Arguably the first real reboot of the platform, the iPhone 4 easily makes a case for itself as the best of the line. However, it remains plagued by several problems. Despite that, the beefy features, striking design and the strength of the App Store still makes it the real smartphone to beat.
Physically, it's an all new phone. Boasting a revamped design, it looks sleeker than all of its predecessors, despite taking on boxier lines. One of Apple's most suspect decisions, however, is the glass panel on the back, which leaves it easier to smudge and in greater danger of actually breaking. Judging from other user's experiences, all that glass makes for a more fragile device than the ones before it.
The big shocker here is the handset's 940 x 640 pixel display, which easily makes it sharper than any other screen in the market today. Yes, the quality easily lines up with other smartphone's AMOLED displays too. As you're probably aware, the phone's antennas are slotted around the edge, which some have blamed for ongoing reception problems (aside from the bane that is AT&T, of course).
As a phone, the iPhone 4's call quality is actually pretty good, provided the signal is strong. In that situation, voices sound sharp, natural and sufficiently loud - it sits right up there with the best of them. It seems to turn up more spotty areas compared to the 3GS, though. Speakerphone is the same - it's good, provided the signal is good. Battery performance seems improved from previous generations. If you're a moderate user, expect to go up to a day and a half (or more) before recharging.
Feature-heavy, it makes the 3GS look lacking when it comes to new capabilities. We'll just rattle off our favorites to give you an idea:
- Multitasking
- Unified inbox
- Front-facing camera for video calls
- Persistent WiFi (it will stay connected even in standby mode)
- Home screen folders
- Three-axis gyroscope for gaming
- Tethering (extra $20, but worth it)
All the previous version's best features are here too, so you get the same robust functionalities as before. Running on a 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, performance is easily faster than older generations too.
The camera has been bumped up to 5 megapixels (with 720p video recording), complete with flash and digital zoom. Both photo and video quality are exceptional, with almost zero shutter lag. Simply put, the camera is a truly solid feature, producing better results than even some of the higher-resolution camera phones around.
Overall, the iPhone 4 squarely places itself as one of the most compelling offerings on the market, especially given the continued growth of the App Store. While the antenna issues and AT&T's woes continue to be a source of worry, it remains arguably the best player on the block.
