iPhone 4 UK Launch Day Review

Had an email yesterday to say that my new iPhone had been shipped, but I was still surprised when it turned up at 9am on the dot! The package itself was tiny, and as with the 3GS and other Apple products, even the packaging is something of an engineering masterpiece. Anyway, packaging hastily removed, iPhone activated and synced, here goes the review.

First Impressions

First glance of the phone sat neatly in the top of the box, and it doesn't immediately strike you as looking that different - roughly the same size, black glass front with the button and ear-piece in the same place.

Pick it up and hold it though, and its a different story - this is an iPhone 3GS that has done some seriously tough work in the gym - it is thinner, leaner, better looking - no unnecessary bulges or curves. Apparently it is slightly heavier, but it doesn't feel it. It's also had laser eye surgery, the now 5 megapixel camera is a significant improvement over the one in the 3GS - there's now a flash and a forward facing camera for FaceTime (Apples' new video phone standard), Skype and other apps. 2 hours in I haven't yet found anyone else with an iPhone 4 to test the video phone feature, once I've finished writing I'll go look!

Setting Up

The new iPhone 4 uses the same micro sim as the iPad - a cut down version of a standard sim card - and when I say cut down, in my case you can take this literally - I am yet to receive my new Vodafone Sim, so I actually had to cut my old one down to size - there is a guide on how to do this here.

Aside from this, the migration from 3GS to 4 is totally simple - basically just plug it into your PC or Mac, fire up iTunes and away you go.

Big Little Screen

The screen is ever so slightly smaller than the older iPhones - but it is so much bigger in other ways - the resolution has been increased so much that you can no longer identify individual pixels - the display is fantastic. If you look at this and then go back to looking at the 3GS, you can immediately tell the difference. This is the way all screens should be it makes everything else I look at inadequate, all of a sudden the individual pixels on my laptop screen are glaring out at me, I hope someone brings out a laptop with similar technology (Apple perhaps?).

iOS4

The other major leap forward is the new operating system, version 4 - multi-tasking is the 'cut and paste' of this release, in that it was basically a glaring omission from the software that everyone else has had for ages. To be honest, so far its not blown me away - audio apps can now be played in the background, but then Apples' own iPod app always could - they had basically restricted the feature from developers. I guess over time more developers will change their apps to make use of this feature, at the moment very few have done this.

iBooks is now available (although strangely you have to go and download it yourself - usually Apples' own apps are there by default and you can't get rid) and this will no doubt become the format of choice for e-books - the sheer number of devices in circulation should ensure this. It looks great, although the iPhone and iPad's glossy screens will never match some of the e-ink e-readers in terms of readability in different lighting conditions.

Other changes are mainly tweaks and graphical improvements, being able to sort apps into folders is useful, the first thing I have done with this is move the Apple apps I dont want into a folder on my last page!

Gripes

The device itself is fantastic, my only real negative points are with regards to the way apple restrict the release of new technology. The new iPhone 4 is available in the same 16GB and 32GB variants as the 3GS. Why? 32GB will soon get full if you use the device to watch movies on, and with this screen, you will certainly want to. Why not increase the capacity?I can only think it is something todo with the iPad, you can get one of those with 64GB, perhaps it is intended to differentiate between the 2 products. Incidentally, they've done the same thing there, which is why I am yet to buy an iPad - amongst other things, there is no camera on the device - it is a contender to replace netbooks, but even my £200 netbook has a front facing camera in it!

Verdict

Obviously this is more of a first impression than an in-depth review - many things such as the all important battery life cannot be tested in the (now 3 hours worth) of time I have had with the phone. However, this is clearly an amazing device and will no doubt be the best smart-phone around, at least for the moment. Should you buy one? Well, if you have a 3GS and you are tied in to a contract, you may want to wait - iOS4 is available for the 3GS and give you all the new software features of the iPhone 4. One tip though - don't pick up the iPhone 4 if you see one, because you won't want to go back to your 3GS. For everyone who is in a position to upgrade, or is just looking to buy a new handset, then this is the one to go for.