, in which case, I still think F430 is good for the average person.

I too was reluctant to upgrade but made the switch. Wow. Although not a perfect device, the 5 is pretty cool. Really fast whether on wifi or LTE. And as someone said, the 4/4S now feels like a brick. I'd go for it & upgrade now!!

itjw said:

The 5:


HAS LTE
Is more than twice as fast
Has a bigger, better calibrated screen
Is thinner and lighter
Has a better rear camera lens and HD facetime
Has 5Ghz wifi N
Has better battery life
Has CURRENT charging technology
Will be supported by accessory makers going forward
Is worth 3x as much on the secondary market
Has a rear facing camera mic
Has a much better speaker/earpiece/noise cancellation

I could go on, but saying it's basically the "same" is like saying a Ferrari 599 is basically the same as a Toyota Celica. The Celica is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's nowhere near the "same".

And ya, it's true the 4S might scratch slightly less easy, but try dropping it on it's glass back and see how "durable" it is. The 5 may not be cosmetically perfect after a drop, but odds are you can still use it (it won't shatter... the back at least). Aluminum was a trade off to make it thinner and lighter. Most people really like that about it. Some don't (and they usually are the people who either can't upgrade or can't afford the 5... go figure right???).

The 5 pwns the 4S. And the 4S was a fine phone. That's how good the 5 is.

Click to expand...

LTE: Unless you're on CDMA carriers, GSM HSPA+ download speeds are already more than enough for daily usage like web browsing. Anything above 3 mbps, there is no difference in web browsing speeds.

More than twice as fast is a relative term. More often than not, it is only a mere 1 or 2 milliseconds faster, which is not that obvious because most people do not put both phones side by side everyday when they use it.

Camera quality is nearly identical. Sapphire lens coverage only strengthens the lens, not much improvement on image quality. The breakthrough is that they're able to fit the same lens system in a thinner package.

Improvement in battery life is also subjective. Not much difference/improvements here.

WTH is CURRENT charging technology? Doesn't matter as long as I can charge it the same way as a 4S, just with a different cable. Nothing much here.

Worth? Not every is going to sell their phones on a secondary market after use.

That's about it. Probably lighter, thinner, and screen size are the only notable changes. And based on these 3 alone, I wouldn't say that the 5 PWNS the 4S.

Beeplance said:

LTE: Unless you're on CDMA carriers, GSM HSPA+ download speeds are already more than enough for daily usage like web browsing. Anything above 3 mbps, there is no difference in web browsing speeds.

More than twice as fast is a relative term. More often than not, it is only a mere 1 or 2 milliseconds faster, which is not that obvious because most people do not put both phones side by side everyday when they use it.

Camera quality is nearly identical. Sapphire lens coverage only strengthens the lens, not much improvement on image quality. The breakthrough is that they're able to fit the same lens system in a thinner package.

Improvement in battery life is also subjective. Not much difference/improvements here.

WTH is CURRENT charging technology? Doesn't matter as long as I can charge it the same way as a 4S, just with a different cable. Nothing much here.

Worth? Not every is going to sell their phones on a secondary market after use.

That's about it. Probably lighter, thinner, and screen size are the only notable changes. And based on these 3 alone, I wouldn't say that the 5 PWNS the 4S.

Click to expand...

Current charging technology is Lightning.

It means that going forward, accessory makers will be SUPPORTING the 5, and not continuing to support the OLD 4S. There is also good reason to believe that Lightning will be the charger for all of Apples portables.

So yeah, it's the current tech. Instead of the old, bigger, one way, slower charging, 30 Pin. Sorry.

And LOL for my list not being "significant" to most users. All that comment confirmed is that some people are never happy, no matter how huge the upgrade (and frankly, if being TWICE as fast isn't "significant" to you, then what would?? NFC? That nearly no one uses???). As I said:

LOL

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yinz said:

Sorry, but most of those are negligable specs that hardly matter to most end users. If iPhones sold on specs alone, it would be outsold by any other flagship android phone. The fact of the matter is, the iPhone sells feel and usability and most of your specs matter little to the average user. Most wouldnt even note those as differences. So no, iPhone 5 does not pwn the iPhone 4s.

At most, it is a slight improvement. The iPhone 4s still holds a lot of value and is not as underrated as you claim. Also, as a Car person, I must say your analogy is terribad... It's more like a Ferrari 458 and a Ferrari 430, in which case, I still think F430 is good for the average person.

Click to expand...

Enjoy your Celica then.

My Ferrari is more than twice as fast. Even an average user can notice that.

LMAO
The 5:


HAS LTE
Is more than twice as fast
Has a bigger, better calibrated screen
Is thinner and lighter
Has a better rear camera lens and HD facetime
Has 5Ghz wifi N
Has better battery life
Has CURRENT charging technology
Will be supported by accessory makers going forward
Is worth 3x as much on the secondary market
Has a rear facing camera mic
Has a much better speaker/earpiece/noise cancellation

I could go on, but saying it's basically the "same" is like saying a Ferrari 599 is basically the same as a Toyota Celica. The Celica is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's nowhere near the "same".

I still have my 4S which I love and have an upgrade chillin. I know the 5 is an upgrade in everything, but truly, if you don't NEED the features the 5 has, waiting until the 5S won't be detrimental at all. Also, if you're having any doubts about the 5, and since you have a 4S, you should just wait until the "full generation" upgrade comes...