iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S caught many by surprise, with Apple expected to release the iPhone 5 - but instead we got an iPhone 4 with a huge makeover.

On the outside the 4S looks exactly like its predecessor, but on the inside it's "all new." Apple has jammed a dual-core A5 CPU inside alongside a new dual-core GPU to boost graphics performance. In front is the same 3.5-inch Retina display we've all come to know and love, and around back is a glass plate. Those antennae around the sides (which caused many users so much trouble) have been revamped and iOS will intelligently switch between two different sets to avoid dropping calls no matter how you hold it.

On the back is also a new camera that sports an 8-megapixel camera with a backside illuminated CMOS sensor for better low-light performance. The improved visuals extend to video performance as well. The 4S can record 1080p video and has a new image signal processor for image stabilisation and facial recognition, making the handset's camera comparable to many point-and-shoots. The camera is also quite a bit faster than many other smartphone shooters, needing only 1.1 seconds before being ready to take the first shot and only half a second between successive images.

The 4S is also the first Apple handset to come packing Siri virtual assistant tech baked in. Just tap the mic on the keyboard and start talking to enter text, check the weather, get directions or perform web searches.

As far as battery life, you're looking at eight hours of talk over 3G, and 14 hours of 2G, while web browsing over 3G cuts off at six hours. Using WiFi you'll get around nine hours of web, video playback tops out at 10 hours and music at 40 hours. As before, the 4S will come in both black and white and 16GB and 32GB, but the big news is a new 64GB model.