A few questions from a soon to be returning iphone user

[bed269]

First off if this isnt in the correct forum I apologize for that. Have a few questions about the iphone 4s. I will be purchasing 4 of them for the family so cost is a little bit of an issue.
Reading through some of the forums the 4s is still a quality phone, is this correct?
Can you now download apps and updates over the air?
Is battery life decent? I know that is kinda subjective.
Would a case be recommended?
Compared to other brands of phones is the radio pretty good?
Thanks for any answers.

 

[KennyBahama]

Hey, and welcome back! I'm actually a new iPhone 4S user (had mine since October); however within the period of time between then and now, I've fallen in love with it!

1. I'd say it most certainly is still a top notch quality phone! As opposed to the iPhone 5, I have yet to see much of a difference other than size (which is the reason I saved a few $ and went with the 4s)

2. Apps, music and updates CAN be downloaded OTA (over the air), I upgraded mine from iOS 5 to 6 when Apple released it OTA.

3. Battery life is pretty average for me; coming from a BlackBerry Bold 9900, I honestly see no difference. My battery lasts all day (7am-8pm) and at 8pm it's at about 20%. And that's with heavy texting and iMessaging along with listening to music and watching videos.

4. I'd recommend you get cases for them, especially since your getting them for the family and not for personal use. The glass can be easily shattered, which is why I've already bought 3 cases for mine. (I hate cases and usually take them off as soon as I get home from work and I know it'll be save from the "elements", haha)

5. When it comes to "radio" use, I can only compare it to the BlackBerry as I've been soley using that platform since High School in 2007 up until this year. The radio on the iPhone 4S is comparable- but that's all relative to which network your on and your location. On my Blackberry I used to get full bars in the house but on the iPhone I only get 4/5 bars indoors. Still REALLY good and it has no effect on the excellent call quality.

I really hope I didn't ramble too much and that I was of some help to you!

 

[applejosh]

To add to Kenny's answers, you can download apps over the air, but they have to be less than a certain size (I think it's 50MB right now, but I'm not absolutely certain on that figure). Otherwise, it waits until you are connected to WiFi. (Unless this has changed with iOS 6.0.1 to allow any size apps to be downloaded via cellular, but I don't recall reading such a thing.)

 

[GingerSnapsBack]

you can download apps over the air..Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & morehttp://www.hgniw.info/uk.jpg

As long as they're not over a certain size - like applejosh said.

I'm still happy with my 4s and haven't upgraded to the 5 even though I have an upgrade available. It suits my needs and still works as well as it did the first day I got it over a year ago.

I'd go with a case, but that's just me. I don't wake up every morning with an itch to throw my phone at a wall or drop it, but accidents happen. A $30 case is a lot better than a $199 insurance claim and being without a phone for a couple days as I wait on it to get here.

Battery life for me is better than it was on my Curves and Storm2. I stream music and watch Netflix at work/gym so my battery dies pretty fast, but even when I use it constantly, I can last from 8A to 2P on a full charge before I have to charge it again.

 

[Jaguarr40]

First off if this isnt in the correct forum I apologize for that. Have a few questions about the iphone 4s. I will be purchasing 4 of them for the family so cost is a little bit of an issue.
Reading through some of the forums the 4s is still a quality phone, is this correct?
Can you now download apps and updates over the air?
Is battery life decent? I know that is kinda subjective.
Would a case be recommended?
Compared to other brands of phones is the radio pretty good?
Thanks for any answers.

In answer to all your questions because there is not too much more my fellow posters have already said... You are making the right decision. Yes buy a good case to protect the 4S along with a quality Screen Protector like Zagg and lastly I would highly recommend you purchase Applecare + along with the phone to extend your support 2 years. Read what it gives you and you can't go wrong.

Best of luck to you and hope you come back soon with a new iPhone.

 

[pr1nce]

I just purchased a 4s a couple weeks ago, so far I'm really enjoying it. Good luck with the new device.

 

[bed269]

Thanks for all the replys everyone. Answered a lot of questions for me.

 

[END]

Money being a small concern here is a little tip for you.

Best Buy & Radio Shack are offering 50.00 off either the iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5
In addition, Radio Shack is giving 10.00 for every 50.00 you spend to use for accessories and what have you.

Linkys follow-

Save_on_iPhone_5_and_4S - Best Buy


Apple iPhone - Cell Phones - RadioShack.com

 

[bravesfan007]

I'm still rocking an iPhone 4 and it is still working just fine for me. In fact, I'm thinking about holding off until the next one is released just because I don't see a huge benefit in store for me if I switch to an iPhone 5 outside of the little bit of screen space.