iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4 ~ GoAndroid

We compare the iPhone 4 to the rumoured specs we think will be appearing on the iPhone 5 to see what's different

With the grand reveal for Apple's iPhone 5 expected to be a short while away, we compare the rumour with the reality and look into what's on the agenda for the biggest device launch of the year and how it stacks up against the iPhone 4. It's safe to assume that the iPhone 5 will raise the bar in each category, but by how much?

Display
The iPhone 4's 'Retina Display' is still regarded as the benchmark by which other companies judge their devices and the 3.5-inch LED-backlit IPS screen has earned each and every one of those plaudits. It offers peerless clarity, vivid colours and ranks among the most responsive displays we've ever used.
With that in mind we think it's safe to assume that the iPhone 5 will be packing something breathtaking, which knocks the iPhone 4 into a cocked hat. What we know so far (or think we know) is that it will come with a curved display à la the Samsung Nexus S (could this be what the recent patent kerfuffle was all about?) and the size may be boosted from 3.5-inches to somewhere around 4-inches.

Camera
Another feature that has won the iPhone 4 plenty of fans is the camera, and although it's only a 5-megapixel offering the quality is quite superb. The inclusion of an LED-flash was a must-have addition after the slew of complaints levelled at Apple about older iPhones, and to up the ante further Apple provisioned the iPhone 4 to capture video at 720p too!
The iPhone 5 is rumoured to feature an 8-megapixel snapper which will undoubtedly come with an LED-flash, and it's likely that the video capturing facility will see an upgrade to 1080p, to allow the device to fall into line with the market leading Android devices on offer.

Power
The iPhone 4 jogs along at a pretty brisk pace thanks to the 1GHz Apple A4 CPU and proceedings are helped along nicely by the 512MB RAM installed, but let's not forget the iPhone 4 doesn't truly multi-task, so the power is dispersed nicely among the OS and other features without really being taxed.
What we're expecting to see on the iPhone 5 is a dual-core 1GHz CPU and around 768MB RAM , but this extra oomph may be placed under strain if the device finally offers users what they've been crying out for: true multi-tasking!

Form
iPhone 4 - 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 137g
The iPhone 4 cuts a pretty impressive figure and we wouldn't expect the iPhone 5 to deviate too much from Apple's master-plan. The same thin, light physique is on the cards for the next device, though the iPhone 5 may offer something for users to get hold of, rather than being a sleek but slippery metal and glass affair.
Over the years the one thing people have come to expect from Apple is style and design quality, and that isn't about to change all of a sudden with its biggest device to date.

Software
There has been much speculation regarding whether or not the iPhone 5 will launch with iOS 5.0, and it still remains unclear whether or not this will be the case.

It would be an odd product launch for Apple (especially seeing as the device may actually be called '5') without the next generation of software being used to launch the smartphone though, so we're hopeful.
Supposedly the next iteration of iOS has been scheduled for a September release (which could tally with a delayed iPhone 5 release of course) and we know that it will feature an overhauled notifications system, to provide users with actual information rather than the current cryptic clue system that is currently in effect in the iPhone 4 (and other iOS devices).

You can also look forward to a cloud-based music service, which will likely integrate with iTunes and use the company's MobileMe service (which may be offered free-of-charge when the changes rollout!).
Another firm bet for iOS 5.0 is advanced voice recognition, as it transpired recently that Apple was working closely with the voice recognition gurus at Nuance to make vocal-control a real selling point for the next generation of iOS devices.

So things are looking rosy for Apple devotees around the globe! Not only is the iPhone 5 finally nearing release, but the iPhone 4 has just dropped in price too! So you can either treat yourself to a slice of Apple goodness for free, or wait and splash the cash on what will be an impressive (but expensive) new gadget! An interesting summer lies ahead.