X
Tech

Apple introduces the iPhone 4S

What's new in the iPhone 4S?
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

So we have a name for Apple's new iPhone, and it's not a new integer.

Apple has unveiled its new iPhone - the iPhone 4S. Yes, that's right, not the iPhone 5. Here's everything you need to know about the iPhone 4S!

  • Two colors: Black and white
  • Three capacities: 16GB, 32GB and a new 64GB flavor
  • Three prices: 16GB for $199, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399
  • Pre-orders start October 7, shipping October 14
  • Weight up 3 g to 140 g!
  • Each handset is combined GSM and CDMA. Also, 14.4Mbps HSPA (up from the 7.2Mbps of the iPhone 4)
  • Dual-core A5 processor
  • Improved antenna
  • Updated 8 megapixel (3264x2448 resolution) rear camera (up from 5 megapixels on the iPhone 4) featuring improved light sensitivity and featuring 5 lens elements and 33% faster capture (faster than the HTC Sensation, Galaxy S and Droid Bionic)
  • Faster camera
  • Video recording up to 1080p (from 720p and 30fps) with image stabilization
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • Talk-time battery life up to 8 hours (up from 7 hours for the iPhone 4) BUT standby time down to 200 hours (from 300 hours for the iPhone 4)
  • Siri voice control ... seems cool but only time will tell how good this actually is
  • Siri supports - English (U.S., UK, and Australian), French, German
  • iPhone coming to the Sprint network
  • iPhone 4 down to $99
  • iPhone 3GS free

In other news ...

  • iOS 5 out October 12 ... free to all (iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch 3rd/4th gen) - Features list here
  • Revamped iPod nano (multitouch screen, new clock faces ...), starting at $129
  • Updated iPod touch ... added white ... price starting at $199

[poll id="690"]

Also:

[poll id="691"]

Bottom line ... unless the Siri voice feature really is a killer feature (and I'm not convinced it is), the iPhone 4S is aimed at those folks that either don't have an iPhone or have an iPhone 3GS or earlier. This was, as I expected, a minor product update. A speed bump. The iPhone 4S is to the iPhone 4 what the iPad 2 was to the original iPad.

[poll id="692"]

Editorial standards