Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4s speed test..don't think I'll be upgrading
- Thread starter superdudeo
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
If I had a 4s, I wouldn't upgrade either.
But I've spent about 2 hours w my iPhone 5 and it it absolutely faster. I tested it against my 4 and my wife's 4s.
Granted, I set it up as a new phone and my wife's iPhone 4s is nearly full, so probably has some considerable bloat.
But I've spent about 2 hours w my iPhone 5 and it it absolutely faster. I tested it against my 4 and my wife's 4s.
Granted, I set it up as a new phone and my wife's iPhone 4s is nearly full, so probably has some considerable bloat.
I have a 4S and this phone is way, way faster. Plus it feels amazing in hand. Feels like a bigger jump than the 4 to 4S
Sigh. What did they compare? Safari and Youtube via wifi. Why didn't they show the test between 3G and 4G? Oh yea, on AT&T in a non 4G area. Then they did the camera test. The 5 was faster than the 4 by less than a second. What did they think? The iphone 4 took a pic in about a second. So you aren't going to beat that by much. Run some real intensive app side by side.
Well first of all I live in a great LTE area, so that alone is worth it. Apps overall open about a second or second and a half faster, which is a big deal when you are talking about 2 seconds on the 4S
lol op you have no idea how much faster this new phone is.
my buddies and i tested all sorts of apps web browsing siri and even re booting the phone and the 5 is in a class by itself.
in fact i noticed there was less of a difference in speed between the 4 and 4s than the 5 and 4s. not trying to persuade you into buying don't even care just stating what some of my experiences were yesterday .
my buddies and i tested all sorts of apps web browsing siri and even re booting the phone and the 5 is in a class by itself.
in fact i noticed there was less of a difference in speed between the 4 and 4s than the 5 and 4s. not trying to persuade you into buying don't even care just stating what some of my experiences were yesterday .
I was actually doing this same test yesterday with my 4S and 5. Some apps open around the same time but when it comes to closing apps the 5 closes the apps before the 4S even starts. Camera takes pictures a lot faster.
Agreed, once people get the phone in there hands they will have a different opinion.
Like with any iphone upgrade. The initial SHOCK factor is never there. But when you go back to use an older device after using the new one for a considerable amount of time then you can appreciate the upgrade 
If you think the 5 is fast just wait until the 5s is released ;-)
All kidding aside I can definetly tell a difference after messing with the 5 all day. This thing is fast and so smooth!!! Sure the 4s is still fast especially running safari on wifi (it better be) but the overall experience with the 5 is an obvious improvement over the 4s. Not to mention how amazing this thing feels in your hand. It's so light and thin!!
All kidding aside I can definetly tell a difference after messing with the 5 all day. This thing is fast and so smooth!!! Sure the 4s is still fast especially running safari on wifi (it better be) but the overall experience with the 5 is an obvious improvement over the 4s. Not to mention how amazing this thing feels in your hand. It's so light and thin!!
Last edited:
This is my first iPhone and sort of my first smart phone (I had a work blackberry for a few years). Personally, I would stay with the 4S if I had it. Sure it'll show some speed improvements, especially in a LTE area but at the end of the day, it is just a phone.
What good is an LTE test for us in Europe when we don't receive 4G yet? Not everyone lives in America.
Also, the video above, exporting a movie in iMovie, the 4s is just as fast as the 5.
Then don't upgrade to the 5, you don't need to convince us. The 4s is still a great phone it's not slow at all. You just can't argue the upgrades that the 5 provides over the 4s. They may not be as evident in simple side by side tests but just the ram upgrade alone is going to show its advantages once you start running more apps. Not to mention the bump in screen size and the other esthetic changes.
Keep telling yourself that
I think iPhone 5 is actually a bigger leap than 4 to 4S. Lots of folks tried to justify keeping the 4 and not upgrading to a 4S with the same logic. Once you tried the 4S, you'd never go back to the 4. The 5 is the same.
For me, LTE is a wash. Most of the areas I frequent have no LTE (AT&T). I'm loving the larger display (despite my wishes for the same old 3.5" display) and the camera does indeed seem superior to my 4S. Not night and day, but noticeable.
Cliff notes: Maybe not a rush to purchase but don't fool yourself thinking the "5" is not much of an upgrade. It really is. The 4S will remain a venerable handset, of course, for quite some time yet.
I think iPhone 5 is actually a bigger leap than 4 to 4S. Lots of folks tried to justify keeping the 4 and not upgrading to a 4S with the same logic. Once you tried the 4S, you'd never go back to the 4. The 5 is the same.
For me, LTE is a wash. Most of the areas I frequent have no LTE (AT&T). I'm loving the larger display (despite my wishes for the same old 3.5" display) and the camera does indeed seem superior to my 4S. Not night and day, but noticeable.
Cliff notes: Maybe not a rush to purchase but don't fool yourself thinking the "5" is not much of an upgrade. It really is. The 4S will remain a venerable handset, of course, for quite some time yet.
I don't believe in "wasting" money buying a phone annually. Especially since it would be unsubsidized. Other than the speakerphone, my iPhone 4 still worked fine.
I like to wait until there is some new feature that is good enough. The iPhone 3G was the first 3G capable iPhone, so I went to Apple with that. I wasn't eligible for another subsidy until a month after the 4 came out. The memory limitations in the 3G were a problem by then, and the camera wasn't too good.
Siri wasn't enough of an improvement to buy the 4s out of warranty.
LTE (for when I'm out of town) was enough for the 5, subsidized, as well as someone else needed a smart phone and with only having gone back to work after some time unemployed, didn't want to spend the extra money a contract plan requires.
I like to wait until there is some new feature that is good enough. The iPhone 3G was the first 3G capable iPhone, so I went to Apple with that. I wasn't eligible for another subsidy until a month after the 4 came out. The memory limitations in the 3G were a problem by then, and the camera wasn't too good.
Siri wasn't enough of an improvement to buy the 4s out of warranty.
LTE (for when I'm out of town) was enough for the 5, subsidized, as well as someone else needed a smart phone and with only having gone back to work after some time unemployed, didn't want to spend the extra money a contract plan requires.
This is night and day difference from 4. Compared to 4S that I am upgrading from it is significantly faster in day to day tasks, I was really surprised
It is currently the fastest smartphone on the market pcmag just ran a whole bunch of tests thru it if you need some numbers. But you know benchmarks only say that much, and I can assure you it is noticeably snappier than the 4S
It is currently the fastest smartphone on the market pcmag just ran a whole bunch of tests thru it if you need some numbers. But you know benchmarks only say that much, and I can assure you it is noticeably snappier than the 4S
LTE, larger screen and the new found durability (see: drop test thread) are 3 very big reasons to upgrade from 4/4S to the 5.
Everyone has different criteria so it's kind of pointless to argue back and forth about it. If you don't live in a LTE area, that argument is moot. If you're going to put an otterbox on the phone regardless of anything else, who cares about durability? It's all relative to the users
Everyone has different criteria so it's kind of pointless to argue back and forth about it. If you don't live in a LTE area, that argument is moot. If you're going to put an otterbox on the phone regardless of anything else, who cares about durability? It's all relative to the users
People always try to justify not upgrading. Remember how the 3GS wasn't really much faster than the 3G?
It may seem incremental at best but use the 5 for a week straight, then put it away and use your 4S for the next week. I think you'll be surprised how much you miss the 5 (LTE out of the equation) just device speed and overall response.
It may seem incremental at best but use the 5 for a week straight, then put it away and use your 4S for the next week. I think you'll be surprised how much you miss the 5 (LTE out of the equation) just device speed and overall response.
Not sure if already mentioned but the camera difference alone is worth it.
Was out last night with some friends and it was actually kind of funny...between all of us, there was a 3GS, 4, 4S and 5.
It was night time on the patio of a restaurant so dim lighting, we took the same picture with all the phones and the 5 blew the rest away, not even close in the picture quality.
Was out last night with some friends and it was actually kind of funny...between all of us, there was a 3GS, 4, 4S and 5.
It was night time on the patio of a restaurant so dim lighting, we took the same picture with all the phones and the 5 blew the rest away, not even close in the picture quality.
Yes the 5 excels in low-light conditions, much superior to the 4S. In optimal conditions the difference is less apparent, of course. But yes the camera is improved, so don't listen to the pundits "the Sapphire coating is just a gimmick" the hardware itself is superior.
