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iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4 - Should You Upgrade?

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Eganwp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2012
14
0
Hey guys!

I keep seeing this question pop up time and time again as people are asking the question, is it worth upgrading my iPhone X to the new iPhone 5? So I put together a video comparing them fully, from size, ergonomics, look & feel, speed, boot times, app launch times, benchmarks, features, changes, etc. to hopefully help you make that decision! My short answer is: YES!!! :)

Check it out below, or check out my other videos which go into the specifics of the iPhone 5 with reviews, details and benchmarks.

iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4 Speed Tests: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spys8wzFeJo
iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4 Boot-up Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvVTJGLsOLM
iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4 Full Comparison Review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mM36F76fvQ



Also, for those just wanting to see the iPhone 5 speed & usage comparisons/benchmarks for maybe comparing to other models of phones, I made some videos to help show you here:

iPhone 5 - Benchmarking: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAwKVOfCGZg
iPhone 5 - First Time Boot-up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVahFlxvj5M
iPhone 5 - Fully Utilized Boot-up Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdZC3o36DTU
iPhone 5 - Web Browser Speed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAtd3zDsRG8


Cheers & God bless!!!
Egan
 
Last edited:
\-V-/

\-V-/

Suspended
May 3, 2012
3,153
2,688
If you don't want a phone that's 2x faster in every way, then no.
 
F123D

F123D

macrumors 68040
Sep 16, 2008
3,776
16
Del Mar, CA
Definitely worth the upgrade. Two things I liked more on the iPhone 4 is the build quality and the screen color. iPhone 5 seems to have an off white color. You can definitely see it in your video when you were loading web pages. Color thing I can get used to since apparantly its normal, but build quality.. :eek: :(
 
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entropi

macrumors 6502a
May 20, 2008
583
384
Wirelessly posted

nah, I'm out of contract in january 2013 - but I think I will wait for the 5S instead...
 
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inselstudent

macrumors 6502a
Jul 27, 2012
617
4
I have the 4 as well and I'm not going to "upgrade", simply because I've finally (believe me, it was tough) convinced myself to see sense and say that both are just phones. I mean essentially I can do the same on both of them. I can't deny the 5, and even the 4s are faster, but actually you would have to use your phone for a lot of time every day that you would actually have a noticeable advantage over the 4 as in time saved. Otherwise, and that's the case with me, it just doesn't justify spending another €679 on a new fancy device. There's more to life than Apple products and one should always keep in mind that actually it's not the phone that matters but the person that holds it.

Amen.

Of course, other opinions may differ, but please don't pick on me for being sensible :)
 
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ek9max

macrumors regular
Feb 22, 2011
219
35
I love apple products. The best way I can describe my iphone 5 is that it is better than my 4s by a little bit in everyway. So the overall experience is much better.
 
OTACORB

OTACORB

macrumors 68000
Jun 21, 2009
1,543
1,030
Central, Louisiana
F123D said:
Definitely worth the upgrade. Two things I liked more on the iPhone 4 is the build quality and the screen color. iPhone 5 seems to have an off white color. You can definitely see it in your video when you were loading web pages. Color thing I can get used to since apparantly its normal, but build quality.. :eek: :(
Click to expand...

Build quality on iPhone 5 is higher than ever. Do not know what you are whining about. Temp colors of displays can vary as mine is pretty white.
 
L

Lick

macrumors member
Aug 14, 2012
62
0
F123D said:
My 2 year old iPhone 4 is in better condition than my 2 day old iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

Yea this worries me, I'm pretty accident prone probably dropped my iphone 4 over a dozen times and it looks good as new. Gonna wait around for the second run of 5's and see how it goes. Maybe they need to start offering free paint jobs for monthly touch ups. I want that better camera and taller screen but battery life and durability are real important to me and for both those to be better in my 2 year old device is pretty lame. I've got to imagine the 5 has way better battery life if you turn off 4G though. Since I'll be on straight talk I'd be interest to see some numbers in that department.
 
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Eganwp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2012
14
0
I think I'm going to have to buy my wife an iPhone 5 now after doing the review of her 4... She keeps nabbing mine for pics! lol
 
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boxster99t

macrumors member
Jun 23, 2010
85
0
The LTE (and if you care, Siri--which is finally the first usable voice dialing on an iPhone because voice command on the iPhone 4 was poor) was worth the upgrade. The bigger screen, less so because I don't use gaming or often watch movies--although I must say watching an HD 16 x 9 aspect ratio movie does look nice. And the caveat--provided, your upgrade eligible. I wouldn't have switched if I was not.
 
bbeagle

bbeagle

macrumors 68040
Oct 19, 2010
3,541
2,981
Buffalo, NY
J3ayy said:
But was it worth the upgrade fee??? :eek:
Click to expand...

All depends how much money is worth to you. Are you making $100/hour or $10/hour?

For me, $200 is definitely worth 2-3 hours pay. If $200 is 1/2 a week of work to you, or more, then mileage may vary.
 
divisionbuyzero

divisionbuyzero

macrumors member
Sep 16, 2012
75
2
Coming from a 4 was like night and day. At first I started getting motion sickness it was so fast.

Coming from a 4S I think I would've waited though since I'm always on wifi there isn't a need for LTE. The screen is awesome just not worth the upgrade fee.
 
dcorban

dcorban

macrumors 6502a
Oct 29, 2007
914
30
I have a hard time understanding why so many people are hesitant. Even if you have to pay to break your contract, you can then resell your phone. The iPhone 4 is going for $280-320, and the 4S is about $100 more. Sure, you can wait out your current contract, but that just means your next contract will be even further in the future. If you bail out now, sell your phone while it is still worth a decent amount, you can upgrade for just the cost of the phone ($200 or less).
 
M

mzd

macrumors 6502a
Jul 25, 2005
951
41
Wisconsin
F123D said:
My 2 year old iPhone 4 is in better condition than my 2 day old iPhone 5.
Click to expand...

it is funny how there was so much concern about the glass back on the 4/4S but ultimately, it did prove to be very durable. my 4 was in pristine condition (just a few marks on the steel sides) and i never had to replace any part. plus replacement backs were pretty reasonable at $30.
no word on replacement costs for the new aluminum backs and it looks like getting access to the repair will be much more difficult (per iFix it). and so far they are much more susceptible to scratches and such.
personally, my white 5 is in great shape (after only 3 days of course) but i am getting a skin for the back, which i didn't feel i needed on the 4.
 
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Eganwp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2012
14
0
mzd said:
it is funny how there was so much concern about the glass back on the 4/4s but ultimately, it did prove to be very durable. My 4 was in pristine condition (just a few marks on the steel sides) and i never had to replace any part. Plus replacement backs were pretty reasonable at $30.
No word on replacement costs for the new aluminum backs and it looks like getting access to the repair will be much more difficult (per ifix it). And so far they are much more susceptible to scratches and such.
Personally, my white 5 is in great shape (after only 3 days of course) but i am getting a skin for the back, which i didn't feel i needed on the 4.
Click to expand...

+1
 
K

Kennyo3

macrumors newbie
Sep 26, 2012
1
0
Just wondering if anyone knows how to add an event on the iPhone 5 as I don't seem to be able to. Any advice would be great as I swapped from the iPhone 4 and it doesn't work the same for some reason.
 
E

Eganwp

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2012
14
0
Kennyo3 said:
Just wondering if anyone knows how to add an event on the iPhone 5 as I don't seem to be able to. Any advice would be great as I swapped from the iPhone 4 and it doesn't work the same for some reason.
Click to expand...

Do you mean in the calendar or a reminder or something?
 
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