Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: iPhone, 3GS, Test | Themes: Smartphones
- 1. Our Top 5 New Features
- 2. Speed Tests
- 3. Compass & Maps Integration
- 4. Camera and Video
1. Our Top 5 New Features
After just a few hours of use, we can tell what's important about this iPhone upgrade: Speed. Nothing else matters, much.
Only one member of the Tom’s team was eligible for the iPhone 3GS upgrade on June 19. Thanks to him, we bring you this report on the hype-worthiness of this latest iPhone iteration. Based on just a few hours of testing, we can confirm that the iPhone 3GS represents a major improvement from the original iPhone—if that’s what you’ve been carrying around for the last year—but if you’ve already got an iPhone 3G, there’s no need to be consumed with jealously for the 3GS. After all, the two devices look identical, so owning a 3GS won’t inspire envy from strangers. Only you and your closest confidantes would know what differences exist under the hood of your iPhone 3GS versus a 3G iPhone, were you to upgrade.
As an owner of a 16GB iPhone 3G, the only thing making me eye the 3GS with something akin to hunger is the new device’s speed. So, we’ll cut right to the chase on the next page show you our speed test results. If you’re interested in comparing first-day experiences, here’s our original review of the iPhone 3G, from July 2008.
There are other new features to the iPhone 3GS beyond what I’ve noted in this article. I’ve chosen to write about only the five most major additions (and even that’s a stretch—I wouldn’t call the compass a crucial feature). As for battery life, which we did not address in this article because we couldn’t properly drain the battery on day 1—it is going strong. The phone has been on 3G (no Wi-Fi) for three hours of constant use, and the battery is down only 25%. Apple says this phone will only last for 5 hours of internet use on 3G, so at this rate the phone will beat that claim. Oh, how do we know the battery is exactly 25% depleted? Well, there’s a new setting for that: Settings>General>Usage>Battery Percentage. When this tab is switched “on,” the battery indicator on the phone’s home screen shows a bar and a percent remaining.
- Next page Speed Tests
I assume then that to use the navigation features, say while driving, that you need connectivity to the internet. That doesn't sound like a good solution in terms of reliability, ie. always there when you need it, or from the perspective of cost as a lot of data will be downloaded to keep the google map updated. My aging PDA has Tom Tom Navigator installed and it works a treat with no need for internet access just to guide me somewhere. Anyway, it's just an observation as I dont have an iPhone so I'm not up on what apps are available. I'm afraid the whole Apple monopoly gets up my nose.
I assume then that to use the navigation features, say while driving, that you need connectivity to the internet. That doesn't sound like a good solution in terms of reliability, ie. always there when you need it, or from the perspective of cost as a lot of data will be downloaded to keep the google map updated. My aging PDA has Tom Tom Navigator installed and it works a treat with no need for internet access just to guide me somewhere. Anyway, it's just an observation as I dont have an iPhone so I'm not up on what apps are available. I'm afraid the whole Apple monopoly gets up my nose.
Driving while staring at an iPhone screen isn't safe. But to answer your questions: 1) iPhone uses the cell network (in this case AT&T 3G) to load its maps, not wireless Internet access. 2) All AT&T iPhones have unlimited data phones, so you don't incur fees no matter how many times you load the maps.
A conclusion would have been nice.
A conclusion would have been nice.
Okay, Curnel_D. Here's your personalized conclusion:
"After about four hours use, nothing about the iPhone 3GS convinced this iPhone 3G user that she simply must have it. The speed--both in Web browsing and in switching between applications built into the phone--is a genuine perk to the 3GS, but using the phone is akin to using a laptop with a better processor than the one yours has. It certainly doesn't mean its time to ditch your one-year-old laptop in favor of a brand new one. For iPhone Classic owners, the upgrade option might be far more compelling.
Most iPhone 3G owners will be satisfied with the shiny, new feeling they got when they installed iPhone OS 3.0 on their phones earlier this week. For now, that's enough to carry most of them through until something even better (iPhone or not) comes along."
Okay, Curnel_D. Here's your personalized conclusion:"After about four hours use, nothing about the iPhone 3GS convinced this iPhone 3G user that she simply must have it. The speed--both in Web browsing and in switching between applications built into the phone--is a genuine perk to the 3GS, but using the phone is akin to using a laptop with a better processor than the one yours has. It certainly doesn't mean its time to ditch your one-year-old laptop in favor of a brand new one. For iPhone Classic owners, the upgrade option might be far more compelling.Most iPhone 3G owners will be satisfied with the shiny, new feeling they got when they installed iPhone OS 3.0 on their phones earlier this week. For now, that's enough to carry most of them through until something even better (iPhone or not) comes along."
Now put that in the article!
I see the camera section of this article with interest.
It's interesting how so many of the major media agencies tolerate subpar (read: crappy) picture quality from the iPhones, but demand ultra-sharp pictures from other handsets like LG, Samsung and SE, and then still criticize for lacking focus, flash, etc, etc. It seems very, very hypocritical to me.
Especially the AutoFocus is a complete failure for the iPhone if it actually does not lock into the particular item. Of course, you were quick to make excuses, calling fluorescent light the problem.
The truth is, my SH906i with 5.2MP autofocus takes pictures fine under fluorescent light. It's not overexposed, not underexposed, image is sharp and best of all, it's actually watchable.
Just a little rant from someone who owns a Japanese phone and had experienced so much better.
I see the camera section of this article with interest.It's interesting how so many of the major media agencies tolerate subpar (read: crappy) picture quality from the iPhones, but demand ultra-sharp pictures from other handsets like LG, Samsung and SE, and then still criticize for lacking focus, flash, etc, etc. It seems very, very hypocritical to me.Especially the AutoFocus is a complete failure for the iPhone if it actually does not lock into the particular item. Of course, you were quick to make excuses, calling fluorescent light the problem. The truth is, my SH906i with 5.2MP autofocus takes pictures fine under fluorescent light. It's not overexposed, not underexposed, image is sharp and best of all, it's actually watchable. Just a little rant from someone who owns a Japanese phone and had experienced so much better.
Couldn't agree more: many phones out there--especially those that aren't "smartphones"--have much better cameras than the iPhone 3GS (and the other iPhones too). The truth is, other camera phones would've performed much better in our testing environment. Next time I will try to include comparison shots from other camera phones, so that you can see the difference.
Thanks for reading,
Rachel Rosmarin
Editor, Tom's Guide
Couldn't agree more: many phones out there--especially those that aren't "smartphones"--have much better cameras than the iPhone 3GS (and the other iPhones too). The truth is, other camera phones would've performed much better in our testing environment. Next time I will try to include comparison shots from other camera phones, so that you can see the difference.
Thanks for reading,Rachel RosmarinEditor, Tom's Guide
Thanks for the consideration!