Features
Quality
Value
Overall

Apple iPhone 3GS overview

Design

The design of the iPhone 3GS is almost identical to the 3G version, measuring 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 inches. It comes in black and white colors. It is slightly heavier though, at 135 grams. The 3GS has a 3.5-inch widescreen display with a 480x320 resolution. The display is brighter than the 3G phone. To reduce the effects of fingerprint smudges, it features an oleophobic glaze on the display screen.

Camera

iPhone 3GS comes with an improved 3 megapixel camera but still falls short of the Nokia N95 s 5 megapixel camera. It now has autofocus, a feature that adjusts the color, balance, and contrast of the subject being photographed with just a tap on the display. It also comes with better low light sensitivity. But Apple has yet again decided against flash and digital zoom, which will disappoint many users. The image quality is decent.

Camera

iPhone 3GS comes with an improved 3 megapixel camera but still falls short of the Nokia N95 s 5 megapixel camera. It now has autofocus, a feature that adjusts the color, balance, and contrast of the subject being photographed with just a tap on the display. It also comes with better low light sensitivity. But Apple has yet again decided against flash and digital zoom, which will disappoint many users. The image quality is decent.

The device comes with a new video recording feature in VGA resolution at 30fps. Another great feature is video editing, where the video is displayed in different frames and you can change the clip in several ways. You can send the recorded clips through email or upload them on YouTube.

Compass

A unique addition to the 3GS is the digital compass that tells you the direction in which you are headed, along with the latitude and longitude. You can access the compass directly from the 'Home' screen.

Performance

The 3GS comes with a 600MHz processor and 256MB RAM - improvements of 188 MHz and 128MB RAM respectively over the 3G. This results in faster loading, especially when it comes to games and graphics. Apple s OS 3.0 adds many features - landscape typing, which widens the space and makes typing emails and notes easier, MMS support, and voice memos.

Voice control

Another neat feature is the 3GS s voice control that lets you control the music playback and make calls by speaking out instructions or phone numbers verbally. It obeys simple commands such as 'Play', 'Next Track' and shuffle'.

Battery life

Battery life is significantly better than the 3G with a rating of 30 hours of playback and 9 hours of Wi-Fi. Battery life for video recording comes in at 10 hours and that for 2G and 3G talktime is 12 and 5 hours respectively.

Conclusion

Apple iPhone 3GS offers several new features and applications. The improved battery life and faster performance are a big positive. But the lack of direct USB transfer and camera flash are annoying shortcomings. With Android based phones giving stiff competition to the iPhone in terms of features, you need to carefully evaluate your needs before deciding which phone to buy.

Pros:

• Faster performance
• Improved battery life
• New Video recording feature

Cons:

• No flash or zoom
• No direct USB transfer

Technical Specifications

Apple iPhone 3GS pictures

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