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After First Impression... 3GS or i4?

andrew8404 said:
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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I guess, but honestly, I'd feel guilty if they release a 5 next year that is much better than the 4. I don't feel guilty or upset going from the 3GS to the 5, but going 4 to 5 would irritate me in the same way that going 3G to 3GS would have. Like I said, I had many things I did not particularly like about the i4, so it was personally a no brainer for me: either wait weeks for an i4 or get a good phone right now.

As for call quality, I've not had any problems with my 3G in the past. Don't know about the 3GS as I haven't really made more than a phone call or two with it.
 
Well I might be able to land a $200 Brand new 16GB iPhone 3GS from a friend who works for Apple. If I can do this, i Might just go that route and wait for iPhone 5.
 
tigerfan1988 said:
I guess, but honestly, I'd feel guilty if they release a 5 next year that is much better than the 4. I don't feel guilty or upset going from the 3GS to the 5, but going 4 to 5 would irritate me in the same way that going 3G to 3GS would have. Like I said, I had many things I did not particularly like about the i4, so it was personally a no brainer for me: either wait weeks for an i4 or get a good phone right now.

As for call quality, I've not had any problems with my 3G in the past. Don't know about the 3GS as I haven't really made more than a phone call or two with it.
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I feel the same way. I would beat myself if I upgraded to 4 and then 5 comes out and I upgraded again. But, if we don't sell our 3GS now, down the road the market value would be very low. Do you think it's best to sell it now to recover the costs of upgrading to the 4?
 
Coming from a 3G, the 4 was freakin' amazing! The first thing u notice is the pixels, abso ***** lutely amazing! BEAUTIFUL screen! The speed is seamless......sick!

The 3G when it came out was SO sweet because the design was quite nice (even for today). Though the changes for the 3G were minor, it was a substantial update.
 
i4 definately. the thing is gorgeous. its lightning fast. plus in pictures you may think oh it looks a little smaller. it feels a ton smaller when its in your hand. super thin.
 
kockgunner said:
I feel the same way. I would beat myself if I upgraded to 4 and then 5 comes out and I upgraded again. But, if we don't sell our 3GS now, down the road the market value would be very low. Do you think it's best to sell it now to recover the costs of upgrading to the 4?
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i sold mine for enough to cover a case and any extras i may want down the road :). use craigslist esp if its unlocked. if its not unlocked then i would try to unlock it depending on what firmware youre on
 
kockgunner said:
I feel the same way. I would beat myself if I upgraded to 4 and then 5 comes out and I upgraded again. But, if we don't sell our 3GS now, down the road the market value would be very low. Do you think it's best to sell it now to recover the costs of upgrading to the 4?
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Honestly, nope. I waited to sell my 8GB 3G until this past week and received $160 on eBay for it, despite the fact that there is a tiny crack on the bottom and some spots on the back. I paid $199 new for it, so I recouped a lot of the value. I anticipate it'll be the same with the iPhone 3GS--I'll sell it in a year and a half and get almost what I paid for it, which will pay for my iPhone 5. If there's one thing I know about Apple products, it's that their resale value tends to be pretty high. If you're happy with your 3GS, I'd stick with it and just wait for the 5 to rollout.
 
I never understood people who say I'll be upset when they release something better next year. Of course there gonna release something better next year! They always do! Won't you be upset when you update next year and they release something even more amazing the next? We can play this game all day. Go play with both and then decide. But I know you won't be dissapointed with the 4G.
 
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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the new phone is in a whole different league. The 3gs screen is nothing compared to this new retina display. The buttons are very solid feeling on this new one and it doesn't have that fat/pudgy feeling of the 3g/3gs. And HD vid!!!!!
 
andrew8404 said:
I never understood people who say I'll be upset when they release something better next year. Of course there gonna release something better next year! They always do! Won't you be upset when you update next year and they release something even more amazing the next? We can play this game all day. Go play with both and then decide. But I know you won't be dissapointed with the 4G.
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I never understood people who buy each new model of something (3G, 3GS, 4) as soon as it comes out. To me, it's a waste of money to keep a phone for one year, then get the latest and greatest a year later. Every 1.5-2 years, I can justify upgrading. But not every single year. I'd rather upgrade every 2 models rather than every 1, both from a financial standpoint and a practical standpoint. I have no problem with those who like upgrading every year, but it's just not something I prefer to do.
 
tigerfan1988 said:
Honestly, nope. I waited to sell my 8GB 3G until this past week and received $160 on eBay for it, despite the fact that there is a tiny crack on the bottom and some spots on the back. I paid $199 new for it, so I recouped a lot of the value. I anticipate it'll be the same with the iPhone 3GS--I'll sell it in a year and a half and get almost what I paid for it, which will pay for my iPhone 5. If there's one thing I know about Apple products, it's that their resale value tends to be pretty high. If you're happy with your 3GS, I'd stick with it and just wait for the 5 to rollout.
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But you paid $199 which is the subsidized cost. I presume you're on AT&T and you get the early upgrade? Even if I recover the of my 3GS ($199), which is easy to do, that wouldn't give me enough money to by the off contract version. Us Fido/Rogers users don't get an early upgrade plan so far as we know. We don't even know when we'll be getting it :mad: I'm happy with my 3GS for the most part, but I'm a sucker for new tech, especially Apple tech.
 
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.
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Agreed. I'd stick with the 3GS unless you qualify for $199/299 or can do an upgrade swap.

It sounds like the OP is replacing his 3GS anyway (on its last leg), for only $150 more I'd do it though.
 
I'm in Canada with a 3GS and will purchase the new iPhone as soon as it arrives in stores here. I've been reading that by the time it does arrive there will likely be a newer, more stable batch of iPhone 4's.

What's everyones thoughts on that? Possible or wishful thinking?
 
Jamesdamon said:
I'm in Canada with a 3GS and will purchase the new iPhone as soon as it arrives in stores here. I've been reading that by the time it does arrive there will likely be a newer, more stable batch of iPhone 4's.

What's everyones thoughts on that? Possible or wishful thinking?
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Hopefully. I was thinking of keeping my 3GS lately and waiting for my upgrade plan next year so I can keep my 3GS and also get the iPhone 5 for a few hundred dollars. Is that how it works?
 
Really depends on you and what you like. I'm on the fence about which one I like better. The design of the I4 looks good, but doesn't feel nearly as good as the 3G-3GS. The I4 is also made almost completely out of glass, and doesn't seem to be nearly as robust as the 3GS. The speaker is also softer than on the 3GS, which is one of the bigger let downs for me. On the other hand, the battery life is way better on the I4 by leaps and bounds, it's marginally quicker than the 3GS (except for the camera, it's wicked fast) the camera is way Better than the 3GS for picture and video, aswell as the screen. The screen blows the 3gs away, and the gps is slightly more accurate. It just boils down to what you think you like/need more. I would have been ecstatic if they kept the 3GS design and put all the sweet stuff from i4 inside. That would have been the perfect phone if you ask me. Hmmmm I wonder if there's anyway to do that!?? :)
 
Jamesdamon said:
I'm in Canada with a 3GS and will purchase the new iPhone as soon as it arrives in stores here. I've been reading that by the time it does arrive there will likely be a newer, more stable batch of iPhone 4's.
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A problem as significant as we are experiencing is rare for Apple. Frankly I'm very surprised, and yet I truly believe these were rushed to market to get ahead of the July launch of the Droid X & the AT&T Samsung Captivate. Both are stellar Android models with gorgeous expansive 4.3" and 4.0" screens respectively.

If you can wait I would, as long as possible, as it's too soon for Apple to make rolling production changes just yet. In fact had I any idea these were going to have such a major problem I would have kept my 3Gs and waited for the next generation.
 
One thing I've not seen mentioned is the improvement to the GPS on the 4. The new chip is much faster locking onto a signal and some folks report that various GPS related software works much better.

My experience playing golf on Saturday with GolfShot GPS provided a very pleasant surprise. Yardages seem to update in time for the actual shot (with the 3GS I needed to turn on the phone at the tee box so by the time I reached the ball, I had a good figure). And the hit on battery life seemed fractional compared to that on my prior phone.

I think between the GPS and the full implementation of the new 6 way sensor and Retina display via updated software, the 4 is well worth the upgrade costs.
 
It depends...

1. GPS, my GPS is far less accurate, always shows me off the road by about 300ft. It is fast but now I only get traffic to load 50 percent of the time, roads come up, but no traffic. My iPad sitting next to me brings it right up.

2. Yes the screen is pretty but I can read both of them so no its a not a be-all end all advancement.

3. Browsing...sure its supposed to be slightly faster but again not the something to mak you go wow.

4. Uploading, a massive improvement in sending larger attachments emails.

5. Camera...a huge improvement if that is important to you.

6. Noise cancellation/speaker. Yesterday I was in a crowded, very loud restaurant for lunch. I carried on a simple easy to hear conversation with someone no problem. With my 3GS I had to cover my other ear and struggle to hear.

So to me #6 was worth more than all the rest put together. Now couple that with the bad, poor Exchange support/nonworking Exchange email, failure to place calls(I rarely get drops but do get Call Failed), and the annoying light sensor.

I was all giddy about getting my iPhone 4 but after a few hours of usage, until they fix everything, its just a prettier iphone 3gs but for my situation I would have paid $300 just to get a new 3GS that had as good of noise cancellation, that feature has tons of value.

We sold our old phones at a small profit so it wasn't a big deal.
 
tigerfan1988 said:
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.
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Where did you get your 32Gb 3GS? I am debating the same thing. If I should get an i4 or a 32Gb 3GS. I guess all the reception issues, easily cracked screen, etc. are making me shy.

This will be my 1st iphone.

Thanks
 
I got a refurbished iPhone 3GS (16gb) from att 2 weeks ago for $99.00 with a waived activation fee. I upgraded to iOS4 and love it! The phone works perfectly and not a single scratch/flaw for being a refurb. I personally like the curved back design of the 3G/3GS better than the new design and have no use for some of the features of the new iPhone 4, so im happy with my decision. Although the retina display does sound nice, i think i can live without it :)
 
MacKenners said:
I got a refurbished iPhone 3GS (16gb) from att 2 weeks ago for $99.00 with a waived activation fee. I upgraded to iOS4 and love it! The phone works perfectly and not a single scratch/flaw for being a refurb. I personally like the curved back design of the 3G/3GS better than the new design and have no use for some of the features of the new iPhone 4, so im happy with my decision. Although the retina display does sound nice, i think i can live without it :)
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Thanks. Did you get it at an ATT store or order it online? Do you have any of the reception problems with the 3GS? I am thinking of doing the same thing and getting a 3GS 16GB or 32GB. I think I'm in the minority here, but I like the old curved back design too. I think the only thing I would like better on the new i4 is the flash for the camera. I just went and canceled my pre-order for the i4 with Apple. I just am not comfortable ordering it with all the problems.
 
No reception issues for me, the phone works flawlessly even after the OS update.

I ordered over the phone in order to have my activation fee waived. On att's website, they show the prices of the phone ($99-16gb, $149-32gb) so i called att's sale department and nicely asked "if I sign up for a new iPhone contract today, can you guys waive my activation fee?" and my rep said sure! It does take a few more days for them to ship the phone out and stuff, I received mines about 4-5 days after ordering over the phone. But I dont think the actually retail stores carry the refurbished older 16/32gb models anymore.
 
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