Review: Apple iPhone 3G

The caption “The iPhone you’ve been waiting for” on Apple’s website says it all.

The fact is, despite its revolutionary interface and outstanding ease of use, the original iPhone lacked some pretty crucial features, tied you into an 18-month contract and cost £269.

Now, after much speculation, Apple has released the iPhone 3G.

We won’t revisit all the features of the original model in this review (read our first-gen iPhone review here), but as the name suggests this model features 3G (including HSDPA).

There’s also no charge for the phone if you sign up to a £30 per month contract, although once again it requires a minimum 18-month contract.

Thanks to the 3G upgrade, web surfing is now much more pleasurable away from a Wifi hotspot – in our tests we averaged just under 700Kbits/sec – and navigating via the Safari browser by making pinching and stretching gestures with your fingers on screen is just as impressive as before.

Websites appear just as they do on a PC or Mac, although this does mean you frequently have to zoom in to make text legible and Flash content isn’t supported.

Apple has made some changes to the physical design, most noticeably the slightly curved rear. It’s also very slightly thicker and heavier. The screen stays at 3.5in with a resolution of 480x320 pixels and the 802.11b/g wireless from the original is also present. And although Bluetooth is built-in, it still doesn’t support the A2DP format used by wireless stereo headsets.

A small but useful change in the design is that the 3.5mm headphone jack is no longer recessed, allowing you to use your own set of headphones instead of Apple’s trademark white buds that come with the package.

Those wanting to replace their 40GB iPod with an iPhone will be saddened to hear it’s only available in 8GB and 16GB versions.

As before, Google Maps comes preinstalled, but thanks to the built-in GPS receiver it can now pinpoint your location; the assisted-GPS mode uses nearby mobile telephone masts to give a rough indication of where you are until overhead satellites are located. But with no turn-by-turn directions or voice instructions, it’s no replacement for a sat nav.

Those interested in GPS will have to use it sparingly or risk draining the already under-strain battery in less than a day. Even if you steer well clear of the GPS function, you’ll most likely have to charge the phone on a daily basis if you indulge in a fair amount of web surfing and listening to music. With very light usage we managed just over three days.

Apple has seen sense and opened the iPhone up to third-party software developers, although you’ll only be able to download them via Apple’s App Store.

Unsurprisingly, developers have been keen to get their own piece of iPhone action with around 500 titles already available. Games such as Texas Hold’em and Crash Bandicoot top the download charts, but there’s a wide range of downloads available including education software, business tools and ebooks.

The fact the two-megapixel camera hasn’t been given an upgrade will disappoint many, and the continued lack of a flash, LED or otherwise, means it’s not much good in low-light environments. Perhaps more of a surprise is that Apple has chosen not to install a second, front-facing camera – despite widespread 3G coverage video calling has failed to take off in the UK, but the iPhone is surely the device that could change all that.

There’s no doubt the iPhone 3G makes some significant improvements over the original, but although it trounces the competition in terms of ease of use it still omits features found on its competitors. Video recording, MMS messaging and a removable battery are all shunned by the iPhone.

Available for free on contract, the iPhone is bound to attract new customers, but we don’t think Apple has done enough to tempt existing owners to upgrade. Clearly those who want to do plenty of web surfing will be tempted by 3G, but there’s very little else to prompt an upgrade. And while the GPS module is a bonus, it’s no replacement for a dedicated sat nav.

The iPhone is still by far the easiest to use smartphone currently available, but it’s not quite the upgrade we were hoping for.