Generational divide: iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4

By Andrew Couts October 4, 2011

iphone-4-vs-iphone-4s-white — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple’s newest smartphone offering, the iPhone 4S, looks identical to the iPhone 4. On the inside, however, these two devices sit miles apart. According to Apple, the iPhone 4S clocks in at twice the processing speed as the older iPhone 4. Other iPhone 4S upgrades include a better camera, more powerful graphics processing and dual-mode GSM/CDMA worldphone capabilities. But that’s not all that’s different between the two Apple handsets. Let’s take a look at the nitty gritty details, shall we?

**iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4**
	iPhone 4S	iPhone 4
Price (w/contract)	$199 16GB; $299 32GB; $399 64GB	$99 8GB
OS	iOS 5	iOS 5 (w/update)
Processor	Apple A5 (dual-core)	Apple A4 (single-core)
Display	3.5-inch 960×640 IPS	3.5-inch 960×640 IPS
Dimensions	115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 (mm)	115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 (mm)
Weight	140g	137g
Cellular	GSM-CDMA hybrid/HSPA	GSM or CDMA/HSPA
Max. speed	14.4Mbps	7.2Mbps
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g/n (single-band)	802.11b/g/n (single-band)
Rear camera	8-megapixel AF w/flash & f/2.4 aperture	5-megapixel AF w/flash
Front camera	VGA	VGA
Video capabilities	1080p at 30fps	720p at 30fps
Max. battery life	8 hrs talk on 3G/14 hrs talk on 2G/6 hrs browsing 3G/9 hrs browsing on Wi-Fi/10 hrs video playback/40 hrs music playback	7 hrs talk on 3G/14 hrs talk on 2G/6 hrs browsing 3G/10 hrs browsing on Wi-Fi/10 hrs video playback/40 hrs music playback
Siri voice control	Yes	No
FaceTime video calling	Yes	Yes
Colors	Black, white	Black, white
Carrier	AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint	AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint

The iPhone 4S will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7, and will hit stores starting on Oct. 14. Users of iPhone 4 and iPhone 3G S will be able to upgrade to iOS 5 on Oct. 12.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Mobile

3 reasons why I’ll actually use Anker’s new iPhone power bank

A person holding the Anker MagGo Power Bank.

Power banks are a necessary evil, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “power user” who's likely to drain a phone’s battery in less than a day, there will be times when one comes in handy. And when I am forced to carry one, I want it to be as helpful and versatile as possible.

I’ve been trying Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K -- meaning it has a 10,000mAh cell inside it -- and there are three reasons why I'm OK with it taking up valuable space in my bag.
It has a screen on it

Mobile

Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever

An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.

Mobile

There’s a big problem with the iPhone’s Photos app

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

While my primary device these days continues to be my iPhone 15 Pro, I’ve dabbled with plenty of Android phones since I’ve been here at Digital Trends. One of my favorite brands of phone has been the Google Pixel because of its strong suite of photo-editing tools and good camera hardware.

Google first added the Magic Eraser capability with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which is a tool I love using. Then, with the Pixel 8 series, Google added the Magic Editor, which uses generative AI to make edits that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. There are also tools like Photo Unblur, which is great for old photographs and enhancing images that were captured with low-quality sensors.