The first thing that strikes you about Apple’s latest smartphone is how it is virtually indistinguishable from its previous model. the iPhone 4S is a dead ringer on the outside for the iPhone 4.
But once you start using it, the differences are clear, and in some cases dramatic. It’s noticeably faster overall, and the Safari Web browser is jaw-dropping in its speed.
The much-vaunted Siri is interesting, but not quite as impressive as I’d hoped. while the feature – which combines voice recognition with artificial intelligence in to a “digital assistant” – is interesting and has potential, I can see why Apple labels it a “beta.”
I got the opportunity to play with a black, 16-gigabyte iPhone 4S for a couple of hours this afternoon. while that can’t compare to using it day-to-day, I got a good feel for the differences between it and the iPhone 4, which I use now.
Here are some initial thoughts:
• the iPhone 4S has the same A5 processor, developed by Apple, as the iPad 2. As a result, it’s more responsive than the iPhone 4, something you notice almost from the start. Apps open quickly, and tasks are performed almost instantly.
For example, iPhone 4 owners know that the Maps application can take some time to draw a calculated route, even after getting the data it needs from the network. here, routing happens almost immediately.
• the phone’s impressive performance is overshadowed by that of the mobile Safari Web browser, which simply blew me away. iPhone 4 and 3GS owners know that the Safari can be balky, particularly as pages are still loading, and if they have lots of images and javascript.
The 4S’s browser scrolls through these pages very smoothly, more like a desktop than a mobile browser. Note that this same browser is included in the iOS 5 upgrade available to iPhone 3GS and 4 owners, and it’s also faster on those phones . . . but not like this. Whoa.
I ran a Sunspider test on my iPhone 4 and the 4S. the iPhone 4 came in with a result of 3336, while the 4S clocked in at 2206 (smaller is better).
• the 8 megapixel camera yields impressive images, though I didn’t have time to test it in all kinds of lighting conditions. you can see the difference in the two shots of this purse below. the one on the left is from my iPhone 4, the right is from the 4S. the 4S image has more detail, though I think the color is a little truer in the iPhone 4 image.
• I linked the iPhone 4S to the iCloud account I’d set up with my iPhone 4, iPad and Macs. When I did, all my contacts and browser bookmarks appeared on the 4S, without me having to do anything. When I took photos on the 4S, theyt quickly appeared in the Photo Roll on my iPhone 4.
What was particularly interesting was how iCloud helped with messaging. I sent my lovely wife a few text messages using Siri on the 4S, and when I looked in my Messages app on my iPhone 4, those text messages – along with her replies – were there, too.
Bonus: They also showed up in the new iOS 5 Messages app on my iPad.
• Because this was an AT&T iPhone 4S, I was anxious to see how well it did on the telco’s HSPA+ network. Apple and AT&T claim it’s twice as fast as traditional 3G phones, but I didn’t see that. Data connections just outside the Chronicle downtown were about what I’d expect for 3G – around 2.6 Mbps down and just under 1 Mbps up. I walked a block away and get slightly better download speeds – about 3.5 Mbps – but nowhere near the 14-Mbps the 4S is allegedly capable of.
I hope to try another 4S around town in the future to see what kind of speeds I get.
• and then there’s Siri. I really had high hopes for this feature, and while I won’t say they were dashed, it’s obvious this is a work in progress.
Siri worked quite well when I stuck to very basic tasks. I could tell it to send a text message, look for restaurants, find movie theaters, check the weather. Siri understands context, so if you ask for more information without being specific, it presumes what you mean from your previous queries and answers accordingly.
What can throw Siri, though, is if you shift gears. For example, I asked for directions to a location in Houston, and it gave me that. I then asked Siri “how far away is the Andromeda galaxy?”, hoping to see its connection to the Wolfram-Alpha knowledge engine. however, because I’d just asked about street directions, Siri told me how to get to something called Andromeda nearby.
The Andromeda I meant, of course, is much farther than Harwin Drive . . .
Siri would be great for hands-free uses in the car – sending and receiving texts, playing music, getting directions. But Apple’s clearly got more work to do.
Before I tried the iPhone 4S today, I was considering buying one, just for Siri. But using it brought me down to earth. I’ll stick with my iPhone 4 for now, and figure Siri will be ready for me with next year’s iPhone 5.