Bought 4S last week...need advice

[bparkerson04]

I switched from Sprint to AT&T last week, and decided to come back to iOS. I went ahead and took advantage of the new prices on a 16gb 4s versus getting a 5 (which was out of stock). I am typically the type of person who always has the latest and greatest, but I am on the fence about this.

I don't have as much expendable income as I used to have, and I am trying to change that side of myself (always having to have the latest and greatest). I really like the 4s so far, but I am worried about its longevity over two years, and performance degradation with future iOS updates. Was getting a 4S over a 5 a bad decision? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and opinions.

 

[talon90]

The 4s is a great phone. I've had mine since launch day at it is great on iOS 6. Still running like a top while I wait for my iPhone 5 to get delivered the end of the month. My wife will then be getting the 4s.

 

[Tattooed Alex]

I upgraded from a 4 to a 5 and I had my 4 for about 25 months. I didn't have Siri or the upgraded camera, but I was still quite pleased with the performance of the 4 after 2 years. Do you have LTE in your area? This could be a deciding factor for you. Nothing worse than not being totally satisfied with your purchase, but you have decide if is worth another $100.

 

[bparkerson04]

Well, I found a best buy mobile store in my area that had a 16gb 5 in stock. I went ahead and picked it up.

 

[Booyow1204]

Well that was quick! I'm like you and I don't rave over the newest technology so much now (I'm not too advanced anyway) you made a good choice w/the 5 as its a great phone. I love mine so far. If you stuck w/the 4S you would still have had a great phone.

Apple has set a trend for not aging out phones as fast as other makers do (e.g. Android).

Best example I just laid down my 3GS when I upgraded to the 5. Currently it was still offered the latest update and still performed (battery life was degraded by plain age as the phone is from 2009) but it still worked and didn't lag.

I stick w/Apple vs. Android as there's no crappier feeling that there's better phones out there on the same platform a few months after you shell out a lot of cheddar for a new one.

 

[ivantwilliams]

The 4s is a great device. But having LTE in my area is my selling point, period...


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[Rafagon]

I don't have as much expendable income as I used to have, and I am trying to change that side of myself (always having to have the latest and greatest). I really like the 4s so far, but I am worried about its longevity over two years, and performance degradation with future iOS updates. Was getting a 4S over a 5 a bad decision? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and opinions.

I think that if you are concerned about performance degradation with future iOS updates, that alone would have been a splendid reason to get the 5. You can find plenty of 5 vs. 4S comparisons online, so I'll let you Google those, but here's the first one that came up with a quick search:

http://www.ijailbreak.com/iPhone/iphone-5-vs-iphone-4s-vs-iphone-4-geekbench/

You are trying to change your current MO about needing to have the latest and greatest. Had you opted for the 5, then sure, you would've had the latest and greatest right now, but then you could've gotten cozy with your 5 because of its rather significant increase in speed over the 4s. Also, you would've had an iPhone with the latest and greatest screen size, and next year, you probably wouldn't be disappointed, because Apple isn't likely to do another screen size change in only a year's time. The 5 also has LTE, which is relatively future-proofed (how much faster can the next cellular standard be? And would anyone really need it faster for the time being?).

You also mention a current situation involving diminished expendable income. IMHO, this is another reason for having gotten the 5. If you get the 5 now for an additional hundred bucks (16GB model), then who knows where you'll be in two years?