iPhone 4S Only Club

cynics said:

Exactly!

Its like trying to tell if a picture is from a 4S or 5 is nearly impossible and completely impossible if not side by side.

Screen....meh its taller so text stayed the same size so that doesn't help my eyes. Just less scrolling, the part I don't mind.

Performance. Now Facebook opens .5 seconds faster! My 4S is fine currently its not like I had a problem with it being too slow.

And data. That's what I want. Verizon's 3G CAN be more then adequate but usually its terribly slow. I'd like LTE.

I just couldn't justify the 5 and I get iPhones at no expense to me via my employer. Instead of abusing that privilege I'm gonna hope for more this year, or keep my 4S until the 6.

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I can tell the difference between the photos, especially the macro shots.

The performance is way better, especially when playing graphics intensive games.

glass back-cover and stainless frame around, i love all of 4s.

wordoflife said:

Oh yeah..
I would totally upgrade if I had CDMA 3G.

Luckily, I've got HSPA+ on my 4S with speeds from 6 - 10 Mb/s. Good enough for my uses

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Same here. In the UK there is only one carrier that offers LTE and it's ridiculously expensive for what you get! (no unlimited data tariffs). Other carriers are launching soon but they will be not compatible with the iPhone 5.

My network uses HSPA+ and my speeds can also vary between 6-10MB/s.

BlockEight88 said:

That would almost be re-doing the entire phone. Apple should have released it with at least a 21.6 H+ radio instead of the 14.4 radio. When the phone was released, all the current competing smartphones were shipping with HSPA+ 21 and LTE. They had no reason not to include H+ 21. Those on EV-DO networks were just out of luck anyway.

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I thought that the 4S supported H+21 after seeing the leaked HD Voice update?

I've owned every iPhone model since the original, upgrading immediately as they are released. Of them all the best one was my 4S. Sadly because I'm an early adopter and pre-order I had already disposed of my 4S when my iPhone 5 arrived. Little did I realize how disappointed I would be.

I am very eager to dump this and get an iPhone 6 next year. The 5S doesn't interest me in the least. I'm tired of the uncomfortable featureless flat slab sided shape.

At least the 4S was a spectacular phone for calling, and efficient at all else. I got great battery life, it was trouble free, but I'm not willing to go backwards & buy another. I will wait another year. The good news is that will give Apple time to sort out iOS 7 and hopefully improve its look and feel. The pastel colors are not for me.

Advice: Change battery on iPhone 4S or upgrade

Its approaching the time for Apple to shortly release a new model and i need some advice, perhaps you can help me.

In the spirit of this thread I too have an iphone 4S and I Love It.

However, I purchased it second hand almost a year ago a day before the iphone 5 was released and while the guy i bought it off said he had only had the iphone 4S for a couple of months I have no way of knowing if that was true or if he had it from the day of release.

The battery life of the iphone 4S is declining rapidly and I noticed this because i'm a heavy user of it everyday. By 3/4s of an average day i've had the 20% battery life warning. Therefore i'm thinking of taking it to Apple and getting a battery replacement. This should give my phone a new lease of life, no?

I am often a first mover on technology and like to buy the newest or upgrade at the first moment when possible but on a personal level i'm not taken with the iPhone 5 and the 5S while there will be improvements seems like more of the same and in the same form factor. ioS7 will also work on the 4S.

I live in the UK and as another poster has pointed out LTE is in its infancy here and our data charges for LTE are very high. I also travel a lot to countries where only 3G is established. Therefore the advantage LTE brings (and i will love using it some day) is not a factor in my current decision.

Then there will be purchasing new Lightning cables.

If you think my reasoning is wrong let me know but at the moment I'm planning on getting a battery replacement. Is it best to go with Apple to do this officially or does it really not matter who does it?

Had 4S since launch. Been a solid phone, but I have been disappointed with battery life lately.

Will upgrade to an andriod this fall if the 5S doesn't wow me. Really hate the small screen and the fact that apple doesn't let us customize anything.

addictive said:

Its approaching the time for Apple to shortly release a new model and i need some advice, perhaps you can help me.

In the spirit of this thread I too have an iphone 4S and I Love It.

However, I purchased it second hand almost a year ago a day before the iphone 5 was released and while the guy i bought it off said he had only had the iphone 4S for a couple of months I have no way of knowing if that was true or if he had it from the day of release.

The battery life of the iphone 4S is declining rapidly and I noticed this because i'm a heavy user of it everyday. By 3/4s of an average day i've had the 20% battery life warning. Therefore i'm thinking of taking it to Apple and getting a battery replacement. This should give my phone a new lease of life, no?

I am often a first mover on technology and like to buy the newest or upgrade at the first moment when possible but on a personal level i'm not taken with the iPhone 5 and the 5S while there will be improvements seems like more of the same and in the same form factor. ioS7 will also work on the 4S.

I live in the UK and as another poster has pointed out LTE is in its infancy here and our data charges for LTE are very high. I also travel a lot to countries where only 3G is established. Therefore the advantage LTE brings (and i will love using it some day) is not a factor in my current decision.

Then there will be purchasing new Lightning cables.

If you think my reasoning is wrong let me know but at the moment I'm planning on getting a battery replacement. Is it best to go with Apple to do this officially or does it really not matter who does it?

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Probably doesn't matter too much who does it. I replaced the battery in mine myself and it helped a little. But it wasn't until I restored my iPhone as new via iTunes that I noticed battery life was back to where it was when I initially got the phone.

The kit from ifixit includes the battery and tools required for 25-29 bucks. Google search for a promo code and it might be cheaper. Not sure how much Apple charges and how comfortable you are replacing the battery yourself.

phalgun27 said:

Hi,

I am very disappointed with my iPhone 4S camera. 70-80% of the photos I take come blurry/shaky. I try hard not to move while taking pics, it comes out

blurry. Is anyone else having similar problem with their 4S camera? Please suggest your solution for this. How can i fix this?

I have attached screenshot. Thanks.

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You have a bad camera , that needs to be fixed or you should get a replacement. Your photos shouldn't look like that.


I'm loving my 4S. Every bit of it. I can't wait to see what the 5S is like. I tend to think that the "S" stands for "solved", as in we solved all issues with the original.

I just ordered a brand new iPhone 4s in white.
I've had my iPhone 5 since launch day but I was really missing the 4s.. (sold my first 4s).

There's just something about the 4s.. I think the feeling of sturdy build quality together with the glass and aluminum makes it feel like your holding something much more valuable than a phone.. It also looks really cool!

Also... for me personally, the 3,5" screen size is just perfect! It's been almost one year with the iPhone 5 and it still feels awkward in my hand.

Is My Battery Worn?

addictive said:

If you think my reasoning is wrong let me know but at the moment I'm planning on getting a battery replacement. Is it best to go with Apple to do this officially or does it really not matter who does it?

Click to expand...

If u feel like doing this to save time & money:

Download iBackupBot from the web, Google, free, and install on PC/Mac. Plug in iPhone to PC/Mac, highlight the device and under More Information, it will tell you how many charge cycles does your battery have. A starting-to worn battery is like 600+ cycles, if ur is less than this, a new battery may not help and u better see whether you can turn off PUSH tasks (ur carrier updates ur phone without your intervention) and whether you spend a lot of time in low signal areas (ur transmitter has to work harder, draining more juice. Nothing u can do here, just info).

If u have to ask whether Apple or third-party, go Apple.

Bad Hardware or Technique?

phalgun27 said:

Blurry photos on iPhone 4S

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Camara+ app ($0.99) has a stability mode, it won't fire until it senses u have stopped shaking enough. Try it before pronouncing bad hardware.

Gav2k said:

Well iOS 7 runs sweet in my 4s so I think we have another year tho I will get the 5s I will keep this baby

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This is good info to hear! Out of curiosity, are you missing any big features, seeing much lag, anything? My mom and sister have 4S's and I'm wondering if they should upgrade to iOS 7 or if they should leave it at 6 so their phone doesn't start lagging (my 4 lagged quite a bit on iOS 6 before I replaced it with a 5).

Also if you know how the iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad 4, and iPad Mini are performing on it that would be really helpful. Thanks!

BlockEight88 said:

I don't know if that was a wise move? The 4S is looking to go bye bye for good in about a month. I might check out what the 5S has to offer. The 4S is a very, very good phone with amazing build quality, but its heyday is long over with. It won't last forever.

I only wish Apple would get smart and abandon the horrible iPhone 5 design and implement the 4/4s design into the iphone 6. I was never crazy about super slim. I want to actually feel something in my hand.

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The 4S will get at least another full year of updates so I think it was a good decision to buy a 4S at this time. I bought mine in January.

BlockEight88 said:

I don't know if that was a wise move? The 4S is looking to go bye bye for good in about a month. I might check out what the 5S has to offer. The 4S is a very, very good phone with amazing build quality, but its heyday is long over with. It won't last forever.

I only wish Apple would get smart and abandon the horrible iPhone 5 design and implement the 4/4s design into the iphone 6. I was never crazy about super slim. I want to actually feel something in my hand.

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I kept the 5, I just got the new 4s cause I wanted to get my hand on a brand new white one before they are completely discontinued. Waste of money maybe but I love that damn thing so much!

driceman said:

This is good info to hear! Out of curiosity, are you missing any big features, seeing much lag, anything? My mom and sister have 4S's and I'm wondering if they should upgrade to iOS 7 or if they should leave it at 6 so their phone doesn't start lagging (my 4 lagged quite a bit on iOS 6 before I replaced it with a 5).

Also if you know how the iPhone 5, iPad 2, iPad 4, and iPad Mini are performing on it that would be really helpful. Thanks!

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Just airdrop from what I've noticed is missing. Everything else from dynamic backgrounds etc are all there. Safari was laggy during beta 2 that now smooth as butter. Honestly if people can get over the looks this is a silky smooth release especially for the 4s. It like a new phone all over again!!

4S is the clear choice

Had my 4S at launch date. It has been the perfect phone. Never had battery issues. Have the 64GB model and am a big time gamer on my 4S. All console level games I have, from Dead Space MC4, Nova 3, Real Racing 2 & 3, Wild Blood, Mass Effect, Gangstar Rio, GTA 3 & Vice City, Amazing Spiderman, the Dark Knight Returns etc.... and many more. I have about 2 GB of space left. This phone has been phenomenal in its performance, reliability and its beautifully constructed encasement. I loooooove my 4S. I had a 3GS that I loved so I skipped the 4, but when the 4S came out, i took a second look at what was already a beautiful piece of construction and hopped on it and never looked back. My 4S has kept me from envying all other phones b/c they don't compare. I didn't even have the slightest desire for the iPhone 5!! I think the 5 is awesome, but my 4S is the perfect size and in my estimation an awesomerrrrr phone. I haven't even cared for the news of the upcoming iPhone b/c I'm soooo happy with the 4S. Wish they would revert back to glass front and back in future iterations of the iPhone. Like Steve Jobs said, " you gotta see this thing in person it's one of the most beautiful designs you've ever seen!"- and he was right.

Does anybody else think that they purposely release the updates that slowly bog your phones OS down over time? I feel like they release updates that the processor can't keep up with...forcing you to eventually upgrade phones when you can't stand it anymore. My 4S has been gradually slowing down with each update even though I don't have a ton of stuff on it.

Still using my 4S, although when the 5 came out I was chomping at the bit to get one. No dice. And I'm okay with that. Part of that is due to my discovery of Android last year. The new Nexus 7 is my goto device, matter of fact. The other part is I'm not impressed with the the way the phone looks in comparison to the 4S.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to the unveiling on the 10th. Much more intriguing to me, at this juncture, is the 5c.

Man, It's really nice to see I wasn't the only one still lovin the 4s over the 5!

taint it sweet said:

Does anybody else think that they purposely release the updates that slowly bog your phones OS down over time? I feel like they release updates that the processor can't keep up with...forcing you to eventually upgrade phones when you can't stand it anymore. My 4S has been gradually slowing down with each update even though I don't have a ton of stuff on it.

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I agree to a certain extent. I don't know how intentional it is though.

Apple wants to keep everyone happy with updates. They also want to reduce fragmentation by keeping as many as people as possible on the same iOS version.

However the latest version of iOS doesn't run that great on older devices though. I think that hurts the user experience especially for heavy users.

I bought the iPhone 4, 4S and 5 all white at their respective time but due a situation I am back to a white 4 running 6.1.3.
I had the iPhone 5 for around 6 months
Can't say I miss it too much, the screen was nice at first but easily adjusted to a 3.5 without hassle.

I just LOVE, ADORE the design of the 4 and the fact that I have a normal size phone again in my hand. Not that the 5 was huge..
Like some people say, sometimes I just take it out to admire it, even after 3 freckin years.
Steve was right about this design, you gotta see it in person.
The 5 looks like just another phone while the 4 looks like an artefact found by Indiana Jones in Nepal lol
I am seriously considering buying a 64gb 4S and stick to it until the beast dies.
I hate cloud so as much storage as possible is needed.
I just do basic stuff on a phone, I use it as a tool, I even disable the data, only use it when I need some mail checking or maps or quick info browsing.

The 4S is simply the most powerful phone in this size and with a gorgeous design.

cynics said:

..Its like trying to tell if a picture is from a 4S or 5 is nearly impossible and completely impossible if not side by side.

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Oh, it's possible.

I know that the photos with the hideous purple haze on the sides or corners are taken with my iPhone 5. My 4S on the other hand took beautiful clean shots without me ever having to worry about "pointing it wrong".

I started with the 3GS and have upgraded every year. I've had the 5 since launch day too. I remember feeling somewhat disappointed overall when I got it, and very disappointed with the camera. If it's not fixed this time around, I'll skip the upgrade for the first time since becoming an iPhone owner.

I have to agree with others in this thread... For the robust build quality, the looks, and the overall functionality, the 4S has been the best iPhone I've owned. My kid has it now and it's still going strong.