how is using iphone as, wait for it... a phone?

[ThereGoesJB]

all the awesomeness aside, seriously, how is using the iphone as an actual phone?
like to hold against your ear (especially with that touch screen?)
speaker/mic clearity?
holding it your hand?

it looks to me like it honestly could feel a little awkward, something about my flip phone and the way it can still create that angle between the ear and mouth (like traditional phones do). i think id miss it.

my gf is about to get one, which has me planning all kinds of things to do with it... so of course it has me wanting one for myself too.

 

[MacDawg]

I text and email with it far more than I use it for actual calls
My GF and I text all day long and never call

That said, I have no issues with calls from it when I do make them or take them

 

[AlphaVictor87]

I love it. I used to have a Razr on Verizon which very much cradles your head, but honestly this is the route of smartphones. So there's really not much choice.

It's very comfortable. They have proximity sensors on the phone that make the screen turn off when you put it up to your face so no worries about you accidentally hitting something.

The only downside i'd say about it is if you happen to have a particularly oily complexion, you have to clean your phone off after you use it, but hell you have to do that with any phone as most screens are right below the ear speaker.

 

[aziatiklover]

all the awesomeness aside, seriously, how is using the iphone as an actual phone?
like to hold against your ear (especially with that touch screen?)
speaker/mic clearity?
holding it your hand?

it looks to me like it honestly could feel a little awkward, something about my flip phone and the way it can still create that angle between the ear and mouth (like traditional phones do). i think id miss it.

my gf is about to get one, which has me planning all kinds of things to do with it... so of course it has me wanting one for myself too.

It's the same experience with any other phones out there against your ear!

 

[CSMchris376]

I really enjoy mine. While I do text some, I really do more email from my iPhone. I'm a college professor and use it to answer my students in a timely fashion. I do make a number of calls on it daily and receive several. While it is not like a flip, it is reminicent of how the bar phones were, and some still are. The proximity sensor blanks the screen when you hold it up to your ear. While I was a little hesitent in the beginning due to the design of the earpiece (I favored the Motorola designs that had a somewhat depressed piece that seemed to fit my ear better), I have not had any problems. The other design made it easier for me to hear. I have some hearing loss, so that is a feature that makes a lot of difference to me. And the ability to have all of my contacts, calendar and music (not a lot by today's standards) is a big plus.

 

[nburwell]

Although I don't use my iPhone to talk all that much on it, when I do, it's not awkward at all holding it to my ear. There have been a few times where I have been on the phone for an hour and so, and it isn't so comfortable then. But if you're just making a quick call, you will be fine. Like MacDawg stated, I have not encountered any issues with the phone app at all.

 

[ctbear]

It is okay. It works, nothing bad but nothing special.
I do hope the device itself is a tiny bit bigger. My hand feels cramped when talking on the phone.

 

[kbfr08]

I love it. I used to have a Razr on Verizon which very much cradles your head, but honestly this is the route of smartphones. So there's really not much choice.

It's very comfortable. They have proximity sensors on the phone that make the screen turn off when you put it up to your face so no worries about you accidentally hitting something.

The only downside i'd say about it is if you happen to have a particularly oily complexion, you have to clean your phone off after you use it, but hell you have to do that with any phone as most screens are right below the ear speaker.

I have to agree with you on the flip phone vs iphone ergonomics while on a call. When I first got my iphone, I felt pretty weird holding a bar up to my ear, and then talking into it. I was pretty worried that the other end couldn't hear me well enough, and I also thought that since people around me couldn't see the phone, they thought that I was talking to them.

Of course, I still use my smartphone for calls, but I refuse to use a headset for those same reasons, but you really don't have a choice with an iphone. You'll get used to it though, and the call quality is pretty good on any smartphone nowadays.

 

[ritmomundo]

Noise cancellation = AMAZING

IMO, call quality is a bit better than your average cell phone. Let me give you an example. I was at an amusement park, in line for a roller coaster, and I was on the phone with a friend of mine. It was incredibly loud where I was, as there was music playing from the speakers, and everyone in line was talking. The iPhone's noice cancellation mics work AMAZINGLY. My friend on the other end could hear me perfectly even over all of the background noise. He couldn't even tell that there was that much noise (except that I was talking loud). I had to turn up my speaker volume and plug my other ear with my finger just to hear him.

I've been in similarly noisy environments using other cell phones, and more often than not, the other person can't hear me clearly at all over all the background noise. I haven't compared to other new smartphones out there, but in my opinion, the iPhone does a great job.