Apple, now would be the perfect time to reimagine the iPhone 4s

What made the iPhone 4s great anyway?

And was it Siri or just the parts that allowed Siri to live there rent-free?

A lot of us tech enthusiasts hold the iPhone 4s in high regard, and — given that we’re typically too busy defending our own hills, dedicated to specific brands and manufacturers — this has to mean something.

The iPhone 4s was an improvement over the iPhone 4, which was already a great flagship for its time. Some of you might've always suspected this, but back in 2012, Tim Cook actually confirmed that the “s” in “iPhone 4s” stands for Siri, because that was the device on which the voice assistant first made its debut.

We’re all used to AIs and smart assistants nowadays, but back in 2011, Siri gave us a real taste of the future, allowing users to interact with their smartphone in an entirely new way. I mean, she was just as silly back then, trust me: but it was impressive all the same.

Obviously, such a novel concept required more horsepower too, so the iPhone 4s packed other refinements too:

• A more powerful dual-core A5 processor
• A high-resolution 8 MP camera, capable of taking photos and videos in 1080p
• More storage and improved battery life

I mean, could you need any more reasons to get another phone with a truly ageless chassis and a state-of-the-art retina display?

Honestly, no. And here’s the kicker: I mean that in present tense too.

I remember the iPhone 4s in a very specific way: capable, durable, sleek. It allowed me to do everything I could need, much like a techno-swiss-knife. Sure, I couldn’t take high-detail moon shots with it, but I could make memories, and post them online and talk with my friends, even play a game now or then.

And that’s about all that most of us need a phone for, right?

iPhone 4s II: a Phone

That’s it really, and it’s enough

Oftentimes I feel like we’re all caught up in these new, yet not-quite-interesting phone categories. We’ve got gaming phones, performance phones, small phones, flagship phones, midrange phones — something that most of us still can’t get calibrated on — and, of course, camera phones.

And here’s what I find to be the absurd bit: despite our overall ambition to improve that initial one-phone-to-rule-them-all concept, we somehow managed to discombobulate it into ten or so oddly specific categories.

I mean, every company would tell you that its phone could do all of that. But we all know that some of these phones are just better at some of these things, and that’s part of the fun. I don’t think that anyone should take that away.

And this is where my concept for the iPhone 4s II comes in: it’s a compact phone that allows you to do everything you need to do on a daily basis. Just like before, but updated to make the entire experience better.

This is also where I circle back to that initial list of improvements, indicative of the jump from the iPhone 4 to the 4s: we pretty much need the same upgrades:

• A small-ish phone with a sleek, timeless design
• An upgraded camera setup, possibly a dual setup including a regular and a Ultra-wide camera. 12MP with a newer sensor sounds about right
• An upgraded chipset, A18 would be splendid, but I think that we can even afford to go lower
• A bigger battery, of course
• Larger storage and memory configurations
• A USB-C charging port too

Naturally, not all of this will be instantly achievable and some compromises will have to be made. In order to stick to the concept, though, I think that Apple would have to prioritize the small form factor over everything else.

Yes, this theoretical phone wouldn’t be the ultimate one to watch movies on, but most of us have bigger screens at home anyway. It won’t be the perfect device to play Resident Evil 4 (the new one, not the nostalgia-inducing iOS demake that is lost to time) on either, but I’ll be honest: I feel that games like 1-Bit Survivor or Pokemon Go are more suitable for phone games anyway.

Still, a marginal increase in size would likely be required, in order to allow for all components to fit in the first place, especially the battery. But hey: that would also mean a bigger screen, which I’m sure that some of you would appreciate.

Oh, wait, I almost forgot the most important bit:

The Home Button Stays

No matter what

I think that Home buttons, in general, represent a certain era of technology. While I can’t quite say that it was the “golden age”, I can say that most of us have fond memories of certain design aspects. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sometimes, you just can’t beat tactile sensation.

But it’s not about paying homage to the original design: it’s about sending a message. It’s about combating smartphone fatigue and the candybar design that has been so prevalent in recent years. It’s about having a solid phone, not one that tries to also be a gaming console, a TV, a supercomputer, a desktop PC, a media editing suite, a telescope and a thermometer.

If my little thought experiment were to come true, it would take a real life Home button in order to sell the fantasy of a phone being just a phone. Even that last part, in a way, is an understatement itself: even back then, phones weren’t just phones, but maybe not all of us need smartphones to be all of these things at the same time.

What that leaves us with is the image of the iPhone 4s II: a phone that…

• Would remain true to its name and let you use a revamped Siri
• Would have two cameras on its back, that won’t blow you away, but will let you take great shots and clips of all the things that matter to you: friends, family, events and keepsakes
• Could last you a full day’s worth: no more, no less
• Would let you do all the things you need on a daily basis: browsing the net and social media, streaming music and video, and even playing some casual games
• Features a Home button: clicky at first, then softer as it sinks deeper to get you where you need to go: to your phone
• Is reliable: it gets the job done: fast enough, good enough and consistently

Yes, this phone won’t be a Galaxy S25 Ultra rival or challenge the iPhone 16 Pro Max in terms of camera capabilities, and it won’t feature RGB lights or a folding screen. But I think that, if Apple were to make it, it could just end up being a flagship killer, precisely because it would do exactly what the iPhone 4s did back in the day: be a phone that can do some other cool stuff too. Because honestly, I think that a lot of us would like exactly that right about now.

Now, on to the real question: should a theoretical iPhone 4s sequel have a 3,5mm jack?