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Laptop or IPhone 4s?

C

Cjshino

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 17, 2012
118
9
Whats better in my situation. An upgrade from 4 to 4s because i want a faster phone for gaming and web? (Unlocked used on tmobile) Or a new laptop for basic needs such as web, schoolwork and some casual gaming? Both are almost the same price
 
BFizzzle

BFizzzle

macrumors 68020
May 31, 2010
2,443
0
Austin TX
Cjshino said:
Whats better in my situation. An upgrade from 4 to 4s because i want a faster phone for gaming and web? (Unlocked used on tmobile) Or a new laptop for basic needs such as web, schoolwork and some casual gaming? Both are almost the same price
Click to expand...

well.. a laptop will be much better for gaming lol. You can get a *decent* laptop for $500 these days.
 
Beeplance

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
Cjshino said:
Whats better in my situation. An upgrade from 4 to 4s because i want a faster phone for gaming and web? (Unlocked used on tmobile) Or a new laptop for basic needs such as web, schoolwork and some casual gaming? Both are almost the same price
Click to expand...

Up to your personal needs & which one you need more urgently. You can make do with a normal phone for calls, but some things that are done on a laptop cannot be duplicated on a separate platform. Depends.
 
nburwell

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,451
2,365
DE
I would probably say a laptop would be better in your situation. The 4 can't be that horribly slow with iOS 6 installed on it. And plus, the 4S really isn't that huge of an upgrade from the 4.
 
Beeplance

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
nburwell said:
I would probably say a laptop would be better in your situation. The 4 can't be that horribly slow with iOS 6 installed on it. And plus, the 4S really isn't that huge of an upgrade from the 4.
Click to expand...

For the sake of proving your last sentence wrong, I saw this post a while back. Take a look.

Wrong. 4 to 4s is huge compared to 4s to 5.

CPU
4-4S. Single core CortexA8 to Dual core CortexA9. Gaining multithreading from single thread architecture jump is massive.
4S-5 is just one dual core to a another, substantial, but mush less.

Camera
4-4S. Big, 720p to 1080p video. 5 lens system. Panorama. 5MP to 8MP.
5. Lens cover with more scratch resistance and purple light halos

Display
4/4S/5 All retina
5 taller and less ergonomic

Cellular.
4: single antenna, 3-5mbps 3G
4S: dual diversity dynamic antenna system 8-19mbps 4G
5: dual diversity dynamic antenna system 40-60mbps LTE
The 4 already has double basic home DSL bandwidth, 4S even more. Who needs that much on a mobile, really? Silly overkill.

Dock connector
5: Lightning. Losses compatibility with many accessories and all your previous charging cables. Can be hard to bum a quick charge.

Built quality
4/4S strong stainless steel frame, gorilla glass type outer
5 soft aluminum with easy wearing anodization

4-4S Siri, 3D maps, turn-by-turn
4S-5 nothing else.
Click to expand...
 
nburwell

nburwell

macrumors 603
May 6, 2008
5,451
2,365
DE
Beeplance said:
For the sake of proving your last sentence wrong, I saw this post a while back. Take a look.
Click to expand...

Faster chip and Siri are really the "big" differences between the two that would matter to me (Again, I'm speaking for myself since I do not play any games on my iPhone). For the OP the faster chip would make a difference for gaming, but he should using a laptop for the optimal experience.
 
Beeplance

Beeplance

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2012
1,564
500
Perhaps the question would have been a tad more challenging if it was between the iPad & a laptop.

Then again, iOS is really limited in terms of Micro Office related stuff, IMO. That's something that PCs always win. For now.
 
T

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Cjshino said:
Whats better in my situation. An upgrade from 4 to 4s because i want a faster phone for gaming and web? (Unlocked used on tmobile) Or a new laptop for basic needs such as web, schoolwork and some casual gaming? Both are almost the same price
Click to expand...
Define your criteria for better. Or make a list of your priorities and you'll have your answer.

Beeplance said:
For the sake of proving your last sentence wrong, I saw this post a while back. Take a look.
Click to expand...
You're not "proving his last sentence wrong". A list of improvements doesn't change a person's perception of the importance of the improvements. You're confusing the two and assuming them to be one and the same. As stated above, this is a subjective matter and the answer depends on the person asking.

iHailCarlo said:
A phone is still a phone.
Click to expand...
A laptop is still a laptop.
 
adam9c1

adam9c1

macrumors 68000
May 2, 2012
1,874
311
Chicagoland
I scored a Dell E4300 business class laptop
c2d 2.4
ddr3 3gb
160 hd
13" widescreen
backlight keyb
working battery
power adapter (with car 12v socket too)

all for less than $150 on ebay

more than capable machine for your tasks unless you want a Mac.
I have iPhone 4, never used 4S so I can't tell the difference.

Good luck hunting
 
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