Apple iPhone 3G S review: What’s new? (See all reviews)

Launched on June 19, the iPhone 3GS was Apple's next move to the phenomenally success of the iPhone lineup. It sports a 3.15 MP autofocus camera, GPS, an ARM Cortex 600 MHz processor, 256 MB of RAM and it finally adds common cell phone features like multimedia messaging, video recording, and voice dialing. It runs faster; its promised battery life is longer and the multimedia quality continues to shine.

For starters we’d like to remind that it took the Cupertino based company less than two years to transform how the world thinks of cell phones. Phone companies and hardware-makers alike have rushed to copy the iPhone’s touchscreen interface, easy access to the Internet, and the staggering success of its App Store.

We are quite sure there's no need to go into details with the iPhone 3GS and if you're looking at this review, chances are that you are just wondering how it feels and if you should jump onboard and get one. However, we’d like to let everybody know that this review is not based on a comparison with iPhone 3G as we believe that most users will not pay a significant amount of money to upgrade from the 3G handset.

Don’t get us wrong, the phone is indeed running up to two times better than what Apple have offered us so far, it does offer some new features but it doesn't bring substantial new capabilities to the table and we perceived the device more like a hardware catch up. If you don't already own an iPhone, and you've been waiting for the right one, now is the time to go for it. The same goes for iPhone 2G owners who never made the jump to the iPhone 3G.

Main Features:

- ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz CPU, PowerVR SGX graphics
- 3.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 pixels)
- 3.15 MP, (2048x1536 pixels), autofocus camera with video recording and geo-tagging
- 16 GB or 32 GB storage with 256 MB RAM
- HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.1
- Multi-touch input method, VoiceControl
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate, Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- A-GPS, Digital compass, Google Maps

Disadvantages:

- Use of the last year's design
- Call quality shows no improvements while the 3G signal reception remains uneven
- Lack of Flash Lite and video calls functionality
- No multitasking, no USB transfer and storage
- Average photo quality, camera still lacks flash and hardware shutter key
- Battery life is below average

In terms of design and construction materials, the iPhone 3GS looks and feels like other iPhones before it. It feels good in the hand, but it is a little heavy in the pocket. One of the new physical features is the use of the oleophobic surface that is supposed to make the surface less prone to fingerprints and easier to clean. Honestly it doesn't feel any better or worse than previous models.

As you probably have guessed, the new handet shares the same dimensions as its predecessor, being slightly heavier, 4.76 ounces compared 4.7 ounces, a virtually unnoticeable difference.

On top of the phone we have the strange SIM card slot, the 3.5mm audio jack, and the On/Off button. The bottom holds the microphone and the loudspeaker. Unfortunately here, the loudspeaker is a single one, which is a shame, as we are quite sure everybody would have enjoyed the addition of stereo speakers.

The back of the iPhone 3GS is unfortunately shiny again and it’s a true fingerprint magnet and quite hard to clean. The camera lens is on the same place on the back but nothing suggests its improved functionality.