I just was lucky enough to have been able to purchase a new iPhone 4 16 GB just walking in to Best Buy, they had a couple left. The first impressions so far are very positive. This retina display is truly amazing. I have a Droid which has an awesome display of it's own but the iPhone 4 display definitely has it somewhat beat. The phone seems MUCH faster than the Droid. Multitasking works great as advertised, it's similar to what android does basically. With the case I'm not having any reception issues and I'm not even gonna try and take it out of the case and replicate the issue. Camera is quite nice and super fast though I haven't yet taken many pics. This phone is really awesome so far.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
First Impressions to iPhone 4
- Thread starter arn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
WardC
macrumors 68030
The screen is much sharper and crisper than my 2G, everything looks razor sharp and crisp on the retina display. The camera flash is super bright and really a great feature. The feel of the phone in hand is really natural, I like it alot. Also, the phone is much faster than my old 2G and everything loads up very fast. iOS 4 is nice, and the inclusion of folders is great to finally be able to organize apps easily on the iPhone. Mainly my first impression was the bright, sharp, crisp screen, the speedy processor, and the new OS features which really impacted me. The speakers and audio also sound much better on the iPhone 4 than my old 2G, the iPhone 4 sounds like full stereo audio while my old 2G sounded very mono. The speakers sound great! Photos look great! Apps run fast and quick! I am very very impressed! Also 32GB of space is nice to have, and if I only installed apps and took a few photos I would never get through filling up the space. Only video files will cause the space to fill up fast. Those are my first impressions with the iPhone 4.
SamTheeGeek
macrumors 6502a
Got my iPhone 4 today and my first impression is how sleek, sexy, and glossy it looked. I was doing comparisons to my now retired iPhone 3G and could immediately notice the difference. I compared apps (iAquarium) and could see how much more vivid the colors and zoomed in on texts and could see how sharp the letters were. What I loved the best was how much smoother and quicker the user-interface was from swiping to rotating portrait to landscape. Syncing was done flawlessly (I have over 600 songs on my iTunes) and all my apps, contacts, photos were converted over in about 2 hours. Played with the camera and liked how you can control the contrast/brightness by pressing the screen box on certain areas of the viewfinder. I have yet to make a phone call, but the bars hovered around 3 bars-no more different than my old 3G.
So overall, I am very impressed. 😀 Along with my awesome iPad, they make the perfect media gadget buddies on the go! 😎
So overall, I am very impressed. 😀 Along with my awesome iPad, they make the perfect media gadget buddies on the go! 😎
I love my ip4
I do think os4 is a scoach buggy especially when it comes to safari
anyone else feel like it can be a bit sketchy with touch input sometimes?
and for some reason parts of pages won't really load just that checkered background stuff will show
everything else is pretty awesome finally got used to multitasking lol
the phone feels great
I do think os4 is a scoach buggy especially when it comes to safari
anyone else feel like it can be a bit sketchy with touch input sometimes?
and for some reason parts of pages won't really load just that checkered background stuff will show
everything else is pretty awesome finally got used to multitasking lol
the phone feels great
I personally believe that it's iOS 4 that's causing all of the problems. My iPhone 3G never ran this slow before upgrading. It's gotten a little better since I reset my setting, but it still feels slow sometimes. I wish I hadn't of upgraded until I got my iP4. Waiting for a white one with the hopes that they fix the antenna and proximity sensor issues.
MozMan68
macrumors 603
Of course it's OS4...my 3G is practically unusable now. I was going to give it to my wife when my IP4 came in, but gave that one to her instead and am waiting for mine to come from AT&T......it worked Apple...your crappy upgrade forced me to buy another phone...😉
One thing about this iPhone 4 is that it is WAY faster than my iPhone 3G. No more lagging, just everything is snappy. Using safari is much nicer and viewing macrumor and other sites is very fast and on 3G is a lot more acceptable to use safari when I would dread having to use safari on my iPhone 3G.
I did have to buy a stupid bumper for the iPhone 4 due to the signal lose from holding the phone the wrong way.
Other than that, I really like this iPhone 4.
*
I did have to buy a stupid bumper for the iPhone 4 due to the signal lose from holding the phone the wrong way.
Other than that, I really like this iPhone 4.
*
HelloMikee
macrumors 6502a
I was holding out because of all the complaints but man, what a waste. My iPhone is a joy to use. A fantastic ugrade.
the ip4 is ridiculous. i held it in my hand for the first time yesturday and all ican say is wow. compared to my regular 3g its like night and day. its so fast. Even on 3g, the browser renders pages so quick it feels like im on wifi. im truely amazed. when they said this iphone was soemthing different i didnt believe them. Apple=the king of hype/ the king of keeping there customers coming back for more. I'm on the priority list waiting for my phone now apple robbing us all. haha 😎
MozMan68
macrumors 603
wow
Went from 3G straight to 4, so not sure if 3GS was improved in this area, but just set up my phone and then had to have a conference call. Speaker is so much louder and clearer to the point that I actually had to lower the volume. My 3G was practically inaudible a lot of the time, even at full volume.
I knew this from my wife's phone, but this thing is so much damn faster....at one point today, my 3G was slowing down so much it was practically not usable.
I AM able to reproduce the signal drop...I'm on a conference call right now with the speaker phone running and can actually disrupt the reception of the call by putting the death grip on the phone. The voice on the other end literally starts breaking up as soon as I put the death grip on....but, as I have said before in other posts, I can't remember an occasion when I actually hold the phone that way.
Even holding it normally in my left hand to listen/type in data I do not get the loss...only when I hold it really tight (no bumper installed yet as I am waiting for an orange one to ship).
As soon as this call is done I'll be calling my wife to check out FaceTime...🙂
Went from 3G straight to 4, so not sure if 3GS was improved in this area, but just set up my phone and then had to have a conference call. Speaker is so much louder and clearer to the point that I actually had to lower the volume. My 3G was practically inaudible a lot of the time, even at full volume.
I knew this from my wife's phone, but this thing is so much damn faster....at one point today, my 3G was slowing down so much it was practically not usable.
I AM able to reproduce the signal drop...I'm on a conference call right now with the speaker phone running and can actually disrupt the reception of the call by putting the death grip on the phone. The voice on the other end literally starts breaking up as soon as I put the death grip on....but, as I have said before in other posts, I can't remember an occasion when I actually hold the phone that way.
Even holding it normally in my left hand to listen/type in data I do not get the loss...only when I hold it really tight (no bumper installed yet as I am waiting for an orange one to ship).
As soon as this call is done I'll be calling my wife to check out FaceTime...🙂
TroyBoy30
macrumors 68030
I wish mine was. seems the same as my 3gs to me, not loud enough. speaker phone seems louder though
No real issues with the IP4 - sharp display, fast, and haven't had any issues.
I bought a case for it (frogz) just in case 🙂
Didn't see the issue with yellow spots/bands or anything like that.
I can make the phone drop bars (outside the case) with just one finger, but I understand why it's happening (radio training US Navy) - case took care of the issue.
Pretty satisfied with the phone - now my wife wants one.
I bought a case for it (frogz) just in case 🙂
Didn't see the issue with yellow spots/bands or anything like that.
I can make the phone drop bars (outside the case) with just one finger, but I understand why it's happening (radio training US Navy) - case took care of the issue.
Pretty satisfied with the phone - now my wife wants one.
😛
There have been so many times when I've been on a conference call when I've WANTED to put the death grip on someone...and now there's an app, err, phone for that!
I have had mine in an iFrogz case since Day 2 and have had no reception issues. No yellow line issues. No problems at all, in fact.
I upgraded from an old Samsung Blackjack, so pretty much EVERY feature of the iPhone has exceeded my expectations. The only "must try" thing still on my list is the video editing, but I will try that soon...
rhonin
macrumors newbie
No 4 - Review Why
Hats off to those that have a 4 and love it. Best of luck.
I have a 3GS - updated to iOS4 (ouch).
I live in SoCal and travel a lot.
Spent a couple of days playing with a friends 4 and comparing it to my 3GS to see the improvement.
I use my phone split between business and personal.
Appearance: Very nice 🙂
Display: WOW! 🙂
Speed: Nice improvement 🙂
iOS4: see a lot of the same bugs I see on my 3GS 🙁
Proximity Sensor: Very buggy. 🙁
- A call holding to my ear resulted in 2x activating screen functions. Had one instance where after a call the screen would not light back up (have this issue on my 3GS w/OS4)
Antenna: OUCH! 🙁
- had a lot of fun replicating the You Tube video even using a metal pen.
Multi Task: Maybe someday. Right now it is just a quick switch. 🙁
Camera: Impressive but to slow to load. 🙁
- my Fuji I can just open and shoot - no lag time.
Facetime: Not impressed. Be nice if it was on other phones or pc/mac 🙁
Glass: VERY WORRIED 🙁
- I am tuff on my phones. They all have dings. Glass front and back is NOT a good thing. The iPhone is the first I have ever broken a display.
Overall I have to say I am not that impressed with the 4 outside of the display.
I did get to compare it to the follwoing phones for a short time.
EVO and N1.
EVO (running 2.1):
The EVO display makes the i4's look small. Use the EVO for a while, go back to the 4 and you find yourself wishing the 4 screen was bigger.
The feel and grip of the EVO is far superior. It doesn't feel like it is going to slip from my hand.
N1 (running 2.2):
Comparing this to the 4 I came away with the impression they are pretty much tied. The 4 has the display, the N1 has a better OS and flash which worked real good.
This phone was an AT&T phone and I had no call issues. Did 10 calls from this and the 4 in the same locations and had better connectivity with the N1. Did the antenna grip (btw: this is the normal way I hold a phone) with the 4 and dropped 3 of the calls.
Overall: no 4 for me. When the 5 comes out I'll look again.
Think I'll get the N1.
BTW: the iOS4 on the 3GS is a nightmare. Lots of issues, shorter battery and the proximity sensor issue. Wish I could roll back to 3.1.3.
Hats off to those that have a 4 and love it. Best of luck.
I have a 3GS - updated to iOS4 (ouch).
I live in SoCal and travel a lot.
Spent a couple of days playing with a friends 4 and comparing it to my 3GS to see the improvement.
I use my phone split between business and personal.
Appearance: Very nice 🙂
Display: WOW! 🙂
Speed: Nice improvement 🙂
iOS4: see a lot of the same bugs I see on my 3GS 🙁
Proximity Sensor: Very buggy. 🙁
- A call holding to my ear resulted in 2x activating screen functions. Had one instance where after a call the screen would not light back up (have this issue on my 3GS w/OS4)
Antenna: OUCH! 🙁
- had a lot of fun replicating the You Tube video even using a metal pen.
Multi Task: Maybe someday. Right now it is just a quick switch. 🙁
Camera: Impressive but to slow to load. 🙁
- my Fuji I can just open and shoot - no lag time.
Facetime: Not impressed. Be nice if it was on other phones or pc/mac 🙁
Glass: VERY WORRIED 🙁
- I am tuff on my phones. They all have dings. Glass front and back is NOT a good thing. The iPhone is the first I have ever broken a display.
Overall I have to say I am not that impressed with the 4 outside of the display.
I did get to compare it to the follwoing phones for a short time.
EVO and N1.
EVO (running 2.1):
The EVO display makes the i4's look small. Use the EVO for a while, go back to the 4 and you find yourself wishing the 4 screen was bigger.
The feel and grip of the EVO is far superior. It doesn't feel like it is going to slip from my hand.
N1 (running 2.2):
Comparing this to the 4 I came away with the impression they are pretty much tied. The 4 has the display, the N1 has a better OS and flash which worked real good.
This phone was an AT&T phone and I had no call issues. Did 10 calls from this and the 4 in the same locations and had better connectivity with the N1. Did the antenna grip (btw: this is the normal way I hold a phone) with the 4 and dropped 3 of the calls.
Overall: no 4 for me. When the 5 comes out I'll look again.
Think I'll get the N1.
BTW: the iOS4 on the 3GS is a nightmare. Lots of issues, shorter battery and the proximity sensor issue. Wish I could roll back to 3.1.3.
jayducharme
macrumors 601
After a week with my iPhone 4, I'm generally pleased. The "Retina" display is lovely to look at. I'm not so sure of Jobs' claim that 326 ppi is beyond the limit of human resolution. I still can see the pixels, and my eyes aren't even that good. But it's far and away the best display I've ever seen.
I like the "snappiness" of the device. There's no lag when flicking through apps or pressing the Home button. My old 3G had a slight lag, and I've noticed a lag with Android devices. The iPhone is very responsive.
I haven't had any issue with the proximity sensor. It seems to be working fine. The reception bars drop when I pick the phone up, but I haven't lost a call. In fact, calls generally sound far better on this phone than my old 3G.
Apps look great, but some are having update issues (crashing or having bugs introduced). I've had both Mail and Safari crash. So I think iOS 4 needs a bit more work, and that may by why the imminent update has been delayed.
The still camera isn't as good as I had expected, but the video camera is better than I had hoped. On my travels, I used to carry both a still and video camera. The quality of the iPhone 4 is decent enough for my purposes that it can be the only recording device I carry with me from now on. And that alone amazes me.
Like others, I have a small scratch on the front glass. I keep the phone in my pants pocket and never have anything else in with it. So that surprised me. I was upset that Apple swapped the speaker and mic placements. I have two Griffin AirCurves that I use a lot, and the new iPhone renders them useless. I'm also surprised at the lack of case choices currently on the market. I ended up with a Rocketfish case, which is okay except I have to remove it to use the phone with my Belkin car adapter. My 3G cases worked fine with it. Outside of those minor complaints, I'm happy with my purchase.
I like the "snappiness" of the device. There's no lag when flicking through apps or pressing the Home button. My old 3G had a slight lag, and I've noticed a lag with Android devices. The iPhone is very responsive.
I haven't had any issue with the proximity sensor. It seems to be working fine. The reception bars drop when I pick the phone up, but I haven't lost a call. In fact, calls generally sound far better on this phone than my old 3G.
Apps look great, but some are having update issues (crashing or having bugs introduced). I've had both Mail and Safari crash. So I think iOS 4 needs a bit more work, and that may by why the imminent update has been delayed.
The still camera isn't as good as I had expected, but the video camera is better than I had hoped. On my travels, I used to carry both a still and video camera. The quality of the iPhone 4 is decent enough for my purposes that it can be the only recording device I carry with me from now on. And that alone amazes me.
Like others, I have a small scratch on the front glass. I keep the phone in my pants pocket and never have anything else in with it. So that surprised me. I was upset that Apple swapped the speaker and mic placements. I have two Griffin AirCurves that I use a lot, and the new iPhone renders them useless. I'm also surprised at the lack of case choices currently on the market. I ended up with a Rocketfish case, which is okay except I have to remove it to use the phone with my Belkin car adapter. My 3G cases worked fine with it. Outside of those minor complaints, I'm happy with my purchase.
Hellishness
macrumors 65816
I'm surprised that no on has posted in this thread in 4 days.
I got mine today. It's everything I expected!! No problems at all. I can make bars drop, but the amount of effort needed results in my hand throbbing from holding it so tightly. I never got it to go to "No Signal" or "Searching...", only to 1 bar. No green/yellow in the camera. No proximity sensor problems. No yellow on the screen. Naked on the front, and no scratches (not a big surprise).
3G is pretty fast...and just having data, which I've never had on a cell phone, is awesome 😀
I only have one problem. Is it normal that I'm not able to receive calls soon after activation/switching to AT&T? I can call people, but they can't call me. It just goes to voicemail. It's not really been a big deal since I don't call too much...but if it persists for a while that's gonna be a big problem. Oh, and myWireless can't get any usage statistics for me.
I got mine today. It's everything I expected!! No problems at all. I can make bars drop, but the amount of effort needed results in my hand throbbing from holding it so tightly. I never got it to go to "No Signal" or "Searching...", only to 1 bar. No green/yellow in the camera. No proximity sensor problems. No yellow on the screen. Naked on the front, and no scratches (not a big surprise).
3G is pretty fast...and just having data, which I've never had on a cell phone, is awesome 😀
I only have one problem. Is it normal that I'm not able to receive calls soon after activation/switching to AT&T? I can call people, but they can't call me. It just goes to voicemail. It's not really been a big deal since I don't call too much...but if it persists for a while that's gonna be a big problem. Oh, and myWireless can't get any usage statistics for me.
well...I bought the original iPhone on launch day...loved it until the touch screen stopped working consistently...upgraded to the 3GS last summer and generally loved the improvements. It was much faster, I bought 16gb vs my original 8gb...aside from constant dropped calls and a rapidly decreasing battery life, I loved it.
I upgraded to the iPhone 4...received it on Tuesday night and have used it for two days now. Battery life is worse than my 3GS and that phone is 1 year old and had noticeably declined from its original state. 12 hours of intermittent use and the battery was at 10%!
More dropped calls than the 3GS, proximity sensor problem and the antenna. I did order it the day after the launch, missed the first and second wave...so, yes, I've been hearing about the problems everywhere...but frankly I thought it was a bunch of whiners. It's happened before.
I'd have to say...the look and screen are amazing. other than that, I'd rather I was using my 3GS.
btw, anyone else noticed this thing gets HOT? I mean much hotter than my previous phone while not doing anything very taxing...
I upgraded to the iPhone 4...received it on Tuesday night and have used it for two days now. Battery life is worse than my 3GS and that phone is 1 year old and had noticeably declined from its original state. 12 hours of intermittent use and the battery was at 10%!
More dropped calls than the 3GS, proximity sensor problem and the antenna. I did order it the day after the launch, missed the first and second wave...so, yes, I've been hearing about the problems everywhere...but frankly I thought it was a bunch of whiners. It's happened before.
I'd have to say...the look and screen are amazing. other than that, I'd rather I was using my 3GS.
btw, anyone else noticed this thing gets HOT? I mean much hotter than my previous phone while not doing anything very taxing...
kfscoll
macrumors 65816
Yep, that's normal. However, by the time you read this, it will probably already have fixed itself.
livingonvideo13
macrumors regular
This review may never be read because it is buried under the other reviews but here it goes.
When I heard the new iPhone 4 was coming out I was not planning to do an upgrade. I was happy with my 3Gs that I use at least one hour a day for web browsing.
When they announced the "Retina Display" I knew I had to get one. If the only thing they upgraded was to the Retina Display I would have upgraded still. This is the biggest improvement.
When my iPhone 4 finally showed up I opened the box and turned it on and instantly fell in love with the display. Oh. My. Heck. Amazing!
I did an upgrade swap so it took some time taking it to the AT&T store and getting a new sim.
The speed of the phone is great and the new camera and HD video is a amazing. It will not replace my normal HD Video Camera but works great for quickly shooting something.
I did have problems with losing a signal at first but once I put on a case it works great. I prefer a case anyway so the whole antenna thing is a non-issue for me.
Great Phone!
When I heard the new iPhone 4 was coming out I was not planning to do an upgrade. I was happy with my 3Gs that I use at least one hour a day for web browsing.
When they announced the "Retina Display" I knew I had to get one. If the only thing they upgraded was to the Retina Display I would have upgraded still. This is the biggest improvement.
When my iPhone 4 finally showed up I opened the box and turned it on and instantly fell in love with the display. Oh. My. Heck. Amazing!
I did an upgrade swap so it took some time taking it to the AT&T store and getting a new sim.
The speed of the phone is great and the new camera and HD video is a amazing. It will not replace my normal HD Video Camera but works great for quickly shooting something.
I did have problems with losing a signal at first but once I put on a case it works great. I prefer a case anyway so the whole antenna thing is a non-issue for me.
Great Phone!
Jaro65
macrumors 68040
I'm in the same situation. I'm also waiting for the white iPhone 4. My 3G is working ok with iOS 4, but opening the applications is taking a bit longer. Can't really wait for the replacement....
robanga
macrumors 68000
I received the iPhone 4 just before leaving for a driving vacation with the family on July 2nd. They literally had to wait for a half an hour while i got everything straight in the AT&T store and then we drove out of town.
I am really impressed with the phone. The screen is amazing, data is fast and the camera was a welcome addition to the trip. We did not really take out the digital SLR as much as we said we would.
We traveled with my wife having the old 3GS and my son having the 3G through some pretty remote areas such as Montana, North Dakota and northern Wisconsin. It was interesting to compare signal strength on the three phones etc. Overall the signal strength seemed a bit stronger on the older phones, but not by much at all. There were times where the 3GS had a signal when the 4G did not. Still, no complaints at all. Never dropped a call and did not notice any of the signal loss issue, even when the phone was naked.
I finally found a case in stock at Best Buy in Wisconsin, and then a day later lucked out and found a black bumper in stock at an AT&T store there.
I am really impressed with the phone. The screen is amazing, data is fast and the camera was a welcome addition to the trip. We did not really take out the digital SLR as much as we said we would.
We traveled with my wife having the old 3GS and my son having the 3G through some pretty remote areas such as Montana, North Dakota and northern Wisconsin. It was interesting to compare signal strength on the three phones etc. Overall the signal strength seemed a bit stronger on the older phones, but not by much at all. There were times where the 3GS had a signal when the 4G did not. Still, no complaints at all. Never dropped a call and did not notice any of the signal loss issue, even when the phone was naked.
I finally found a case in stock at Best Buy in Wisconsin, and then a day later lucked out and found a black bumper in stock at an AT&T store there.