At this point, there’s no real need for me to introduce arguably the most hyped consumer electronic of all time: The Apple iPhone. Despite being almost two months old, the demand for the iPhone 3G is still high almost all all over the world. There are, however, still some folks that are on the fence and wondering whether or not to get one. Do they stick with their non-iPhone mobile or if they already have the iPhone bug, retire their first generation iPhone.
While the changes and upgrades between the EDGE and the 3G iPhone can be counted on one hand, they are still rather significant. The built-in GPS is a nice plus but most of the advantages of the 3G stem from, well, the new 3G data transfer rates. Those who were unimpressed by the rather slow EDGE network may be convinced by the zippy 3G. Let’s see if the changes are worth your attention.
Specifications
A quick look at the spec sheet reveals the following interesting things about this new iPhone 3G:
- 3.5″ widescreen multi-touch display, 480×320 resolution
- 8GB or 16GB (white color is available only on 16GB models)
- Quad-band GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz)
- 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
- Assisted GPS
- Dimensions: 4.5″ x 2.4″ x 0.48″ (115.5mm x 62.1mm x 12.3mm)
- Weight: 4.7 oz (133 grams)
The good news is the big, bright 480×320 screen remains the same. Minor changes include the metal buttons on the left side, which some users might find more robust, and a metal mesh over the speaker and mic ports to add in keeping gunk out of them.
The 2.0MP camera remains largely the same as the first-generation iPhone. Some folks have reported better image quality but to be honest, with two megapixels and a fixed lens, it’s a bit difficult to tell. Low light performance isn’t very good and there’s only digital zoom. If you’re looking for a camera phone, in that order, I would probably look elsewhere. However, as a convenience…maybe just to snap a picture here and there or to send a picture via Twitter, the camera isn’t terrible.
There’s still no video capabilities without 3rd party, unofficial apps, though.
In The Box
Under the phone, you still get the same headphones and USB cable that one would’ve received with the original iPhone. The headphones have an integrated microphone which is helpful but the sound quality is just as atrocious as any that came before it. Keep them wrapped for resale value and go buy a better set instead.
You’ll also notice that the AC-to-USB charger has changed significantly with a slightly more compact version coming in the box. This hasn’t gone well for Apple as at press time, there is a recall issued on them as the fixed prongs can snap off and remain in the outlet, posing a serious electric risk. Whoops.
However, perhaps the most significant change in the accessories is the one that’s missing. With the slightly reduced price of the 3G over the 2G iPhone, Apple has cut costs and is now charging $30 for the dock rather than including it in the package. Worst of all, due to the slightly larger size, the 3G does not fit in the old iPhone dock, forcing you to purchase a whole new selection of iPhone accessories.
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First Impressions
The design and dimensions of the iPhone remain largely the same although a few notable changes have been made. Most significantly, the matte metal back plate has been replaced with a rounder, plastic back plate. This plate alows the iPod to arrive to you in either black or white. Which you’ll like better is probably a matter of preference, however, my impeccable fashion sense pointed me towards black because it’s a fashion rule that black goes with everything.
Personally, I liked the metal back better as it was less likely to scratch and also flatter so it doesn’t move around when you’re poking around on your phone as it sits on a tabletop. The new back is also much more of a fingerprint magnet so putting on one of the many available clear skins is probably a good idea. Not only will it protect the unit, but also make fingerprints easier to get off.
The more welcome change is the fact the headphone jack is no longer recessed, which was one of the most ridiculous elements of the first iPhone as it required all sorts of weird third party adapters in order for you to use real headphones. I guess public outcry was enough for Steve Jobs to annouce the non-recesssed jack as a feature when the 3G was introduced earlier this year.
Testing: A-GPS
The assisted GPS is one of the new features of the 3G iPhone. While the first generation included searchable Google Maps support along with a “Where Am I” feature that triangulates the user’s general location through a combination of Wi-Fi and cell towers. The 3G also includes true GPS to give users a near pinpoint location fix. However, it lacks turn-by-turn directions which limits its usefulness in making trips by car. Rumor has it that it might be included in a future firmware update or through third party developers.
A nice bonus from the GPS chipset is that photos taken with the built-in camera are automatically geotagged. Even better, they don’t destroy your photos like this product. If Apple can include this feature in a phone, I’m sure Canon, Nikon, and the rest of the gang won’t be far behind in including this feature in all cameras.
While the A-GPS in the iPhone suffers from the usual setbacks most GPS devices experience such as the inability to lock on in or amongst tall buildings, underground and in heavy cloud cover, it does work reasonably fast and accurately when conditions are ideal. The iPhone will usually acquire your location in less than a minute. It may put you on the wrong side of the road but in most cases, it puts you fairly close to where you actually are. I’ve only experienced one instance where it was just completely wrong and thought I was in the middle of a river.
Testing: 3G vs. EDGE
Just how much of an improvement did we get when Apple decided to include 3G in the second generation iPhone? I loaded three different websites on both the first gen and second gen iPhones, both with cleared caches and with five bars of reception.
- Apple.com: iPhone 3G = 14 seconds, iPhone EDGE = 49 seconds
- Engadget.com: iPhone 3G = 20 seconds, iPhone EDGE = 2 minutes, 34 seconds
- CNN.com: iPhone 3G = 26 seconds, iPhone EDGE = 2 minutes 44 seconds
- Futurelooks.com: iPhone 3G = 24 seconds, iPhone EDGE = 2 minutes, 49 seconds
Of course, depending on where you live, your results may vary. In reality, the specific numbers don’t really matter but the overall result is that the 3G is significantly faster than EDGE, significant enough that EDGE users may want to upgrade. The boost in speed makes it far less torturous for surfing and those high data plan rates suddenly become a bit of a better value as you don’t have to wait forever for pages to load. We all know waiting sucks. 3G makes the iPhone a more enjoyable device overall. It also allows for certain apps that require high speed data rates to operated properly. These include things like streaming music programs like last.fm and Flycast.
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Testing: Battery Life
3G speeds come at the price of reduced battery life. Owners of both the EDGE and 3G iPhones will find themselves charging once a day with the new iPhone if they’re heavy users.
With the following settings…
- 3G enabled
- Wi-Fi enabled
- .Mac account set to Push
- Gmail set to fetch every 15 minutes
- Regular surfing, GPS and YouTube usage
- Firmware 2.1
…my iPhone 3G lasts on average just over five and a half hours on a charge. Your results may vary as early 3G iPhones and earlier firmware versions are reported to have comparitively poor battery life. Turning the 3G radio off, disabling Wi-Fi, setting the push and fetch to slower intervals, etc will extend battery life by quite a bit. To contrast, I found I could use the original iPhone for two or three days before requiring a charge. However, at the same time, I didn’t have a data plan prior to the 3G. Consensus is that the 3G, for the most part, is quite a drain on the battery.
Final Thoughts
Contrary to popular belief, many of the features of the iPhone have been available on mobile phones from Nokia or Sony Ericsson (amongst others) for awhile now. However, what the iPhone does is bring things like 3G to a mainstream audience. However, this move isn’t without its problems as the iPhone struggles with bugs, freezes and crashes on occassion. Strangely enough, you still can’t do some very elementary things on the iPhones such as cut and paste or features you might expect on next generation phones such as video recording.
On the other hand, I’ve used a lot of mobile phones and browsing on the iPhone 3.5″ LCD and Safari is of the best ways to use the web on the move. That’s before you even get to all the great apps available from the App Store, which is available over 3G. Personally, I don’t find the battery life a big deal as charging is quick and it isn’t a big deal to plug the phone in before you go to bed every night. The advantages you gain such as the accelerated 3G speeds and the surprisingly useful GPS are worth the trade-off.
Is it for everyone? I really don’t think so. Most people aren’t going to need to spend nearly $70 each month for one of the plans that include 3G data. Over the course of a three year contract, that’s more than $2500 and that’s quite a commitment when you consider that most people are only talk plans that go for about $20.
However, if you are in need of mobile e-mail and a robust web browser you can take everywhere, give the iPhone a serious look. All the “cons” below are rather minor relative to the important things like the inclusion of GPS and the greater data speeds. Don’t forget that there are ways to tether your laptop to your iPhone for true mobile internet everywhere (although I’m almost sure that violates all the TOS) and having things like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube making the iPhone a great digital lifestyle device.
It isn’t the first to include many of its selling features but the iPhone 3G is by far the slickest, most refined and probably best designed implementation of all this technology.
Pros:
- 3.5″ 480×320 LCD is bright and looks great.
- Great design, easy to learn and use.
- 3G is quick, meaning everything works faster and better.
- GPS is also quick and mostly accurate.
- Lots of great, cheap apps on App Store.
- Cheaper than first-gen.
- No stupid recessed headphone jack.
Cons:
- Battery life could be better.
- No turn-by-turn GPS navigation.
- Plans might be more expensive or longer term.
- Occassionally unstable.
- Very little improvement in terms of camera. No video.
- Dock no longer included.
- Plastic backplate instead of metal.
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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The Apple iPhone Showdown – The 3G vs. The EDGE Photo Gallery
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