iPhone 5S: worth the upgrade? (vs 4S)


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I currently have an iPhone 4S. My battery is wearing out, I can replace it.

However, I also read that the hardware of the 4S hardware isn't actually made for iOS7 in terms of lag, battery life etc.

Is the latter true? Can I better get the new 5S? Or just replace the battery?

The 4S suits me well, not really needing all features of the 5S. The point of hardware incompatibility of the 4S with iOS7 kinda "worries"' me for the replacement of the battery.

What should I do?

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I have the same issue. I think a 4S is still a great phone. You may have to charge it more often and it may get a bit hot, but it still handles everything you throw at it. I charge it every night when I sleep.

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I will get it retail price/Apple online, so not with a plan. Basically that means for the 32GB version 799 euro.

Still a huge amount of money, but I like Apple and Android/GS4 etc is no option.

Plus, I invested heavily in the App(le) eco-system and hate to see this money go down the drain...

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I will get it retail price/Apple online, so not with a plan. Basically that means for the 32GB version 799 euro.

Still a huge amount of money, but I like Apple and Android/GS4 etc is no option.

Plus, I invested heavily in the App(le) eco-system and hate to see this money go down the drain...

 

I bought my phone outright... $860 up-front, but if you think about the 3-year plans they offered at the time, I actually saved $50 by buying and going on a monthly-to-month plan. About the slow-down... I would disagree. Sure it doesn't have the latest chip and gyro but its still bloody fast. If yours is slow, consider a complete re-install.

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I already did a complete reinstall last week and restored my iCloud backup.

I went to the Apple Store, they checked my battery and found no issues.

They thought some app might drain the battery and with a reinstall it should go away. Apparently not.

So, my battery drain might be (internal) hardware and other chips related. And that's why I am cautious about replacing the battery. Especially when the other phone internals might be damaged/causing this battery leak.

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Buy GS4. period.

 

 

Let's not post a useless comment to a thread which asked about upgrading to the iPhone 5S, not any other phone.

 

--

 

I'm in the same boat, but the 5/5C/5S have nothing that I'm interested in. I enjoy my 4S with it's jailbreak. But I'm sure once an iOS 7 jailbreak comes out then I'll want to upgrade. I use to upgrade every year but that slowed down once the 5 came out.

 

My friend's wife had the iPhone 4 and updated it to iOS 7 and had nothing but problems, so she upgraded to the 5S.

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(...)

 

My friend's wife had the iPhone 4 and updated it to iOS 7 and had nothing but problems, so she upgraded to the 5S.

 

Looks like there's two here :cry:

(although in my case it's the 4S)

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Is it "true" about the older 4S-hardware and iOS slow down?!

Yup.

 

iP4 and 4S just don't run as well on iOS7.

 

I replaced a 4 with a 5s due to iOS7.

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Personally, I jumped to Samsung Note 2 from 4S and the sheer screen size of Note 2 is worth to forget about my investments in Apple eco system. The 4S still remains in my house but gets ignored and looks like a small joke. Mind you iOS 7 runs perfectly on 4S.

I myself wouldn't mind going back to iOS device if the screen size is minimum 5.0".

If you want to upgrade, consider screen size from 4.5" to 5.0" to be the only criteria. So waiting for iPhone 6 is highly recommended.

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Yup.

iP4 and 4S just don't run as well on iOS7.

I replaced a 4 with a 5s due to iOS7.

And is there a noticeable difference in usage, battery life, speed etc on the 5S?

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Yup.

iP4 and 4S just don't run as well on iOS7.

I replaced a 4 with a 5s due to iOS7.

Wrong. iPhone 4S runs as smooth as 5S on iOS 7.

It's the iPhone 4 which is struggling. Even the battery life is same.

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(...)

I myself wouldn't mind going back to iOS device if the screen size is minimum 5.0".

If you want to upgrade, consider screen size from 4.5" to 5.0" to be the only criteria. So waiting for iPhone 6 is highly recommended.

Maybe I am the only one who thinks the screensize of the iPhone 4/4S is sufficient and large enough?!

I also own the newest iPod Touch with the larger screen; I am still getting used to its langer size.

Maybe it's because of my smaller hands... not to hold it as I would like to.......

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if money isn't as big of a deal then i'd upgrade, if yes, then you can hold it out for another year and get the 6.  i went from 3G to 4S to 5S...i definitely noticed a speed improvement (well, more like the absence of lag) plus LTE (the main reason for my upgrade).  the fingerprint thing works really well but that alone shouldn't be the deciding factor, it's just convenience.

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Just remember that going from the 4S to the 5/5C/5S you lose the dock connector for the lightening connector so if you have a lot of accessories that use it buying multiple dock to lightening connectors gets expensive quickly. I went from a 4 to a 5 and noticed a large improvement in speed so I'd imagine the 4s to a 5s would be the same as well as getting the new 64bit processor will future proof it for a bit longer as well.

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i could not imagine using ios 7 on a 4s. it just does not run well. saything this, an upgrade from the 4s to the 5s is a huge jump. the difference is just anywhere. definately recommended.

however an upgrade from a 5 to a 5s is neglectable. the differences are in some details. for some worth it, for some not.

 

short: upgrade from 4s to 5s -> yes

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Wrong. iPhone 4S runs as smooth as 5S on iOS 7.

It's the iPhone 4 which is struggling. Even the battery life is same.

For you to say that tells me you have never used a 5s.

 

I am not some singular source on this, it is ALL OVER the Internet that it doesn't run as well (note: this doesn't mean the same thing as run poorly).

 

I've no doubt that the 4s runs it better than the 4, but to say its running the same as a 5s is silly.

 

I updated my daughter's 4, her friend's 4s, and there is a 5s sitting right next to me.  I think I have a pretty good indication of how each runs it.

 

I am not saying that 4s owners should run and get a 5s, but to say they are playing with the same performance is incorrect.  That is all I said, no more, no less.

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And is there a noticeable difference in usage, battery life, speed etc on the 5S?

Yes, but I'm not sure its worth updating yet, unless you have a 4.

 

If you go to iOS7, it will be slower than iOS6, but it isn't as bad on the 4s.  The 5s runs iOS7 like the 4s runs iOS6.

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For you to say that tells me you have never used a 5s.

 

I am not some singular source on this, it is ALL OVER the Internet that it doesn't run as well.

 

I've no doubt that the 4s runs it better than the 4, but to say its running it like a 5s is silly.

 

I updated my daughter's 4, her friend's 4s, and there is a 5s sitting right next to me.  I think I have a pretty good indication of how each runs it.

 

I am not saying that 4s owners should run and get a 5s, but to say they are playing with the same performance is incorrect.  That is all I said, no more, no less.

iOS on 4S is buggy. But does not lag much. Maybe Apple left it that way to force users to upgrade? I also find no difference in battery life compared to iOS 6.

By the way, I have used friend's 5S for 1 week. Pretty strange that he was willing to try out my Note 2 just within 15 days of buying a 5S.

 

I have upgraded to every iPhone from 1st 2G only model to 4S. There used to be this strong urge to upgrade to latest iDevice every year. But not any more.

 

I am speaking strictly from price point of view. Over here we don't have contract system and iPhone 5S costs whopping $900 upfront.

But if you are getting it for $199 for 2 year contract and don't mind being stuck to 4" screen size for 2 years when world has moved over to much larger screen sizes, then by all means. Go for 5S.

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By the way, I have used friend's 5S for 1 week. Pretty strange that he was willing to try out my Note 2 just within 15 days of buying a 5S.

 

I have upgraded to every iPhone from 1st 2G only model to 4S. There used to be this strong urge to upgrade to latest iDevice every year. But not any more.

 

I am speaking strictly from price point of view. Over here we don't have contract system and iPhone 5S costs whopping $900 upfront.

But if you are getting it for $199 for 2 year contract and don't mind being stuck to 4" screen size for 2 years when world has moved over to much larger screen sizes, then by all means. Go for 5S.

 

 

 

How did we go from the 5s to a Note II? Does this hold some bearing on how iOS7 runs on the 4s vs 5s? 

 

Anyway, I am not advising him to upgrade.  I just said, accurately, that it is slower on the older devices.  This is true.

 

 

I have a Note 3.  My wife has the Note 2.  Does the Note 3 run Jellybean better than the Note 2?  Absolutely.  Is it worth upgrading? No.

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How did we go from the 5s to a Note II? Does this hold some bearing on how iOS7 runs on the 4s vs 5s? 

 

Anyway, I am not advising him to upgrade.  I just said, accurately, that it is slower on the older devices.  This is true.

I mentioned Note2 just to state that the novelty of 5S wears down fast.

 

The bottom line is I do not recommend 5S. It's the somewhat same last year's boring design. 

 

But upgrade to iPhone 6.

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