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Anyone prefer the iPhone 3GS over the iPhone 4?

braddick

braddick

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jun 28, 2009
3,954
1,076
Encinitas, CA
A friend of mine has no desire to switch up from his 3GS to a iP4 even though he qualifies for the upgrade plan with AT&T. He enjoys the fit and feel of the 3GS and claims the newer model really isn't any faster overall.

He does agree the display is lacking but not so much as to get him motivated to upgrade.

Anyone else share his thinking? You could easily upgrade but choose not to as the 3GS works well for you as it is.
 
Definitely not. The iPhone 4 is much superior imo. I like the design more, and it blows the 3GS out of the water in terms of specs. There's nothing wrong with liking the 3GS though. I have a 3GS right now and an available upgrade as well.
 
I haven't tried the 3GS for speed. From what I hear I could see the 3GS being faster at times (The 4 doesn't have that much faster a processor and has that retina screen to deal with).

As for form, I like the 4. But I use it a lot more as my computer away from my computer than a phone. And honestly I barely notice hand feel when I'm using it as a phone (I have to hold the 3G and then the 4 afterwards otherwise it feels fine in my hand and I don't miss the curved back). But I prefer the flat back cause I do notice the ease of use when using it as a tablet/computer on a table where it doesn't rock when you tap it. Plus being able to set it down I don't worry about it sliding as much (more surface area hitting what it's resting on to create friction/a stable platform).

And honestly, I think some one had a point that when you hold a cellphone, you are really holding it by the edges, not cupping it in your hands so the flat sides give it more places to grip.

Overall, I prefer the form of the 4 now that I've used it (I would have said otherwise when I had my 3G).

But anyways, at this point, unless some one's iphone is broken, might as well wait for the new phone anyways.
 
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Yeah, I can understand that. The 3GS works as well as any other iPhone. It's only really tech nerds, er, enthusiasts who really care that much about a bit of speed. Most of us just use the phone for what it is.
 
at this point

At this point in time, i wouldn't upgrade. But i definitely prefer the iPhone 4. It has an overall more luxurious feel.
 
After using the Retina display of the iPhone 4 for so long I can't stand to look at older iPhone models. It may be just me but I can tell a huge difference.

I agree with the others, discourage anyone from upgrading to an iPhone 4 right now, unless they absolutely need one at the moment, because it will soon be outdated.
 
Keep the iPhone 3GS body and put in the features of the iPhone 4 including the Facetime camera and the Retina display and you'd have THE killer phone.
 
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The only aspect of the 3G I miss is the rounded plastic back. I liked the feel of it so much better. I like the look of the squared edges on the iPhone 4, but I liked the feel of the rounded edges. I hope they bring the donthe rounded back again in the future, and having glass on the back is just kind of stupid.
 
sk1wbw said:
Keep the iPhone 3GS body and put in the features of the iPhone 4 including the Facetime camera and the Retina display and you'd have THE killer phone.
Click to expand...

No way, I love the design of the iPhone 4. I hope they use the same design in the iPhone 5, just with stronger glass.
 
I loved my 3GS (but ive loved every iPhone ive had 1 through 4) but the iPhone 4 is just a far superior piece of hardware. I couldn't go back to a normal phone every again, in fact I could never go back to a phone that wasn't an iPhone!
 
I vastly prefer the body of the 3GS but I'd never be able to use it because of the display. We've definitely been spoiled by the retina display.

My brother is still using the 3GS and refuses to update. For somebody who's never used the 4 it makes complete sense.
 
I could buy an iPhone 4, but I don't see the point when it's now a year old. I'd rather wait for the next iPhone and see if it has any big improvements over the iPhone 4, otherwise I don't know what I'd get.
 
boss.king said:
I could buy an iPhone 4, but I don't see the point when it's now a year old. I'd rather wait for the next iPhone and see if it has any big improvements over the iPhone 4, otherwise I don't know what I'd get.
Click to expand...

i think this is false but the iphone 5 might have a curve glass back
 
ben173 said:
i think this is false but the iphone 5 might have a curve glass back
Click to expand...

Yeah that's one of the rumours from a few weeks ago. I'm hoping not, I'd like aluminium or soft-touch plastic, but if it must be glass I'd rather have flat glass. Curved glass would only bring bulk and fragility.
 
The retina display makes all the difference. It's like settling for your standard definition TV instead of getting a 1080p set. I honestly couldn't tell you if it's "faster" compared to a 3GS, but most of what we do is look at the display. I'm not a stickler for form unless we're talking about razor shards in the back, and you can find cases to help the thing fit your hand.

I wouldn't buy a full-price iPhone 4 now since we don't know what the iPhone 5/4S will be like. But I just got my dad on a $99 refurb iPhone 4, and I think he reeeeeally likes it.
 
boss.king said:
Yeah that's one of the rumours from a few weeks ago. I'm hoping not, I'd like aluminium or soft-touch plastic, but if it must be glass I'd rather have flat glass. Curved glass would only bring bulk and fragility.
Click to expand...

I hope the iPhone 5/4gs looks exactly the same but with stronger class and a few tweaks in the inside of the phone
 
All the people saying how great the iPhone 4 is in here will quickly change their minds when the iPhone 5 comes out... suddenly the iPhone 4 will be "too square" and ugly etc etc :rolleyes:
 
maclaptop said:
My 3GS Had a useful phone, my iPhone 4 is terrible.
Click to expand...

Ditto. Plus the proximity sensor thing was beyond unacceptable. Went through two different iPhone 4s before deciding against the design and going back to my trusty 3GS. It's been a great phone. Still works perfectly to this day.
 
I really love the feel and shape of the 3gs much better. It's definitely more durable than the 4. However, I'm not sure I could give up the retina display for anything.
 
iArch said:
Ditto. Plus the proximity sensor thing was beyond unacceptable. Went through two different iPhone 4s before deciding against the design and going back to my trusty 3GS. It's been a great phone. Still works perfectly to this day.
Click to expand...

I certainly regret selling my pristine 3GS, however I pre-ordered my iP4 so there was no way for me to know that it would be a dud.

Antennagate killed the fun of having a new iPhone

If the next one looks just like the 4, I'm going to pass.

Apple needs to include a good phone and stop pointing fingers like a three year old kid blaming someone else.. It's NOT AT&T

I know, I've got Androids and other phones on their network that work perfectly.

Apple only needs to do what they are capable of, buy a good chip and make the phone match the quality of the rest of the device.

Sadly, that may be too much to ask.

I understand that Qualcomm has some really good chips, but they would cost Apple 25 cents more than the current chip, and we all know how broke Apple is :eek:
 
lostprophet894 said:
I vastly prefer the body of the 3GS but I'd never be able to use it because of the display. We've definitely been spoiled by the retina display.

My brother is still using the 3GS and refuses to update. For somebody who's never used the 4 it makes complete sense.
Click to expand...

The only problem like you said, once you make that switch to the iPhone 4, you can't go back. The Retina is just amazing.
 
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