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Today we will talk about Apple smartphones that continue to excite the modern world. We will start this review of the Apple iPhone 4S with a short introduction.
So, the new smartphone from Apple broke all conceivable and inconceivable records within three days from the start of sales - about 4.5 million iPhone 4S were sold. In this article we will try to find out why Apple’s new product has become so attractive to customers. The price of the iPhone 4S was quite high, but this did not stop people around the world. Maybe it's the excellent camera, or maybe the high performance of the device? Let's try to talk about everything in order.
So, let's start with the appearance. Apple iPhone 4S has minimal differences from the old version of iPhone 3G. The device consists of two glass sheets, which are united by a metal frame. But upon closer examination, small differences begin to emerge: the metal edging is now divided into four parts, and the control buttons on the side surface have shifted slightly.
The size of the device is 115.2x58.6x9.3 mm, and the weight is 140 g.
There is a touch screen on the front surface of the device, and a camera with flash on the back, so there are no innovations here.
The Apple iPhone 4S was assembled at a fairly good level: there are no creaks or backlashes during operation. But it’s still worth noting a few details: after a week of use, small scratches began to appear on the smartphone’s body, so it is advisable to put the iPhone in a case; there is also a problem with the volume control button sticking out. But the problems voiced were in the first games, now, probably, the situation has changed for the better.
The smartphone is available in two colors – white and black.
Performance and Software
The iPhone 4S is powered by a dual-core Apple A5 processor, which has a clock frequency of 800 MHz. The device has 512 MB of RAM. It is also worth noting that the smartphone contains a PowerVR SGX543MP2 graphics chip, which is also used in the iPad. The increased main characteristics had a beneficial effect on the performance of the device, so web surfing has become very convenient, pages load very quickly, games also load quickly, there are no “glitches” or slowdowns.
iPhone 4S is available in several versions with 16, 32 and 64 GB of built-in flash memory. The device does not support microSD cards.
The smartphone runs the proprietary operating system iOS 5.0.
It is also worth noting the appearance of an HDMI port, which allows you to view images from the iPhone on the TV screen.
The device provides most of the necessary applications for the Apple iPhone 4S - this is a video player and music player, as well as an html browser and many other games and useful programs.
It is worth noting that the iPhone 4S can work in 3G networks, and also has Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 modules and, most surprisingly, it has support for the GLONASS system.
Screen
Apple iPhone 4S is equipped with a 3.5-inch display, which is made using IPS technology and has a resolution of 960x640 pixels. The dot density per inch was 326 units, which is a very good indicator. The clarity and picture quality on the 3.5-inch iPhone screen are very good, there are no distortions, and the screen brightness has a maximum value of 500 cd/m2, and the contrast is 800:1.
Camera
Let's continue our iPhone 4S review with a look at its photographic capabilities. The device has an 8-megapixel camera with an aperture ratio of f/2.4. The camera is equipped with an LED flash, stabilizer and autofocus functions. The quality of photos taken with the iPhone 4S is impressive and very good indeed.
The camera is capable of recording video in Full HD format at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The video quality is also excellent.
Battery
Since the new iPhone 4S has improved performance compared to older models, the device is now equipped with a Li-Pol battery with a capacity of 1420 mAh, which, according to the manufacturer, will allow the smartphone to operate without recharging in standby mode for up to 200 hours, in talk mode for up to 14 hours, and when listening to music - up to 40 hours.
Price
The price of the iPhone 4S at the start of sales in the United States ranged from approximately $650 to $850, depending on the amount of permanent memory in the device, while in Russia in April 2012, the iPhone 4S costs from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles.
Apple iPhone 4S video review:
It only took Apple three days to sell 4 million iPhone 4S, setting a new world record! Finding visual differences between the new product and the iPhone 4 model is not an easy task, because the most interesting things are hidden inside. Let's take a look there together!
Display; back-illuminated camera; availability of 64 GB version; performance
You cannot use covers and bumpers from the old model.
Verdict
Design
The combination of aluminum body materials around the perimeter and aluminosilicate glass on the front and back sides is a unique feature of the last two generations of iPhone. Glamor lovers are delighted with this arrangement of materials, which cannot be said about practical users. As you all know well, any glass, be it aluminosilicate, mineral or Gorilla Glass, sooner or later becomes covered with a web of scratches. Therefore, aesthetes, using the iPhone 4, try to use various kinds of transparent films, and those who are not alien to the desire to wrap all the TV remotes in the house in plastic bags use all kinds of cases and bumpers. The benefit of the latter is not only in protecting the ends, but also in minimizing the “death grip” effect.
With the exit iPhone 4S, you can give most of the accessories to your little sister and be ready to buy new ones. And the point here is this: in order to eliminate the notorious effect of antenna overlap, and, of course, in order for your favorite phone to work anywhere in the world, a fourth antenna was added to the design. The antenna, due to which the previous model was produced only for the Verizon operator. Now the user receives a device capable of operating in GSM, UMTS and CDMA networks! But let's get back to the accessories. Looking at the covers and bumpers from three sides, you are left with a feeling of discomfort, and only when you reach the fourth side do you discover the cause. The profile switch and volume buttons are not in the right places! How can this be, you ask? And like this! Beauty requires sacrifice - now the antennas are located symmetrically to each other, from which the upper joint was moved to the left side, moving three keys down.
Otherwise, the only changes in weight and size indicators are the weight increased by as much as three grams. What else can you add to the description, of which there are thousands all over the Internet? I don’t like wrapping the TV remote control in a plastic bag, but the look of a “used” device that any iPhone turns into after a short period (almost like every car sooner or later becomes an Opel, an old joke, but its meaning is still relevant today) does not brings pleasure. This nuance becomes an unsolvable problem for me. You will understand why after reading the review!
For readers who have not yet had time to spend money on the fourth model and, accordingly, study the location of the controls, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the next section.
Ergonomics
As we have already found out, the left side iPhone 4S occupied by round keys responsible for adjusting the volume and switching modes from “Normal” to “Silent”. The key travel is standard, and you can get used to working with them “blindly” in just a few minutes.
On the right side of the phone there is a slot for a micro SIM card. Access to it is possible only by using a special clip included with the phone. It takes a lot of effort to remove the SIM. At the top end there is a place for a standard audio jack, a microphone and an on/off key, which is also responsible for locking/unlocking.
The bottom end is occupied by a connector for the interface cable and two slots on either side of it. A speaker is hidden behind a decorative mesh on the right, and a microphone on the left.
Under the display, as in the fourth generation model, there is a round key concave into the body. Finding it, like any other, is quite simple. Above the display is a speaker with a decorative mesh, and to the left of it is a camera lens for video calls or self-portraits. Above the speaker, hidden from prying eyes, are a light sensor and an accelerometer. On the reverse side, in the same place as before, there is an 8-megapixel camera lens and a flash.
Screen
The praises sung by the owners of the iPhone 4 and even the fourth generation iPod regarding the display have reached even the most remote depths of our planet! What can I say, the screen is truly magnificent! The picture is especially impressive when you look at it at an angle of 45°, as if it were not a “live” screen, but a mock-up. It’s unfortunate, but, comparing iPhone 4S with two iPods and two iPhone 4s, we were a little surprised by the presence of a purple hue on the new product. Moreover, in terms of saturation and contrast, the screen rivals even the iPod. We don’t want to scare or alarm potential or existing owners of the latest generation of Apple multimedia devices, but if you have the opportunity, compare several 4S in this parameter and let us know the results. We, in turn, promise to clarify things as soon as it becomes possible to compare several new products with each other at once.
So, with some trepidation, we proceed to list the characteristics of the display. The Apple iPhone 4 and 4S use a 3.5” IPS matrix with a resolution of 960x640 pixels. Taking into account the announcements and the imminent appearance on the market of smartphones with HD displays, the iPhone's parameters are no longer so impressive, but in terms of pixels per inch, it is still the best. The brightness level, which became another bragging point this year thanks to the appearance of LG Optimus Black, in the Retina display (this is the name given to the screen installed in the iPhone 4/4S) is 500 cd/m², and the dynamic contrast is 800:1.
The phone uses a capacitive sensor that supports only 5 simultaneous touches. This is not LG Optimus 2x, with the ability to figure out what they want from it by pressing with ten fingers at once!
Interface
The phone comes with iOS 5.0 operating system. For owners of the two previous generations 3Gs and 4, a new version of the OS is also available, but with a number of limitations, one of which still doesn’t really work.
The app store has not undergone any changes
Despite more than 200 changes, there are no visible improvements, as was the case with the advent of iOS 4. We can assume that the developers have already achieved what they wanted and are now just gradually adding new features to their OS. We will tell you about these features now.
The first of them has long been familiar to owners of other operating systems, for example, Android, bada and even Symbian. Notification Center! Hooray! Now iPhone, iPad and iPod owners can view all missed events in one tab. It also displays information about the weather, stock indices (apparently the widget was created specifically for those who closely monitor Apple shares), incoming messages and other actions happening with your phone. In general, almost the same as in other operating systems, with the exception of managing wireless data transfer media, iOS does not have them.
With the release of iOS 5.0, the Notification Center pop-up window appeared.
In the settings you can choose exactly how this window will look,
full screen or just at the top
The next important change is considered to be the emergence of the iCloud cloud service, which replaced the expensive pleasure MobileMe. Strangely, some functions of the phone are still tied to it, for example “Search for iPhone”. When this function is activated in the iCloud settings, the user is sent to the website www.me.com, and from there to www.icloud.com. Apparently Apple developers are also sometimes capable of making mistakes, because nothing prevents you from going directly to the website www.icloud.com. Or maybe this is a farewell note for MobileMe, who knows?
The user specifies what type of data will be synchronized
with the iCloud cloud service
So what benefits does the new service bring? First of all, the ability to store a backup copy of phone book data, calendar, mail and other things. It also implements the function of finding the location of the phone and then sending a sound signal and/or message, blocking or deleting all user data. Again, something similar exists on Android devices. Don't you think? The main thing is that iCloud offers users 5 GB of free space with the ability to expand it, albeit for money! But this is not all that the new service is capable of. In addition to copying, it can synchronize information on devices connected to it, such as photos, browser bookmarks, notes and reminders. Thus, if you use two devices running iOS 5, you can always duplicate the necessary information on any of them.
The integration with Twitter looks a little strange, while for some reason they forgot about Facebook. Having entered your username and password, the phone prompts you to download the client, after which you can start communicating. Moreover, after this, “Send Tweet” will appear in almost all phone menus. So now there will be even more Twitterers.
Since we mentioned Twitter, we can't help but mention the introduction of the iMessage feature. Software-wise, this is a complete analogue of the function of sending messages, but technically, apart from the difference in color: green - through the operator, blue - through iMessage, using this function, messages can be sent even if the device does not have a SIM card. But you can only send messages through the iMessage service, and accordingly, you can also receive them only through it. Annoying? No, because now even owners of an iPod and iPad will be able to chat with each other if they have a Wi-Fi network, which, by the way, is also needed when using FaceTime.
Another dubious innovation, or maybe it just seems so to us, is the “Virtual Kiosk” for managing subscriptions. Essentially, you have the opportunity to receive updates on subscribed electronic publications. In other words, a personal postman, only electronic.
Now, thanks to the Kiosk application, your favorite magazines
will appear on the phone immediately after they are published in the electronic store
More significant changes affected the browser. Safari has two new features, “Reader” and “Reading List”. The first allows you to format Internet pages in such a way that only text and photographs remain, without unnecessary advertising and other images that distract attention. The second can be useful in cases where you, while on the road, started viewing a page via your mobile phone and upon arriving home or work, want to continue reading. To do this, just add the page to your reading list, after which the corresponding bookmark will automatically appear on all devices with iOS 5 with the Safari browser installed.
The only thing you can find fault with the browser is the lack of Flash support
An equally interesting innovation is the “Reminders” function. It would seem, what else can you come up with useful in such a simple at first glance function as a reminder? It turned out it was possible! Now the phone will notify you about an event the moment you find yourself in a certain place, and not just at a certain period of time, as was the case before. For example, as soon as you find yourself within the store, the phone will remind you to buy milk. All this is only possible if your phone has the address or approximate location of this store. Unfortunately, when creating a reminder, you cannot manually enter the store address. Therefore, when visiting important places, you need to enter their coordinates into your contacts.
Also in the new edition of iOS, it is now possible to synchronize with iTunes via Wi-Fi. Which is useful for those who get excited by the sight of white wires. But seriously, now you don’t have to connect your phone to your computer every time to upload new songs to your phone or upload photos; you just need to activate the corresponding function in the phone menu, and it will do the rest itself.
Despite the fact that the iPhone 4S is not officially supplied to Ukraine,
Ukrainian language is present in all Apple devices. A good example for companies
who were never able to localize their devices for several years
Camera
IN iPhone 4s A new 8-megapixel back-illuminated sensor from Sony is used. The lens consists of five lenses, which, in fact, should have a positive effect on the shooting results. The characteristics of recorded video have also improved. Now the resolution is 1920x1080 pixels or, in the usual terms, Full HD.
In fact, there are no settings in the camera. All that is required from the user is to launch the camera and take a picture. New for iOS include grid display when shooting and HDR mode. Creative types should appreciate the increase in aperture ratio to 2.4, which is useful not only when shooting in low light, but also for blurring the background. In cases where you need to lock focus, you can do this by simply touching any part of the screen. Well, in order to capture a frame, just press the volume up key.
When shooting video, double tapping the screen switches the viewfinder to 16:9 mode,
and pressing and holding locks focus, both when shooting video and photos
As we have already said, video is shot in Full HD resolution at a speed of 30 frames per second and constantly active stabilization, albeit with mono sound. Of the settings, there is only a flash operating mode, automatic, on or off. But this does not spoil the final result at all. And the result is breathtaking. Undoubtedly, the strongest point of the camera in the new iPhone is the use of light-sensitive optics and a back-illuminated sensor. In low-light conditions, pictures and videos are of such high quality that noise can only be noticed by specifically looking at the frame or video. This alone is worth changing your model to the brand new 4S.
In terms of shooting quality, the iPhone 4S is superior to most devices that record FullHD video.
Comparison of Apple iPhone 4, Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy SII cameras
We invite you to consider photographs taken of the Apple iPhone 4, Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy SII and decide for yourself who is closer to what.
We repent and apologize for the quality of the photos from the iPhone 4. The owner of this copy is worried about the safety of its appearance and uses a transparent sticker, but rarely uses the camera. Unfortunately, the presence of miracle protection was discovered too late and it will not be possible to replay the comparison of the three cameras, at least in the near future.
| Apple iPhone 4 | Apple iPhone 4S | Samsung Galaxy SII |
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Performance
The phone uses a dual-core Apple A5 processor with a frequency of 800 MHz and a PowerVR SGX543MP2 video accelerator, the same as in the second iPad. Apple claims twice the speed. In fact, it is very difficult to notice this difference. And sometimes iPhone 4S even slower than its predecessor. In fact, increasing power is primarily necessary for shooting Full HD video and modern games that require high performance.
Virtual assistant Siri
One of the most interesting features of the new generation iPhone is the virtual assistant Siri, but in Ukraine, everything related to route planning, information about cities, weather, etc. does not yet work. We can only hope that with the start of official sales in Russia, the situation will change for the better. In the meantime, Siri looks like pampering and a way to practice pronunciation. Internet access is required for the service to work. All user requests are sent to the server, where they are processed and returned as responses.
Voice assistant Siri is a great method of entertainment. With its help you can find out about the weather in Beijing
or a biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger, but so far all this works great exclusively in the USA.
Other countries will have to wait for Siri and the “beta” version to become fully operational
The level of our English language, the speed and adequacy of the Siri voice assistant can be assessed in the video review.
Video review of Apple iPhone 4S 16 GB
Results
We will not give recommendations on the advisability of switching from iPhone 4 to 4S. Delights in the “Camera” section don’t count! Many readers looking at the cost Apple iPhone 4S in our country, people secretly begin to envy not only sellers who are able to increase two or even three times the price of a phone, but also those who, understanding all this, buy it! Let's tell you a secret, we also envy, so we will try to walk in the shoes of both.
Does it make sense to switch from 3G/3Gs to 4S? A question roughly along the lines of: “does it make sense to replace a BMW E46 with an F30”? Of course, it makes sense if you have money!
Technical characteristics of Apple iPhone 4S 16 GB
Standards GSM/UMTS 850/900/1900/2100 (GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA), CDMA EV-DO 900/1900 (Rev. A)
operating system Apple iOS 5.0
CPU Apple A5 800 MHz, PowerVR SGX543MP2 video accelerator
Memory RAM 512 MB, ROM 16/32/64 GB
Screen IPS, 3.5″ (960×640), touch, capacitive, aluminosilicate glass with oleophobic coating
Interfaces USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, AirPlay
Built-in camera 8 MP, HD video (30 fps), flash, front VGA camera
Supported Formats MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, AAX, AAX+, AIFF, WAV, M4V, MP4, MOV, AVI
Battery, autonomy Li-Ion, 1430 mAh, 2 days
Internet browser Safari
We have already written about what has changed in the iPhone 4S compared to “just” the fourth model, more than once. We will not remind you of the details of previous articles, we will only note that the 4S in no way can be considered a new generation of the iPhone - it is just an improved version of the “four”. Well, now the review itself.
The iPhone 4S has a faster processor, a better camera, a sweeter virtual assistant, and twice the internal storage of its predecessor. Just like before the iPhone 3GS with 3G, now the 4S has demoted the iPhone 4 in status, sending it to the ranks of second-class devices. Apple said it has released "the most amazing iPhone ever." Is this really true? Of course yes. But before making loud conclusions a priori, let's take a closer look.
"Familiar" is a great word to describe the appearance of the iPhone 4S. That summer, when the fourth generation iPhone was introduced (2010), the smartphone was strikingly different from anything else on the market - glass front and back, covered with a stainless steel ring around the perimeter. The smartphone was made catchy and tastefully, elegantly and strictly, different from the smooth and discreet models that came before. The iPhone 4 was something new, so new that people wanted to touch it, touch the perfection, feel how this thing lies in their hands.
Few people leave the house just to hold it, but that’s not to say that it isn’t beautiful to the touch. The iPhone 4 was the quintessence of a unique production, and its successor followed in its footsteps. Compared to many modern Android smartphones, the 4S is quite small, dense and heavy, in a variety of ways, but can compete with almost any plastic smartphone. The 4S weighs a little more than the 4, but it's hard to tell: the difference in weight is only 3 grams (140 and 137, respectively).
If you leave out a few of the finer details, even the most seasoned of experts will be unable to tell the design differences from a distance. The exterior of the 4S is identical to the iPhone 4. Some elements have been moved a fraction of a millimeter, and it uses the exact same antenna that came with Verizon's CDMA iPhone 4 this year. Much more interesting is how antennas work.
iPhone 4S can seamlessly and quickly switch between antennas in real time, even while you're in the middle of a call. This should definitely correct the iPhone's bad reputation for connectivity issues. In any case, until millions of people test the quality of communication, we will not accuse the creators of the iPhone 4S of negligence in advance.
Many changes have occurred in the smartphone's hardware. Essentially, Apple threw out everything that was inside the fourth iPhone and stuffed its stuffed with new parts. From scratch. For example, A5 processor. Yes, it's the same dual-core chip that powers the iPad 2, and although Apple didn't say, it runs at 800 MHz - just shy of the tablet's 1 GHz. RAM, unfortunately, remained at the same level - 512 MB, but the maximum amount of internal data storage was doubled, up to 64 GB.
Another important change is support for wireless networks. These are the UMTS / HSDPA / HSUPA (850, 900, 1,900, 2,100 MHz) and GSM / EDGE (850, 900, 1,800, 1,900 MHz) bands, with support for CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (900, 1,900 MHz). This automatically puts the smartphone in the multi-frequency range, which means it can connect to almost any 3G network both in the US and abroad. With the 4G offer, of course, it is more complicated. Unless AT&T can, with its 14.4 Mb/s HSPA+ service, give the user a little privacy out of reach.
Up next, we have the same 3.5-inch Retina display with a resolution of 960 by 640 that surprised everyone 16 months ago in the iPhone 4. Its 326ppi density is certainly a nice sight and makes the display one of the best overall. But in a year and a half, the world will change again, and Retina will probably get a serious competitor if it doesn’t stay sniffing the dust. 3.5 inches is an excellent size for those who usually have well-proportioned hands, but when it comes to the girth of a smartphone, opinions vary. For those who have lived for six months with a smartphone that says “4.2 inches” on its face, the iPhone 4S will seem a bit narrow.
Arriving in our world, the iPhone 4S practically led iOS 5 by the hand. The latest iteration of Apple's mobile operating system should knock the dust out of pillows and things that were starting to become obsolete, turning into something fundamental like Windows XP. iOS 5 offers many improvements and enhancements, small and large. Let's leave the review of the operating system for later, limiting ourselves to the comments that the updates that iOS 5 brought with it are very solid. Take my word for it.
The only thing that deserves close attention (and without which Let's Talk iPhone would be a failure) is Siri, your personal digital assistant. Siri, like Digimon, evolved from DARPA's Siri Virtual Assistant. Apple bought the company in early 2010 and successfully introduced development into iOS. Something like that.
Siri, as if specifically avoiding other iOS devices, can only be found on the iPhone 4S. The folks over at Engadget say they've heard that successful voice recognition requires certain processor specs, and immediately imagined a huge virtual machine somewhere at Apple that processes data from Siri (and which could well spare no expense on weaker devices). 2, for example, works on the A5 and even faster, so there's no reason to discriminate against other iOS devices by leaving them without Siri. Well, okay, this Apple path is difficult to profess.
If you have anything you can run Siri on, you'll definitely be amazed at what it can do. Some anthropomorphism will apply here, so we will call “her” the same way we heard her in numerous videos. Calling Siri gender-neutral would be a bit of a misnomer. Siri wouldn't mind though. Ask her: “Are you a woman or a man?” and she will answer: “I was not assigned a gender.” We think she's just having fun.
Siri can do a lot of cool things, from sending texts and emails to finding restaurants and getting directions from one place to another. At first glance, applications on other devices and platforms can do this. The emergence of Siri made it possible to assess the presence of contexts and dialects and pose the problem of understanding as such.
Let's try to understand the context. Tell your assistant to text your wife to remind you about the dogs that need to be fed on the way home. You say: “Tell my wife not to forget about the dogs.” Siri will send a message to your wife with the following content: “Don't forget about the dogs.” How does Siri know who your wife is? The first time Siri asks and remembers.
This context works in other situations as well. For example, you receive a text message from someone, ask Siri to check your calendar, and then say, “Reply: I'll see you then.” You don't need to tell who to answer, Siri still remembers. For the first time, we can feel the difference between ordering someone and communicating with someone on equal terms. Well, if you like, you can give orders, Siri won’t mind.
There's another good thing here: you don't have to remember the commands. At least not as serious as in Android. If you need to find a specific direction on Google Navigation, all you need to do is say “path to library.” Or “how to get to the library.” Or “give me the coordinates of the library.” A small difference, but it already makes you realize how smart Siri is to understand you at a glance.
But then again, apps like Vlingo can do the same thing. Also, Siri is not designed to understand a person exactly. Test drives with a parallel comparison of text recording under dictation of both Siri and other applications installed on Android and Windows Phone were the same. While Android apps require extra button presses and don't process sounds as clearly, WP apps don't transcribe words correctly at all.
Siri has powerful potential. She notifies you about the arrival of a new message, reads it to you and can respond in your own words. The problem here is that you cannot re-read the letter before sending, which means that you will not be able to respond in full. You can dictate a message, but you will have to move your fingers while doing so.
This might appeal to those who like to listen to their inboxes, but the functionality is more limited than we'd like. For example, you can ask Siri to search for something on Wolfram Alpha and it will be happy to serve you, but it won't be able to read out the answer. You need to look at your smartphone screen. Thanks to Wolfram Alpha, which displays the results in the form of pictures.
The ideal assistant will look you up for everything you ask and read out all the answers, rather than printing them out and making you read them. Having to take your phone out of your pocket for some things makes Siri less impressive than it could be, but it's a great program anyway. Plus, it shows that Apple is really into voice control and hands-free device control. Now we can't wait for the next generation of Siri. And, of course, localizations in all languages of the world.
We can also hope that Siri's siblings will work offline, because our girl requires constant 3G or WiFi connections to move. Even the simplest voice command that was available on iOS can fail you because it no longer works offline. And if you try to change the melody automatically, you will have to look for another way. And much of Siri's functionality doesn't work outside the US. This is such halva.
Disassembly of the iPhone 4S showed that a new battery was implanted into the device, which is simply a little more than 4. The promised increase in battery life, in theory, should happen as a result of optimization of internal organs, and not due to an increase in battery life. This, by the way, is not bad: it’s better for phones to be more modest than with a huge battery.
Apple promises up to eight hours of battery life in active 3G connection mode, which is an hour more than in the “four”. It's funny that in standby mode the operating time was reduced from 300 hours to 200 (probably a restless sleep). Other characteristics remained at the same level: 14 hours in GSM, 10 hours for watching videos and 40 hours for listening to music. Battery testing is still ongoing.
If you don't particularly care about battery life and are more interested in speed, the 4S won't disappoint you, even compared to its predecessor. The SunSpider 9.1 JavaScript benchmark, a test of general rendering capabilities, showed the best result: 2,200 ms on average. That's lower (faster) than 3,700 on the iPhone 4, and faster than any other smartphone we've tested. In fact, the smartphone is on the same level as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (2,200), but inferior to the iPad 2 with its 1,700.
The overall impression is good when it comes to the performance of 4S as a whole. We were once surprised by the performance of the iPhone 4, and the next generation of smartphones did not disappoint either. In other words, we didn't see much of a difference in day-to-day use other than apps running a little faster and the phone feeling more responsive.
Apple is quite proud of 4's status as the most popular photo sharing tool on Flickr, and now the company is giving its potential customers something powerful for taking photos. As it was long discussed just before the release of the iPhone 4S, the smartphone is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera, backlight and f/2.4 lens (improved compared to the old f/2.8). Remembering Nokia (in a kind way, of course), you will notice that more megapixels does not mean better, but the camera in the new iPhone 4S is amazingly good.
But let's not run ahead of the train. Apple prides itself on improving the speed at which the camera app loads and takes photos, and this is a very noticeable improvement over the 4, apart from the use of the HDR mode that was introduced back in iOS 4.1. Here he is a little late. It's better to turn it off altogether.
We initially tested the camera as casual tourists, photographing landscapes the way random passers-by would. The quality of the resulting images was definitely good, on par with the best cameras we've tested. The phone doesn't seem too bothered by differences in contrast (like the Galaxy S II), focusing well and accurately (we only blurred one or two macro shots).
The video quality is also top-notch. The iPhone 4S records in 1080p30 and the footage is clear and bright. Auto focus works flawlessly.
Overall, the camera quality improvements are welcome, but there's one thing Apple hasn't fixed: the lens placement. The lens eye is still too close to the edge of the smartphone, so errant fingers often get caught in it.
RESULTS. Can we call it the best iPhone of all time? Certainly. The iPhone 4S took the crown from the iPhone 4, became more energetic and got an excellent camera, and most importantly, did not gain weight. This is indeed the best iPhone on the market, but two main questions remain: is it the best phone on the market and which smartphone should you choose? After all, it is known that the best is the enemy of the good.
The first question is difficult to answer. If you love iOS, can afford to buy everything in the App Store, and like to swim in the Apple ecosystem, then yes, this is the best phone in the equation. If you want to buy anywhere or you like Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, MeeGo (underline as appropriate), then it is quite difficult to assess the prospects of the device. The 3.5-inch display and lack of 4G connectivity make the iPhone 4S a little conservative, which is unlikely to appeal to those who want to be on top of the technological wave.
Do you need such a phone? Well, if you want an iPhone and haven't gotten one yet, then yes, of course. The 4S will cost just $100 more than its predecessor, but will last longer because it benefits from Apple support. About the same as, for example, it has support for 3GS, while 3G is already dying down. If you have not yet encountered what iOS is in full, being its user, it is better to choose a proven option. 4S is better than “just” 4 in everything, but the letter S does not make the new generation significantly different.
Yesterday's press conference from Cupertino "Let's talk iPhone" did not live up to the expectations of many users - Apple released an updated version of the iPhone 4 called iPhone 4S, and not a completely new iPhone 5. Oh, how we wanted one with a big screen and an iron cover! But that's next time, probably.
Appearance of iPhone 4S
Despite the external similarity, it is very different from its older brother. We observed a similar situation when he took over in 2009. Then, after the presentation, many users also believed that iPhone 3GS practically no better iPhone 3G, but in reality it turned out to be completely different ().
Externally iPhone 4S completely identical to the iPhone 4 CDMA model, in which, unlike iPhone 4, The antenna design was changed. The display also remains the same - a widescreen Multi-Touch display with a diagonal of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels (). If you've seen the iPhone 4, then you already have an idea about the design of the iPhone 4S. Some graphics:
Comparison of iPhone 4S with iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4S performance
IN iPhone 4S The hardware has been completely changed. As expected, the new smartphone received a dual-core processor Apple A5(most likely with 512 MB of RAM). Let us remind you that iPhone 4 has a processor Apple A4. The graphics processor was also improved, which now works 7 times faster.
This means that productivity iPhone 4S has reached a level that, unlike first-generation tablets, works an order of magnitude faster. Thanks to the new Qualcomm chip, iPhone 4S will now be able to work in two networks at once, GSM and CDMA, however, we are only interested in the GSM standard. Unlike iPhone 4, new iPhone 4S has a redesigned antenna design, which, in addition to improving communication quality, now allows data reception/transmission in cellular networks at speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps. By the way, iPhone 4S acquired support for Bluetooth 4.0.
iPhone 4S camera
Camera in iPhone 4S simply magnificent and it is perhaps the highlight of the new generation iPhone. The iPhone 4S has an 8MP camera, as opposed to the 5MP camera in iPhone 4. In addition to increasing the matrix, which has become 60% larger, the new camera has improved optics, allowing you to take pictures in high resolution 3264x2448 and shoot video in Full HD 1080p(iPhone 4 - 720p) with automatic image stabilization.
During the presentation, we learned that the speed of preparation for shooting after launching the Camera application is iPhone 4S much higher than that Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II, RES Sensation and is only 1.1 seconds.
Several pictures taken with the iPhone 4S camera (clickable 4Mb):
iPhone 4S battery life
Despite the more power-hungry Apple A5 processor, battery life iPhone 4S remained almost the same as its predecessor.
* Talk time up to 8 hours on a 3G network (up to 7 hours for iPhone 4).
* Talk time up to 14 hours on 2G network.
* Web browsing up to 6 hours on 3G network.
* Up to 9 hours of web browsing on a Wi-Fi network (up to 10 hours for iPhone 4).
* Operating time in video playback mode is up to 10 hours.
* Operating time in audio playback mode is up to 40 hours.
The highlight of the new flagship is the personal voice assistant (popularly called “Seryozha”). Officially, it's "a smart assistant that helps you do anything just by asking." Siri is activated, like Voice Control, by holding the Home button. So far, the system understands queries in English, French and German, but support for other languages is expected soon (we hope Russian too).
As you can see from the demo video, with the help of the new voice control you can not only control various functions of your smartphone, but also voice search for the necessary information on the Internet, find out the weather in the “named” area, dial SMS, find out about scheduled meetings in your calendar and much more. .
Speaking of other possibilities iPhone 4S, it is worth noting that it has acquired a rather convenient function - mirroring mode in AirPlay ( AirPlay Mirroring), which was previously present only in iPad 2. Let us remind you that with this function, you can easily display information from your smartphone on the TV screen.
Prices and start of sales of iPhone 4S
New iPhone 4S will be available in three versions: iPhone 4S 16GB, iPhone 4S 32GB And iPhone 4S 64GB and, of course, in two colors - white and black. At the moment, prices are known only for contract models and they look like this:
iPhone 4S 16GB - $199
iPhone 4S 32GB - $299
iPhone 4S 64GB - $399
Pre-orders for iPhone 4S will begin on October 7, and the start of sales of the new product is scheduled for October 14 in 7 countries: the USA, Canada, Australia, Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan.
The second wave of sales is scheduled for October 28 and will cover 22 more countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia , Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
December iPhone 4S will be sold in 70 countries, but which ones exactly are not yet known. Maybe Ukraine will be among them?
We hope to be one of the first to get our hands on a new one so we can write a review.
* Appeal to online stores: if you have the opportunity to provide us with an iPhone 4S for testing as soon as possible after the start of sales, contact us to discuss the terms of cooperation.
Editors' opinion on the iPhone 4S
I have already voiced my opinion in the article. Here it is:
I think everything is clear here - this is business. Apple will make money on the same shoes with new laces. And nothing will happen to her for this. New clock on iPod Nano? White iPod Touch? Wow!
At the same time, I hope that Apple (Steve?) understands perfectly well what brand admirers, gadget lovers, and competitors are feeling now. There are two options. Or Apple will lose its leadership in innovation, which looks fantastic. Or the following new products will be revolutionary. Perhaps the presentation of the fourth iPhone instead of the fifth will give its rivals a head start. But well thought out.
Apple is a master at creating suspense, and this time they even went a little overboard. Over the past few days, few believed, but absolutely everyone in their hearts hoped that a truly new iPhone would be presented. But it turned out dry and without much emotion. And without One More Thing... For me, this is not a new product, but rather a systematic technical update. The processor is cool, the video is cool, “Seryoga” (they have Siri) is very good. But I don't see the point in updating. Somehow I’ll wait until the summer and the real Lets Talk About iPhone.
Apple does not change its principles and releases an updated device in an old case, which is still popular. This happened with the iPhone 3G/3GS, and this happened with the iPhone 4/4S. Those who immediately wanted to upgrade will do so very soon. Users of the “four” will be able to take their time at least until next summer and wait for a completely different phone with the coveted number “five”. At the same time, they will not lose in anything - the insides of the iPhone 4, even after the release of iOS 5, will allow you to try out all the goodies of the new firmware.
The new product itself turned out to be powerful and... that’s all. Its advantages: simultaneous operation in GSM + CDMA, a model with 64GB on board, an 8-megapixel camera and a 2-core processor. The conclusion is simple: Apple is testing out new hardware along with new iCloud services, and this year we can expect interesting software innovations from the company. The most interesting thing will happen next summer. Are you already waiting too?
Of course, I wanted a new body (thin and light) and a larger screen. The name (iPhone 4S or iPhone 5) is not important. After the presentation, there was a feeling of something missing, which was shared by all the broadcast presenters. But later I realized: the iPhone 4S is also good and I’m looking forward to changing the 4 to the 4.
In general, it seems to me that it reflects the general situation well.
Apple followed the beaten path and repeated the history of the upgrade from 3G to 3GS. I think all the most important and expected changes, including a 4" display, LTE, 4G and a super thin body, already exist in the iPhone 5 prototype, which we will see in the spring of 2012. And the release of 4S gave the company the opportunity to again offer a revolutionary idea in the form of SIRI, leaving competitors to break their spears and frantically search for an alternative.
Andrey Nikonenok (
Since 2007, Apple has released a new iPhone model every year. At the same time, the expectation scenario on the part of users does not change: there are rumors, leaks, possible characteristics are listed, concepts and “spy” photos pop up. As a result, the degree of anticipation rises so high that the final product causes disappointment for some, although it is then replaced by positive emotions.
The fifth-generation iPhone, in the minds of many potential buyers, was supposed to receive a new body, but in fact, the appearance of the iPhone 4S differs from the iPhone 4 very slightly (more on this below). But inside the phone has noticeably changed - it has a new processor, an improved camera, and GLONASS.
I felt that there was no point in doing a detailed review of the iPhone 4S with all the features inherent in iOS, since you probably already saw everything in the iPhone 4 on iOS 5, so I focused on the differences between the last two Apple phones and the advantages of the iPhone 4S.
Technical characteristics of Apple iPhone 4S:
- Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100 MHz), CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800/1900 MHz)
- Platform: iOS 5
- Display: touch, multi-touch, 3.5”, 960 x 640 pixels, 16 million colors, Retina Display, IPS, contrast 800:1, oleophobic coating, 326 dpi
- Camera: 8 MP, autofocus, touch focus, LED flash, geotagging, Full HD video recording at 1080p@30fps, face detection, video stabilization
- Additional camera: yes
- Processor: dual core, A5
- Memory capacity: 16, 32 and 64 GB
- A-GPS
- GLONASS
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 3.5mm jack
- USB 2.0
- Micro SIM
- Dual microphone, position, proximity and light sensors, electronic compass, gyroscope, dual antenna design
- Audio: AAC, HE-AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, WAV
- Video: H.264, MPEG-4, Motion JPEG (M-JPEG)
- Battery: Li-Ion, 1430 mAh
- Talk time: up to 14 hours on 2G networks, up to 8 hours on 3G networks
- Music playback time: up to 40 hours
- Operating time in video mode: up to 10 hours
- Operating time with Wi-Fi browsing: up to 9 hours
- Operating time with 3G browsing: up to 6 hours
- Standby time: up to 200 hours
- Dimensions: 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm
- Weight: 140 g
- Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
- Type: smartphone
- Colors: black and white
- Announcement date: October 4, 2011
- Release date: October 14, 2011
Design, construction and equipment
The Apple iPhone 4S comes in a small box, which in addition to the phone contains a charger unit (varies depending on the country), a cable for charging and connecting to a computer, a wired headset, a needle for the SIM slot, and documentation. The photo shows the white version intended for Canada.
If you don't look closely, the iPhone 4S may seem identical to the iPhone 4. But there are still differences, although minor. First, there is the model number on the case back. Secondly, these are black stripes separating the antenna blocks (metal rim around the perimeter). On the iPhone 4 they are located on the left and right at the bottom, as well as on the top end closer to the audio output. The iPhone 4S does not have a top strip, but there are two additional ones on the right and left ends.
The front panel is decorated with a front camera, speaker, sensors, and a Retina touch display with a diagonal of 3.5” and a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels. The traditional home key is located under the touchscreen.
The lever for switching the phone to silent mode and the volume buttons are on the left side. On the right side there is a microSIM slot. At the bottom there is a port for a docking station. On the top there is a 3.5 mm jack and a power/lock key.
Performance
The iPhone 4S uses a dual-core A5 processor with an SGX543MP2 graphics chip and 512 MB of RAM. The company does not name the operating frequency of the processor, but tests show that it is about 800 MHz. However, thanks to the A5, the phone is significantly faster than the dual-core Samsung Galaxy S 2, LG Optimus 2X and other Android devices.
The iPhone 4 uses a single-core A4 with SGX 535 and 512 MB of RAM. The new iPhone 4S boots up significantly faster. All applications also open quickly (although this is not to say that the iPhone 4 is somehow “stupid”). There are already several games for the smartphone that take advantage of the potential of the A5 and offer a more interesting picture (Real Racing 2, for example, supports reflections and glare on cars).
The intelligent voice assistant function, although it can work on other iOS devices (found out thanks to folk craftsmen), is still officially intended for the iPhone 4S. Unfortunately, in Russia it is practically useless: the Russian language is not supported, navigation search for the country does not work. I was fascinated by this service for about 30 minutes, since it’s hard to use it in English - it doesn’t understand Russian names, and sending messages in English (to subscribers previously renamed in English) is somehow awkward.
When Siri comes to Russia, then it will make sense to study it thoroughly.
Dead grip
The iPhone 4 suffers from a “death grip” – if you hold the bottom left side of the case, the cellular signal will weaken. The iPhone 4S corrects this problem with an improved antenna design:
Camera
The iPhone 4S uses an 8-megapixel module with a larger f/2.4 aperture (f/2.8 for the iPhone 4), a hybrid IR filter and multiple lenses. In low light conditions, the phone takes better pictures than the iPhone 4, and color reproduction is more accurate.
Comparison between iPhone 4S (left) and iPhone 4 (right):
Comparison between iPhone 4S (left) and Samsung Galaxy R (right):
Comparison between iPhone 4S (left) and Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo (right):
Comparison between iPhone 4S (left) and Nokia N9 (right):
Comparison between iPhone 4S (left) and Nokia N8 (right):
As you can judge from the examples, the new Apple phone easily lays claim to the laurels of the most advanced camera phone.
