Is the iPhone 4S Disappointing?

Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S at a press conference earlier today. Physically, it resembles the CDMA iPhone 4, but there are many changes under the hood. Additions include a faster processor, an improved camera, and Siri voice controls. While some of these new features are undeniably fantastic, there are some iPhone fans that wanted more. Some fans wanted a bigger screen, a new industrial design, and a 4G radio. What do you think? Was the iPhone 4S a disappointing announcement? Or did Apple do enough to stand out from the crowd?

As for me, I’m excited about the new camera and I always welcome a better processor…but I’m definitely disappointed in the product. I was positive that an LTE radio wasn’t in the works this year, so no worries there. Staying with a 3.5-inch screen is the big turn-off to me. Don’t get me wrong, in terms of image and (especially) text quality, Apple’s vaunted “Retina Display” is outstanding. That said, 3.5 inches is not enough (that’s what she said!). I would have loved an iPhone with a bigger display and a higher resolution. Before the end of the year, there will be Google Android phones that sport 720p resolutions on screens 4.3-inches and larger. I’ve gotten used to the size and usability of larger screens ever since I used the HTC Evo 4G. It’s tough going back.

Now it’s your turn! What do you think of the iPhone 4S? Are down to buy one? Or are you disappointed?

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

101 thoughts on “Is the iPhone 4S Disappointing?”

  1. I am disappointed in the lack of a bigger screen. I would've taken the plunge if it had a bigger screen. Rpad does it supporting hspa+? I was confused by the slide that they showed.

      1. I saw the bar graph on the slide they were touting it had hspa+ I think only the download speed was faster but the upload speed was still the same. It was another area where I was disappointed.

    1. That's definitely a huge deal, but not for me. The CDMA EVDO rev. A radio is just too slow. It's nice that it can function as a world phone, but personally I prefer having home and away phones. You know, like sports jerseys.

  3. Disappointed. I guess Siri is their answer to people who say a touchscreen device can feel too cramped on 3.5. Overall I think this is a very lame device. I do not understand such an incremental upgrade from a device over 1.5 years old. The A5 is nice but has been shipping since earlier this year.

    Overall: Yawn

  4. i dont know if i want to buy one of these, I desperately need a new phone, but i dont know if its my best option on sprint….(because my california connection wont answer any of these questions i have….shakes fists)

      1. lol…i dont like that answer, i get 25 percent off from every major carrier through UPS, so i can get the unlimited plan from verizon for 81 bucks..maybe ill do that, but from what i hear, unlimited there isnt really unlimited…i dont know. The good thing is that im a free agent, so when i see a phone that i absolutely have to own, i can

  5. Very disappointed. I secretly always want Apple to impress me, but instead they are always playing catch-up. Spec-wise the SGS II is better. I would have thought they would have bumped up the iPhone4S to "4G".
    3.5" screens do seem too small now days. I feel like that size is reserved for Feature Phones now days

    Still waiting to see the iPhone 5.

    Hoping to buy the Nexus Prime when it comes out.

    1. What specs are better on the SGSII? CPU performance is probably about the same considering that iOS is more optimized than Android. The PowerVR GPU in the 4S is faster than the Mali 400.

      1. True on the GPU and yeah the CPU is a toss-up
        SGS2 has x2 the RAM of the 4S
        SGS2 supposedly weighs less (but since the 4S isn't out who knows for sure)
        SGS2 has a much larger display with higher contrast ratios but less dpi
        No telling on the cameras without a direct comparison.
        Most importantly the lack of HSPA+ 21. I started getting up to 12Mbps down and still holding at 1Mbps up. Huge difference in 3G and "4G"

      2. The RAM wasn't revealed by Apple, but most think that it's 1GB to support Siri.

        A lot of the other things you mentioned are legitimate concerns, but I wouldn't classify them as specs.

        The camera should be better than the GSII's. The lens and sensor are better.

        I'm not really disappointed in the 3G radio. The difference between HSPA+ 14.4 and HSPA+ 21 isn't a big deal compared to what LTE offers. Nobody expected 4G this year.

      3. The internet speed of a Captivate vs the Infuse is the only thing I was going on. A friend was over yesterday and we ran so side-by-sides on Speed Test app. His highest was only 3.2Mbps down and ~0.3Mbps up. That seems like a HUGE difference.

      5. My friend is using the Samsung Captivate.

        And I understand there is a huge difference in LTE and HSPA+ 21, but once speeds get just so high you can't actually tell a difference anymore. Pages can only loaded just so fast.

        Also looking back at your HTC Thunderbolt tests show the only REAL difference is the Upload speed. 13.4d / 27.74u & 16.31d /27.77u & 13.55d & 32.34u compared to my 12.23u / 1.10d I don't know that I would notice that all. Upload is maybe 10% of my monthly data usage.

      6. The Captivate is HSDPA 7.2. I'm not sure why you'd compare that to the iPhone 4S' radio.

        As for LTE, you would absolutely notice the difference. LTE offers better pings and upload speeds. Both of those make a big difference when you're doing anything on the Internet other than a straight download.

        You also can't use my numbers to compare yours. It's not like I was testing in your neighborhood. That doesn't paint an accurate picture.

      7. I compared the 2 radios because I had no idea there were so many iterations. The iPhone 4 gets the exact same speeds on tests as the captivate so I figured they were similar.

        I used your numbers because yours are the only ones I have seen. When I looked up LTE vs HSPA+ speeds I saw at most 5Mbps for LTE. So I used yours because they were higher and you tested in cities MUCH larger than mine.

        also I'm not sure what a low ping number should be on mobile, but mine resides just at and under 100ms.

      8. The 4 and the 4S have different radios. I don't see why you'd use an old radio to make any sort of comparison with the 4S.

        5Mbps is way low for LTE. Most of the numbers I've seen are above 10Mbps.

      9. Not one article I have read has mentioned them having different radios. That would be why I did that.

        I knew 5Mbps was WAY too low I just can't find much data on the real life speeds anywhere.

      10. My coworker gets up to 30 down in NOLA with the Bionic.

        I find that Samsung has radio issues at times. I'm not sure if it is a software issue or cheapest hardware. Example, an EVO on sprint is getting better speed results than the new GS2. Amongst other cases I have observed from friends and coworkers alike. Granted this could be antenna or firmware but I've also seen ppl with Fascinates move at different speeds.

      11. Very strange. A lot of sites showed the slide from the presentation where it showed the 4S at 14.4 and the 4 at 7.2. It's also easy to find LTE Speedtest results from big sites.

      12. You, Engadget and TomsHardware didn't mention the radio change in the articles I read so I didn't know.

      14. Again not in any article I read. Wouldn't have matter anyway because I had no idea what radio the iPhone 4 had and that slide doesn't make a reference to it.

        Back to original point it is still behind HSPA+ 21.

      16. That is 2 completely different thing, noticing and being significant. This entire thing came about because of specs. Numbers only. But no I honestly don't think anyone not running a speed test would notice a difference in HSPA+21 and LTE currently. Anything over 10Mbps loads pages almost instantly. So at a certain point you reach increased diminishing returns and that is what LTE speeds currently are for everyday browsing. Sure it looks nice on a speed test but by now means is it noticeable.
        Incremental steps at the lower end ARE more significant that large steps at the high end.

      17. Well, you're just flat-out wrong in this instance. I already told you that download is only one factor. Ping and upload have a noticeable impact on anything you do on the Internet that's not a straight download. Most Internet activity involved data going back and forth. Download speeds are only part of the equation. It's definitely noticeable when browsing a desktop-designed site that's hitting multiple sources for data, like most sites do.

      18. haha this is laughable. Ping differences on a phone looking up websites measured in milliseconds DO NOT MAKE MUCH DIFFERENCE. Upload is a small fraction of internet usage 10% (15 at most. Engadgets full site is 2187KB down and 243KB up ) for everyday users. Most peoples phones are already faster than their home internet so NO nobody is going to notice 10Mbps compared to 30Mbps on loading Facebook or a full desktop site. A straight download IS the only time you'd notice. Not a person in this world can tell the difference in 100ms ping vs a 50ms ping.

      19. It's not laughable when you actually understand how web sites work. A single ping isn't noticeable, but when you ping 10 or more sources per site, it absolutely is. You think accessing a web site only pings one source? Do you understand how increased upload speed benefits download efficiency? I'm honestly surprised that you don't get this at all. I guess it's like the other points where you're just lacking information.

        Next, your statement of, "Most peoples phones are already faster than their home internet so NO nobody is going to notice 10Mbps compared to 30Mbps on loading Facebook or a full desktop site," is wrong on several levels. Most people? Definitely not. Additionally, your ignorance of how the Internet works shows again. I get faster download speeds on Verizon LTE than on my home connection, yet my cable modem loads web sites faster. That's largely because of ping and upload speeds.

        Anyway, your original point of the GSII having better specs than the 4S is mostly wrong. In most cases, the 4S wins out. In some cases, it's a matter of preference. In very few cases does the GSII have better specs than the 4S.

      21. Well looks like I WAS RIGHT, The iPhone 4S is INFERIOR.
        512Mb RAM
        800MHz dual-core
        And the GPU is only faster on off-screen rendering.
        Larger screen on SGSII
        SGSII is thinner and lighter
        Faster internet speeds

        Let me guess those aren't specs?!?!?!?!

      22. Thinner, lighter, and larger screen aren't cases of having superior specs. That's completely user preference. Not hard to understand.

        CPU you're basing off of what? Clock speed? What cross-platform CPU benchmark is there? It's difficult to compare CPUs that are running different operating systems when one is hardware optimized and the other isn't.

        Browser benchmarks like SunSpider and BrowserMark show the iPhone 4S has a sizable advantage.

        GPU you're wrong. There are numerous test at GLBenchmark.com that show this.

        So basically you're right about 1.5 things. The RAM, which doesn't mean much because it's not a direct comparison. And slightly faster Internet speeds. HSPA+ 21 vs. 14.4 isn't much of a difference.

        If you think that makes the iPhone 4S inferior then knock yourself out. You really don't have a rational explanation.

      23. Do you word things to purposefully be condescending?
        Thinner, lighter and larger screen are the current trend…."not hard to understand".
        CPU is based on clock speed 800Mhz vs 1.2GHz…..which is what I said originally SPECS.
        And of course you are going to down play the RAM. I'm sure if the iPhone had more RAM you'd say it was a huge difference. Point is IT DOES HAVE MORE RAM. I don't care if it makes any difference, that wasn't what I said.
        Again with internet speed it doesn't matter if 21 vs 14.4 is much difference THERE IS A DIFFERENCE again that was my entire point.
        You can try to throw out what ever you want. "Spec-wise the SGSII is better".
        Whether or not the components work better together or which phone will be faster or better was not what I said….I just said SPECS.

      24. Stop trying to make it personal. You do this every time you're wrong.

        I said you were right about the RAM. Again, though that would mean more if they were running the same software.

        You should know better than to compare CPUs based on clock speed. That's not how it works. They're different chips. This is very, very basic.

        Spec-wise you're wrong. Most of your comparisons don't make sense.

        You keep saying the 4S is inferior but you make arguments based on poor logic and numbers that you don't understand.

      25. I take it personally but I know I shouldn't because you being a condescending ass is in your blood.

        I know what I am talking about here. You can't ever admit defeat to anyone even if you are clearly wrong. But usually it is because you twist everyone's words to fit your need to be right. Clearly we have diverged from my original comment.

      26. So you're stooping to name calling. That's a sign of a weak mind and a weaker argument. I asked you twice not to make it personal, but you can't make the distinction between attacking ideas and attacking people.

        There's no point debating your caveman logic if you're not going to be respectful.

        Last time you made it personal, you rage quit a WordFeud game and de-friended me on Facebook. Grow up.

      27. Hmm not so much name calling as calling you out on how you treat your readers.

        You talk down to people on a regular basis. You do it more so when you get into an argument and start changing people's original meanings.

        My argument isn't weak you have skewed it to favor your opinions.
        You take one example and repeatedly use it out of context in an effort to redeem your side and that sir is weak.

      28. Actually, you'll see several examples where I showed what a weak premise you had. You ignored the points made about GPU, CPU, and the subjectivity of form factor.

        I don't see how an intelligent person would argue against benchmark results, compare different CPUs solely based on clock speed, and think that subjective forms factors are hard specs. That makes zero sense.

      31. Ah. What did you want something more along the lines of your maturity level like: "Is not, is too, is not, is too" or "I'm rubber and your glue…"

        I was just pointing out that most of your comments are directly attacking my intelligence and you say Don't take it personally.

      34. And as far as last time goes. What did you want me to do? You tell a reader that supports you and your site that he is ruining it?!?!? Why would I have wanted to continue to converse with you if you consider me a burden? So me grow up?!? I am pretty sure cutting ties with someone who tells them that is being grown up.

      35. I didn't and don't want you to do anything. Rage quitting and Facebook de-friending isn't something I typically see from other adults. Anyway, this is completely off topic now. It's done.

      37. Ha! That's funny…and also another case where you don't know what the hell you're talking about.

        So you didn't rage quit in WordFeud last time you were acting up? Selective memory.

      38. I was acting up. lol. What are you my parent?
        And no t wanting to associate with someone who is very clearly being an ass is what most people do. This right here of back and forth is being childish.

        I may not know why you got fired but if you were my employee and treated customers like you do, you would get a 2 second notice and you'd be out on your ass. Its called interpersonal skills. Stop hiding behind a computer all day and learn to interact with people.

      40. Additionally, off-screen GPU tests are much more meaningful than other synthetic benchmarks. You're comparing two phones with different native resolutions. More importantly the tests are capped at 60fps. Those results only mean something if the phones are running at the same resolution.

        Look at the description of off-screen tests:

        "Off-screen measurements: all high-level scenes are also rendered off-screen, with the same 1280×720 pixel resolution on all devices. This method provides apples-to-apples performance comparison for the embedded GPUs."

      41. LOL. Apples to apples on a resolution that can't be reached by either phone. Yeah it makes a lot of sense to use that.

      42. That's actually the best way to do it. It puts the GPUs on an even playing field and gets a truer measure of their capabilities. That you're laughing at it shows that you don't understand how benchmarks work.

      44. I need to see NFC to know if I'll use it. With banks looking to begin monthly fees for a debit card I could see NFC gaining ground by not having fees. We'll see though

        For what it's worth I agree that the AMOLED on the GS2 is better than the iPhone retina display.

      1. i love all those hitler reacts videos..the video about hitler's reaction to terrell owens joining the bills was das shit

  7. It seem to me that Apple is playing catch up in terms of the iPhone's guts. Dual core processors are now the standard for smartphones.

    1. Sure, but dual-core processors aren't the same. I don't know of any phones (yet) that can match the iPhone 4S' GPU. Of course I fully expect it to be eclipsed in two or three months.

      1. Your absolutely correct big guy, but for people not in the know, if they don't see dual core, then a flame war ensues. I remember when people were trying to tell me the that the G2 was faster than the (damn I cant remember the name of phone now I'll call it phone x) phone x (or maybe it was the other way around) because it was a dual core, not knowing that the phone with the single core processor was actually faster. Now that I think about it, you might have been the one to put me on to the way processors work, including dye and such.

  11. iPhone 4 pre-orders hit 600,000 in the first 24 hours. It looks like the iPhone 4S will easily eclipse that. 200,000 for the first 12 hours on AT&T alone.

    1. Do you think a lot of those pre-orders have anything to do with people having some sort of "remorse buying" because of the death of Steve Jobs? Some people may feel that buying the new iPhone would be like paying tribute to the man.

      -M

      3. I have a 3G model, but I won't upgrade until the iPhone 5 comes out (under Sprint) and/or my current handset completely craps out on me.

        -M

  13. The HTC Sensation XL is superior to the Galaxy S II because it has a 4.7-inch screen. It's bigger and that's the trend, therefore it's universally better. The Samsung Focus is superior to the Galaxy S II because it's lighter. That's the trend, therefore it's universally better.

    I honestly believe the GSII is better than both of those phones, but these claims of superiority can be made when you use poor logic.

    1. HAHA now you are just grasping at straws, you will twist anything to fit your agenda.

      Did I ever say that just ONE aspect made a phone better than another? NO just did and that is just asinine.

      1. Not grasping at straws at all. I'm just pointing out how dumb it is to claim that bigger screen sizes and lighter weight are cases of having better specs. A better GPU benefits all users. There's no disputing that. That's a case of a "superior" spec. It's objective.

        Size and weight are subjective, which for some reason you don't understand. Some people like phones in the four-ounce range and others like something in the six-ounce range. Some people prefer the usability of a 3.5-inch screen and others prefer the visibility of a 4.-5 inch screen.

        As for having an agenda. Please stop trying to make it personal. You were wrong about most of your points and I tried to correct you. I attacked your ideas, not you. Try to learn the difference.

    1. I never said it didn't sell well. A phone that sells well is popular, not a trend. 1 manufacturer doing something does not a make a trend. When almost ALL of the the big names are doing the same thing…..that makes it a trend. And that would be thinner, lighter with larger screens.

  15. "ALL of the big names" make phones in different form factors. The Amaze 4G just came out and not particular thin nor light. By your flawed logic, that makes it an "inferior" phone. The Samsung Stratosphere is heavy, thick, and doesn't have a particularly large screen.

  16. I made valid points. Side by side on paper if you didn't know what brand you were looking at the SGSII would win hands down every time. Typical Apple Fanboism can't see that.

    1. GPU: Wrong
      CPU: Wrong
      Form Factor: Subjective

      This is like the fourth time I brought this up and you have yet to make a valid counter. Instead you call me names and talk about my layoff. Again, that's a sign of a weak argument.

      How about build quality? Few people would choose Samsung over Apple.

      I've never been called an Apple fanboy before. That's a new one. Will I burst into flames for having three Android phones and a tablet?!?

      1. Are you serious on the CPU? On paper you see 1.2Ghz and 800Mhz and you choose 800. Seems logical to me. I'm wrong.

        Yeah build quality is something that shows up on paper. Nice, alter what I said again to suit your needs.

        Oddly because your were given a bunch of products doesn't mean you'd buy them. You defend Apple at ever turn = Fanboy

        BTW from earlier you never said I was right on the RAM (selective memory). You said it didn't matter that is had more.

      2. Do I really have to explain that you can't judge chips based on clock speed alone? That seems so basic. I'm actually a bit stunned that you think this is the case. It does not work that way. As a Samsung fanboy, you should know this. The 1.2GHz Exynos is more powerful than the 1.5GHz Snapdragon S3, yet the latter is clocked at a higher frequency.

        Build quality was a question. I didn't alter anything you said.

        It's great that you know which products in my home I've bought and I was given.

        I said you were right on the amount, but in real-world terms it doesn't matter. Read this and learn:
        http://gizmodo.com/5848683/why-iphone-4s-only-has…

      3. You can judge a PHONE based solely on clock speed, the average consumer does it everyday. I know how clock speeds work. I didn't say in real life which is better I said solely based on specs.

        Build quality was never brought up until just now and it isn't something that can be put on paper and it is subjective anyway. I don't care for the way the iPhone is built for a purely engineering and function perspective. I liked the build quality of my Captivate and of my Infuse 4G, I didn't care for Sprints or Verizon's version of the SGS, they felt cheap.

        Um you tell us all the time you are given crap.

        Again I don't care if in real world performance 512Mb vs 1Gb makes any difference. I never I said numbers.

        So again, side-by-side on paper the SGSII is superior. So here is how this works. This is my opinion, deal with it.

      4. It's not "better" in terms of specs. That's pure ignorance. They're different chips. The average consumer doesn't give a crap about any of that. The smart consumer knows better than to compare CPUs based on frequency alone.

        So build quality is subjective, but weight and size aren't? That makes no sense.

        I tell you when I get things I report on. I almost always have to send them back. I don't write about everything I buy.

        Your argument is just as bad as it was originally. If you were objective then you'd see that both phones have different advantages. Believing the SGSII is superior is a sign or being ignorant or being a fanboy.

      5. I guarantee the average smart phone consumer that looks at phones doesn't know anything about CPUs being different chips and only looks at clock speeds.

        OMG you are too funny, you just keep on putting words in my mouth. Yes build quality is subjective, are you saying it isn't? And yes weight and size PREFERENCES are subjective too. BUT, and here is the kicker, you CAN NOT put on paper build quality of a phone. YOU CAN put the size and the weight on paper making the data OBJECTIVE.

        You write at the end of nearly every article "Tell me what you THINK" but you don't actually mean it. You want people to post things that coincide with your line of thinking and people's opinions about things are meaningless and wrong. If you don't want people to comment just say that. If you want specific comments please post them so we can copy/paste them to your liking.

      1. Funny last time this happened you informed me that it was ruining your site. Why is it different now???? Because it suits your needs this time.

      2. I was joking with Sandrock. That's what that emoticon at the end means. I actually believe you are ruining the site today. It's not fair to the other readers.

    2. It isn't a war about who is correct any longer. Its now about Ray changing what people mean to fit what he wants people to say.

      2. No I know I am just comment to "ruin" your site some more, since apparently that is all I know anything about.

    1. If I were you I would not respond to this message. It may turn into a bigger deal than it ever was meant to be and he will somehow make you into the good guy but make it seem like your the bad guy. Also there is a possibility that you will unknowingly forfeit a match or two.

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