UK stores, retailers and mobile phone networks are slowly bringing their new iPhone 4S deals to market after what many consumers now say was an Apple launch event that fell short of expectations.

After internet rumors on blogs, forums and industry websites about the latest launch event to launch a new Apple iPhone 5, it was the iPhone 4S that was put on display and sported the same casing and appearance as the existing iPhone 4 , which left many disappointed.

Now that iPhone 4S deals are starting to roll in, we can finally see how much Apple’s latest product will cost, and as with all new releases from the manufacturer, this isn’t a cheap deal.

Although UK importers and specialist providers have yet to release SIM free prices, Apple has now started taking pre-orders for its new device and with a price of £499 for the cheapest 16GB edition rising to At £699 for the new 64GB model, the iPhone 4S is an expensive piece of equipment.

So what do you get for your money and are iPhone 4S deals too expensive?

Well, compared to the previous 16GB iPhone 4, the new 4S is twice as fast thanks to the inclusion of the same dual-core A5 chip found in Apple’s iPad 2. The camera is reported to be twice as fast as that of the competing HTC. Sensation XE although it offers the same resolution of 8 megapixels and is at the height of its other great rival; the Samsung Galaxy S2.

All three of these new smartphones offer a fast dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera, but both the Galaxy S2 and Sensation XE are much cheaper.

The new iPhone 4S offers a new technology that is found under a different guise in the two supposedly much superior Android phones, this is the voice recognition software that in the Samsung and HTC models is Google Voice and in the new iPhone it is called ‘ Siri’.

Apple’s new iPhone also tops both models with a 64GB model and also includes the new iCloud feature that allows the user to store files like music, video and pictures remotely, freeing up even more memory.

As a quick price comparison on the much more popular contract deal rather than a SIM free device the current cheapest iPhone 4S deal is on Orange with an independent retailer at just £20 a month however this bundle demands an initial cost of £179.99.

Compare this to the new HTC Sensation XE at the same contract price and the upfront cost drops to £109, while the Samsung Galaxy S2 is just £99.

Even a quick comparison with the previous iPhone 4, which has now been released in a new, lower 8GB edition, shows us that the new 4S is a very expensive phone, as it also retails for £99.

However, Apple fans will claim that if you want the best then you have to pay for it, but for many these prices may be too high and they opt instead for the iPhone 4 which is now heavily discounted.