Many people involved in the mobile tech world switch phones as soon as a new one comes out – which seems like every day sometimes. Some people want the latest and greatest, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Then you throw someone like me out there. Although I am completely obsessed with phones, I still carry something that came out almost a year ago. It’s been a pretty solid relationship for my 4S and I, we only broke up once to explore other options, but I came back begging on my knees after experiencing the boring relationship between myself and the Epic 4G Touch – we just didn’t have enough in common. I’ve had a few people ask me, why do you still carry the 4S?
It’s a good question to ask, seeing as awesome phones such as the Galaxy S III, the HTC One X, even the Galaxy Nexus have come out since the release of the iPhone 4S. The specs are better, the operating system is more customizable than ever, the screens are larger, and most of the time the processor is faster. All of these things are great, but there are still features about the iPhone that makes it my phone of choice.
The first I’ll mention is the size. Larger phones may be easier to see, but the sheer size of them makes it difficult to fit in a smaller hand like mine. While working at Sprint, it was almost a daily occurrence when a customer would wander by a 7” Galaxy Tab and ask if it was a phone. “Not yet,” I would say. “But give it a couple of years and I’m sure they’ll be somewhere around that size.” The iPhone 4S is perfect for slipping in my pocket when I don’t have my purse handy. It also fits great in the hand, although if I could change anything about the design it would be to incorporate rounded corners instead of the blocky design it currently has. I really enjoyed the design of the 3GS and I was initially dismayed when the iPhone 4 showcased such sharp corners, but have since grown accustomed to the shape.
The retina display on the 4S is another one of my favorite things. I could put that phone right up to my eye (because that’s how normal people look at their phones) and I couldn’t see a single individual pixel. Unless it was like, a period or something. Even then I think that requires 3 or 4 pixels to make. But that’s beside the point. Retina display has to be the most beautiful display I’ve seen. Nova comes in at a close second, mostly due to the fact my eyes are more sensitive to its vibrancy.
The camera has to be my favorite thing about the iPhone. The pictures come out more clearly than any other phone I’ve owned, but only on my iPhone (thank you Retina display)! When I pull up uploaded pictures on a computer they look the same as any 8 MP picture would have looked, but on the phone itself they look great. The last time I used my phone as a camera this much was with the much antagonized Blackberry Style, which I happened to have enjoyed my time with. I think I’m a diamond in the rough on that opinion, though.
A lot of people might expect me to put Siri on this list, but quite honestly I don’t use her that much unless I’m driving and it’s something that needs to be done. I’m a paranoid person, and I don’t trust her. I always double checked my appointments after I made them, and in that time I double checked I could have just programmed it myself. She’s useful sometimes for asking fun questions like “Will you marry me?” and “How are you today?” to show your friends, but I find that she’s often inaccurate in other search results. I have asked Siri questions that seriously made me question her authority on a number of things, in this particular instance, what she deems appropriate for a diet and how long she had been hanging out with Bear Grylls.
The thing about Apple devices is there is only one new generation released at a time. You have the iPhone 4S by Apple. That’s it, that’s all it will ever be. Then you have the Nexus line where who knows which manufacturer is running the show next. The device might have been less-than-desired with HTC, and more well received when Samsung took over, but who knows when it could change again? You always know what to expect from Apple, and I like that about them.
The phone may be older but there’s nothing so revolutionary out right now that I feel like I need to change. I have looked into the Samsung Galaxy SIII, played with it a little bit, but haven’t seen anything that really sold me on it. Even when the next generation iPhone comes out, I don’t know if I’ll jump to switch. It just depends on what wows me and works best for me!
What phone do you currently carry? Do you feel like you’re ready for an upgrade, or do you think you’ll be keeping your phone for a while? Leave a comment and let me know!
