The iPhone 4 immediately stole my breath away as soon as I opened the box. “So this is what everyone has been raving about all over the world,” I said to myself. Call me a geek or an Apple fanatic but my hands were shaking as I lifted the phone out of the box. I’ve only been able to play around for it for a couple of hours but I think I have a fairly good initial review and I’ll be comparing the iPhone 4 to my experience with the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G.
iPhone 4 Unboxing Pictures
Compared to the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 4 is definitely light years ahead. The graphics, color, and resolution brought about by the retina display just blows away previous generations of iPhones. The response time of the apps and messaging app is also a huge improvement against the 3G but I don’t feel any difference if I compare it to the 3GS model.
One of the most talked about features of the iPhone 4 is the camera. When Steve Jobs presented it during his keynote he made it look like the iPhone 4 could almost match DSLR cameras! However that’s definitely not the case. The iPhone 4 camera is obviously better than the 3G, 3GS, and a lot of other camera phones but it still has miles to go if you’ll compare picture quality to professional cameras. If I had to find the nearest camera comparable to it the iPhone 4 is a little less than a good digital camera like the Canon Ixus.
As a Professional
When I was using the 3GS, the feature I loved the most was MobileMe. The ability to sync my contacts, mail, and calendar across my iPad, Macbook, and iPhone was just phenomenal! It’s like having a PDA available everyone and everywhere. With that said, there’s nothing really different with the MobileMe experience with the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS. Compared to the 3G model though it’s definitely much better mainly because the 3G is just too sluggish. The calendar is slooooooooow. :/
In terms of general office work I’ll stick to the iPad. I don’t feel that the iPhone 4 is a good machine to do Keynotes, Pages, or spreadsheets. Even when it comes to gaming, I’ll go with the iPad because of the bigger screen. The small surface of the iPhone (compared to the iPad) just isn’t enough to keep me happy with any of those two kinds of activities.
As it stands right now the iPhone 4 really isn’t that much of an upgrade compared to the 3GS *cue for Apple cultists to throw tomatoes at me now*. I think the iPhone 4′s hype is mostly marketing and Apple has done a phenomenal job in drumming up so much noise for this product in the last few months which resulted to their insanely good sales.
So to those asking me if the jump from the 3GS to the iPhone 4 is worth it, here’s my answer. If you can sell your 3GS and just add a few more thousands to get an iPhone 4, then yes it is. Especially if you don’t have a good digital or professional camera yet. If not, then skip it. Note that I’m saying this for this particular point in time. I don’t know if Apple will come up with mind blowing applications exclusive to the iPhone 4 that the 3GS won’t have.
The iPhone 4 is really tempting. The only thing stopping me now is my physical keypad. I’d probably switch to the iPhone when I confirm Nokia’s Meego platform sucks. The iPodTouch4 and iPad is enough for now.
i notice the iphone 4 does not give me “network lost” compared to the iphone 3GS. The browsing speed is definitely faster. Photos so much better that I can even take photos of events without bringing my main camera. It is the iPad that is not well maximized by me . iPhone 4 is just so sulit for my needs. hehe
Haha, ako naman its the iPad that’s really being maximized for work purposes. Hope to see you soon noems!
Great job on the review bro! I haven’t upgraded to iPhone 4 yet for the same reasons. I enjoy my iPad though (posting here with my iPad) …
Come to think of it, many entrepreneurs are fond of Apple products (Mac, iPad, iPhone) as shown in this month’s issue of Entrepreneur magazine.
Cheers and regards to wifey!
Ian del Carmen
Heya Ian! Will check the latest issue of Entrep!
How’s the battery life compared to 3GS? If it’s longer, that alone is worth the additional thousands.
Improvement with battery life is noticeable
Hi Carlo! That’s a good review of the latest iPhone Phenomena in the market today..!
iPhone 4 is great and I bought it here in Qatar! The response action is very quick, battery life is better and website content is clearer and better.
Signal is also great where I am using Vodafone as my mobile provider here in Doha. An all in one gadget that I need that suits my corporate lifestyle specially managing my schedules in entertainment and special events management projects here overseas.
I recommend to everyone that iPhone 4 is worth of buying. Truly Remarkable!
Enjoy guys and you all there in the Philippines.
One question Carlo, comparing iPhone 4 to the latest Blackberry, can you share to us your thoughts on this please…
Cheers!
Jann Reyes
Haha, didn’t know Jobs made such a claim before, iphone4 having cameras as powerful as a DSLR. Marketing is definitely his hype. Another note, you don’t use “light years” to exaggerate time, you use it for distance (if that’s what you meant). Was this a product review? Even if it’s something like a first impression review, I wondered why you compared it to the 3G if the model it followed was the 3GS (I assumed you have 3GS).
And you’ve got a weird proposal in replacing existing 3GSs, having found out that it’s not really different than 4 (seriously?).