Apple iPhone 4S vs iPhone 4 head-to-head

All eyes were on Apple last week as it announced the iPhone 4S, so here's our initial thoughts on how it compares with the iPhone 4. Although the latest iOS device has left some Apple fans and analysts disappointed, key upgrades have been made to the processor, camera, storage and software, which should ensure that the device remains the most popular smartphone on the market.

The iPhone 4S looks exactly like its predecessor but is 3g lighter. Apple has stuck with the 3.5in Retina display, and this isn't exactly a bad thing seeing as the iPhone 4 has such a high quality 640x960 resolution and 326ppi.

While outwardly nothing has changed, it's a different matter under the hood. The 4S is powered by the same A5 dual-core chip found in the iPad 2, an upgrade from the A4 single-core processor found in the current iPhone 4. Although Apple has not confirmed whether the 4S has the same 1GHz clock speed, the manufacturer claims that the phone delivers up to twice the power and seven times faster graphics performance than its predecessor.

The other major hardware upgrade is to the phone's camera. The 5-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4 has been bumped up to 8-megapixels. It also has a bigger aperture of f/2.4, the illumination sensor has been improved and there's additional face detection.

When it comes to video, the camera will be able to shoot in 1080p as opposed to 720p, with additional video stabilisation that the iPhone 4 doesn't have. Apple rather cheekily claims the iPhone 4S might "have the best camera ever on a phone", but we're sure that Nokia and Sony Ericsson will have something to say about that.

Compared to the iPhone 4, the camera is a reasonable upgrade but the enhancement only brings the iPhone up to speed with current specifications on competing devices.

There's been an improvement on the storage side, too. The iPhone 4S offers up to 64GB of internal storage, which is twice as much as the biggest iPhone 4. The iPhone has never had a memory card slot for expansion so this will help user who require more space, especially as video can now be stored in 1080p. Apple will also provide 16GB and 32GB models.

After the furore around "antennagate", Apple aims to lay its receptions woes to rest with the 4S, claiming that the device can automatically switch between its two antennas for better call quality. The 4S doesn't have LTE technology but it does have upgraded HSPA connectivity, which means improved 3G speeds of 14.4Mbit/s compared to 7.2Mbit/s. This speed is possible in theory but will vary depending on network, especially in the UK.