For anyone on the fence about going from 4 to 4s do it!

[314631]

My wife now has a 4S, but I can't upgrade for a subsidized price until Spring, so I'm stuck with the 4.

My advice for those in similar situations: avoid, avoid playing with the 4S! It may not seem vastly faster when you're using it, but go back to the 4 and you'll see the difference.

Dang. I love my 4, but now it feels like an antique!

Sure it's faster but really think about it. Is the performance so incredibly better that it's worth spending hundreds of dollars more, plus extended your carrier contract for another 2 years, instead of your existing iPhone 4? It's easy to be dazzled by Apple's marketing machine. But when even the biggest Apple fan boys in the tech press are advising iPhone 4 users to think VERY carefully before upgrading to the latest model, you know the differences between the two models is not that impressive.

I'm pretty sure you'll feel a bit different in a few weeks when the newness of the iPhone 4S has worn off. And you'll definitely regret it when the iPhone 5 comes out next year and you're stuck on a relatively new carrier contract for a fairly insignificant upgrade.

 

[ctc799]

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The fluidity of my iPhone 4 is just fine.

 

[gtmac]

I have both selling my 4 for $300 only paying tax for the upgrade, plus $100 for another 32 gig of memory.

I say keep your 4 there is so little here it's hardly worth the tax on the 4S.

Maybe if Siri starts working I will feel differently.

 

[Frankied22]

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I would have to agree with most people on here. Comparing my 4 to my 4S I barely notice a speed difference, even when using the camera. Also, speaking of the camera, I don't think there's a very big difference between the two cameras either. My 4 takes just as good photos and sometimes even better. Siri is fun, but it's worn out off and the reality is I rarely use it for anything realistic. I can manually do what I'm telling it to do faster, especially when I'm on Sprints horrendous 3G Nd Siri doesn't even respond. I'm seriously considering returning my 4S and sticking with my AT&T 4 until the next iPhone and use my upgrade. I'm not sure a somewhat cheaper bill on Sprint Nd being stuck with their worthless speeds is worth it.

 

[Lya]

I don't notice the speed difference between the 4 and the 4s unless I put them side by side. Siri is fun at the beginning, but I wouldn't think of using it to call my mom instead of manually doing it.
My old iPhone was black, my new one is white. If it wasn't for the color change I wouldn't even notice I have a new phone.

 

[Sarngate]

I agree.

I don't think the quality of the pictures is anywhere close to the hype either. I've been playing around with the camera today and I am nowhere near as blown away by the results as the reviewers who have been provided with free iPhones to produce their articles. In low light conditions, I got some very disappointing pixelated results today. Even in natural light I'd say the results are nowhere near as good as an average (and ageing) old point and shoot. I'd say the camera is okay but it does not deserve all the rave reviews that are being heaped on it.

I wouldn't upgrade from an iPhone 4 personally, unless you have so much money you don't know you could possibly spend it in your lifetime.

I'd like to see an old point and shoot create something like this:

http://vimeo.com/30578363

 

[Fernandez21]

For me the bigger difference is in the camera and how well it functions as a phone. The camera is fantastic, best camera phone bar none.

As for how well it functions as a phone, death grip is no longer an issue, reception is even better, ear piece and loud speaker are both louder and clearer, and the vibrate feel stronger. This is the first iPhone that you can truly say is great for making phone calls.

As for the speed, yes it's faster, though not by that much, but everything does feel much snappier, so when ever your on screen keyboard takes a little too long to load and register your taps, just remember the 4s wouldn't have those issues.

Also, I was able to sell my 32gb for $350 this week do I only had to pay $150 to upgrade to 64gb with apple care plus.

 

[grovertdog]

I'm consistently counting 3 seconds from the time I open the camera icon to the time I'm actually able to take pictures.

Return your 4s. Something is wrong. My 4s is filled with apps, music, videos, etc., and I go from icon to "shutter ready" is one second. And multiple photos ARE as fast as advertised.

Your results do not seem in line with what the rest of us are experiencing.

 

[robdam1001]

4s seems to be much faster versus my old 4.

 

[AndrewR23]

I agree. In my home in Orange County, I had maybe 1 bar of service in my house if I was lucky. With the 4S, I get 3-4. It's amazing being able to answer a phone call in my room!

I moved from Sac to OC When I had the 4 last winter. My 4 was a great phone in Sac tho.

 

[Ronnoco]

I have certainly noticed the speed difference especially in Safari, the camera app and how quickly apps open and close
Games play MUCH more smoothly and the graphics are definitely better
Wifi and 3G speeds are MUCH faster than with my 4
Camera is fantastic
The reception with the phone has VASTLY improved and I have not dropped a single call no matter HOW I hold the phone (AT&T)
I LOVE being able to mirror with my AppleTV2's
Being able to "speak to text" with emails, memos and texts while driving is invaluable to me
And of course, there is Siri...

Overall, I'm THRILLED with the upgrade...

 

[DaIfoneboss]

I went from the 4 to the 4S and I agree with the OP. It is much 'snappier'. When I click messages there is no loading - its just there. In regards to battery life, my batter is fine. Then again, I let it die before I recharged it. Maybe you guys who are having battery life issues need to look up the proper way to 'train' a battery.


- Joe

When i open messages on my ip4, they load instantly too its just there, The 4S shines in web browsing and games though thats where youll see a noticeable difference but other then that not really

 

[terraphantm]

Internet feels a lot faster over AT&T netwOrk

I noticed this too. The new modem seems to have much reduced latency.

 

[yanki01]

not worth losing a potential upgrade to the iPhone 5 next year on launch day. not impresed with siri, camera or speeds. my iPhone 4 on iOS 5 right now is pretty damn good to me and my battery is amazing right now.

 

[BoxerGT2.5]

These are the same people who will be starting threads next year up in arms that AT&T won't let them upgrade. Threatening to pay the ETF and really stick it to them.

 

[superdudeo]

Wow, a lot of people on here that are not happy with upgrading. Kind of begs the question, why did they upgrade?

Maybe with app upgrades utilised to 4s, they will be much more snappier?

 

[sjinsjca]

Sure it's faster but really think about it. Is the performance so incredibly better that it's worth spending hundreds of dollars more, plus extended your carrier contract for another 2 years, instead of your existing iPhone 4? It's easy to be dazzled by Apple's marketing machine. But when even the biggest Apple fan boys in the tech press are advising iPhone 4 users to think VERY carefully before upgrading to the latest model, you know the differences between the two models is not that impressive.

I'm pretty sure you'll feel a bit different in a few weeks when the newness of the iPhone 4S has worn off. And you'll definitely regret it when the iPhone 5 comes out next year and you're stuck on a relatively new carrier contract for a fairly insignificant upgrade.

Well... First I must advise that I'm a member of a persecuted minority: customers who are happy with AT&T. The $200 for a subsidized upgrade to a 4S is almost entirely offset by trading-in my old hardware via any of half-a-dozen third-party firms. Thus my main "expense" (if my line were eligible for a subsidized upgrade, as my wife's and son's lines were) would be the two-year contract extension, which I don't mind since I'll be sticking with AT&T in any case. Meanwhile:

• I want Siri, which I can't have on my 4. I would use the hell out of that feature. It's worked great in our trials so far, and I could oh so use it everyday. So it's a valid reason to upgrade for at least some people, me among them.
  
• The better camera is a valid inducement for some people, too. In fact, I upgraded my son from a 4 to a 4S since he's a professional photographer and can put that camera to good use in those situations when his SLR isn't handy.
  
• The snappier responsiveness is attractive to me (and again, for me it's more evident in going from 4S to 4), but I'm not dissatisfied in my 4 in that regard. It would just be nice for power users like me. Context switching, app loading and transitions are all improved by the new CPU and graphics engine.
  
• The additional HD-res streaming capabilities of the 4S might be compelling reasons to upgrade for some folks. Not me, particularly, but I can see it being attractive to others.

So, given that there are indeed valid and compelling reasons for some folks to upgrade, I find myself wondering just what it is about the mythical iPhone 5 that would make it so much more desirable than the 4S. Let's go down the list of possible iPhone 5 features ourselves instead:

• Bigger screen? Well sure, all else being equal, bigger is better, but I like the 4/4S glorious Retina screen just fine, and the form-factor is ideal. Meanwhile a friend's EVO seems way too bulky, and larger screens usually mean a battery life hit.
  
• 3D? Nah. I get enough headaches as it is.
  
• Picoprojector? Sure, that'd be awesome. But it doesn't seem likely.
  
• Different looks? To me, the design of the 4 and 4S is the pinnacle of cell phone evolution so far, but then I'm a Dieter Rams fanboi from way back in the '80s. The 5 would have to really soar to better it. Maybe it will. But as long as a phone isn't butt-ugly, do people really pay much attention to styling? Is it really a reason to buy... or wait? Not for me, either way.
  
• LTE or 4G? Sure, that'd be nice, but not at significant cost to battery life, and meanwhile the 4S on AT&T already achieves "4G" speed.

...Anything else?

"4G" is, in fact, a great example of the sort of disingenuous marketing of which you seem to imply any 4-to-4S upgraded is a victim. As I've described, that's just not the case. The iPhone 4S offers features, capabilities, connectivity benefits, camera performance and, yes, speed improvements... which, for many folks, are compelling reasons to upgrade now, even from the very-capable iPhone 4.

Maybe that's not the case for you, though. Fair enough. Shrug.

So let's change the subject and talk about what you feel Apple should have done differently to make its new phone upgrade-worthy, in your opinion. I'm really very curious what it is that you feel lurks around the corner that will make the iPhone 5 so much worth the wait. Please reply.

 

[allonym]

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The iPhone 4S is on fire compared to the iPhone 4. It's so fast! Everything is fluid and responsive. It feels as though this is the way iOS is supposed to be experienced.

Agree 100%. Can't help feeling that this is what Apple have been aiming at all along.

 

[Dangerzone]

I bought my iPhone 4 from Verizon in June 2011. If I could sell it and pay very little to get the iPhone 4s, I would do it. But, I don't want to sell my 4 month old phone for $350 and pay $400 for the 4s. I should be happy that I got one and I can wait until 2012 for the next model.

 

[2IS]

I'm really very curious what it is that you feel lurks around the corner that will make the iPhone 5 so much worth the wait. Please reply.

LTE, larger screen, better battery life. + iPhone 4S improvements.

Peak throughput on HSPDA might be similar to LTE, but latency is still much much higher.

Lets not pretend that the 4S has everything anyone could possibly want.

 

[Stealthipad]

Download speeds from the Internet are much faster for me. Over all the iP4S is nicer to use. Siri is a pleasant surprise as I did not expect much but it does way more than I expected.

My battery is just fine and I laugh at all who are having such problems as it is just not happening to me.

 

[kre62]

4S is definitely a huge improvement in speed. It's almost unreal.

4 owners need to keep in mind that the 4 and 3GS, which use the same chip technology/architecture, are reaching end of life. They won't be able to handle the more modern operating systems coming down the pipe. It's good to have the latest architechture (which is why the 3GS has stayed in the game so long).

 

[grovertdog]

... not impresed with siri, camera or speeds...

In other words, you have not tried Siri personally, thus have no idea how awesome it is, nor have you used the camera and experienced the LARGE speed and quality jump from the 4.

I could understand you saying "Siri is not for me, I wouldn't use it", but to not be impressed by the technology reveals you haven't tried it yet. It is "game changing", much more so than a larger screen or tapered edges would have been...

Other than that, your reasoning seems sound!

 

[Peanut207]

I have seen the comparison videos and not worth the milliseconds quicker speeds imo. That, plus the iPhone 4 camera is perfectly fine for my needs and although Siri seems pretty cool I don't see myself using it on an everyday basis.

Will wait for iphone5 or 6 (technically) depending on what Apple decides to call it, which by then I will be out of contract with AT&T and will have options on which carrier I decide to go with.

 

[2IS]

4S is definitely a huge improvement in speed. It's almost unreal.

4 owners need to keep in mind that the 4 and 3GS, which use the same chip technology/architecture, are reaching end of life. They won't be able to handle the more modern operating systems coming down the pipe. It's good to have the latest architechture (which is why the 3GS has stayed in the game so long).

IOS 5 runs better on the iPhone 4 than IOS 4.x ever did. There won't be an IOS 6 for quite some time and updates to IOS 5 are going to be minor improvements/bug fixes, not some performance sapping update. Those of us who are holding off on upgrading to the 4S will be perfectly fine until iPhone 5 comes out.