What’s The Difference Between The iPhone 4S and iPhone 5? Cult Of Mac Explains

By

iphone5-mockup

Which iPhone Will Apple Release?

So which iPhone will Apple release this year? The iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5?

For a while, it looked like the answer to that question was “both.” Apple would release an iPhone 4S to address the low-end market, just like the role the iPhone 3GS currently fills. Additionally, the iPhone 4S would be targeted at the prepaid market. Meanwhile, the redesigned iPhone 5 would be Apple’s top-tier device. Lately, though, reports have suggested that while Apple may have intended on releasing both the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 at the same time year, manufacturing issues may have pushed the iPhone 5’s release until early 2012.

So currently, it’s looking like the next iPhone will not feature a redesigned body. It’s not impossible that we will see an iPhone next month that looks different than the iPhone 4, but it’s looks improbable. Physical evidence to support rumors of a redesign have yet to be seen, while there has been physical evidence supporting rumors that the next iPhone will have the same design as the iPhone 4… for example, a number of case designs by well respected companies.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that the product names ‘iPhone 4S’ and ‘iPhone 5’ only represent different rumors regarding the design of the next iPhone. Even if Apple doesn’t redesign the iPhone, it’s still possible that they may decide to call it the iPhone 5 because it will be the fifth generation. Likewise, the rumors may be true that Apple is releasing a redesigned phone in October, but Cupertino might decide to call it the iPhone 4S anyway. That said, both scenarios seem pretty unlikely, if only because it would break Apple’s own iPhone naming convention.

One thing’s for sure: Apple has done a spectacular job of keeping almost everyone in the dark. Regardless of what they’ve decided to do with the design, or what they’re going to call their next phone, we just hope it gets here quick. But maybe it wouldn’t be a terrible idea for them to drop the suffixes altogether and just call it what it is: an iPhone.

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.