At last, there's a new iPhone in town. The iPhone 4S is the latest iteration of Apple's popular smart phone, and while it looks just like an iPhone 4 on the outside, it packs some surprises on the inside.
A5 chip
Apple's own A5 chip is a dual-core affair Apple reckons will make the iPhone 4S seven times faster than the iPhone 4. Apple showed off the 4S gunning the cutting-edge Infinity Blade 2 to prove its computing prowess.
Despite chewing through polygons at a rate of knots, Apple's confident that having that extra power won't impact the battery. 8 hours talk time and 9 hours of Wi-Fi browsing is what we can expect, apparently.
The iPhone 4 had some embarassing antenna woes that meant it dropped signal when held. Fingers crossed the 4S fixes those issues -- the new wireless system inside the phone should allow it to switch between different antennas to improve call quality.
Calls on the iPhone are rubbish in general, so anything that makes them a bit better is welcome. We're looking forward to testing that feature when we give the 4S the full review treatment.
8-megapixel camera
There's a new camera in tow, too. The 4S has an 8-megapixel snapper that will capture snaps at a resolution of 3,264x2,448 pixels. That's a step up from the iPhone 4's 5-megapixel affair. Face detection is also in play, and a new sensor will apparently let in 73 per cent more light than the iPhone 4's camera.
The camera handles 1080p video recording. Impressive, though Android smart phones already offer that.
Big it up
The iPhone 4S has a feature called AirPlay Mirroring, which lets you output the phone's video to a big TV, so you could play games on a massive screen, or gather the family around to show off your agonisingly cute holiday snaps.
The iPhone 4S will come packing Siri, a new voice-control feature that lets you bark orders at your mobile like, "What's the weather like today?"
We're excited to try out the new features in the iPhone 4S, but we have to admit it's a fairly minor upgrade to the iPhone 4. Will it be enough to keep Android off Apple's back? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 17
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anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:36
I wouldn't be disappointed if this was all announced in June.. But those extra months made me think the wait would be for something better, a new design mainly.
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:40
what a joke. we waited so long and we basically got the same phone. only a 8 megapixel camera and a dual core procesor and that it??
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:42
It's a shame all those months waiting for the same s**t.... does anyone knows when htc is planning replace sensation??
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:45
Wot no iPhone 5??? All the hype has left this keynote flat.
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:45
Well, let's see whether CNet can make us remotely excited about this...
Seriously, the best part of 18 months and they come up with... a slightly better camera? What on earth would possess anybody to go 4S when you could have a 4 with iOS5?
Still, all the "wonderful"s and "a-whole-new"s and "incredible"s will keep the press happy. If this was Nokia or Samsung, would you care?
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:47
march of the droid!
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:50
Good news for Windows Phone and Android. Apple disappointing the public will let them truely overtake the iphone.
So much hype and so little delivered.
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:51
All the waiting around for a phone that is out-of date already before launch! Better than its previous models, but not that much different to warrant any excitement at all. Bit of a let down. Still going to get one tho.
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:53
Gutted. What's Johnny Ive been doing the last 2 years? Hello Nexus Prime!
anonymous 4 October, 2011 19:54
yes but this Siri stuff looks amazing
anonymous 4 October, 2011 20:01
what a missed oportunity and costly mistake from apple i can see samsung google and co rubbing there hands with glee
anonymous 4 October, 2011 20:09
I think LG has had the same phone out for 8 months LOL
anonymous 4 October, 2011 20:15
Apple are now behind in the smartphone market with regards to technology. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of Apple fan boys and girls will rush out to buy the 4s which will make it very popular that said, if my dog had a poo and Apple stuck their logo on it then I believe some appleite will buy it. Android is way ahead, no wonder Apple is sueing everyone!
Sebastin Seraspe 4 October, 2011 20:21
i was planing to get the iphone 5 but its iphone 4s since i have iphone 4 nothing changes. i changing to android, im getting the samsung galaxy note.
anonymous 4 October, 2011 20:22
Did Apple just buy a third-party app (Siri), then yank it from the App Store at 5pm today and flog it as a "new feature" for the "new phone"?
Honestly, apart from a slightly better camera (which even on the Nokia N8 can't get close to a standalone), is there any reason on earth to buy this if you have an iPhone 4?
anonymous 4 October, 2011 20:31
To whoever thinks this siri stuff is amazing, google voice search anyone?
anonymous 5 October, 2011 09:04
I'm sure that Google will come up with something way better than SIRI :xD, even though google already has G voice search :). March of the Droid,
Comm'on Goolge....Crush them !!!!