iPhone 4S remains the top graphically performing smartphone in the US - beats US GS3

[lordofthereef]

For those people that insist the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are the same...please stop with that...

I am not one of those people that insists they are the same, but to those that do, I can certainly agree they have a point. Right now everything that we run on a 4S will run on a 4 (including all of the features that Apple has limited in the 4, assuming you are clever and read up on how to get them). Joe Blow could care less about benchmarks. They care about real world performance. Yes, side by side the 4S loads just about everything faster than the 4 does. But when all you have is the 4 in your hand you don't sit there feeling like you are watching grass grow, or anything like that. In that sense, for many people, the 4 is the same as the 4S.

 

[mbell1975]

Exactly my concern. I was actually looking forward to the gaming prospects of the Android platform after seeing the S3 beat the iPhone 4S in graphical performance. This was their best shot at getting a device out there in large enough numbers that maybe some developers might keep this phone in mind when making a new app.

Unfortunately, if only certain S3's have the super fast GPU, I don't think any games will be developed specifically for just the International version.

With the iPhone there are only three currently selling versions. It is very easy for the developers to optimize for only those three, or sometimes they just choose to only support the iPhone 4 and 4S to make things easier. I have seen dramatic improvements in graphic quality from for 4 to the 4S. Note, I did not say "game performance", since the devs can still optimize for the iPhone 4, ensuring a smooth frame rate on both phones. Either way the game performs smoothly, with no frame rate drops, but with more advanced effects and higher resolution textures on the 4S.

This is similar to the Console vs PC debates of recent years. Even with lower specced hardware, when a new console is released it usually has much better graphics than the best PC games available. This is possible due to the heavy optimization, since the developers know the exact hardware the application will be run on.

Since the Samsung Galaxy is always the best selling Android phone, it was a good opportunity to create a standard high point that applications can aim for. Unfortunately, this did not happen.

LOL. The only people who play games on their phones are kids and teenage girls playing Angry Birds and Cut the rope or a game pretty much any phone can run. Hardcore gamers don't play games on phones

 

[lordofthereef]

Cause if you talk about raw performance in notebooks and desktops, its irelevant and its all about the user experience, not the fact that PC enthusiasts build systems that blow away Mac Pros

I agree with you mostly, but the Mac pro was a bad example IMO. I can easily build something with better specs and load OSX on it for much less than a Mac pro. Just about every other Mac on the market provides value in how thing/light it is (Macbook line), it's wonderful displays (their iMacs and RMBP). But what does the Mac Pro really have? IMO, not a whole lot.

 

[M5RahuL]

LOL. The only people who play games on their phones are kids and teenage girls playing Angry Birds and Cut the rope or a game pretty much any phone can run. Hardcore gamers don't play games on phones

lol.. The only games I ever play on my 4 and 4S are ' Paper Toss ', ' Scrabble' and ' Texas hold'em ' I did try Angry birds once, but it annoyed the hell outta me!!

 

[ThatsMeRight]

LOL. The only people who play games on their phones are kids and teenage girls playing Angry Birds and Cut the rope or a game pretty much any phone can run. Hardcore gamers don't play games on phones

I respectfully disagree with you. I play games on both a console behind a nice HD TV - and I play games on the iPad and iPhone.

Playing PC or console games is, indeed, the 'true gaming experience'. However, that's not to say that you can't game on a tablet or smartphone.

For example, I really enjoy SimCity for iPad: it's a big game and you can really spend some time with this game. On the iPhone, I really enjoy the Sims 3 or AirTycoon 2.

Gaming on a PC or console is when you just want to do something in a big, fun world (like Grand Theft Auto) or when you want to game with friends (like Call of Duty or Battlefield). Also, let's not forget games like L.A. Noire, FIFA 12 and Red Dead Redemption.

When I play a big game on the iPad, than that's because I am in a different mood and I am up to something different. Playing a bigger game on the iPhone is for when I am somewhere where I have to wait for a while (for example, when you must wait for over 30 minutes in a waiting room).

Angry Birds or Cut the Rope? I rarely play these games, and if I do than it's just to 'fill up' small, short waiting moments.

Gaming on a tablet or smartphone is possible - you just need the right games.

 

[mbell1975]

I respectfully disagree with you. I play games on both a console behind a nice HD TV - and I play games on the iPad and iPhone.

Playing PC or console games is, indeed, the 'true gaming experience'. However, that's not to say that you can't game on a tablet or smartphone.

For example, I really enjoy SimCity for iPad: it's a big game and you can really spend some time with this game. On the iPhone, I really enjoy the Sims 3 or AirTycoon 2.

Gaming on a PC or console is when you just want to do something in a big, fun world (like Grand Theft Auto) or when you want to game with friends (like Call of Duty or Battlefield). Also, let's not forget games like L.A. Noire, FIFA 12 and Red Dead Redemption.

When I play a big game on the iPad, than that's because I am in a different mood and I am up to something different. Playing a bigger game on the iPhone is for when I am somewhere where I have to wait for a while (for example, when you must wait for over 30 minutes in a waiting room).

Angry Birds or Cut the Rope? I rarely play these games, and if I do than it's just to 'fill up' small, short waiting moments.

Gaming on a tablet or smartphone is possible - you just need the right games.

And the Adreno 225 GPU thats in the S3 is more than capable of running Sims or AirTycoon just fine. I was responding to Lord's ridiculous claims that its a shame the US S3 doesn't have the GPU from the International S3 cause it will effect gaming and gamers will look to the 4s and its GPU. No one is trying to play Diablo 3 on a cell phone

 

[ThatsMeRight]

And the Adreno 225 GPU thats in the S3 is more than capable of running Sims or AirTycoon just fine. I was responding to Lord's ridiculous claims that its a shame the US S3 doesn't have the GPU from the International S3 cause it will effect gaming and gamers will look to the 4s and its GPU. No one is trying to play Diablo 3 on a cell phone

Ah, sorry... I misunderstood you. I agree with you that it is ridiculous to play full-fledge PC and console games on a smartphone. And it is indeed ridiculous to claim that gamers will look to the 4S for its slightly more powerful GPU.

 

[Technarchy]

No one is trying to play Diablo 3 on a cell phone

Infinity Blade Dungeons...

 

[Big.Mac.Daddy]

The only people who play games on their phones are [random insult] playing Angry Birds and Cut the Rope or a game pretty much any phone can run.

I play SNES games on my iPhone via wiimote classic controller and HDMI it to my big screen.

 

[DodgeV83]

Ah, sorry... I misunderstood you. I agree with you that it is ridiculous to play full-fledge PC and console games on a smartphone. And it is indeed ridiculous to claim that gamers will look to the 4S for its slightly more powerful GPU.

It is not simply the GPU providing better graphics, its the developer support and app compatibility. I've read many reviews and customer complains of games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and Real Racing 2 either not being compatible, or being too laggy to play on their brand new device. The last iPhone game I played was Nova 3, so I just did a quick Google search on it:

NOVA 3 for Android out now but is your device compatible?

They noted for example that their Tegra 3-powered HTC One X is not a compatible device, despite the enormous popularity of this recent smartphone

please make sure yours is one of them before you download the game as it does seem odd that the HTC One X (Tegra 3) isn’t included. There are also plenty of user reviews on the Google Play description of the app and many are hugely positive but there are some with criticisms of how the game runs on their devices, one of them being with the Galaxy Note.

the game is also not compatible for the HTC EVO 4G LTE

From the comments:

I have the moto defy xt 535 its not compatible and N.O.V.A 1 & 2 won't load because my phone is two new why don't you make something called N.O.V.A 3 + were all the new phones can handle it e.g. HTC One X and moto defy xt

I really don't understand how a powerful phone like the HTC ONE X (SNAPDRAGON S4),games such as mass effect infiltrators and NOVA 3 aren't being played...hopefully they come up with an update or we might consider changing device.

Nova 3 doesnt work with sony xperia s...

I own the htc one x, my reason for buying this was the gaming, the guy in the shop said it will run any game due to the power under the hood, mass effect infiltrator not running and nova 3 not running. these are the games i really wanted to play

tried the apk that does not check compatibilty , works very, very laggy, played a few levels, then uninstalled, it spoils the game a bit , played it on my bros i pad and i phone and it slicker . will wait for proper version that is optimised for the htc one x.

In contrast, Nova 3 works smoothly on even the iPhone 3GS from 3 years ago (mid-2009).

 

[blairh]

True

I purchased an unlocked Galaxy S3, should be arriving any second. I got tired of my 4S and wanted something to play with till the next iPhone came out.

Forums aside though I think everyday people don't really care about specs.

Definitely share your impressions when you get it. I'm going to AT&T on the 28th to demo it. I've read some reviews today that said the screen isn't especially bright at max however on HD YouTube review vids I don't see that being a problem.

 

[I.Love.Apple]

Exactly my concern. I was actually looking forward to the gaming prospects of the Android platform after seeing the S3 beat the iPhone 4S in graphical performance. This was their best shot at getting a device out there in large enough numbers that maybe some developers might keep this phone in mind when making a new app.

Unfortunately, if only certain S3's have the super fast GPU, I don't think any games will be developed specifically for just the International version.

And why would that be a problem for developers? U.S.A. is a very small part of the World. More S3s will be sold outside US. Way more.

 

[chiefpavvy]

Another fAndroid fest I see. LOL

I know it is hard to swallow that an 8-month old handset can best the latest greatest be-all to end-all Samsung Galaxy SIII but please, stop denying reality. And have you really sunk so low as to hold up a SunSpider test as justification for your new toy? The fact that an old horse like the 4S can beat your shiny new GS III in ANY category on ANY THING ought to be embarassing.

It's even worse when you realize Apple never runs top-end hardware. They spend an incredible amount of resources and R&D optimizing iOS to run as well as it does on less raw power. Just imagine if Apple actually put the latest stuff in and optimized it the same? As it stands I'd say the 4S looks mighty darn good.

 

[Sensamic]

Another fAndroid fest I see. LOL

I know it is hard to swallow that an 8-month old handset can best the latest greatest be-all to end-all Samsung Galaxy SIII but please, stop denying reality. And have you really sunk so low as to hold up a SunSpider test as justification for your new toy? The fact that an old horse like the 4S can beat your shiny new GS III in ANY category on ANY THING ought to be embarassing.

It's even worse when you realize Apple never runs top-end hardware. They spend an incredible amount of resources and R&D optimizing iOS to run as well as it does on less raw power. Just imagine if Apple actually put the latest stuff in and optimized it the same? As it stands I'd say the 4S looks mighty darn good.

Today I tried a SGS3 quad core and its way, way faster than an iPhone 4. I dont know about the 4S, but the SGS3 is no slow by any means. You make it sound like it was a 4 year old hardware compared to the 4S. Thats fanboy ********.

Im gonna buy a SGS3 next week. It really impressed me today. Much better phone than my 4 by a LARGE margin.

And the 4S is not THAT great. Still 3.5 screen. More thick than the SGS3. Only camera improvements plus A5 and Siri. Ooooooohhhhh. Im not a fanboy and I can see that SGS3 is an amazing phone. I wouldnt leve iOS if that werent the case. I believe the SGS3 to be much better overall than 4S. Much better.

 

[Timzer]

Another fAndroid fest I see. LOL

I know it is hard to swallow that an 8-month old handset can best the latest greatest be-all to end-all Samsung Galaxy SIII but please, stop denying reality. And have you really sunk so low as to hold up a SunSpider test as justification for your new toy? The fact that an old horse like the 4S can beat your shiny new GS III in ANY category on ANY THING ought to be embarassing.

It's even worse when you realize Apple never runs top-end hardware. They spend an incredible amount of resources and R&D optimizing iOS to run as well as it does on less raw power. Just imagine if Apple actually put the latest stuff in and optimized it the same? As it stands I'd say the 4S looks mighty darn good.

Awwww, someone feeling a little sad that they don't have a GS3. It's ok, maybe someday. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.

 

[I.Love.Apple]

Another fAndroid fest I see. LOL

I know it is hard to swallow that an 8-month old handset can best the latest greatest be-all to end-all Samsung Galaxy SIII but please, stop denying reality. And have you really sunk so low as to hold up a SunSpider test as justification for your new toy? The fact that an old horse like the 4S can beat your shiny new GS III in ANY category on ANY THING ought to be embarassing.

It's even worse when you realize Apple never runs top-end hardware. They spend an incredible amount of resources and R&D optimizing iOS to run as well as it does on less raw power. Just imagine if Apple actually put the latest stuff in and optimized it the same? As it stands I'd say the 4S looks mighty darn good.

You must be joking. iPhone 4S does not beat S3 in any categories except for screen brightness which is totally irrelevant. SIII has 4x more RAM (some models), 2x more CPU cores (some models), faster CPU, faster GPU (some models), higher resolution, larger screen, more memory (with SD card), 4G (vs iPhone's 3G), NFC (vs no NFC). Right now iPhone is probably 5-th best phone on the market. And it is unlikely that even iPhone 5 will approach S3 in some categories (like RAM, memory, screen resolution).

 

[Zaft]

You must be joking. iPhone 4S does not beat S3 in any categories except for screen brightness which is totally irrelevant. SIII has 4x more RAM (some models), 2x more CPU cores (some models), faster CPU, faster GPU (some models), higher resolution, larger screen, more memory (with SD card), 4G (vs iPhone's 3G), NFC (vs no NFC). Right now iPhone is probably 5-th best phone on the market. And it is unlikely that even iPhone 5 will approach S3 in some categories (like RAM, memory, screen resolution).

cores and ram dont really matter when the 4S is just as smooth. whats the point talking about these specs when they dont matter in real world performance?

 

[I.Love.Apple]

cores and ram dont really matter when the 4S is just as smooth. whats the point talking about these specs when they dont matter in real world performance?

CPU power translates into faster page loading of web pages (among other things). iPhone might be smooth but it's slow (comparatively).

 

[mbell1975]

cores and ram dont really matter when the 4S is just as smooth. whats the point talking about these specs when they dont matter in real world performance?

LOL. This whole thread was created by someone bragging about the iPhones SPECS! The comment in this thread about specs only mattering when the iPhone is best in it was spot on

 

[DodgeV83]

LOL. This whole thread was created by someone bragging about the iPhones SPECS! The comment in this thread about specs only mattering when the iPhone is best in it was spot on

If you read the first page, you'll see many Android users saying specs don't matter

In any case, specs don't matter (even GPU specs) if the software doesn't take advantage of it. That's the main advantage of the iPhone, the apps are made with your specific phone in mind, even if your phone is 3 years old.

What's the point of your phone having the top GPU, if literally. I apps were written specifically with your phone in mind? The iPhone 4S in the United States is still the best of both worlds. Not only does it have the best GPU available in the country, but the apps are built specifically for the device.

 

[mbell1975]

It's only a matter of time before the quadcore Android phones with the beefed up GPUs start showing up in the US. Maybe even end of the year. Then the iPhone won't be able to lay claim to anything hardware wise, shame.

 

[DodgeV83]

No one is trying to play Diablo 3 on a cell phone

iPhone dungeon crawlers similar to Diablo:

 

[I.Love.Apple]

iPhone dungeon crawlers similar to Diablo:

Image

Image

Too bad the real picture on iPhone is 3 times smaller

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Screen size doesn't mean much with good graphics / resolution. I played through the the whole Dead Space game and with headphones, it was just as intense as playing it on my 360 console. Plenty of games in the app store that feel console like and pull you in to the point you forget your on a 3.5 screen.

The whole "who plays real games on an iPhone" type of comments in this thread is foolish. The PSP GO is only 3.8 screen, I guess playing any real games on that is unbelievable too.

 

[DodgeV83]

Too bad the real picture on iPhone is 3 times smaller

These screenshots had to be scaled down to 640 width in order to fit the forum frame, so they are actually significantly smaller than what I see on my screen.

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Screen size doesn't mean much with good graphics / resolution. I played through the the whole Dead Space game and with headphones, it was just as intense as playing it on my 360 console. Plenty of games in the app store that feel console like and pull you in to the point you forget your on a 3.5 screen.

The whole "who plays real games on an iPhone" type of comments in this thread is foolish. The PSP GO is only 3.8 screen, I guess playing any real games on that is unbelievable too.

Good point, the PSP Go is 3.78 inches, and I also have had some incredibly immersive game experiences on my phone. I actually had to stop playing Dead Space as it kept scaring me lol.