iPhone 4S vs. the competition

There was a lot of anticipation leading up to today's Apple iPhone 4S announcement, so much so that it practically took down the Internet. Whether you were happy with or disappointed by today's news, the fact is, the 4S is Apple's next iPhone, so what does this mean for you and for the competition?

If you're a current iPhone 4 user, there's certainly a question of whether there's enough there to make it worth an upgrade. However, for those looking for their first smartphone or those simply looking to ditch their current handset, the new models and addition of Sprint as a carrier certainly opens the door to new customers. As my colleague at CNET News Roger Cheng points out, the addition of another carrier and price drops on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 present a threat to rival handset makers.

That said, from a hardware standpoint, the iPhone 4S isn't the top dog. Many of today's higher-end Android devices match up with the iPhone's specs and even outshine it in some areas. Windows Phone devices still have some catching up to do in the hardware (not to mention, consumer awareness) department, but they're not shabby, either.

To give you a better idea of how the different smartphones stack up to each other, below you'll find a side-by-side comparison of the iPhone 4S and some of today's top Android and Windows Phone devices. Also, be sure to check out Jessica Dolcourt's comparison of iOS with the other mobile operating systems.