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Does iPhone4 hardware good enough?

  • Iphone4 hardware is up to date, but nothing earthshattering

    Votes: 90 55.9%
  • Hardware is good enough

    Votes: 52 32.3%
  • Hardware is not good enough to compete with android

    Votes: 1 0.6%
  • hardware is crap

    Votes: 3 1.9%
  • i would have expectet more from iPhone4

    Votes: 15 9.3%

  • Total voters
    161

mrblack927

macrumors 6502a
Aug 19, 2008
841
34
The same thing could be said (and has been said) about mac hardware. Comparatively, mac computers are a bit weak, especially for the price. However, I believe they more than make up for it with the brilliantly optimized OS that comes packaged with it. In my opinion, mac computers running OSX run much better (smoother and "snappier") than most PCs with twice the horsepower running Windows.

I think the same thing applies here. Some android phones look faster on paper, but real-world usage shows that iOS still runs faster.
 

VSMacOne

macrumors 603
Oct 18, 2008
5,760
2,742
You poll is very biased. You don't cover all the options.
I for one, LOVE the iPhone with everything in it. I'm not gonna go around and crack it open and tell people.. look it has a 2.75Ghz processor and 3 GB of RAM (exaggeration).
All I care about is that everything I need to do on the phone is done better and smoother and saves me time. I feel good about the combo of hardware and software on this iPhone. The best example for me is the camera and the screen. Unlike every other cell phone manufacturer out there, Apple didnt go with a 4+ inch screen or an 8+ megapixel camera. Instead of size, they focused on quality. And IMO it worked.
Heck, even the antennae... that's a brilliant idea and does much better in areas where 3GS was dropping calls. NOw if they can only fix the stupid left corner :D
 

br0adband

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2006
933
69
No poll ever covers all the options/possibilities, it's completely informal, it's not perfect, back down, fellas, geez. ;)

Has anyone actually watched that video? I'm curious... because it's actually quite eye-opening, if you haven't. I ain't makin' no money off it, it's a CNET provided video but, honestly if you haven't watched it, do yourself a big favor and do it.

Get edjumicated!!! :D
 

Apple-NoEscape

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2010
467
0
United Kingdom
No poll ever covers all the options/possibilities, it's completely informal, it's not perfect, back down, fellas, geez. ;)

Has anyone actually watched that video? I'm curious... because it's actually quite eye-opening, if you haven't. I ain't makin' no money off it, it's a CNET provided video but, honestly if you haven't watched it, do yourself a big favor and do it.

Get edjumicated!!! :D

Yeah but they at least try and cover 'Is it good? Is it bad?/Is it wrong? Is it right?' not 'Is it wrong? Is it wrong?'.
 

Tiffy

macrumors member
Jul 15, 2009
55
0
You poll is very biased. You don't cover all the options.
I for one, LOVE the iPhone with everything in it. I'm not gonna go around and crack it open and tell people.. look it has a 2.75Ghz processor and 3 GB of RAM (exaggeration).
All I care about is that everything I need to do on the phone is done better and smoother and saves me time. I feel good about the combo of hardware and software on this iPhone. The best example for me is the camera and the screen. Unlike every other cell phone manufacturer out there, Apple didnt go with a 4+ inch screen or an 8+ megapixel camera. Instead of size, they focused on quality. And IMO it worked.
Heck, even the antennae... that's a brilliant idea and does much better in areas where 3GS was dropping calls. NOw if they can only fix the stupid left corner :D

I totally agree. Who cares about the hardware in a washing machine ? You just want it to wash your clothes , fast and easily. Steve Jobs thinks it should be the same for eletronic devices : Apple should create products that just do what the users want them to do , fast & easily. It's Apple's responsibility to choose the right hardware & software to obtain this result.

When you buy a TV set, do you ask which processor , which OS is inside ? Probably no. You just want to know if the picture is nice , the sound OK , if you can connect it to your other equipments and if it's easy to use.
 

spob15

macrumors member
Jan 24, 2009
57
0
Nope, I've owned a HTC Desire for a few months now and it's fantastic. Much prefer it to Apple's OS.

I can't even stand the look of iOS now... those boring rows of apps. Reminds me of *spit* Windows

But here you are on MacRumors reading and posting...seems a little bass ackwards
 

buc

macrumors member
Jun 22, 2010
60
0
So what do you think about iPhone4? Does it fullfill your needs?
For me as an 3GS owner, i dont really look forward to an iPhone4. The changes are fine, but nor really earthshattering. Much better will come up soon

Admittedly i'm coming from the 3G and not the 3Gs, but the I4 is such a tremendous step forward for me...i could never imagine going back. The camera (still and motion) is awesome for a dad with a 1.5 year-old that wants to take a lot of pictures/movies. Totally amazed at the quality of the video and still pictures this phone can generate. I'd have bought the new phone for the camera alone.

The speed is also a tremendous improvement. GPS is much better, the new screen is amazing, facetime etc...even the reception is better for me (fortunately the "death grip" is not the way i hold the phone when talking...if it was my overall opinion might be a little different. But then again i'm getting a bumper so probably not...)

So, at least for me, the changes were definitely earth-shattering.
 

tuatha

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2010
143
0
But here you are on MacRumors reading and posting...seems a little bass ackwards

I think you'll find that many people on here own phones and computers made by other manufacturers. That doesn't disqualify us from following this issue or finding it interesting.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Interesting poll questions -- various degrees of suckage, but no "it's fantastic," option. Hmm. Somebody will only take "no" for answer. Fee Fi Fo Fum, this poll is really dumb. I suppose if you are comparing spec sheets the iPhone 4 may look ordinary, but then again there are plenty of 8mp Chinese knockoff cameras on eBay for a few bucks. Are you going to tell me that they are superior to even an old Nikon D40?
 

bobbba

macrumors regular
Jul 7, 2008
211
7
What a lame poll, an unbiased one would not have 4 or 5 options that say the same negative thing and only one to be postive.
 

tigress666

macrumors 68040
Apr 14, 2010
3,288
17
Washington State
While I don't think the iphone has state of the art newest technology, you really should have included something like that in your poll. Your poll is very skewed and already shows your opinion by the fact all the answers say, "Tech is average at best."

You should have allowed for the option of "Tech is quite up to date, cutting edge" or something even if you disagreed with it. The point of a poll is not to herd people into the answers you think they'll give. THe point is to see what answers they'd give. Which may sometimes surprise you.
 

ARF900

macrumors 65816
Oct 30, 2009
1,119
0
I think the hardware is fine, the phone is fast and from what I see the pictures and video look great, not to mention the incredible screen and form factor, I also think that A4 is comparable to the 1 ghz snapdragon because it is custom for ios4.

The obvious competition for the iphone 4 is the EVO 4g, which IMO is way to big and heavy, and have you seen its screen? It looks washed out.

I would actually much prefer a motorola droid over any other android device, and thats the oldest one they have. My iPhone should hopefully be shipping in the next week or two though :D
 

dulaney22

macrumors regular
Sep 9, 2008
142
27
I wouldn't say the hardware is "low end," but it is definitely not much of an improvement over the 3GS. I spent about an hour yesterday at the Memphis Apple store comparing the 4 to mine and, other than the difference in resolution, there isn't much about which to clamor. Yes, it has a better/finer resolution, but the colors on the display units were not as good (punchy) as mine. Actually, I was surprised that there was so much disparity between the screens on the floor models. Most had a very distinct yellowish hue. I don't mean the spots discussed recently, I mean an overly warm color that drowned out the vivid colors of the display. Now, I returned my original 3GS because of this exact issue, so it doesn't appear to me that it's a problem isolated to the new model. However, it's disappointing that such tolerances apparently exist and are acceptable.

I also was not that impressed with the camera shots I took in the store. Not that it really matters, because I don't use camera or video much, but I was expecting a clearer, more focused picture. The video was much better than the 3GS though.

In the end, there's nothing revolutionary about the phone. Put a case on it and it looks just like the old models. As for speed, it's not noticeably faster than my phone. Of course, this may change with future app development for the faster processor. If you do not use the camera functions much, it's not really much of an upgrade at this time.
 

JediZenMaster

Suspended
Mar 28, 2010
2,180
654
Seattle
The A4 isnt faster than snapdragon, which is on the market for quite a while, and its successors will come up soon.
Gingerbread, name for android 3.0, is made for resolutions 1280*720. On a 4 inch screen this easily trumps the dpi of iphone4.

Actually snapdragon isn't the faster processor anymore. Hummingbird and the A4 chip are the fastest on the market and they are both A8's with the core modified.

And i think the iPhone's display is the best on the market. Super AMOLED can't even compete it's pretty much Drekitude
 

Savor

Suspended
Jun 18, 2010
3,742
918
When the 3GS came out, there was no other smartphone with faster processor/GPU. It actually had such a good hardware that competitors needed at least half a year to come up with something similar.
Now things have changed, and for me it seems the iPhone is nothing groundbreaking, it just closes the gap to some android devices.
The A4 isnt faster than snapdragon, which is on the market for quite a while, and its successors will come up soon.
Gingerbread, name for android 3.0, is made for resolutions 1280*720. On a 4 inch screen this easily trumps the dpi of iphone4.
I believe that until next year, when the new iPhone comes out, we have so much superior android devices that it will be hard for apple to close the gap.

So what do you think about iPhone4? Does it fullfill your needs?
For me as an 3GS owner, i dont really look forward to an iPhone4. The changes are fine, but nor really earthshattering. Much better will come up soon
The 3G to the 3GS was NOT all that groundbreaking or revolutionary. This is a thread for 3GS owners to pat themselves on their back for not making the jump because they can't afford to pay the extra upgrade price.

The OS isn't revolutionary, but I like how Apple balanced hardware, software, features, and build quality. Even with all these reported problems, there are people like myself completely happy with the device.

After two years, Apple still cared to make the 3G compatible with iOS 4.0. Android is so fragmented and phones come out so constantly, those manufacturers will stop caring for software updates and Google would have a hard time with the different spec sheets. G1 owners were screwed by the time 2.0 hit. I had a Nokia N82, and after less than a handful of updates in a span of a year, I stopped getting new stuff. Nokia had already moved on into other OSes to even care about N95/N82 users with S60 (3rd edition).

I am an Android supporter, but their OS is ugly. It is like Symbian (which is open source), only more touchscreen. When we start seeing 2Ghz processors, just wait when the battery life last less than two hours to talk on 3G. And wait when the iPhone "4G" comes out. More MP on the cam means more memory getting taken up. Sprint charges EVO owners an extra $10 for 4G now. I won't be shocked if AT&T tacks on another $15-20 on their 4G network. I am content with the 3.5G and the wifi speed I get in my house with the right balance of good battery life and speed. Specs can look good on paper, but it can tell a different story with actual performance.

In cell phones, there has to be a give and take. No such thing as "perfect." But the iPhone 4 is the closest at excelling at all things it does do without making too much sacrifices. Almost every other phone might be better at something the iP4 does right now, but it also has a glaring weakness that the iP4 simply does better. Look at the Nokia N8 and their laggy software from the preview. Being the last Symbian, it doesn't have much replay value with future updates. The Samsung Galaxy S looks cheap and their resell value is garbage. Same with LG phones. I thought the LG Arena would make an impact here, and nothing. The Palm Pre has an innovative OS, but lacks the hardware and apps. I was looking forward the Xperia X10, and came away a bit disappointed by it. Typical SE and their typical delays similar to the X1. EVOs, Droids, and Incredibles all come and go. On paper, it looks like some of these phones can do many things. But ask yourself, can they do it well?

I can guarantee if iPhone was on all four major carriers in the USA, it will be the #1 seller on each carrier. But Androids on Verizon, Sprint, and TMobile fills some of the void temporarily for some of these jealous and iPhone-envy crowd.
 

tuatha

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2010
143
0
Actually snapdragon isn't the faster processor anymore. Hummingbird and the A4 chip are the fastest on the market and they are both A8's with the core modified.

Woah, you don't get to post that without backing it up! Links to benchmarks please.

And don't link to the anandtech sunspider test - those results had a lot to do with the OS. Snapdragon with FroYo scores better than the A4 in the iPad in that same test so I don't believe those results are a credible CPU benchmark.

And, incidentally, the iPhone A4 is almost certainly underclocked. The only question is by how much.
 

JediZenMaster

Suspended
Mar 28, 2010
2,180
654
Seattle
Woah, you don't get to post that without backing it up! Links to benchmarks please.

And don't link to the anandtech sunspider test - those results had a lot to do with the OS. Snapdragon with FroYo scores better than the A4 in the iPad in that same test so I don't believe those results are a credible CPU benchmark.

And, incidentally, the iPhone A4 is almost certainly underclocked. The only question is by how much.

Wow are you my father? Because i don't think you get to tell me what i can and can't do :cool: And what's wrong with the Anandtest? Oh i know it's giving the results that you don't want! So it must be wrong then :rolleyes:

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62200389,00.htm

And you can use google for the rest of them. I don't get paid to do your research. And BTW where is your proof that the A4 is underclocked? And i mean proof from a real source not an anti-apple source who would provide fake benchmarks
 

Ronnoco

macrumors 68030
Oct 16, 2007
2,568
522
United States of America
All of my Apple Hater friends say that because my new MacBook Pro doesn't have a Blu-ray drive and USB 3 that I got ripped off and the hardware is far behind the times, and that of their $600 wonder-PC's...:rolleyes:
I still BY FAR prefer my MBP to their "hardware-loaded up" PC's...

Similarly, I think the iPhone hardware is great...
 

drjsway

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
936
2
Are you nuts?! The hardware on the iPhone 4 blows the competition out of the water: retina display, thinnest smartphone, glass and steel design, best smartphone camera (trumps all the 8-megapixel competitors).

As far as CPU is concerned, ask people who've used a snapdragon phone which feels faster.

BTW, Android is NEVER getting a 720p screen on a phone. First of all, it's pointless. It far exceeds what a human retina can see. Second of all, most people want a smaller phone, not a bigger one. These 4.3" phones only appeal to a minority of geeks.

The only way I could see to improve the screen would be to make it a bit longer, while retaining the same form factor. 1024x640?
 

JediZenMaster

Suspended
Mar 28, 2010
2,180
654
Seattle
All of my Apple Hater friends say that because my new MacBook Pro doesn't have a Blu-ray drive and USB 3 that I got ripped off and the hardware is far behind the times and of that of there $600 wonder-PC's...:rolleyes:

I think the iPhone hardware is great...

Yeah it is and your friends don't get that if it wasn't for apple being first with things they wouldn't have their PC's as advanced as they are today.

Ethernet,SCSI,USB and the list goes on were first added to apple desktops and portable's if it wasn't for apple adding it first no one else would have. And heck bluetooth doesn't even come standard on any PC's except for the expensive ones.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,394
5,257
I wouldn't say the hardware is "low end," but it is definitely not much of an improvement over the 3GS. I spent about an hour yesterday at the Memphis Apple store comparing the 4 to mine and, other than the difference in resolution, there isn't much about which to clamor. Yes, it has a better/finer resolution, but the colors on the display units were not as good (punchy) as mine. Actually, I was surprised that there was so much disparity between the screens on the floor models. Most had a very distinct yellowish hue. I don't mean the spots discussed recently, I mean an overly warm color that drowned out the vivid colors of the display. Now, I returned my original 3GS because of this exact issue, so it doesn't appear to me that it's a problem isolated to the new model. However, it's disappointing that such tolerances apparently exist and are acceptable.

I also was not that impressed with the camera shots I took in the store. Not that it really matters, because I don't use camera or video much, but I was expecting a clearer, more focused picture. The video was much better than the 3GS though.

In the end, there's nothing revolutionary about the phone. Put a case on it and it looks just like the old models. As for speed, it's not noticeably faster than my phone. Of course, this may change with future app development for the faster processor. If you do not use the camera functions much, it's not really much of an upgrade at this time.

This is my experience, I was just in the Apple store today and put my 3gs next to a ip4. After reading these forums I was expecting the 2nd coming of Jesus, but all I saw was a sharper screen but IMO not a big deal in the least. At the end of the day it's still a small screen, and both phones looked pretty much the same, just one sharper. Just reminds me how incredibly smart Apple's marketing department is.
 
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