After using the iPhone (News - Alert) 4S for the past month, I thought I’d share my take on Apple’s latest smartphone for any IT pros considering it for personal or business use.

Many potential buyers and industry watchers expressed disappointment when Apple (News - Alert) announced an iPhone 4S instead of an iPhone 5. But the new phone has enjoyed strong demand as has each new iPhone unveiled since the first one hit the market in 2007.

And though it might’ve been handy to own an iPhone sporting a thinner, larger display or any of the other much-rumored features, the iPhone 4S holds up quite nicely just as it is, thank you.

One feature that stands out for me is the display of the iPhone 4S. The screen sports the Retina Display introduced with last year’s iPhone 4. With a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels, or 326 pixels per inch, the quality is crisp and clear and decidedly easy on the eyes. The screen also sports a bright finish with not much glare, even in sunlight.

Even better, the screen uses a fingerprint-resistant coating that keeps it relatively clean. I typically outfit my Apple iDevices with a special anti-glare film to reduce the mess made by fingerprints. But in the case of the iPhone 4S, I don’t find such a film necessary.

The next notable feature is speed. Powered by a dual-core A5 processor, the iPhone 4S is definitely quicker than its predecessor and the iPod Touch units I’ve owned. Web browsing, opening and running apps, and navigating in general feel fast and responsive.

The camera has also been beefed up, now offering eight megapixels of resolution and a larger aperture than on the iPhone 4. Apple has thrown in other enhancements, including better color accuracy and face detection. There’s also an HDR (News - Alert) (high dynamic range) option that can combine photos taken at different exposures to create a single high-quality image. As a result, the photos snapped with my iPhone 4S look considerably better than those taken with my iPad or iPod Touch.

Apple also boosted the phone’s video camera resolution to 1080p from 720p, ensuring sharper and clearer footage when you need to shoot a quick video.

The one feature proving to be a game changer, though, is Siri.

The new assistant turns the iPhone into a whole different type of device, one that can accomplish a variety of tasks just by sound of your voice. Instead of dialing a number manually, you can specify a particular contact to call and tell Siri whether to call that person at home, at work, or on a mobile phone. Instead of searching the Web by typing long queries, you can simply ask Siri to find the information. And those two examples only scratch the surface. I’m continually amazed by Siri’s smarts and the number of tasks that can be performed by voice.

Of course, no device is perfect, and the new iPhone is victim to a bug specific to iOS 5—namely battery life or lack thereof. Apple’s latest mobile OS appears to have introduced a glitch that drains the battery life on iDevices faster than in previous versions. I’ve upgraded my iPad and iPod Touch to iOS 5 and find that the battery life does drain quicker than with iOS 4. But the problem is most noticeable on the iPhone since that’s the device that’s on all the time and the one I use the most.

Apple recently tried to fix the battery bug with iOS 5.0.1. But that upgrade seems to have produced mixed results, with some people saying it made things better and some saying it made things worse. My iPhone seems to lose its charge a bit faster now with iOS 5.0.1. Apple is reportedly working on an iOS 5.1 update that hopefully will resolve the battery issue permanently for everyone.

Overall, I’m quite happy with the iPhone 4S and feel it’s a standout even in a market crowded with dozens of Android (News - Alert) devices and other competing phones. Whether it’s the right choice for other potential buyers or other iPhone users is up to each person.

Android or BlackBerry (News - Alert) owners happy with their phones might see little reason to switch to the other side. iPhone 4 owners also may want to stick with their current devices, especially if they’re in the middle of a two-year contract. But iPhone 3GS users will probably find a lot to like by upgrading to the newest iPhone.