Is the iPhone 4 still a good phone?

[brilliantthings]

This has got to be the worst time to buy an iphone. Surely you just wait a couple of weeks.

Geekbench 2:
Iphone 4 - 391
IPhone 4S - 631

That's a pretty big difference.

 

[TacticalDesire]

Do NOT get the iphone 4. People can downplay the difference between the 4 and the 4s but the A5 and better graphics make a significant difference in overall performance. Every iPhone 4 owner I know cringes when they go to unlock it. Twitter freezes, the Camera is 'meh' now and it is on it's last legs. The 4S is MUCH better in day to day usage despite all the iPhone 4 users here saying "it's not a big difference. All that changed is this, this, this, this, this and this. But other than that they're the same"

 

[braddick]

I think the 4S was the greatest phone in its time and although it doesn't make the same claim today, it is dang near up there.

 

[Tthomas612]

Do NOT get the iphone 4. People can downplay the difference between the 4 and the 4s but the A5 and better graphics make a significant difference in overall performance. Every iPhone 4 owner I know cringes when they go to unlock it. Twitter freezes, the Camera is 'meh' now and it is on it's last legs. The 4S is MUCH better in day to day usage despite all the iPhone 4 users here saying "it's not a big difference. All that changed is this, this, this, this, this and this. But other than that they're the same"

Lmao this post is funny. Everyone knows the 4 and most likely the 4S is on it's last leg. Everyone knows that the 4S has the A5. We know that. He wants a phone for his mom who is not tech savvy not for him. She's gon stay on iOS 6 ... She don't need a 4S because she would be fine with a 4. Regardless of what you say about twitter and blah blah. There is not a MAJOR difference in the 4 and the 4S. Every review will tell you. The damn bitching and moaning and complaining when the 4S was introduced will tell you. As far as the iphone 4 users goes... I'm not an iPhone 4 user... I am an IPHONE user.... Been apple will stay Apple... I am on my iPhone 4 right now by choice. I have a 4S and a 5. I don't like the 5 but the 4S is apart of my favorite design... Which is wait for it ... The 4/4S...

The fact is if your mom is going to stay on iOS 6 then the iPhone 4 runs iOS 6 without much lag ... IOS 7 is a bit different, but I personally think your mom will be fine with the iPhone 4.

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I think the 4S was the greatest phone in its time and although it doesn't make the same claim today, it is dang near up there.

I agree with you ... There's no denying that the iphone 4/4S was great. Are they now .. No... Both is good but not great. The iphone 4 is a good entry level for someone who don't need much in the way of a smart phone ala the mother that needs a phone ...

 

[Glideslope]

IMO, Mum would need to stay on iOS 6 if she were to get it. Even with all the feature sets that would be removed with an iOS7 install on a 4, 7 will be sluggish on a 4, IMO.

A 4S would ok if still around. To be honest I would not get her a 4.

 

[G-Force]

I'm still using my iPhone 4S 16GB and even with iOS 7 beta it's still a great phone. Fast, relatively good camera, nice graphics. iPhone 4 was also great at the time, however it's getting dated now.

The iPhone 4S still feels like a modern phone, speed wise.

 

[RichardC300]

I highly recommend seeing how the 5C pans out before making a purchase.

 

[dsr2]

I've had the 4 for a couple of years and even when I switch to other phones I always come back to this one. It is well made and has survived a series of drops and bangs.

Granted, I really only use it for calling and texting (it is too slow for me for internet and the screen is too small to do emails and such), but it has been the most reliable phone I've had (and I've used a lot of phones). Clear and very, very, very few if any dropped calls.

I am hanging on to this one until the smoke clears with the new offerings and even then, I still may keep it as a back up if I don't get any real value for it on trade in.

 

[AAPLinc]

It's worth it to wait for 5S and get her a 4S for virtually nothing

The 4 is still a good phone, but everyone I know who has a 4 says that it's very laggy and slow now. I think the newer software is straining it a bit. Putting her on a 2yr contract with a 3 year old phone just doesnt make that much sense.

I still have my 4S (may or may not upgrade for 5S, will keep 4S as backup) and it's an excellent phone, even after nearly 2 years. It's still very swift and doesn't pale in comparison to others yet. And yes, in my opinion the 4S is a good upgrade over the 4. Not only in camera, but in speed and smoothness/operation. Plus she can play around with Siri if she likes that.

 

[cynics]

Using a 4 and 4S side by side especially on iOS 7 even with features handicapped on the 4 is still obviously more sluggish. Hell even the 4S is sluggish, there is no way the 4 can handle the finer graphic points of iOS 7 even in the GM.

It will be ok for a while especially if you stayed on iOS 6 but how long can you do that? Especially a non tech savvy person and apple software hounding her to upgrade around every turn? Not long IMO.

The 4 with a retina display has the performance of the 3GS. Although not important to many people and was useless "at the time" the processing power increase of the 4 to 4S has stood the test of time. The 4S is nearly 2 years old and had the same software and features of the iPhone 5. The 4 made it 1 year before it wasn't getting new features.

 

[Technarchy]

iPhone 4 is a dinosaur, with hardware that has lot in common with the 3GS which goes back to 2009.

 

[DcGamer05]

I've used both, and have found no performance difference at all between them.
Can you provide some documentation of the differences? Are you only referring to the iOS 7 beta? If so, is there any documentation that there will be any differences in performance or functionality in the public release?

Uhh absolutely it states that certain features are available for the iPhone 4s and 5 only. Like camera effects during photography, and I believe dynamic backgrounds.

Ive used both the 4 and 4s and performance wise the 4s is leaps and bounds ahead of the 4 even in the previous versions of iOS the 4s performs much faster. I don't see why its such a big deal but its so obvious that the 4s performs faster. Apple at the bottom of this page http://www.apple.com/ios/ios7/features/ states that some features are only available to certain models

"Features are subject to change. Not all features are available on all devices.
Panorama format is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation). Square and video formats and swipe to capture are available on iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
Filters in Camera are available on iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation). Filters in Photos are available on iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation or later), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires an iCloud account."

 

[verpeiler]

I still have a 4, my GF a 4S, and I can confirm: The difference in speed is significant. I wouldn't buy a 4 anymore, the 4S on the other hand is still pretty nice (apart from the 3,5" screen).

 

[Tmelon]

I'd have to agree with the majority here. The iPhone 4 was good for it's time, but it was severely underpowered. Definitely wait to see how the iPhone 5C plays out. If the 5C ends up being too expensive I'm sure you could get a 4S (miles better than the 4 IMO) for hardly anything.

 

[weckart]

I was going to keep my iPhone 4 as it is perfectly adequate for my needs, the battery is still excellent after three years and I have plenty of apps installed.

However, since upgrading to iOS6 I find that if I lose a data connection I cannot get it to reconnect without rebooting the phone. That is a major annoyance that I cannot live with. It often happens when driving and using the phone as a Tomtom GPS device. Sooner or later it hits a Vodaphone (Tomtom UK uses Vodaphone to relay HD traffic information) dead spot and bam - the swirl goes round and round and I cannot rely on traffic data to avoid jams until I reboot. Not the most convenient thing to try to do in the centre of some city I have to navigate through.

I don't have much faith that iOS7 is going to fix any of this so it will have to be a 5c, 5s or refurbed 5 depending on price.

 

[akdj]

I'm with the majority---the 4s is significantly quicker (at almost everything) than the '4'. We set our son up with the 4, sim-less, as his iTouch. Works well, but is starting to show it's age with different games that have no issues on my wife's 4s. Regardless, all of our phones are on iOS6 so the idea that she won't be updating to iOS7 isn't relevant.

Does the 4 still work? Yep....and will continue to do so as a talk/text device for some time I'm sure. But the 4s's guts were completely updated and hence future application updates...who knows, maybe she DOES get into Facebook, Twitter....or Betty Crocker's cook everything app---in a couple days time, the 4s, if still held around and kept as the 'dollar' model will be a much better investment for her, regardless of how 'tech savvy' she is. The camera is also much improved...and we ALL love to have a decent camera on our phones, as it's always with us---Moms included

We're just way too close to the event announcing new iPhones, including the '5c' which again....regardless of how savvy you consider your mother, may very well enjoy it's color choices, LTE speed if she's using the internet at all on the run, the ability to run the latest apps and OS---and at possibly a lower, $99 entry price...it could be an excellent choice that WILL indeed be relevant for a few years. The other factor is connecting devices....and the latest Lightning connector....anyway, just thinkin----regardless of what you choose, you WILL be paying the subsidized phone charges within your monthly bill. In the US, the choice of phone is irrelevant, the monthly charges are the same. This being the case, why NOT get something that IS current and isn't going to be handicapped moving forward?

I guess I don't understand why you would consider the 4. The 4s is definitely, performance-wise, a big step up from the original regardless of what some will tell you (see anandtech.com for the actual differences and a well written review)

Good Luck!
J

 

[dominic252]

I would wait and see the price point for the 5C. I'm guessing on contract that it'll be pretty affordable.

 

[Mkg1425]

It's a great phone for a small child. I'm using mine now since I sold my 5, and it's too slow. Waiting on my 5s!!!!!!

 

[-js-]

I'm still using my 4 but I'm VERY much looking forward to pre-ordering my 5S the instant pre-orders open. I hope I can get in the queue to get mine on launch day. The 4 is dated. Period. I don't have Siri. I don't have voice to text--which I dearly, dearly want! It's not that fast with iOS 6 installed. The home button occasionally doesn't respond and I need to squeeze squeeze it to get it back to reliable response. The camera isn't nearly as good as the 4S or 5. You can detune the antenna if you hold it at the bottom.

Need I go on?

Who in their right minds would get an iPhone 4 ON CONTRACT at this point? I mean, if you need an unlocked iPhone overseas, then OK, I understand. But if you can get the 4S or 5 (or 5S) for only a little more money, brand new? It's a no brainer. I will NEVER understand the people that get an older model iPhone ON CONTRACT in order to save $100 or $50 or whatever! That pales in comparison to all the money you shell out over the months and years of your contract. Hardware goes out of date fast in general and REALLY fast in the world of smartphones. Why would you START with old tech if you could get brand new or newER tech for only $100 or $200 more?

A friend of mine here at work is agonizing over which smart phone to get and has been agonizing for YEARS now. He has an ANCIENT flip cell phone and a very old, grandfathered in talk plan that is quite cheap. And he simply CAN'T get it out of his head--the up front cost. He just WON'T SPEND $200 on a cell phone. I told him that the iPhone 4 was $1 on contract, and he replied that a REFURBISHED 4 was only a penny.

WHO THINKS THAT WAY? Save a freaking DOLLAR? On a cell phone? Who cares! If you must get a 4 on contract, AT LEAST get a new one!

Or better yet, if you really are that thrifty--which is just fine--nothing wrong with it at all--lots good about it--then get a voice-only phone, like a Go Phone--depending on how much you talk on it--and save money by not having a data plan, and then get an iPod Touch or similar. Assuming you don't need mobile data. But why would you commit to paying $70 / mo. for OLD TECH?

I just don't get it.