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Apple iPhone 3GS vs Apple iPhone 4S

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

AppleiPhone 3GSAppleiPhone 4S
Overview
ReleasedJune 2009October 2011
Display
Screen size3.5″3.5″
Resolution480 × 320960 × 640
Sharpness165 pixels per inch330 pixels per inch
PanelLCDLCD
Refresh rate60 Hz60 Hz
Peak brightness–500 nits
Display type3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch displayRetina display; 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
Pixel density163 ppi326 ppi
Brightness detail–500 cd/m² max brightness (typical)
Screen protectionFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coatingFingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
Display features–800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
Performance
ChipSamsung S5PC100A5
Memory256 MB512 MB
Storage8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB
CPU600 MHz Cortex-A8 in Samsung S5PC100; 256 MB of RAM (Wired's 2009 teardown report)Dual-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9 (GSMArena); 512 MB of LPDDR2 RAM (iFixit)
GPUPowerVR SGX535 (Apple developer documentation)PowerVR SGX543MP2 (GSMArena)
Cameras
Main camera3 MP8 MP
Ultra wide cameraNoneNone
Telephoto cameraNoneNone
Optical zoomNoneNone
Front camera–0.3 MP
Main camera3-megapixel still camera with tap to focus8-megapixel camera with autofocus, tap to focus, face detection in still images and LED flash
Front camera–VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 fps
Video recordingVGA up to 30 fps with audioHD (1080p) up to 30 fps with audio; video stabilisation
Camera featuresPhoto and video geotaggingPhoto and video geotagging
Battery and charging
Battery1,219 mAh1,432 mAh
Video playback (maker's claim)Up to 10 hoursUp to 10 hours
Wireless chargingNoneNone
Battery life detailTalk time up to 5 hours on 3G or 12 hours on 2G; standby up to 300 hours; internet use up to 5 hours on 3G or 9 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 30 hours; 3.7 V, 4.51 Wh, 1,219 mAh (iFixit)Talk time up to 8 hours on 3G or 14 hours on 2G (GSM); standby up to 200 hours; internet use up to 6 hours on 3G or 9 hours on Wi-Fi; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 40 hours; 3.7 V, 5.3 Wh, 1,432 mAh (iFixit)
Wired chargingCharging via USB to a computer or power adapterCharging via USB to a computer or power adapter
Design
TypeStandardStandard
Weight135 g140 g
Thickness12.3 mm9.3 mm
Height × width115.5 × 62.1 mm115.2 × 58.6 mm
Materials–Glass front, glass back and stainless steel frame (GSMArena)
ColoursBlack (8GB)White, black
ButtonsSleep/wake; ring/silent; volume up/down; Home–
SensorsAccelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensorThree-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor
Software
Operating systemiOSiOS
Software at launchiPhone OS 3.0iOS 5, with Siri
Connectivity
Mobile networkUMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)World phone; UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)
SIM–Micro-SIM (GSMArena)
Wi-FiWi-Fi (802.11b/g)Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
BluetoothBluetooth 2.1 + EDRBluetooth 4.0
USB30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack; 576p and 480p video out with Apple Component AV Cable (sold separately)30-pin dock connector; 3.5 mm stereo headphone minijack; video mirroring and video out up to 1080p with the Apple Digital AV Adapter or Apple VGA Adapter (sold separately); AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV at 720p
PositioningAssisted GPS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellularAssisted GPS; digital compass; Wi-Fi; cellular

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