Apple iPhone 3GS review

In an age where having the latest and greatest gadgets and devices is imbued into many, the iPhone 3GS will be something of a disappointment on first glance. This is because from the outside there’s nothing new about it. Turn it over and at the rear its still just says ‘iPhone’ – not even a 3GS to show to the rest of your colleagues as you casually lay it face down at a meeting. The capacity is indicated though so by going for the new 32GB model, those in the know will know what you’ve got.
But let’s be grown up about this, it’s not just about posing, the iPhone 3G was the best overall smartphone on the market and an excellent business device for many people and the 3GS does enough to keep it ahead of the chasing pack, though there’s no doubt that the gap is closing.
The sleek iPhone look, with a large 3.5in display surrounded with a black border and silver edge is there and again there’s a choice of black or white back. Apple has made surface level improvements though, with a new ‘oleophobic’ screen coating, or ‘oil resistant’ in English, which means that the 3GS is more resistant to finger prints and smudges. This is clearly a good thing, but it’s still not impervious by any means.
There’s been no change though in the technology inside the screen, - it’s still a capacitive touch screen, which means its finger friendly, but there’s no increase in screen resolution, which remains at 480 x 320 at 163ppi – compare the HTC Touch HD, which offers a very crisp 3.8in 800 x 480 resolution screen, delivering 246ppi.
There’s also no OLED, a technology that promises brighter colours and greater efficiency. Samsung is about to release an Android phone with just such a screen in the guise of the i7500, but as the manufacturer of the screen technology it evidently can make it affordable and right now it’s too expensive as an option for Apple. As it stands though the 3GS screen is still bright and clear.
What's new?
So what is actually new on the iPhone 3GS? The key change is a faster processor – that ‘S’ stands for ‘Speed’, and it’s been revealed as a 600MHz ARM processor with 256MB of RAM (up from 412MHz/128MB). The graphics chip has also been improved too, with the addition of a Power VR SGX chip. Incidentally this is licence from Imagination Technologies, a UK company that Apple bought a stake in last year.
Other new features are an improved camera that can now do video, a voice recording feature and a digital compass. Finally, there’s improved battery life, with Apple claiming longer life over a 2G network and longer when using Wi-Fi. Talk-time when in 3G mode remains the same however at five hours.