Summary of Early iPhone 3G S Reviews

MacRumors · Jun 17, 2009, 02:32 PM

The early reviews for the iPhone 3G S are in and the conclusions seem pretty common across the board. As advertised, the new iPhone 3G S offers a faster experience, better camera, and impressive video recording. All reviewers felt that the upgrade from 3G was more evolutionary than revolutionary and the core phone remains very much the same as the existing 3G.

Here are a summary of key impressions from the early reviews that have hit the web.

Walt Mossberg / AllThingsD
- Speed: "the new model proved dramatically snappier in every way than my iPhone 3G. "
- Battery: "the new model did much better [than the iPhone 3G], never hitting the red zone and rarely requiring interim charging at the office or in the car, even though, because I was testing it, I was pounding it much harder than usual"
- Camera: "didn’t think the pictures it took were dramatically better than those on the old model"
- Conclusion: "Both the new iPhone and iPhone OS are packed with features that make a great product even better. But, for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model."

Sun Times / Andy Ihnatko
- Speed: "Everything feels faster. Safari on the iPhone 3G S seems as interactive as a desktop browser."
- Gaming: "Gaming has been kicked up a notch; intensive 3D games are elevated from 'Wow, that’s a great frame rate for a phone!' to simply 'Wow.'"
- Battery: "The 3G S has enough juice for a full day of normal use, but if you’re going to rely on it heavily throughout the day it’s still best to have an external battery."
- Video: "The video quality is impressively smooth and natural given the source, and the sound quality is practically astonishing"
- Voice: "Voice control is a tough feature to successfully pull off on any device. No, the iPhone doesn’t pull it off."
- Flickr set of photos taken with the iPhone 3G S.

Engadget
- Game Performance: "If you're an avid gamer looking for the device with more power, the difference will be crystal clear: the 3G S obviously flexes in this department."
- Olephobic screen: - "The most surprising thing about the tech is that it actually does what the company says it will: namely, it resists new smudges and wipes almost entirely clean with a single swipe on a pant leg."
- Camera: "We do have some complaints about exposure, which seems to be permanently cranked to "blinding," and while the shutter speed is faster than on the 3G, it's still not quite snappy enough for our taste."
- Video: "Video recording on the iPhone 3G S is really quite impressive"
- Compass: "Once the compass picks up your bearing, it rotates the map to reflect. This may not sound like much, but if you've ever tried to walk a new city using just maps and geolocation, you'll understand quickly. "
- Conclusion: "For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own. "

Gizmodo
- Olephobic coating: "Surprisingly, the coating actually works in preventing a good deal of fingerprints and face grease, and it allows the phone to still be smooth and usable even if there are fingerprints on the surface."
- Speed: " Safari, Email, Camera all load noticeably faster than on the iPhone 3G (both running 3.0 software). Even booting the phone takes about half the time. "
- Video: "Even if it's not quite 30FPS at all times, the video is smooth as hell. Recording still isn't great in low light since it's a physical limitation of cameras in general, but at least it's fluid."
- 7.2Mbpz data speed: "on average the 3GS scored about 50% higher than the 3G, occasionally, in individual runs, it could have ranged anywhere from twice as fast to about the same speeds."
- Battery: "What's also surprising about the 3GS is that you wouldn't expect battery life to be improved, but it is."
- Conclusion: "The only issue with the iPhone 3GS, if you already have the 3G, is that it's not all that different of an experience." ... "as a whole, the iPhone 3GS is the best all-around smartphone available"

Article Link: Summary of Early iPhone 3G S Reviews

iPhoneNYC · Jun 17, 2009, 02:40 PM

Overall, these aren't the raves that I was anticipating. Maybe people should try out the new software on their existing 3Gs before making the leap?

iBeard · Jun 17, 2009, 02:40 PM

Well those reviews make me happy I upgraded. I watched the videos on gizmodo and the speed difference is significant.

NinjaHERO · Jun 17, 2009, 02:41 PM

This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer.

larrymarshall2 · Jun 17, 2009, 02:42 PM

I think this summarizes the new iPhone pretty well:

"For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own."

So avid love Apple people who have 3G's will buy it at full price, 2G owners will finally upgrade to the 3G world, and the planet will be a little happier.

My question is, the statement says that it's testing an average of 50% faster internet speeds...I thought the 7.2 speed wasn't going to roll out until later this year from ATT, or are we just seeing the phone itself process and display faster off regular 3G?

ajcfreak · Jun 17, 2009, 02:43 PM

Speed, performance, features.... This is the one to get.

Any ideas on pricing outside the States? Like in India, perhaps?

ajcfreak · Jun 17, 2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaHERO

This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer.

If you keep doing that, you'll always be looking to the next model next summer (for an iPhone) or the next September (for an iPod)

JimmyDreams · Jun 17, 2009, 02:45 PM

Sounds like I'll be VERY pleased on my upgrade from an old EDGE only iPhone.

Trixster · Jun 17, 2009, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymarshall2

I think this summarizes the new iPhone pretty well:

"For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own."

So avid love Apple people who have 3G's will buy it at full price, 2G owners will finally upgrade to the 3G world, and the planet will be a little happier.

My question is, the statement says that it's testing an average of 50% faster internet speeds...I thought the 7.2 speed wasn't going to roll out until later this year from ATT, or are we just seeing the phone itself process and display faster off regular 3G?

I´m not sure, but isn´t Gizmodo a German site? Anyway, they probably tested it outside the US on a 7,2mbit 3g net.

themoonisdown09 · Jun 17, 2009, 02:51 PM

Sounds like I'll be happy with upgrading to the iPhone 3G S from a 2 year old LG Chocolate.

kasei · Jun 17, 2009, 02:51 PM

Think of all of us upgrading from 1st gen iPhones. This is going to be a huge leap in speed for us. People become so jaded so quickly.

diabolic · Jun 17, 2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaHERO

This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer.

I'll be getting that one too after using the 3G S for a year.

mca7 · Jun 17, 2009, 02:52 PM

This will be a awesome upgrade for all 2g iPhone users, myself included! Can't wait until Friday

dizzy13 · Jun 17, 2009, 02:53 PM

No word from the reviews on how much storage the video takes? I did some math and estimated about 27MB/min, but wanted to see how close I was. Guess I have to wait till Friday.

bigmc6000 · 03:03 PM

""Visually impaired people can use Apple's Voice Over to navigate the handset's menus and type messages and e-mails. "

Does that mean I can dictate a text message?!?! Man, I've been wanting that ever since I started texting - texting while driving is horribly dangerous but being able to dictate it would awesome!

EDIT: Nevermind - it just helps you enter text, why they haven't expanded voice control to voice to text is far beyond me...

BongoBanger · Jun 17, 2009, 02:55 PM

Out of the lot of them I would trust Engadget's review most. It seems pretty clear:

If you've not got one, get it. If you've got a 3G don't bust your contract.

JMax1 · Jun 17, 2009, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaHERO

This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer.

If AT&T will let you upgrade again! Sounds like they probably will bend again on leting iPhoners upgrade, eh?

TurboSC · Jun 17, 2009, 02:56 PM

can't wait to take ownership of my new 32GB 3GS, especially now with the ATT upgrade eligibility changes, $299 here I come! woooooooooooooo!

Furi Kuri · Jun 17, 2009, 02:58 PM

Well, I think I'm just going to end up sticking with my 3g and just wait.

trustbyte · Jun 17, 2009, 03:03 PM

can't wait for ifixit or somebody to tear it apart!

let me see some flash and blood babbbyy!

Stately · Jun 17, 2009, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaHERO

This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer.

Cooorectumundoooo . . . Just hearing what was to come, I could already ascertain, that the only things that would really mean much to those who already had the 3G, would be the minor speed bump and battery life. Current 3G'ers get most of the important stuff from the 3.0 firmware release. I had a feeling that most of the big stuff would need tweaking anyway. For example video editing will need a bump in the future, maybe a couple of times with software upgrades. As of now, one can not truly completely edit. Voice recognition was just another add-on, but needs refining from what I suspected and from what I have read so far and I wondered how the camera could truly be improved without creating a larger iphone. From the reviews, it seems I was on point. The 3G takes great pictures for a phone, I have no clue why people complain about it. In any event, I think those with the iphone 3G should hang tight.

TRAG · Jun 17, 2009, 03:05 PM

I'm running 3.0 on my 3G now and everything is 2 or 3x faster. Can't wait to see how it is on the 3G S.

VanMac · Jun 17, 2009, 03:05 PM

I'll be looking forward to picking one up. Hopefully Rogers plans in Canada are decent.

jacinto45 · Jun 17, 2009, 03:06 PM

This post misses the 3G S review from David Pogue, by far the best tech reviewer out there.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/te...8pogue.html?hp

KindredMAC · Jun 17, 2009, 03:06 PM

What I want to hear from Walt is whether or not an original iPhone running OS 3.0 should be upgraded to an iPhone 3GS or should I wait one more year.

I don't NEED 3G speed, happy with EDGE and the fact that I always manage to find a free WiFi spot while traveling. GPS... nice but I bought my wife the 3G a few months back and we never travel apart from each other so I can always use hers.

Come on reviewers.... I don't think the real question for users is whether or not they should upgrade from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS, but it should be for those of us on the first gen phone. If you have a 3G it should be really painfully clear that it is the same phone in essence.

Jun 17, 2009, 02:32 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Summary of Early iPhone 3G S Reviews The early reviews for the iPhone 3G S are in and the conclusions seem pretty common across the board. As advertised, the new iPhone 3G S offers a faster experience, better camera, and impressive video recording. All reviewers felt that the upgrade from 3G was more evolutionary than revolutionary and the core phone remains very much the same as the existing 3G. Here are a summary of key impressions from the early reviews that have hit the web. Walt Mossberg / AllThingsD - Speed: "the new model proved dramatically snappier in every way than my iPhone 3G. " - Battery: "the new model did much better [than the iPhone 3G], never hitting the red zone and rarely requiring interim charging at the office or in the car, even though, because I was testing it, I was pounding it much harder than usual" - Camera: "didn’t think the pictures it took were dramatically better than those on the old model" - Conclusion: "Both the new iPhone and iPhone OS are packed with features that make a great product even better. But, for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model." Sun Times / Andy Ihnatko - Speed: "Everything feels faster. Safari on the iPhone 3G S seems as interactive as a desktop browser." - Gaming: "Gaming has been kicked up a notch; intensive 3D games are elevated from 'Wow, that’s a great frame rate for a phone!' to simply 'Wow.'" - Battery: "The 3G S has enough juice for a full day of normal use, but if you’re going to rely on it heavily throughout the day it’s still best to have an external battery." - Video: "The video quality is impressively smooth and natural given the source, and the sound quality is practically astonishing" - Voice: "Voice control is a tough feature to successfully pull off on any device. No, the iPhone doesn’t pull it off." - Flickr set of photos taken with the iPhone 3G S. Engadget - Game Performance: "If you're an avid gamer looking for the device with more power, the difference will be crystal clear: the 3G S obviously flexes in this department." - Olephobic screen: - "The most surprising thing about the tech is that it actually does what the company says it will: namely, it resists new smudges and wipes almost entirely clean with a single swipe on a pant leg." - Camera: "We do have some complaints about exposure, which seems to be permanently cranked to "blinding," and while the shutter speed is faster than on the 3G, it's still not quite snappy enough for our taste." - Video: "Video recording on the iPhone 3G S is really quite impressive" - Compass: "Once the compass picks up your bearing, it rotates the map to reflect. This may not sound like much, but if you've ever tried to walk a new city using just maps and geolocation, you'll understand quickly. " - Conclusion: "For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own. " Gizmodo - Olephobic coating: "Surprisingly, the coating actually works in preventing a good deal of fingerprints and face grease, and it allows the phone to still be smooth and usable even if there are fingerprints on the surface." - Speed: " Safari, Email, Camera all load noticeably faster than on the iPhone 3G (both running 3.0 software). Even booting the phone takes about half the time. " - Video: "Even if it's not quite 30FPS at all times, the video is smooth as hell. Recording still isn't great in low light since it's a physical limitation of cameras in general, but at least it's fluid." - 7.2Mbpz data speed: "on average the 3GS scored about 50% higher than the 3G, occasionally, in individual runs, it could have ranged anywhere from twice as fast to about the same speeds." - Battery: "What's also surprising about the 3GS is that you wouldn't expect battery life to be improved, but it is." - Conclusion: "The only issue with the iPhone 3GS, if you already have the 3G, is that it's not all that different of an experience." ... "as a whole, the iPhone 3GS is the best all-around smartphone available" Article Link: Summary of Early iPhone 3G S Reviews

Jun 17, 2009, 02:40 PM	#3
iBeard macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2005	Well those reviews make me happy I upgraded. I watched the videos on gizmodo and the speed difference is significant. __________________ Mac Pro \| 2.66GHz Quad, 7GB, 3.25TB, X1900XT uMBP \| 15" Matte, 2.53GHz, 4GB, 250GB, 9400M iPhone 3G[S] \| 16GB, White

Jun 17, 2009, 02:41 PM	#4
NinjaHERO macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: U S of A	This just makes me look forward to the next model next summer. __________________ New New MBP 13" (1st one defective), iBook G4, Two Iphone 3G's NinjaHERO.com, StoppingStupid.com, and SASScience.com

Jun 17, 2009, 02:42 PM	#5
larrymarshall2 macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2008	I think this summarizes the new iPhone pretty well: "For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3G S is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own... but it is, at its core, a phone you already own." So avid love Apple people who have 3G's will buy it at full price, 2G owners will finally upgrade to the 3G world, and the planet will be a little happier. My question is, the statement says that it's testing an average of 50% faster internet speeds...I thought the 7.2 speed wasn't going to roll out until later this year from ATT, or are we just seeing the phone itself process and display faster off regular 3G? __________________ iMac 24" 2.93Ghz, 4GB RAM, 500 GB, ATI 4850 Ordered March 7th. Shipped April 15th. Got it April 16th.

Jun 17, 2009, 02:43 PM	#6
ajcfreak macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: India	Awesome Speed, performance, features.... This is the one to get. Any ideas on pricing outside the States? Like in India, perhaps? __________________ site ajcfreak.tripod.com \| blog ajcfreak.blogspot.com

Jun 17, 2009, 02:40 PM	#2
iPhoneNYC macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Nov 2007	Overall, these aren't the raves that I was anticipating. Maybe people should try out the new software on their existing 3Gs before making the leap?

Jun 17, 2009, 02:45 PM	#8
JimmyDreams macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2007	Sounds like I'll be VERY pleased on my upgrade from an old EDGE only iPhone. __________________ JimmyD 2.8Ghz 24" Alum. 4MB RAM w/ AEBS + 1TB MiniStack v3 17" 2.66Ghz UBMBP 4MB iPhone 8G 40G ATV 4G Nano

Jun 17, 2009, 02:51 PM	#10
themoonisdown09 macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Georgia, USA	Sounds like I'll be happy with upgrading to the iPhone 3G S from a 2 year old LG Chocolate. __________________ Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Jun 17, 2009, 02:51 PM	#11
kasei macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Los Angeles, CA	Think of all of us upgrading from 1st gen iPhones. This is going to be a huge leap in speed for us. People become so jaded so quickly. __________________ 13" 2.1 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook; 17" 1.33 GHz PowerBook with 1 Gig of RAM; 32 GB 3GS iPhone/Black; 8GB iPhone 1st Gen; 4GB iPod Mini; 4GB iPod Nano;

Jun 17, 2009, 02:52 PM	#13
mca7 macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2007	So glad I waited This will be a awesome upgrade for all 2g iPhone users, myself included! Can't wait until Friday

Jun 17, 2009, 02:53 PM	#14
dizzy13 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Miami	No word from the reviews on how much storage the video takes? I did some math and estimated about 27MB/min, but wanted to see how close I was. Guess I have to wait till Friday. __________________ [ JUSTIN ] [ @justin_horn ] [ @whenwillapple ]

Jun 17, 2009, 02:54 PM	#15
bigmc6000 macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2006	Wait, what?!?! ""Visually impaired people can use Apple's Voice Over to navigate the handset's menus and type messages and e-mails. " Does that mean I can dictate a text message?!?! Man, I've been wanting that ever since I started texting - texting while driving is horribly dangerous but being able to dictate it would awesome! EDIT: Nevermind - it just helps you enter text, why they haven't expanded voice control to voice to text is far beyond me... Last edited by bigmc6000 : Jun 17, 2009 at 03:03 PM.

Jun 17, 2009, 02:55 PM	#16
BongoBanger macrumors 68000 Join Date: Feb 2008	Out of the lot of them I would trust Engadget's review most. It seems pretty clear: If you've not got one, get it. If you've got a 3G don't bust your contract. __________________ Unibody Macbook 2.0 Ghz Quad Core Mesh 2.4Ghz Nokia 5800

Jun 17, 2009, 02:56 PM	#18
TurboSC macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: California	can't wait to take ownership of my new 32GB 3GS, especially now with the ATT upgrade eligibility changes, $299 here I come! woooooooooooooo! __________________ www.sciphone.net - The best iPhone wallpapers and applications on the Internet. Now serving: 8280+ Wallpapers \| 38,000+ Applications.

Jun 17, 2009, 02:58 PM	#19
Furi Kuri macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2009	Well, I think I'm just going to end up sticking with my 3g and just wait.

Jun 17, 2009, 03:03 PM	#20
trustbyte macrumors newbie Join Date: May 2009	can't wait for ifixit or somebody to tear it apart! let me see some flash and blood babbbyy!

Jun 17, 2009, 03:05 PM	#22
TRAG macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Louisiana, USA	I'm running 3.0 on my 3G now and everything is 2 or 3x faster. Can't wait to see how it is on the 3G S. __________________ 13.3" MacBook Pro 2009 Mac mini iPhone 32GB 3G S⃣ iPod Classic

Jun 17, 2009, 03:05 PM	#23
VanMac macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2005 Location: Rampaging Tokyo	I'll be looking forward to picking one up. Hopefully Rogers plans in Canada are decent. __________________ Broken Arrow Ranch Chervic Technologies Inc. 17" MBP 2.6GHz C2D HDef 200GB_7200 2GB RAM 80GB iPod Classic Broken Arrow Ranch

Jun 17, 2009, 03:06 PM	#24
jacinto45 macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2002	This post misses the 3G S review from David Pogue, by far the best tech reviewer out there. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/18/te...8pogue.html?hp __________________ 20" iMac 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo \| 1.5 GB RAM \| 250 GB HD

Jun 17, 2009, 03:06 PM	#25
KindredMAC macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2003	What I want to hear from Walt is whether or not an original iPhone running OS 3.0 should be upgraded to an iPhone 3GS or should I wait one more year. I don't NEED 3G speed, happy with EDGE and the fact that I always manage to find a free WiFi spot while traveling. GPS... nice but I bought my wife the 3G a few months back and we never travel apart from each other so I can always use hers. Come on reviewers.... I don't think the real question for users is whether or not they should upgrade from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS, but it should be for those of us on the first gen phone. If you have a 3G it should be really painfully clear that it is the same phone in essence. __________________ "We want to let go of this notion that for Apple to win, Microsoft has to lose." - Steve Jobs

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