Top 5 Smartphones to Consider Before Buying the iPhone 4s [July, 2014]

The iPhone 4s is closing in on its third birthday but that hasn’t stopped Apple from hawking it to consumers around the world. The iPhone 4s is still available as Apple’s free-on-contract iPhone and it’s likely tempting those that are on a budget. That said, before buying the iPhone 4s in July, we highly suggest taking a look at five other devices.

In 2011, Apple took the stage in the fall and announced the brand new iPhone 4s. The device arrived with the same screen and design found on the iPhone 4 though it offered some new features including an upgraded camera and Siri, the virtual personal assistant that continues to play a big role in Apple’s iOS software.

Last year, instead of killing off the iPhone 4s, Apple introduced a lineup that knocked the iPhone 5 out of its lineup. Instead, Apple’s current iPhone lineup features the iPhone 5s at $199.99, the iPhone 5c at $99.99 and the iPhone 4s at the low price of free. There some changes coming later on this year but for now, the iPhone 4s remains on the Apple Store alongside Apple’s two other iPhones.

That said, the iPhone 4s is a hard device to recommend but we understand there will be those that consider it because of its price tag. It also helps that it will be getting the new iOS 8 update later on this year.

We are constantly bombarded with questions about which phones to buy. In particular, we’re constantly asked about the phones consumers should weigh against the iPhone 4s. There are a number of different devices that we could recommend, the smartphone market is full of solid choices, but we want to narrow things down a bit and take a look at what we consider to be the top five.

These devices represent the devices that we’d recommend to friends and family. And while our list may differ from yours, these are the devices that Gotta Be Mobile editors have selected for recognition this month. We feel like the devices listed here deliver the best, all-around package for this month and this month alone.

That said, here are the top five smartphones to consider before buying the iPhone 4s.

iPhone 5c

> 1 / 5

The iPhone 5c doesn't get a lot of attention but it's still a solid mid-range device that is worthy of consideration thanks to its feature set. For $99 on-contract, buyers will get a device that sports a 4-inch Retina Display, comes with faster processor, a better camera, and a device that should, like the iPhone 5s, get three major iOS updates in the future. The iPhone 5c also utilizes 4G LTE data, something the iPhone 4s doesn't do. The iPhone 4s is stuck on "4G" HSPA and 3G, both of which are much slower than LTE. While its design isn't as premium as the iPhone 5s', it does come with a ton of color options, something that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 4s do not offer to consumers. Take a look at the iPhone 5c if you're trying to get an iPhone on a budget. It's an extremely solid option even now in July.

> 1 / 5