Current iPhone range

So... my parents have asked me if I would like a new iPhone for my upcoming birthday or perhaps something else. I'm currently using an iPhone 3G 16GB, which doesn't really do much any more except call, text, and e-mail. I only recently managed to find a version of Tapatalk old enough to actually install on it. It can browse the web, but it's very slow and Facebook crashes the Safari browser. I may opt for funds to do something else instead, but I thought phones were worth a look.

For my phone/computer habits, in the past I have tended to get the latest and greatest thing and then look after it for years and years. Friends would tend to go through 7 or 8 different phones in the time it took me to change once. Same with laptops: current one is a 2005 Sony VAIO. My folks were thinking along the lines of a 4S 8GB or 5C 16GB, but I might throw in some of my own funds to upgrade that to a 5S 16GB or 5S 32GB.

So, looking at the current iPhone range, the main hardware differences seem to be:

• 4S: old design, still in production as entry-level model
  • Processor: A5 dual core, 800 MHz, 32 KB instructions and 32 KB data
  • Designed for iOS 5.0, but will run iOS 7.0.
  • 2.4GHz WiFi
  • Smaller, lower resolution screen than 5C or 5S.
  • Storage/Price:
    • 8GB: £349 (UK) or $450 (USA)
• 5C: plastic rebody of iPhone 5, still in production as mid-range model
  • Processor: A6 dual core, 1.3 GHz, 32 KB instructions and 32 KB data
    • Twice as fast as the 4S.
  • Designed for iOS 6.0 (same hardware as iPhone 5, now discontinued), but comes with iOS 7.0 installed.
  • 2.4 GHz or 5.0 GHz WiFi
  • Storage/Price:
    • 16GB: £469 (UK) or $549 (USA)
    • 32GB: £549 (UK) or $649 (USA)
• 5S: all new flagship metal-body model
  • Processor: A7 dual core, 1.3-1.4 GHz, 64 KB instructions and 64 KB data. M7 processor to remove sensory data input workload from the CPU.
    • Twice as fast as the 5C.
  • Designed for iOS 7.0
  • 2.4 GHz or 5.0 GHz WiFi
  • Fingerprint unlock feature
  • Storage/Price:
    • 16GB: £549 (UK) or $649 (USA)
    • 32GB: £629 (UK) or $749 (USA)
    • 64GB: £709 (UK) or $849 (USA)

I've looked at a few reviews online and it seems the 4S can be a bit slow at times. Some professional reviewers have hinted that support for the 4S isn't going to continue a lot longer and that new iOS releases are increasingly going to bog it down. I'm worried that this will have more features than my current iPhone 3G 16GB, but will essentially suffer the same problems of slowness and discontinued iOS support. I doubt it'll receive iOS 8.0 when that arrives.

The 5C looks positively reviewed. Unfortunately, it comes in quite an array of funky colours. Hate white and grey or black would be preferable. Would have to buy a cover for it, which I don't like the idea of doing. If I got one, I'd top up to get the 32GB model, as I don't like the idea of running out of space and you cannot upgrade an iPhone with expansion cards. Although, at that price, getting two processors rather than one sounds like a better plan...

I'm leaning towards the idea of a 5S in grey, by topping up with some of my own funds. As with the 5C, I'm worried about running out of space and would top again to the 32GB model. Best processing power and should have the longest life-span. Will 32GB be sufficient or would this model really benefit from 64GB of space?

Thoughts or suggestions? Are there any significant competitors to the iPhone 5C or 5S that I should be thinking about? I know virtually nothing about what's out there. I'd be looking to buy a phone outright, as contract plans over here are not shorter than 24 months on the latest generation of phones and I hope to be moving this year.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Thanks Florian,

I had an Alcatel for a long while but the lack of supports and updates was intolerable. Wasn't a smartphone but I got tired of the glitches - wouldn't have another one.

The iPhone 3G 16GB I'm using now is good in a lot of ways, but it's now on such an old iOS that no new apps are available and apps I previously bought have broken themselves by doing updates and now needing a newer iOS than the hardware will support. Can't talk to family on Facebook any more either as the pages have too much content to load and it makes Safari crash. I'd stick with it for longer if the basic functionality wasn't failing due to getting overwhelmed.

The thing is, I really hate changing products. Cars, phones, computers, shoes... I don't like change, I like being comfortable with my tried and tested product, hence why I was thinking high end to make it serviceable for as long as possible.

If the goal is to eek out a phone's lifespan for 4 or 5 years, what would you get?

All the best,
Andrew.


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Thanks, I'll have a look into that. Are Samsung the benchmark for android phones?

All the best,
Andrew.


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Supported updates might stop in 2-2.5 years, but surely the phone would still have good functionality for longer? This phone has lasted about 4 years if you also include the length of time my dad used it. It has only been in the last 3 months or so that mobile web pages have gotten far more data intensive and have overwhelmed it.

Has the rate of development really increased that much since 2010 that it has halved the service life of brand new models?

All the best,
Andrew.


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Amazing... and frustrating. lol

I've been reading up on the Motorola Moto G and it sound like you get a fair bit of phone for the money. I'll have a poke around on one at the store.

Do Android phones still suffer similar massive operating system updates to the ones that bog down older iPhones or are they fairly constant in that regard?

All the best,
Andrew.


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My mom has a Galaxy S3 (I think) though her phone seemed more like the size of a tablet rather than a phone. If considering Samsung, I'd need to see if they produce anything that's a little more compact - I like the size of the iPhone so will be looking for similar.

I tried to download the Facebook App, but it's not available for iOS 4.2.1 any more, which is the latest iOS my phone will support. You need iOS 5.0 or newer to be able to get it and the older versions are no longer available anywhere that I can find. Similarly, I haven't been able to download Google products onto an iOS this old - there don't seem to be any mainstream applications that are compatible with pre-5.0 iOS or even pre-6.0 iOS these days.

Cyanogenmod sounds like Whited00r EN | iOS Community Custom Firmware, which is an aftermarket operating system for older iPhones. I've considered installing Whited00r on my iPhone 3G 16GB to see if it resolved my current speed/stability issues and therefore allowed me to keep it longer, but I was reluctant to go down the route of modification. Any thoughts on Whited00r? I suppose if I'm getting ready to change anyway, I've not got much to lose... the best trade-in value I found for my phone is only £2.85!

I think rather than get a new phone I would immediately have to modify, I'd either modify my existing phone or move to a new phone with a current operating system that is receiving full manufacturer support.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Another plus in favour of a new Apple phone is Facetime, which my parents would like me to get and would not work with on my existing hardware.

Every attempt I've made to use Skype hasn't really worked. I've given up on it. Happily, it looks like there are other options on Android: The 5 best alternatives to FaceTime for Android | Android | Geek.com. I would just need to pick one that is cross-compatible with my parents' Apple products and my Android if I went down that route. Google Hangouts looks like it might be good.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Yep.

And my desktop is 16 years old.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Yea, I think that's going to be an issue. I would opt for a 32GB iPhone 5S out of the iPhone range and it just looks overpriced when you consider the competitors.

My dad suggested looking at the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, as I like the overall size of the iPhone. I had previously discounted the Samsung Galaxy S3 my mom has as it is just way too big in the hand - it felt like holding a tablet against the side of your head. However, the size of the Mini seems comparable to what I have now. The Samsung actually has an expansion port (SD card slot) for up to 64GB of additional storage space, which looks like a pretty good option. It's less than half the price of the equivalent iPhone and the capabilities don't look all that different.

Samsung seem to offer operating system support in a similar manner to Apple, I'd rather not get into messing with the running of the operating system myself - I want to be an end user and not a developer. So, I'm struggling to see the advantage to buying Apple at this point given that Samsung seems to offer a comparable product for much less.

Going to head into a shop to have a poke about on one, but like jcosta79 said, it sounds like Samsung is going to be pretty hard to beat. As long as the interface isn't annoying in some way, I think the Galaxy S4 Mini will be the one I'll go for.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Actually, just got back from the shop and the new spanner is the Google (LG) Nexus 5. It has a faster processor (quad core) than the Galaxy S4 Mini (dual core) or even Galaxy S4 (dual core), is a nice size, is cheaper, and comes with a newer Android operating system. As it's linked with Google and just out on the market, I'm told it'll have a long support life and will always be the first of the Android phones to receive official updates.

The incoming Samsung Galaxy S5 looks too big for me. I want a compact phone rather than a tablet that makes calls.

Apparently the iPhone 5S is the fastest thing on the market right now but the Nexus 5 seems like it slots between the iPhone 5S and 5C in terms of outright performance, yet is almost 1/3 the cost.

I had a quick poke around with it in the shop and thought it was really good. The only thing the Samsung has as an advantage is the SD slot with 64GB possible expansion. Is there any major reason not to go for a 32GB Google Nexus 5? If not, I think I'll get one of those in the next couple of days.

All the best,
Andrew.


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