I got my iPhone 4 at Noon on 6/23/10 since then here is what I am thinking about Apple’s latest gadget.
- The form factor, being squared instead of round, is very different. Personally I love it, but it won’t be for everyone. The size is also significantly smaller than the iPhone 3G S and it really shows. I have noticed it is impossible for me to squeeze the phone between my shoulder and ear when on a call (I am able to with the 3G S) when I am wearing a collared shirt. This size change is most noticeable when you put the iPhone in your pocket, which is a welcome change for all smartphone users.
- The flash is nice, but is limited in its usefulness. I have found that it is great so far for macro shots of text, they come out much sharper than without the flash.
- The video and camera are far superior, and will prove to be one of the best reasons to upgrade to this phone.
- That screen, wow it really is amazing. The text is so damn sharp – it seriously looks amazing, if you don’t believe me go to an Apple store or find a friend with an iPhone 4 and take a look at it for yourself. Open up the text messages or email and look at the text, bar none.
- Reception is spotty in my office and a regular AT&T dropped call zone (not very cool). In the limited time I have had with the iPhone 4 I have noticed that it gets far more bars at my desk (previously got 1-2 bars now gets 3-4 bars), this is most likely a 3G versus EDGE decision it is making – but I’ll take it.
- Call sound quality thus far is much different from the 3G S. To me it sounds cleaner, and deeper than it did before. My wife tells me that I sound like I am in an isolation booth (when I am sitting in my office), almost like I am in a bathroom – which I am not sure if that is good or bad. Time will tell what the difference really is – but for now there is a difference.
- App installations seem much quicker. I installed a few new apps after getting the phone up and running and the installation part (not the downloading part) seems very fast in comparison.
- Non-optimized iPhone Apps are clear as day – not in a good way. The icons for apps that have not been readied for the higher resolution screen look fuzzy and really are annoying to use. The text is still sharp, as are the Apple UI elements, stray from those and you get a fuzzy view reminiscent of the 3G S’ screen.
- All I can say about the battery life thus far is that it has a battery. Reports say it is amazing, stay tuned on that front.
- The iPhone 4 feels about 10 times stronger the my old 3G S that has several cracks in the plastic casing.
- The fact that there is no light to let me know when the front facing camera is on bugs me, if I am in an app and that front camera turns on, I want to know about it. It isn;t like I can flip the phone over and know that no camera can see what is going on – cameras on both sides prevent this. Don’t get me wrong I love the front facing camera, up until a hacker figures out how to activate it.