What processor or processors do the iPhone models use?

Officially, Apple provided no information regarding the processor and other internal components of the original iPhone, the iPhone 3G, or the iPhone 3GS simply stating that the iPhone is a "closed platform."

For the iPhone 4, Apple originally mentioned that the device was powered by its own A4 processor of an unspecified clockspeed, and still does in some marketing materials, but the company later apparently scrubbed the processor information altogether from official technical specs.

For the iPhone 4S, Apple mentions that it is a "dual core" A5 processor of unspecified speed in the press release, but not elsewhere in technical information.

Third-Party Processor Sleuthing

However, for each iPhone model, third-parties have used hardware disassembly, software probing, and technical analysis to determine -- or at least speculate regarding -- the processor that each device uses.

When the original iPhone shipped on June 29, 2007 iFixit disassembled it and learned that the primary processor is an Apple branded Samsung ARM 11 processor running at 412 MHz. Although there was some later speculation that the primary processor might have been provided by Marvell instead of Samsung, Marvell provides the chip for 802.11b/g wireless networking, but not the primary processor.

For the iPhone 3G, iFixit and TechOnline collaborated to not only disassemble the device and confirm that like the original it also is powered by an Apple branded Samsung ARM 11 processor running at 412 MHz, but to go a step further and identify and label an exhaustive number of chips used in the iPhone.

Third-party teardowns from iFixit and RapidRepair -- as well as an analysis fromAnandTech -- revealed that the iPhone 3GS has a significantly faster 600 MHz Samsung ARM Cortex A8 processor and a PowerVR SGX graphics processor.

For the iPhone 4 models, disassembly did not provide any precise details regarding the clockspeed of the Apple-branded "A4" processor and initial software probing with the Geekbench benchmark only spit out an unhelpful and obviously untrue "0.00 Hz."

However, based on in-depth analysis from both ArsTechnica and AnandTech, two highly reliable sources, and speed tests, it appears that the iPhone 4 is powered by an A4 processor (S5L8930) of variable clockspeed that typically runs around 750 MHz to 800 MHz. The always excellent Geekbench benchmarking tool also was updated to report a particular processor's variable clockspeed at the time of testing.

The Geekbench benchmark pinpoints that the iPhone 4S uses the "Apple A5" processor like the iPad 2 models, but more specifically it uses a 1 GHz dual-core Apple A5 (S5L8940) processor of variable clockspeed, commonly "downclocked" to 800 MHz to conserve battery life.

Ultimately, most users probably don't need to know or even care to know about processor details for the iPhone models, but for those who do, it is hoped that this variety of methods to evaluate clockspeeds and internal components is interesting nevertheless.

This afternoon, Apple announced the iPhone 4S, the latest addition to the iPhone family. Focused on performance upgrades and incredible new software, the announcement defied the expectations of just about everyone and did not roll out at an iPhone 5. The new phones will be on sale on October 14th, presale on October 7th, for Verizon, AT&T, and newcomerSprint. The 4S will come in three sizes: 64GB, 32GB, and 16GB retailing for $399, $299, and $199, respectively. iPhone 3Gs will continue to be sold, now free with an AT&T contract, as well as the original iPhone 4 for $99.

Though there wasn’t an iPhone 5, Apple did roll out a slew of improvements in the 4S, including an all new voice command system called Siri.

Though the 4S has an almost identical outward appearance as the iPhone 4, it has all new guts. Packing an A5 ARM processor, the same used in the iPad, the new phone boasts a 2x speed improvement for CPU operations and a 7x improvement for graphics. While the phone will not be listed as “4G,” it boasts 14mbps download speeds, making it comparable to most current 4G-branded devices. Apple also went after the point-and-shoot camera with an all new 8 megapixel camera and improved photo-taking software to back that up. The 4S can also shoot 1080p HD video.

Apple also gave dates for the roll out of their new mobile operating system, iOS 5. The new operating system will be pushed out to users on October 12. Users can look forward to a new alerts system, camera interface, location-aware reminders, and a new greeting card making application. The deep integration of Twitter was also reinforced in today’s announcement, showing off the ability to tweet photos, map locations, and websites. Also new in iOS 5 is Find My Friends, which is similar to the “Find My iPhone” functionality except you can track down other iPhone users. There are apparently parental controls for this new capability.

Also announced was the date for Apple’s iTunes Match program, which will allow users to download MP3s they’ve ripped from CDs as they can purchased tracks from iTunes. The service will launch at the end of October for $25 per year. Additionally, Apple’s iCloud will be rolling out October 12.

But the star of the show was Siri, Apple’s voice-activated personal assistant. Originally a stand alone app, that was apparently still available for download until sometime this afternoon, Siri was purchased wholesale by Apple in April of last year. Using Siri, users can speak commands and questions to their phone, and get sensible and usable responses. At the core of this service is Siri’s ability to understand natural language, so the days of arcane, specific voice commands are (hopefully) gone.

With Siri, you can access just about all of your phone’s core functionality. Creating and moving appointments can all be handled by voice, as well as making calls. Siri can even read your messages to you, and then allow you to dictate a response. In fact, dictation will now be available across the phone, but will require a data connection. It’s also tightly integrated to Wolfram Alpha, Wikipedia, and the built-in weather service. So you can ask it if you need an umbrella, find out how much £19 is in USD, ask for area restaurants, and then get directions.

Without a true-blue iPhone 5, the 4S is billing itself on the improved processing power and new software. The new capabilities with iOS 5 and the intriguing possibilities presented by Siri make a compelling argument to upgrade. Whether or not consumers will agree remains to be seen.

[Editors note: The above image was taken from the Apple.com and was titled "hero.jpg." How about that?]

Here’s a breakdown of what we can look forward to with this new phone:

Specs

• A5 ARM Chip, dual core
• 2x faster CPU processing, 7X faster graphics
• 14 mbps download speeds
• Global phone, GSM/CDMA

Camera

• 8mp photo sensor
• F 2.4 aperture
• Face detection, alignment grid, auto white-balancing
• Faster load up for the camera app and less time between images; 33% faster image capturing
• More robust software backing the camera; focus and exposure control
• Improved HD video at 1080p with image stabilization and noise reduction

Siri

• Natural language processing; ask it a question and it answers intelligently
• Ask it “Do I need a raincoat today,” it says “it sure looks like rain today”
• Set Alarms, Calendar events, and Reminders (which are location aware in iOS 5) via voice
• Reads your messages, allows you to respond
• Connects to Wolfram Alpha and Wikipedia, can pull down currency conversions and definitions
• Plays songs, makes calls, finds locations
• Dictation button on keyboard — requires data connection — for all built-in apps
• Now instead of being hunched over your phone like an idiot, you can talk to it like a jackass
• “Who are you?” “I’m a humble personal assistant.”
• Preliminary teardowns of Apple's iPhone 4S have confirmed what rumors claimed for months: The new smartphone is powered by the same dual-core processor used in the iPad 2.
  Two teams -- one from iFixit, the other from IHS iSuppli -- have taken apart the new handset and published their results.
  The iPhone 4S relies on the Apple-designed, dual-core A5 application processor, which is based on ARM's Cortex-A9 architecture, said iSuppli. That processor first made an appearance last March in Apple's iPad 2.
  The A5 shows Apple is intent on continuing the practice it introduced last year, when it used the A4 processor -- the A5's predecessor -- first in the original iPad, then several months later in the iPhone 4.
  Markings on the A5 strongly indicate that the iPhone 4S uses 512MB of system memory, iFixit and iSuppli said.
  "How do we know it's 512MB? Check out the marking, specifically 'E4E4,' denoting two 2Gb LPDDR2 die -- for a total of 4Gb -- or 512MB," said iFixit in notes accompanying its teardown.
  Talk had circulated earlier that the iPhone 4S might offer 1GB of system memory, double that of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.
  iSuppli said that the 512MB showed Apple's confidence in its iOS mobile operating system.
  "The use of this low density of memory highlights the efficiency of Apple's iOS operating system compared to those of competitive smartphones, which use twice as much SDRAM," said iSuppli in a statement attributed to senior analyst Wayne Lam. "This lowers the cost of this memory subsystem, leading to greater design economy relative to alternative phones."
  Other mobile hardware experts added that sticking to 512MB of system memory also benefits the iPhone 4S' battery life.
  "There are also potential battery life concerns with larger DRAMs: More room for apps to remain resident in memory leaves more DRAM cells to refresh, which impacts power consumption," said the website AnandTech today.
  iFixit observed that the battery inside the iPhone 4S is rated at 5.3W-h (Watt-hour) capacity, slightly more than the 5.25W-h of the batteries used in both the AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4 models of 2010 and early 2011.
  Also inside the iPhone 4S is a multi-network baseband processor -- the silicon that lets the smartphone make and take calls -- said iFixit and iSuppli.
  "The iPhone 4S merges the HSPA and CDMA radio capabilities found separately in the two previous iPhone 4 models into a single product that can address global wireless networks, making it a world phone," said iSuppli. "No other handset OEM produces a single device for multiple operators and for multiple geographies on this scale."
  During the unveiling of the iPhone 4S last week, Apple also touted the new handset as a "world phone" because the same model can be used on both GSM- and CDMA-based networks.
  Lam of iSuppli had predicted the world phone last spring based on the appearance of a Qualcomm baseband processor in the Verizon iPhone 4.
  At that time, Lam also said that the Verizon iPhone 4 pointed to a likely recycling of the internal design in the next model. "Apple should be able to retain about 95% of the design of the CDMA iPhone [in its next-generation device," said Lam in February.
  Although Apple made multiple changes to the iPhone 4S -- among them replacing last year's 5-megapixel camera with an 8-megapixel camera -- according to iFixit, the similarities between the new phone and the iPhone 4 outnumber the differences.
  The iPhone 4S went on sale today at Apple's retail stores other outlets in the U.S., the U.K, Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan. Although lines formed at some locations, supplies appeared to be sufficient to meet demand.