The difference is in a bunch of OS services constantly trying to optimize your cell signal reception according to location and orientation changes.

Russ, I did not follow your experiment with 4S, but most likely the cell radio was simply not the primary power drain on it. But I'll check the thread. Thanks.

However, IMHO, the iPhone is not good for anything serious. It's a pop-culture gizmo. With the Android, on the other hand, you can monitor your power consumption precisely, pin point and stop any battery hogs right away (including the system's cell towers ping) and easily develop an effective power saving strategy from that observations. I'm charging my rooted and tuned-up Android phone twice a week and never saw anything less than 50% over the battery icon (Verizon Motorola Droid Razr Maxx - great example of an outdorsman design).