iPhone 4S Review – And Internal Observations

 

First Thoughts:

Yay, Siri…. Finally you can tell me where to hide a dead body, or where to find a rehab clinic, or even tell me what you are wearing. “Siri, Why is my battery dying so fast?” Siri “I do not know”. So the iPhone 4S is Apples latest addition the iPhone family, and it is more like a genetically advanced clone of its cousin, the 4. The new A5 Dual Core processor is pretty snappy, you can definitely tell a difference between the 4S and its previous brethren. Apps load faster, the screen somehow scrolls more smoothly (who knew that could even be possible?) And of course you have the addition of our little digital companion, Siri. Look wise, the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 are identical except for the placement of some of the antenna divider lines on the aluminum mid frame. Oh and.. and… the battery… it sucks. It dies really fast compared to any other iPhone. I do not even have to use my phone all morning, from a full charge, and when I look to check the percentage of battery left, it shows around 60% after just a few hours off the charger.

 

Is it Worth it?

If you are anything like us here at CellSmart, then yes it is absolutely worth it just because it is the latest version of the iPhone. As tech lovers we need our phones fresh, and up to date. Last years model is just that. In reality though, if you are a regular user of the phone, then no it is not worth it. Siri is very cool, do not get me wrong… but is it something you are really going to use on a daily basis? To me it is one of those things you use for 3 weeks and the feature will begin to taper down into forgottenness. Your gonna show alllll of your friends how you can ask it all kinds of dumb stuff, and everyone is gonna be jealous of your little friend, but how long will that really last? The dual core processor is great, as is the new enhanced graphics engine. But is the early upgrade from an iPhone 4 to the 4S really worth saving a few seconds when loading an app? I do not think so. Lastly the new iPhone 4S antenna system where it automatically switches antennas on the fly, is actually pretty damn good. This may be the best reception iPhone I have had to date, and I can say that after using it since the day it came out last month. Is it a make or break feature though? To Some maybe, but I do not advise you to get a new phone just based on my personal experience with my iPhone 4S upgraded antenna. Lastly the new 8MP camera with the ability to record 1080P video. It is a really really nice camera, and the video it can record does look amazing. It has face detection when taking snap shots now, and the ability to hit the volume button to take a picture is possibly the best thing Apple has ever done with the camera. Truth be told though, people still all seem to have point and shoot cameras…. they are lessening these days with these kinds of mobile phone upgrades, but currently, people still own cameras. So if you are about to go pick up an iPhone 4S to upgrade from your iPhone 4 for the camera alone, save your upgrade, save your $450+ dollars, and go buy a point and shoot for the year. Honestly the differences between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S are subtle at best. If you are packing an iPhone 4 right now, take care of it, replace its battery, and let it last you until the future iPhone 5 comes out next year.

 

Internal Observation:

An AT&T iPhone 4 and a Verizon iPhone 4 had a child, it would be the iPhone 4S. After first taking the two 5 point pentalobe screws out of the bottom of the phone, and sliding the familiar back cover off to expose the insides, you are greeted with…. what looks like a polished up Verizon iPhone 4. You can instantly see the EMI shield that looks similar to that of the one on the CDMA iPhone 4, except the one on the iPhone 4S is now silver, and has some slightly changed screw holes. The battery is in the same location, except they changed the connector on it, for what reason I have no idea. It has the same small circular flat rotating vibrator as the Verizon iPhone 4 as well. The Loud speaker and 3G antenna on the bottom looks just like the one in the iPhone 4. After further disassembling of the iPhone 4S insides, everything matches up to the Verizon iPhone 4, except the addition of the Sim card tray and some very subtle differences. The Frame of the LCD Screen assembly, is like a hybrid of the Verizon iPhone 4 and the AT&T model. The right half of the frame is identical to the AT&T version, while the left side is that of the Verizon, and it has the top left screw tab in the spot of the Verizon model. The back cover of the iPhone 4S is almost identical, to the old iPhone 4 back cover, except with the addition of additional reinforcement holding in the Camera lens, apparently that was thought of as a problem for by Apple? The iPhone 4S is basically a GSM capable Verizon iPhone 4 with a SIM card tray, and a few subtle engineering changes, which I am not sure if they are for functionality, or pure aesthetics based on Apples philosophy.

 

Final Thoughts

Is this a great phone? Absolutely, as is every phone that Apple has made so far. Truthfully nothing out there comes close to this, or even the iPhone 4 currently. I am not a fanboy of Apple neither, so I am writing this from an unbiased standpoint. I have tried different Android phones over the last year, ranging from the Motorola Atrix 4G, the HTC Thunderbolt 4G, and a Samsung Galaxy S II. All the hardware on these devices were decent, and Android is a great operating system, but I just felt that they were not “finished”. The iPhone 4S is a wonderful phone if you are coming from the iPhone 3G or 3GS, or any other smart phone in a move to iOS. IF you have an iPhone 4, and your not an insane app hoarder, or do not require the newest device just to have it, then the upgrade is not all that worth it.

 

If you do decide to go with the iPhone 4S, it will definitely break from a small mistake, it is only a matter of time. We at iPhone Repair Long Island do repair the iPhone 4S, it takes about 25 minutes to do the repair. We have the iPhone 4S repair parts in stock as well so there will be no delay in getting your phone repaired and back in action.