Let's get this out-of-the-way first: If you were expecting a mind-blowing revamp with the iPhone 4S, you may be disappointed. Everything about its industrial design will be familiar -- it sports the same gorilla glass front and back, the same 3.5-inch-sized Retina display and a similar-looking metal band surrounding it.
That's why some, like The Huffington Post, found the announcement "hugely disappointing." Where was the larger screen? What about the oft-rumored teardrop design? Where was the iPhone 5? Many of us became so preoccupied with rumors, wishlist features, unfounded mockups and the number attached to the name that they ignored what the 4S was and harped on what it wasn't.
Part of that may be due to Apple (AAPL) itself. If you haven't noticed lately, it's been on a roll. The iPad exploded the virtually nonexistent tablet market, selling 14.7 million units during its first year on the market. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to report record Mac sales. On both fronts, the company has rather aggressively updated, first with the iPad 2 and then with the new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs. In both areas, the company has innovated far enough ahead that its competition is still trying to catch up. Given all that activity, expectations for the newest iPhone were at an all-time high.
The 4S's look isn't a bad thing -- it's just very familiar. And if you're happy with it, you won't be alone. The company reported sales of more than 4 million units during the smartphone's first three days, 135% more than the launch of the iPhone 4 last year. That already flies in the faces of some analysts who predicted users might skip this upgrade and wait until next year. Haters will say the 4S design is more of the same, but let's face it: there are few smartphones that make a visual statement quite like the iPhone 4's -- and now the iPhone 4S' -- even now.
What's inside
As earlier reviews suggested, the real changes reside within the 4S's familiar chassis including a dual-core A5 processor, 8-megapixel camera and 1080p (a.k.a. HD) video recording capability. (Apple loaned us the $399 64 GB iPhone 4S in white.) For our reviewing purposes, we'll focus on what's unique to the 4S, and while iOS5 with its updated notifications system and iCloud support mark a major software upgrade, its availability on some older iPhone models means it'll be less of the focus here.
With that dual core processor -- similar to the one in the iPad 2 -- you'll obviously notice a speed increase, more so if you're upgrading from an older phone like, say, the 3GS. The difference between the two should be night and day. If you're an iPhone 4 owner, it's less a jolt and more of a speed bump. Apps generally launch faster and zip along, and more graphics-focused programs like Maps respond instantly as you zoom further in on street blocks. (Games like Infinity Blade 2 will better show off the 4S' new graphics power in the coming months as they are updated to take advantage of the hardware.) Web pages, overall, load more quickly whether over 3G or WiFi, and there's little-to-no lag as you tap away on the virtual keyboard.
There's been a lot of talk about the new 8-megapixel camera, which reportedly captures more light and provides sharper images. It's even been suggested that it could replace many dedicated point-and-shoot cameras. We wouldn't go so far as to tell you to put that $250 camera on eBay, but the 4S consistently took brighter, clearer photos in sunlight than any previous iPhone before. Images taken in the evening also turned out better, with sharper definition of objects and overall less graininess, as you can see below. A faster shutter speed with the high dynamic range (HDR) option off makes shooting a breeze. Unfortunately, the front-facing camera doesn't fare as well: it's still the same fuzzy, low VGA resolution.
