Iphone 4 Review

Apple's new Iphone is out, and according to them its slimmer, faster and better then ever.  However there have already been a bevy of issues reported.  Is the Iphone 4 the real deal?  Read on for the full review.

Design:

The new Iphone is the sleekest and sexiest version yet.  It has glass covering the front and back, while the sides are completely covered with brushed metal.  The phone feels great in your hand.  It comes in at 4.8oz which is the same as the 3GS but a little more then the 3G.  It feels very solid, even more so then the older models.  The phone lays flush on a flat surface which i like when compared to the rolly 3GS and 3G.  The metal sides double as 3 antenna.  Which improves reception while also creating an issue when held a certain way.

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New Features:
Feature wise this phone is fairly loaded.  With the newest additions to the party being the front facing camera, a noise canceling mic on top, the 960x640 screen, and the 5megapixel rear camera with flash that shoots 720p video.  The phone also has a 1GHz A4 processor, along with 512gb of ram.  The new iOS4, has also introduced multitasking, along with customizable backgrounds, IBooks, and a unified email client.

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Performance:
The Iphone 4 and it's new processor absolutely fly.  It is the most responsive touchscreen device I have ever used hands down.  Applications load and play faster. If you click on something there is absolutely no lag of any kind.  Texting is even quicker and more responsive as well.  It truly is a breeze to use, better then the 3GS, and tons better then the 3G.

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Display:

The new 960x640 IPS "Retina Display" is simply stunning.  It makes the older Iphone screens which i liked, look poor.  You can't see any pixels at all during normal viewing, you have to literally get your eyes right up on the screen to see them.  It also has an improved 800:1 contrast ratio which makes the blacks look inky and the colors pop.  As you can imagine, HD video looks great, as well as viewing hi-res images.  The biggest benefit of the screen comes when viewing text however.  Simply put text looks like you are reading a magazine or news paper.  From text messages to web pages, text looks super smooth.  This comes in handy because you can read smaller fonts without losing clarity.

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Camera:

The rear camera can be used for taking 5 megapixel pictures or Hd video.  It now has an LED flash bulb for low light condition.  The camera is much improved from the older versions.  It captures rich if sometimes over saturated photos.  Colors pop and there is good detail.  The flash is a single bulb, and it is adequate.  Taking photos is much quicker then before.  No more 5 second wait after a picture is snapped.  Once you tap the shutter button it snaps instantly and is ready for another.  The front facing camera takes VGA photos similar to the quality of the 3G's camera.  Fine for self portraits and Facetime but not nearly as good as the rear cam.

The video as you can see in the video below, is nice and fairly crisp.  It is similar to the quality of the many Flip type pocket HD video cameras out there.  The difference is, it is magically tucked inside the slimmest smart phone on the market.  The Iphone 4 effectively eliminates the need for a point and shoot camera, and a pocket HD video camera.

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Facetime:

Video calling with Facetime is just really cool.  All you need is a solid WiFi connection. It currently can't be done over At&T's 3G network, which is understandable.  Hopefully in the future this will change.  It is extremely easy to initiate a Facetime call.  All you have to do is call a contact and if they have an Iphone 4 with WiFi on. the Facetime button won't be grayed out.  You click it, the person gets the option to accept or decline and you are up and running.  The calls are as smooth as your connection is strong.  It really is a much more personal way to talk to someone which can be both positive and negative.

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Multitasking:

The Iphone 4 handles multitasking in a way that I personally believe makes the most sense on a mobile platform.  Instead of running apps in the background that would take up RAM, processing power, and drain battery.  Apple has decided to have your apps be in a saved state.  Aside from music or navigation apps, most of the rest go into a saved state almost like pausing a video game and changing the channel.  This works great.  You simply double click the home button, and a bar pops up on the bottom with your recently opened apps.  You pick one of the four right there, or swipe either way for more.  If you click and hold on an app icon minus signs will appear over all the apps.  You can then completely close the app by hitting the minus sign if you feel the need to do so.  It works very well.

There is also task completion.  So say your downloading an app or uploading a photo.  Previously if u entered into a program those tasks would just stop.  Now they will be able to complete in the background.

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Battery Life:

The battery in the new phone is bigger then the 3GS or 3G battery.  The Lithium Ion battery is rated 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G web surfing, 10 hours of WiFi, 10 hours of video, and 40 hours of audio.  In tests I have found that these numbers are accurate.  The battery easily outlasts the older phones.  With normal use throughout the day (talk, text, surf, play) the phone doesnt even dip to 50% power by the end of the night.  The only thing that really noticeably drains the battery is Facetime.

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Conclusion:
The Iphone 4 represents what in my opinion is the best available phone, period.  There is currently no device on the market that does so much, and maintains great aesthetics.  The phone is so good, I didn't even need to mention the Ipod, which is still the best media manager on any phone.  This is the most fully featured Iphone yet, and even with omissions like 4G it is still a must have.