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After First Impression... 3GS or i4?

S

spmojo

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 13, 2010
64
0
So I am just curious. I know a lot of us are coming from the 3GS, and I was wondering what you thought about you new phone? I have not been able to pick mine up yet, but all I have been hearing is complaints :( But that's not stopping me from getting mine! I loved the 3GS, hopefully 4 is just as great/Better!
 
It is better, but $199/299 better. It's not worth the upgrade if you are not 100% eligible. Great screen, camera, etc. but the 3GS w/ iOS4 still offers 80% of the functionality. Don't listen to the complainers. They'd complain about a hair being out of place on Jessica Alba.
 
Ifyoure not in a hurry, wait a few months until Apple releases the first update to fix the bugs. It will happen, it always does. Such is the joy of having brand new devices

When you are on the cutting edge of technology... it bleeds!:)
 
spmojo said:
Haha so true. Well for my update it would cost me $399. Thats why I've been kinda ifffy. :confused:
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I ended up selling my 3GS to a friend for a discount, but everyone here on MacRumors was correct... you can EASILY sell your phone on Craigslist. I put my 32GB 3GS up for sale for $300 and got three responses in less than 2 hours.

If you did buy the phone, you could probably make back $300 or $400 of it within hours.

I paid $399 plus tax for my phone, and don't regret it a bit. Obviously, you may not need it... but I like having the latest Apple tech, so it was well worth it for me. The camera improvements and display are excellent.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
It is better, but $199/299 better. It's not worth the upgrade if you are not 100% eligible. Great screen, camera, etc. but the 3GS w/ iOS4 still offers 80% of the functionality. Don't listen to the complainers. They'd complain about a hair being out of place on Jessica Alba.
Click to expand...

I'd agree except for this signal issue. I mean the signal strength seems to be MUCH better in my house, but then I pick it up and it drops 3 bars. If it's just a display thing, no big deal. But it's obviously a big deal if you're losing signal. I'm going to order a bumper tonight since it apparently helps. Unfortunately the local Apple Store had none, but did have plenty of people in line who I wanted to taunt with my delivered phone. :)
 
spmojo said:
Haha so true. Well for my update it would cost me $399. Thats why I've been kinda ifffy. :confused:
Click to expand...

If you don't end up upgrading, make sure you don't look at a retina display for too long otherwise once you adjust to the higher screen resolution and then go back it makes the previous screens look like their covered in Vaseline (very fuzzy and pixelated).
 
Well my 3GS is cracked and on its last leg, so no chance of selling that. I did sell my itouch 1st gen for $150 and sold some car audio for $200. So i have the side cash. I could also get a brand new 3GS for $300. so im kinda confused.
 
spmojo said:
Well my 3GS is cracked and on its last leg, so no chance of selling that. I did sell my itouch 1st gen for $150 and sold some car audio for $200. So i have the side cash. I could also get a brand new 3GS for $300. so im kinda confused.
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If its the screen that's cracked, you can probably invest in a screen replacement kit and then sell the phone for a decent price.
 
is the 4 worth the $150 extra? Since i can get brand new 3GS for $300 and 4 for $450ish...:confused:
 
spmojo said:
is the 4 worth the $150 extra? Since i can get brand new 3GS for $300 and 4 for $450ish...:confused:
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Ultimately, that's your call. I'm sure there are many people happy to snatch up those used 3G/3GS phones and do without the iPhone 4, and I'm sure many are happy with their current 3G/3GS and will wait as well.

Essentially, you're getting a better camera, video calling and HD recording/playback (and the iPhone 3GS is capable of HD playback with some simple workarounds). You have to ask yourself if those features are worth the upgrade for you, because no matter how many people say it is or isn't worth it, the only one who can decide that for you is you.
 
GermanSuplex said:
Ultimately, that's your call. I'm sure there are many people happy to snatch up those used 3G/3GS phones and do without the iPhone 4, and I'm sure many are happy with their current 3G/3GS and will wait as well.

Essentially, you're getting a better camera, video calling and HD recording/playback (and the iPhone 3GS is capable of HD playback with some simple workarounds). You have to ask yourself if those features are worth the upgrade for you, because no matter how many people say it is or isn't worth it, the only one who can decide that for you is you.
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Thanks for the kind words man. It's nice to finally see some helpful words around here for me, with all this drama going on. I appreciate it. The girlfriend and family aren't crazy about me spending $400+, but it's something I have to decide.
 
Honestly, the iPhone 4 was a let down for me today.

The 3G to 3GS felt like a bigger upgrade to me, and I know that makes no sense as they looked identical.

The iPhone 4 looks cool, but it feels very odd in your hand. The signal issues are annoying at best.

Plus, there isn't much more you can do with it than a 3GS. I will probably never get to play with face time, much less use it for something worthwhile.

The 720p video recording is a high point, but how much mobile video do I need to take? Not much.

Overall, it's obviously still the best phone out there, but I think the 3GS was pretty great honestly.

I buy everything Apple and always construe things to make them sound better. THis is probably my only let down *EVER* with an Apple product.

Again, not saying it's a disaster, just a let down, and I am normally blown away.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
It is better, but $199/299 better. It's not worth the upgrade if you are not 100% eligible. Great screen, camera, etc. but the 3GS w/ iOS4 still offers 80% of the functionality. Don't listen to the complainers. They'd complain about a hair being out of place on Jessica Alba.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much my exact position. It's a great phone, no doubt, but the 3GS is honestly 80% there. If you've got one and can't get the cheapest upgrade price, I wouldn't bother. The only reason I upgraded, personally, was because I was able to trade-in my 3GS for $299, so the thing only cost me $15 out of pocket.
 
I let a guy at work with a 3gs fiddle with mine today and he was very impressed with the resolution and camera especially. He said he will be upgrading for sure.
 
Honestly, I'd say it's really personal preference in some ways. The i4 has some really awesome features, while the 3GS has 80% of the functionality. Personally, I had planned on getting an i4, but I changed my mind today and opted for a 32GB White 3GS (a HUGE upgrade from my 8GB 3G that I sold for $160) and I'm 100% happy because I did not like the boxy feel of the i4 and prefer the feel of the 3G/3GS. The way I figure it is, while the i4 is a great phone, it has some issues that hopefully Apple will correct with the next iPhone. And by the time I am eligible to upgrade again, Apple will have released an even better iPhone that will have been out for 5-6 months and hopefully be mostly problem free by then. I'd have been pretty PO'd to get the i4 only to see Apple release an even better phone next year. It's pretty much what happened when they released the 3GS 6 months after I got my 3G.

Anyway, like I said, it's up to you. You're getting a lot of the i4 functionality in the 3GS, except of course the i4 is faster, has a better camera/video camera, the front facing cam and the gyroscope. Multitasking, customizable home screen, unified mailbox etc. are all available in both phones.
 
I'm coming from a 3GS, and upgrading is a no-brainer at $199/299, and I would still do it with no regrets at the $399/499 price point. It's just gorgeous, inside and out.


Oh, BTW, I sold my 3GS for $425, and paid $299 for the iPhone 4. :D
 
powerbook911 said:
Honestly, the iPhone 4 was a let down for me today.

The 3G to 3GS felt like a bigger upgrade to me, and I know that makes no sense as they looked identical.

The iPhone 4 looks cool, but it feels very odd in your hand. The signal issues are annoying at best.

Plus, there isn't much more you can do with it than a 3GS. I will probably never get to play with face time, much less use it for something worthwhile.

The 720p video recording is a high point, but how much mobile video do I need to take? Not much.

Overall, it's obviously still the best phone out there, but I think the 3GS was pretty great honestly.

I buy everything Apple and always construe things to make them sound better. THis is probably my only let down *EVER* with an Apple product.

Again, not saying it's a disaster, just a let down, and I am normally blown away.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but you're nuts. Maybe all of you 3GS users shouldn't of been able to upgrade in my opinion. I'm a 3G user and jumping to the iPhone 4 is a huge leap. I'm not having any reception issues either.
 
Everyone gives such valid points... this is so hard. I am able to upgrade Sept 2011 so by then the 5 will hopefully be out. Would it be smart to buy a new 3GS for a lower price and then pick up the 5 next year? For hopefully the $200 update price...
 
Sean4123 said:
I'm sorry but you're nuts. Maybe all of you 3GS users shouldn't of been able to upgrade in my opinion. I'm a 3G user and jumping to the iPhone 4 is a huge leap. I'm not having any reception issues either.
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x2

There's a REASON I didn't upgrade to the 3GS. A compass and a faster machine wasn't worth it for me to have the possibility of not upgrading to a better phone.

I held out on upgrading for 6 months because I knew the next generation phone would be superior.

Honestly, I would hardly even call the 3G to 3GS a generation leap. It was merely an update.

Apple isn't dumb, and they feel the same way. Hence the name change. 3G and 3GS.
 
spmojo said:
Everyone gives such valid points... this is so hard. I am able to upgrade Sept 2011 so by then the 5 will hopefully be out. Would it be smart to buy a new 3GS for a lower price and then pick up the 5 next year? For hopefully the $200 update price...
Click to expand...

I think so, imo. The 3GS is a fine phone with a lot of the same great features the i4 has. If you can get one cheap used, I'd do it and hold off til the 5 which I'm sure will introduce more new features.
 
I'm sorry guys but you aren't even talking about the biggest upgrade! When I made my first phone call today on the 4G it was crystral clear and way better then the 3G or 3GS! The speakers are louder and the screen is worth more then the price of admission. If your gonna spend more then a 100 for a 3GS then just save a bit more and get the 4G. It blows the 3GS out of the water I'm sorry!
 
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