Apple iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 specs comparison

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Apple iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 specs comparison
Today marked the most drastic change in the story of the Apple iPhone - its screen just got bigger! Granted, 3.5" was fine when it took off in 2007, but as smartphones started to increasingly become our "window" to both work and play, the size of that window inevitably grew bigger, and Apple is now syncing in with the times.

While keeping the general feel and appearances of its last two predecessors, the iPhone 4/4S, which were virtually identical, the iPhone 5 also got the usual third year redesign, with fine aluminum plate on the back, instead of an all-glass chassis, making the body much thinner and 22% lighter than the 4S, and that's despite the larger screen.

We also got a brand new, smaller dock connector, which can be outfitted with adapter for those existing accessories, and a smaller nano SIM card. In terms of internals, the new iPhone also got a 2X beefier processor and graphics subsystem, a better camera, plus that all-important multiband LTE radio. Oh, we forget the most important thing - a 5th row of apps has now appeared, and some apps are upgraded to take full advantage of the 4" display. As for the others - they will appear with black bands on the sides.

Have a peak at how the new iPhone stacks up against its 4/4S predecessors in the table below, and tell us whether you consider it an worthy upgrade.


DesignApple iPhone 5Apple iPhone 4SApple iPhone 4
OSiOS (6)iOS (5.1, 5)iOS (5, 4.x)
Dimensions4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm)4.54 x 2.31 x 0.37 (115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm)4.50 x 2.31 x 0.37 (114.3 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm)
Weight3.95 oz (112 g)
the average is 4.1 oz (118 g)
4.94 oz (140 g)
the average is 4.1 oz (118 g)
4.83 oz (137 g)
the average is 4.1 oz (118 g)
Display


Physical size4 inches3.50 inches3.50 inches
Resolution640 x 1136 pixels640 x 960 pixels640 x 960 pixels
Pixel density
326 ppi330 ppi330 ppi
Battery


Talk time 14.00 hours
the average is 9 h (529 min)
14.00 hours
the average is 9 h (529 min)
Stand-by time9.4 days (225 hours)
the average is 20 days (479 h)
8.3 days (200 hours)
the average is 20 days (479 h)
12.5 days (300 hours)
the average is 20 days (479 h)
Talk time (3G)8.00 hours
the average is 7 h (405 min)
8.00 hours
the average is 7 h (405 min)
7.00 hours
the average is 7 h (405 min)
Stand-by time (3G)  12.5 days (300 hours)
the average is 21 days (514 h)
Music playback40.00 hours40.00 hours40.00 hours
Video playback10.00 hours10.00 hours10.00 hours
Capacity  1420 mAh
Hardware


System chip
Apple A6Apple A5Apple A4
Processor
Dual coreDual core, 800 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9Single core, 1000 MHz
Graphics processorYesPowerVR SGX 543MP2Yes
System memory

512 MB RAM / DDR2 (800 MHz)512 MB RAM
Built-in storage16 GB16 GB16 GB
Camera


Camera8 megapixels, Immobile8 megapixels, Immobile5 megapixels, Immobile
FlashLEDLEDLED
Aperture sizeF2.4F2.4 
Focal length (35mm equivalent) 35mm 
FeaturesBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Video stabilizer, Face detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), PanoramaBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Video stabilizer, Face detection, Geo taggingBack-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital zoom, Geo tagging
CamcorderYesYesYes

1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1280x720 (720p HD) (30 fps)
FeaturesVideo callingVideo callingVideo calling
Front-facing cameraYes0.3 megapixels VGA0.3 megapixels VGA

Technology


CDMA
800, 1700/2100, 1900 MHz800, 1900 MHz 
GSM850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE700 MHz Class 13, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz  
DataLTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRSHSDPA 14.4 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, EV-DO Rev.AHSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE
Micro SIM nano SIMYesYes
Global RoamingYesYesYes
Positioning
A-GPS, GlonassA-GPS, GlonassA-GPS
NavigationTurn-by-turn navigationYesYes

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