Apple iPhone 4s Pro Reviews

Sharing many commonalities between one another, it’s mostly physical attributes that separate the two – especially when the core platform experiences are identical. Being the new kid on the block, we’re absolutely taking a liking to the iPhone 5’s larger display, rock solid industrial design, 4G LTE connectivity, and better calling quality. However, it’s going to be a tough call to move up to the iPhone 5 if you’re currently an iPhone 4S owner, since those aforementioned items seem to be the main draws worth switching over for. In addition, if you happen to love taking a majority of photos in low lighting conditions, it might be beneficial as well to switch to the iPhone 5. However, if you don’t fancy its new redesign, larger display, or not located in an area with LTE connectivity, there’s not much of a compelling reason to switch.

We are arriving back to our introductory question now, and it was whether some might swap or go directly for the Nokia 808 PureView before the iPhone 4S. Given that the price is about the same, the answer would be yes only if you are a shutterbug, or just very curious to try the outstanding PureView sensor. The arguments are that Nokia Belle is leaps ahead of what Symbian used to be, supporting multiple homescreens, widgets and a notification bar, but is still no match for the fluidity of iOS, not to mention the power of many thousands of quality apps that the Nokia Store doesn't have much to show for. The Nokia 808 PureView has the advantage of its free offline voice-guided navigation Nokia Drive, though, which saves you a few tens that you'll need to buy a good standalone navigation app on iOS. A big hindrance is also the lousy screen resolution that those Nokia apps are written for, and which makes both the interface and even the best apps look quite outdated in comparison with what's out there for the Retina Display of the iPhone 4S. The design of the Nokia 808 PureView also looks pretty outdated next to the exclusive iPhone 4S chassis. Still, it feels like a solid function-before-form device, and is more versatile in terms of connectivity and expandability, offering a removable battery and a microSD slot. What might make you fall in love with the Nokia 808 PureView and forget about all of its disadvantages in comparison with a modern mobile OS smartphone like the iPhone 4S, however, is that groundbreaking PureView camera technology. While it might not make you switch your Apple handset, especially if you are design-conscious and deep into the iTunes ecosystem, it might certainly make you consider it a choice when you go on vacation or on your next night out, that's how good the 41MP PureView sensor is.

Choosing a winner in today's comparison is like saying that one of the ninja turtles is better than the other three. In other words, the LG Optimus 4X HD and the iPhone 4S are both excellent smartphones – each of the two has its superpowers that make it a great pick. If you are a user who likes the feeling of having control over their smartphone, we recommend going with the Android-powered Optimus 4X HD. If you fancy giant displays, then again, the Optimus 4X HD is the one you should check out. But if elegance and design are of priority, then the iPhone 4S is what we would recommend. Also, the iPhone 4S has a camera that shoots better photos and videos.

The camera in the Apple iPhone 4S is not a huge leap forward from the previous model, but it is an improvement in many ways. One of the biggest additions, however, actually comes from the upgrade to Apple's iOS 5x, which has added a number of significant photo features to the iPhone 4S, not the least of which is the ability to now use the phone's volume up control to trigger the camera's shutter. Apple's iOS 5x has also added a nifty shortcut to the iPhone, letting you get to image capture mode just by sliding a camera icon on the lock screen. These additions -- and a few others -- make taking photos with the iPhone 4S a more seamless and natural experience.

As we stated in the beginning, this is one of those fights which could last for an eternity, because each of the opponents is the best in its own way. However, as we break things down, it should become clear to you which way you want to go. There shouldn't be any doubt that the iPhone 4S is the better-designed handset. With striking visuals and premium written all over it, this is a phone that you won't be embarrassed to put on the table. Quite the contrary, you might want to put it there, as it has turned into a status symbol. The design of the Galaxy S III, on the other hand, caters to the needs of the hardcore crowd, thanks to its large display that makes enjoying multimedia that much more fun.

Long story short you can't go wrong with these two handsets – they perform very well and look good in the process. The iPhone 4S has this halo of an Apple product that is hard to beat for the guy on the street, but about the only area that the HTC One S is inferior to it is screen resolution and pixel density. If you plan on watching plenty of videos, the One S is the better choice, though – it plays DivX/Xvid files up to 1080p out of the box and the larger screen, higher contrast and more vivid colors also make for a better video playback experience. Thanks to its smaller screen and size, the iPhone 4S is more comfortable to operate with one hand. The HTC One S is one of the most compact 4.3-inchers out there, but you can reach everywhere on the screen with your thumb only if you have larger hands. Both handsets have non-removable batteries and no memory card slots now, but the iPhone 4S has versions with different amounts of internal storage, and in mixed usage its battery life is better. You pay top dollar for extra storage in it, though.

As we've said before, we don't care if it's Apple, HTC, Samsung, Google, or whichever company it is that has produced a certain device. It also doesn't matter if it's Android or iOS... or bada, webOS or Windows Phone. What matters for us is the quality of execution of the particular device (in every respect), and how well it'd serve customers during their day-to-day routine. Lately, we've seen some outstanding Android smartphones. However, the HTC One X simply isn't one of them. At least not until HTC fixes its software. The device often feels and behaves like a rushed product, and this is something that you can't fix with a powerful processor, be it a quad-core one. It's also something that we do not expect to see in a top-shelf, premium handset. If you simply fell in love with the phone the moment you saw it – that's a-okay. But it won't change the fact that it's not as good as it should be. That's not to say that the One X is a bad device. Quite the contrary – it's great, especially if you enjoy watching a lot of video, or play lots of games on your phone. These are the areas where the iPhone 4S can't compete with it. However, the iPhone does have a more approachable design, better camera, easier to use interface, as well as a much more polished and stable software, which won't cause you so much trouble. That's the phone we'd pick to manage our daily grind among these two.

Making a decision is surely tough, especially when these two are extremely well rounded and abundant with drool worthy features to satisfy even the most hardened smartphone users out there. Having experienced the very best from both camps, we can firmly say that they live up to our expectations as being memorable devices, but ultimately, it’s going to come down to each person’s individual needs. Time after time, the iPhone 4S has impressed us in more ways than none, and as the competition continues to ramp up, it’s able to show why it’s still going to be a relevant device. Even to this day, it’s able to impress many thanks to its detailed Retina Display, while also being the go-to device for those who are looking for a point and shoot replacement. Conversely, the Nokia Lumia 900 is a valiant offering that stands above most other Windows Phones on the market – primarily for the fact that it’s one of the few to offer 4G LTE connectivity. Furthermore, its most absolute memorable thing is the $99.99 on-contract price point it’s flaunting right from the beginning. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with either device since they perform similarly to one another, but if savings is something that takes precedence, the Nokia Lumia 900 will be the right fit for you. If not, the extra money you’ll spend getting the iPhone 4S is justified as well.

Here’s the deal people. We’re well aware that the iPhone 4S is a venerable smartphone that’s sure to continue with success, as it has done so in the past countless times, but this latest version doesn’t quite have the same level of fresh appeal found with the Samsung Galaxy Note LTE. On the flip side though, there are people that will instantly steer clear from the Note due to its intimidating posture, but that’s exactly what makes the handset so fresh and very different. Throw in its S Pen functions, and you have a smartphone that already packs one feature that’s not available with the iPhone 4S. Nowadays, we can whip out the iPhone 4S in a crowd of people and not receive one shred of recognition. Certainly, that’s not an issue with the curious looking Galaxy Note LTE, since it’s able to somehow magically sum up conversation from random strangers. Aside from its effectiveness in garnering attention, it’s also well-endowed in various key areas to make it a formidable rival in the smartphone landscape.

The Apple iPhone 4S for AT&T is the fastest iPhone there is, but the world is moving to 4G.

No game-changer, but still one of the most talented smartphones on the planet

To make a long story short, the iPhone 4S is about the camera, the processor speed and Siri. You can get all the other software features on an iPhone 4. The extra speed is pretty awesome when it comes to gaming but for more ordinary tasks, it is not as perceptible as the benchmark numbers would lead you to believe. The iPhone 4S is a solid smartphone, and it is still the design leader (in my view), even if designs from competitors like Samsung are quickly becoming great as well. To me, the most important iPhone 4S changes are really the camera and the fact that Verizon and Sprint users can now roam free on GSM networks worldwide, this is great for selling the phone in a few years too. Few other phones let you do that. The lack of 4G LTE is a disappointment, and this will certainly come back to bite Apple’s in the behind, because LTE can play a key role in the overall user experience. (For more, read our 4G networks story) Hardware-wise, the iPhone 4S will be outgunned by Android phones that are coming out in weeks (Galaxy Nexus, Motorola RAZR). The iPhone 4S is just powerful enough to catch-up to, and slightly get ahead of, the Samsung Galaxy S2 which came out in April/May of 2011, but Android phones will steadily rise in power until the iPhone 5 actually comes out.

If you own anything older than an iPhone 4 (e.g. 2G/3G/3GS), upgrading to the 4S today is a much more tempting option. The slower Cortex A8 is pretty long in the tooth by now and anything older than that is ARM11 based, which I was ready to abandon two years ago.

To sum it all up, the Apple iPhone 4S is one of the best phones out in the market today, with a massive variety of apps and third-party developer support, a familiar industrial design that still works, and improved hardware to a year-old phone that was already great. Now the big debate is if it is worth upgrading to if you are a current iPhone 4 owner. This is a tough question to answer because aside from Siri, there really isn't anything revolutionary about the iPhone 4S. And if you are an iPad 2 owner, you are already familiar with the capabilities of the A5 chip and the gaming experience is better on the tablet's larger screen. In the practical sense, the overall speed increase and better camera is welcome but the iPhone 4 can handle iOS 5/Apps, as well as take good photos already. Unless you really need all these improvements and Siri, you can survive another year with the iPhone 4 instead of paying more for the early upgrade to the 4S. Now if you are coming from a 3GS or below or are tired of Windows Mobile and Android, this is definitely the phone to get. If you can afford it and want the latest and greatest, you won't be disappointed with what the iPhone 4S has to offer.

Thanks to Google making one giant leap forward with Ice Cream Sandwich, the software experience on the Galaxy Nexus can easily rival the one on the iPhone 4S. Both handsets are extremely capable and very fast, which actually makes issuing our final verdict a very hard thing to do. If you expect to hear which phone is better overall, we'll have to disappoint you – there isn't a better phone. However, one of these is certainly better for Jerry, and the other will surely be better for Katy. What we mean is that it all boils down to your personal preference. For example, if you can't stand having to carry around such a massive phone like the Galaxy Nexus, the significantly more compact iPhone 4S will easily turn out to be a better option. However, if you happen to demand as much screen as possible, then the Nexus will better suit you. In case the camera is too important to you, we think we made it obvious that the iPhone 4S is capable of taking overall better shots. The same goes for video recording (to an even greater extent). However, if you are of the type who enjoy tinkering with the software on their smartphone, tweaking various aspects of it, customizing, rooting, etc., etc., then you'll surely appreciate Android's more open approach, which is a kind of freedom that you won't find with iOS. However, this also means that what you get with the iPhone is slightly more reliable, due to the closed and polished nature of the ecosystem. Not that the Galaxy Nexus is an unreliable phone, but if our lives depended on the software found on one of these handsets, we'd prefer it was the iPhone... figuratively speaking.

There's no doubt the Apple iPhone 4S is a fantastic phone, but it isn't for everyone. While it adds some whiz-bang in the form of Siri, the fact that Apple chose to carry-forward last-year's hardware is surely a disappointment to some. With respect to the performance metrics that count, the iPhone 4S does well. It's the best iPhone for making voice calls yet, showed strong signal and network performance thanks to the fully redesigned antenna, and still has one of the best displays of any phone (though it might be too small for some). I am disappointed by battery life, however. The media powers of the iPhone 4S are nearly unmatched. The combination of the iPod music player, video player, and iTunes creates an unending catalog of content that can be seamlessly synced between devices. More importantly, the camera and video camera are best-in-class, with excellent performance all around. Perhaps the biggest disappointment with iOS 5 is its lack of social skills. Apple may have integrated Twitter into some of the base features of the phone, but Facebook is (ultimately) more important. The iPhone 4S's lack of integration with Facebook across vital features such as the contacts application puts it far behind some of the competing platforms. If you're the type who prefers more customization and control over the software, or needs a more durable device, there are certainly good alternatives out there. Otherwise, with its excellent browser, vast app selection, attractive build quality, and zippy processor, the iPhone 4S is one of the best phones you can buy.

So should you buy an iPhone 4S? For 3GS users, the answer is an emphatic yes. It’s less clear-cut for iPhone 4 owners, especially if you have a contract to buy your way out of. But if you suffered from poor call quality before, the 4S will restore your faith in the iPhone. Even if you didn’t, the upgraded performance and coolness of Siri and the improved camera are pretty compelling. If you’re wary of buying the 4S in the belief that a radically different iPhone is on the horizon, the fact is, beyond Infinite Loop, nobody knows – and really, don’t believe anyone who claims otherwise. But my money is on the iPhone 4S not being superseded until next July at the earliest, or even a year from now. In which case, why wait?

Is this the best iPhone yet? Yes, of course it is. The iPhone 4S takes the previous king, gives it some more pep and adds on a better camera to boot, all without really gaining any extra weight. This is, then, the best iPhone on the market, but that still leaves us with two unanswered questions: is it the best phone on the market, and is it worth the upgrade? The first question is hard to answer. If you're into iOS, have a wealth of App Store purchases you'd like to keep using and in general are down with the Apple ecosystem then, yes, this is the best phone out there. If, however, you've been shopping around, or are already tight with Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry or Meego (hey, the N9 is pretty great) then it's hard to see this as a truly forward-looking device. The 3.5-inch display and abject lack of 4G connectivity alone make this phone feel a little too conservative to really tickle the fancy of those looking for something a bit more progressive.

The iPhone 4S is blazing fast on the new dual-core CPU and graphics chip. And by the way, this is a long-term asset - new apps and services will take advantage and they'll be exclusive to the 4S. The iPhone is finally up there with the industry's finest cameraphones too. In fact, it may well have the best 8MP stills and Full HD videos a mobile phone can produce. iOS 5 is busy making a difference too with the iCloud, iMessage, OTA updates, new notifications and voice recognition. On top of that you get the best app store and the brilliant looks of the original iPhone 4.

One of the best Androids on the market, definitely. An iPhone killer, not this time. Sorry Samsung, looks like your Galaxy Nexus didn’t exact have the gusto to take out the iPhone (at least not yet, anyways). While it may sport some very impressive abilities and be the beginning of a new generation of Android phone, it still didn’t make the cut standing up against the highly popular iPhone 4S.

As the phone editor at PCWorld, I get this question a lot: “Should I get an iPhone--or something else?” The “something else” usually translates to the latest and greatest Android phones. This question is hard to answer because it truly depends on what you’re looking for from your phone. Is this your first smartphone ever? You’ll probably find that the iPhone 4S has less of a learning curve. Are you a tech tweaker? You’ll probably benefit from the deeper customization options of Android. Want to try something completely different? Give Windows Phone 7 a test drive. If you currently own an iPhone 3GS and are due for an upgrade, going for the iPhone 4S is a no-brainer. If you currently own the iPhone 4, however, I’d recommend holding out for the next-generation iPhone. True, the camera and overall speediness have improved, and Siri is a neat feature, but otherwise the upgrade is incremental. You’re probably pretty happy with your iPhone 4’s camera and performance, so the upgrades might not justify the cost. Finally, if you’re looking into buying your first smartphone and want an iPhone, go for the less expensive iPhone 4.

So, is the iPhone 4S a disappointment just because it looks the same as the iPhone 4? It would be only if you have been expecting the fifth generation of iPhone to be the iPhone 5 - as of now, still a mythical phone with a larger display, metallic back and tapered design. Well, if the fastest selling iPhone in the history of Apple doesn't convince any critics of its success, we don't know what will.

For most people, the iPhone 4 was the ideal phone: it provided premium hardware with software that anyone could learn, it had great battery life, a fantastic camera, and a reasonable price. The iPhone 4S continues this legacy. It's absolutely one of the best smartphones that you can buy right now. But of course, we're not going to see another iPhone until late next year, and by then, the "other" smartphone choices are likely to be far more impressive than what Apple has done with the 4S. We're going to see quad-core phones with 720p displays, terrific battery life, and new software innovations. If you ignore the fact that the iPhone 4S might quickly lose its relevance in 2012, which, for some people, doesn't matter, and if you have no ideological adversity to Apple's iOS operating system, the iPhone 4S is nearly perfect for what it is, and we highly recommend it.

Sorry Apple, it seems your iPhone 4S has some stiff competition with the HTC Rezound that boats a number of impressive capabilities like its display, processor, camera and video, price and more. It seems to be the Android that could really cause a dent in Apple’s iPhone 4S sales and popularity. While once a Mac lover always a Mac lover, those who want the latest and greatest will definitely want to top for the Rezound that has a better overall package.

You can’t go wrong with any of these handsets, but the choice will be much easier if you know beforehand which mobile OS you are leaning to – the simpler and polished iOS, or the more flexible Android. The Motorola DROID RAZR sports a very thin profile and light weight, while at the same time being durable thanks to the metal frame and exotic Kevlar back plus its spill-proof coating. It excels in call quality both in the earpiece, and on the receiving end, and offers a large 4.3” Super AMOLED display, suitable for watching videos, but its 8MP camera is of subpar quality. The iPhone 4S, on the other hand, provides one of the finest camera modules on a mobile device, and capturing images and 1080p video with it is the simplest and fastest experience available. It doesn't support Adobe Flash in the browser, but has one trump card hiding in the deck of features, called Siri, which is the personal assistant closest to those movies with futuristic voice-controlled gadgets you watched when you were a kid. As far as applications go, we think that the Android and iOS stores are now pretty close in terms of quality and quantity, and you’ll be hard pressed to find something on the App Store that is not available in Android Market in similar fashion, although Apple has the upper hand in artsier projects, as well as mobile games.