Apple iPhone 4S vs iPhone 5, worth the upgrade?

Diangson Louie September 13, 2012 · 1 min read

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Apple has released its best iPhone ever — the iPhone 5. Obviously, it has a more attractive build and beefed up specs. But how is it totally different from its predecessor the iPhone 4S? Let’s find out by pitting the specs against each other.

As you can see, the iPhone 5 is taller, thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S. But the size of the iPhone 4S can be an advantage for those who prefer a shorter device. The same goes with the display but most would probably opt for the iPhone 5’s 4-inch.

To round it up, the iPhone 5 has twice the RAM, twice the CPU clock speed, longer battery life, more camera features, better front-facing camera, faster download speeds, smaller semiconductor size and smaller but better Lightning connector.

What do you guys think? Are these the upgrades you’re looking or something better?

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Diangson Louie

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This article was written by Louie Diangson, Managing Editor of YugaTech. You can follow him at @John_Louie.

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159 Comments

tsktsk · 14 years ago

bakit ba kayo nagagalit sa mga may gusto ng iphone? may nagagalit ba sa inyo kung gusto niyo ng ibang brand? kakatawa naman kayo. mga pinoy talaga tsk tsk.

Jayson · 14 years ago

I’m an iPhone 4S user and I love my phone. I’m not going to upgrade to the iPhone 5 though. And really? We’re talking about getting an iPhone because it’s a status symbol? It’s hardly one nowadays when a LOT of people have iPhones and probably just like it for what it does and not think about showing off. Granted it is at the top of the heap in terms of price but not outrageously above other brands’s flagships.

maxx · 14 years ago

If you are more into the specs and flexibility, go for an s3. If you are pasosyal, a social-climber club member or the one who can really afford? Then by all means get an ip5! Go! Lol

Raha Sulayman · 14 years ago

Okay lang naman talaga bumili ng iPhone because of brand loyalty. Huwag na sana ipilit ang mga baluktot na hirit kesho design is unparalleled o ecosystem is great or I have money to burn. Tunog tanga lang ang dating.

In the end, the iPhone 5 really is not worth the hype and the selling price. Talo na sa specs, hindi pa price competitive. Apple is not really raking awards in design either. Nokia is.

That is just the truth. So iTards, huwag magalit sa katotohanan.

Mayaman din ako. I do have the money to burn. Pero I have the brain not to burn that money.

booboo · 14 years ago

It’s a better decision for iPhone 4 users to upgrade to iPhone 5. For iPhone 4s user: better wait for the iPhone 5s or 6. After all, it’s the iOS 6 that matters, which will be available to most iPhones.

A6 chip has no huge difference to A5 chip (iPhone 4s), better upgrade your old A4 chip (iPhone 4) to maximize the wonders of the new OS.

lito · 14 years ago

Sana naman magisipisip na ng apple na iunlock all the old iphones tolal wala naman na sila pakinabang sa luma eh di give away nalang sana ang unlock. and one thing more the only purpose of being have a phone is more on txt and call and internet, there are many more camera more tha that of the iphone 5.

Kendra · 14 years ago

for me, i’m not that satisfied with the improvements except for its camera and. i just really hope that it can really take better shots at night against my reliable xperia neo phone as my backup cphone camera at night. but as for market value-wise, i’ll upgrade because yes i’ll buy a diff brand but i can only resell it almost half the price in less than six months time unlike iphone.

adrian · 14 years ago

I think it’s a worthy upgrade. Definitely worthier than from 4 to 4s. My contract will expire this May and I would definitely get the Iphone5. I think for 90% or more of the people who get the iphone they get it because it’s an iphone. Not about specs. My wife, mom and almost all my uncles, aunts doesn’t even have the slightest idea what dual-core processor, LTE, retina even size of the screen or what an app is yet all are using iphones. It’s like getting a car. You don’t buy a Mercedes or BMW for specs or practicality. You buy them for being a Mercedes or BMW.

smack_tj · 14 years ago

It’s worth it to upgrade to iPhone 5 or to stick to iPhone 4S. The important is the features of this can provide the daily activity of people who using it.

Dazed_32 · 14 years ago

My iPhone 3GS post-paid plan contract with Globe will end this coming October. I think the iPhone 5 is a reasonable upgrade. :-)

phil · 14 years ago

hahaha this article made me laugh.. he must be eating his own words now..

http://www.callingallgeeks.org/38549/heres-why-the-iphone-may-always-have-a-3-5-inch-display/

“Apple thinks that a mobile phone touting a display larger than 3.5″ is actually useless”

rslimjr · 14 years ago

Yes. I believe it is worth it to upgrade to the iPhone 5, regardless if you’re coming from the 1st generation of iPhone or the 4S. I don’t think Apple could have done a better job at making the new iPhone. It has twice as much of power and speed than the 4S (and please take note, the 4S is a still a very, very fast and powerful device). They also succeeded in improving what is arguably the best 8MP camera on a phone there is (the one in the 4S). In terms of the screen, retina levels (ppi) remain the same despite the slightly bigger screen. They did not opt to add more width to the device so going 4 inches diagonally (in screen size) is pretty much the max that they could go before it would look “weird”. Overall, it may be what people expected it to be in the end but isn’t that a good thing? I mean, people were buzzing that the new iPhone’s gonna be like this or that and now that it is exactly what they wanted it to be in the first place, they suddenly don’t like it? I just find it funny. :)

I’m not siding with Apple on this, but this is just my opinion. I’m not even an iPhone user. I have the Samsung Galaxy Note and Lenovo P700 – both great devices that I love having and using. :)

cxian · 14 years ago

tough decision: Lumia 920, Note 2 or next Nexus

Les · 14 years ago

For me its worth the upgrade and for those who don’t own an iphone, now is the time to own one.

Here are my reasons:

1. front camera is now 1.2MP, super clear facetime and skype calls for me

2. 1GB RAM means i’ll be able to use more apps/features(multitasking)

3. larger screen means less stress for my eyes

4. LTE for super fast mobile internet, this will benefit me coz i use video calls a lot

don’t upgrade if you’ll just use it for emails, facebook and twitter

Nick · 14 years ago

Hey Les,

Your reason for getting the iphone are soooo lame.

You know why?

Here are my reasons:

1. front camera is now 1.2MP, super clear facetime and skype calls for me – THE GALAXY S2 HAS a 2MP FRONT CAMERA

2. 1GB RAM means iâ€™ll be able to use more apps/features(multitasking) – WTF Apple just now???? SAMSUNG STARTED THIS A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO

3. larger screen means less stress for my eyes – HELLO???? THE S2 has A WAAAAYYYY BIGGER SCREEN

4. LTE for super fast mobile internet, this will benefit me coz i use video calls a lot – LTE IS ALREADY BEING OFFERED BY SONY and SAMSUNG. HECK i think even HTC has em.

You’re OBVIOUSLY AN APPLE ZOMBIE – DUMB AND MINDLESS

mau5trap · 14 years ago

That’s his opinion, chill lang. lol

Hate on the REAL blind and dumb iPhone users. (Yung mga pang status symbol lang iPhone nila.)

lyxtian · 14 years ago

What if i told you that all of your reasons are inferior to SGS3? plus SGS3 offers NFC,Opensource,etc.

Les · 14 years ago

Ang tatanga ninyo, pakibasa nga yung Title ng article! Tinatanong ba dito ang Samsung or Android? mga bobo!

guyrony · 14 years ago

It’s not worth it if you’re coming from 4s. The changes are minor that you are better off keeping the 4s for now.

However, if you are coming from Iphone 4, then that might be something of a prospect.

Jeremiah · 14 years ago

somebody should sue apple for the 4″ screen !!!

Benchmark · 14 years ago

I am not a fan of apple iphone but after reading alot of tech news andseeing some leaked pictures of it before the release made me feel bad about it, coz the trill is all gone, unlike the time of Jobs which there are few leak photos of it, the trill iand excitement os there.

Zo · 14 years ago

great. aside from the .5″ added and couple of hours of batt life, i won’t be missing much if i don’t get the iphone 5. i’ll be lurking around TCP waiting for people to sell their 4s for a really good deal and get it. Make it my backup for my nexus.

yobong. 4s pang backup lang. LOL so much for innovation, Apple.

Grover · 14 years ago

Actually its not the thinnest

there are three phones that take the thinnest title

Huawei Ascend P1s
Oppo Finder
Fujitsu Arrows F-07D

all of those measure 6.7mm in thickness

Thinnest iphone perhaps then yes. but still they are going to sell a lot for sure because of their brand name.

pero pag may common sense ka at practicality…pwes sa presyo niyan may mas maganda ka pa mabibili

itabi mo na yung nakapaglalaway na design, piliin mo functionality at flexibility para sa pera mo lol

Marcelino · 14 years ago

There’s nothing new here.

4″ screen? A LOT of phones with AMOLED, Bravia, IPS-LCD have done it.

Panorama? Matagal na sa Sony yan. 3D Sweep Panorama, that is.

Thinnest? The Motorola Razr is still the thinnest smartphone, with 7.1mm at its thinnest part.

There’s nothing revolutionary here.

Now to answer your question, I don’t think so. I might as well stick to my iPhone 4S.

JL · 14 years ago

I’m super disappointed of this latest iphone. kulang sa innovation. No wonder samsung + android will hit the market!

tristan james · 14 years ago

If you are loyal apple fan, its depends to you if you want to upgrade to the newest smartphone, even the iPhone 5 is the latest line in Apple smartphone they consider that the user can use of all the features of it. Even though some people says that this latest smartphone of Apple is not so high-tech is some features they consider that the people who will able to use it can use it all.

Brando Braganza · 14 years ago

Utang na loob! Tagalugin mo nalang! sumakit ulo ko sa Inglis mo brad!

Marcelino · 14 years ago

I’m not really a grammar nazi, but hey, sumakit ulo ko sa English mo.

HAHAHAHA panalo

Justin · 14 years ago

Hahaha! Korek! Tristan James, go back to school!

Alexandria · 14 years ago

gosh ang sakit sa ulo ng english mo kuya!

Ryan · 14 years ago

haba ng sinabi mo kuya. 2 comma at 2 period lang nkita ko. nahirapan tuloy ako huminga sau. hehehe

cxian · 14 years ago

Filipino naman tayong lahat. Pwede naman po magtagalog. okay lang yun.. hehe

leeto · 14 years ago

Sino may paracetamol dyan? Sumakit ulo ko at nahihilo pa ako. Please help me……

metre9dmt · 14 years ago

why is apple doesn’t follow industry trend to use micro-usb connector? their lightning connector is so proprietary. wake up apple.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31322_3-57511687-256/apples-dock-connector-change-is-awful-dont-kid-yourselves/

Kulam · 14 years ago

Some,if not all, Eu countries requires following the Micro USB charging standard. Apple made a work-around by offering micro usb adapters to their Lightning chargers.

deadmau5 · 14 years ago

More adapters sold, more cash acquired :)

bayanpages · 14 years ago

Some say that the best thing about the iPhone 5 is the battery life, but to me its still a disappointment. Maybe I’ll wait for the next iPhone when they’ve really improved the battery life given it has LTE capabilities and retina display.

Jayvee · 14 years ago

Get the Galaxy S3. It’s a product of REAL innovation. Apple is losing its ability to innovate; reason enough to start hitting the competition in courts. The iPhone 5 is a HUGE disappointment, unless your main objective is to flaunt. So shallow!

metre9dmt · 14 years ago

Apple iPhone5: 4 inch screen? LTE? Overhype. Still expensive

STAYING WITH ANDROID 8-)

ali · 14 years ago

it is always worth the upgrade.. it will make you look more handsome specially on your neighborhood, snatchers and holdapers..lolz..seriously no!!

johnfortich · 14 years ago

With such great phones out in the market, this is such an insult if one actually buys it. Heck it be crazy even to tolerate Apple if one even buys this for an upgrade from current iPhone 4 or 4S. Might as well wait for iPhone 9, maybe 3 more rows of icons will be added. Geez.

NemOry · 14 years ago

Not a worthy upgrade. go get a Lumia 920 or 820.

Gerard · 14 years ago

This completely sums up the apple fanboy mentality :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdIWKytq_q4

Gerard · 14 years ago

Not really worth the upgrade. Looks cheap and awkward, from a design sense.

tmcr7 · 14 years ago

if you’re a sheep, yes.

johnfortich · 14 years ago

This is a funny phone intended for zombies.

deuts · 14 years ago

If you’re too much into customization and hacking the phone, then no –> go to Android.

But if you’re more into functionality, simplicity, reliability, and just works, then yes — worth the upgrade. After all, it’s a different form factor, unlike from iP4 to 4S.

tduysoo · 14 years ago

i think the article is asking if its worth the upgrade from 4s to 5 and not its not asking if you’ll get the iphone 5 in general. :)

chinitoguy · 14 years ago

Of course it worth the upgrade! A 4-inch iPhone is a big step. Bigger screen the better. But if compared with the new Samsung Galaxy SIII and the Nokia Lumia 920 it is still small. Sana 4.3 inch nalang and that will be a WOW factor for Apple. For those who are Apple fanatics out there better get this one.

But personally, I never liked any Apple products. Sure its very smooth to operate, its user friendly and it adds up to your style. It makes you belong to the “IT” crowd as they say. But ever since I find Samsung and Sony attractive. Even before Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007 and Nokia was still the reigning leader then, I find Sony Ericsson and Samsung very nice and useful. It makes me feel different from the usual Nokia crowd. Many things changed since then. Samsung and Apple are the new Nokia crowd.

I still find Samsung the better phone maker especially with the Galaxy line up – Galaxy SIII, Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Note 10.1. But there’s something in the former Sony Ericsson, now Sony Mobile, really unique. I’m ending up owning a Sony product. Now I own two Sony Bravia LCD TV, a 4-year old Sony Cybershot camera, and my new Sony Xperia Sola. When it comes here, I’m planning to get the new Sony Xperia Tablet S.

Bottomline, its a matter of preference. But I strongly suggest if you own an older iPhone and good timing your contract with Globe or Smart is about to expire, time to renew it and get the iPhone 5.

Sonofa · 14 years ago

well, I’m going for the ipod touch… sana ma hack na agad so it could be tether thru bluetooth using a blackberry…

gabriel · 14 years ago

Sana gmate din pra mag function as a phone tipid…. pra sa katulad kung cnt afford iphone5

ceegii63 · 14 years ago

coming from from a 3GS yes

coming from a 4 or 4S no

Lumia 920 forever!!!

wilde · 14 years ago

Agree with you.

phil · 14 years ago

“a 3.5″ is just the perfect screen size of a smart phone. anything greater than that is just a complete waste”

whoever said that or to that extent must be eating his own words by now.

apple now plays the catch-up game.

screen size, lte, panorama..

next year would be nfc, burst shot and a lot more

John · 14 years ago

except that….

NFC? wala pong nfc ang iphone 5.

LTE? good thing na dahil sa iphone 5, pinamamadali ang LTE dito sa pinas. look at globe and smart.

Panorama? if you watch the event, they clearly set a standard again. hindi kasi sya katulad ng panorama sa mga phone ngayon na pangit ang kalalabasan at mahirap gamitin. meaning, kahit paiba iba ang light sa lugar, hindi magiiba yung light sa picture. etc etc.

on topic..

NO. ip4S is the same with iPhone 5 just bigger.
i believe na ok parin ang A5 chip. pero kung sa ip4 ka, ok mag upgrade since A4-A6 is a huge leap.

natatawa nalang ako sa mga taong nagsasabi na walang bago sa iphone kasi mukang iphone parin na pinahaba. LOL

young · 14 years ago

hahaha, naaalala ko yang linyang yan! nakalimutan ko lang saang post at sino yang ganyang comment..
nakadepende sa ilalabas ng apple ang standard niya, im sure, “above 4″ is a waste” na ang linya ng mokong na yun.

bing · 14 years ago

i’d rather get the new iPod touch and it’s a big improvement over the previous model

Manny Cavalier · 14 years ago

Nope. I was disappointed. I want to see something that wasn’t there yet from any Android phones. This will be the best time to get 4S, incase you haven’t had one yet, Expect 4S prices to go down once 5 is available. I still prefer 4S and I’d rather wait for the next iPhone. :-)

kit · 14 years ago

you are buying a fone based on what other’s don’t have? is it a form of boastfulness? what if there was a fingerprint unlocking mechanism in there, you’re sold at that? just be mindful of what are your NEEDS. i mean, this is a follow up to a very great fone and they are making a leap out of that fone! there are people who look on the superiority of one device to another and not making any conclusive information because they didn’t have the device, which is obviously you of course.

neeeyo · 14 years ago

upgrade?

if you’re a fanboy, YES
if you want to look rich, YES
if you want to impress people around you, YES
if you’re really rich, as in with real assets and good net worth not just a collection of credit cards, YES
if you’re smart, ….