iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3G S: Big difference?
By Joseph Hanlon on 10 June 2009
If yesterday's iPhone 3G S announcement at Apple's developer conference left you a little confused or underwhelmed, don't worry: you're not alone.
In fact, we can't remember the last time a phone update was so seemingly insignificant, though the Nokia N95 8GB comes to mind. As with the build-up to the launch of the 3G last year, the weeks leading up to 8 June were speckled with rumours, but what was most interesting was that none of this speculation was especially outlandish. Those who tried their hand at photoshopping mock-up handsets stuck with a fairly familiar design, and those who guessed at improved hardware went no further than a front-facing video camera or an OLED display (we were gutted when this one wasn't true).
So let's take a closer look at the specs of both starting with physical dimensions:
| Dimensions | 115.5x62.1x12.3mm | 115.5x62.1x12.3mm |
| Weight | 135g | 133g |
| Network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSDPA 850/1900/2100 |
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSDPA 850/1900/2100 |
| HSDPA | 7.2Mbps | 3.6Mbps |
| Storage capacity | 16/32GB | 8/16GB |
| Bluetooth | v2.1 | v2.0 |
Apple has also made up a chart of similarities and differences between the iPhones:
(Credit: Apple)
Most interesting in Apple's chart is video recording and battery life. All current iPhone 3Gs will be able to download the iPhone 3.0 firmware on 17 June and we would have suspected that video recording would be a software upgrade and not specific to the camera module. As for battery life, Apple is citing a 0-50 per cent increase in battery life; as in 0 per cent for talk-time, but 50 per cent for web browsing. It is nice to know that browsing would run the battery down as much, but as a phone first shouldn't we expect to see the improvements elsewhere?
What do you make of all of this? Is the iPhone 3G S a necessary and important step forward for Apple, or is it just a lot of hot air? Let us know in the talkback below, or jump on the forums.
Topics: 3g, 3gs, apple, apps, camera, iphone, mobile phone, video
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Comments (31)
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Jaymz commented on 17/12/2009 23:06
Does anyone know if the iphone 3G can tell you which way you are facing? I noticed in the app store that there is a tomtom app for $99.99, will this app be able to tell you which way youre facing just like a normal GPS?
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Ness commented on 29/11/2009 01:29
Actually they didn't mention it in the specs because it's in both but a few people mentioned MMS and there is now MMS in both phones.
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Ithika commented on 05/08/2009 05:03
It certainly is surprising that Apple made such a fuss about a relatively minor upgrade. However, they have finally added all the things that previous iPhones lacked and stopped me from getting one.
I will absolutely get a new iPhone 3Gs when my current contract (with the woeful LG Renoir) is up.
The things that the iphone still can't do, for example video call or radio, are really quite insignificant. Frankly I've never used video calling despite having a video-call capable phone for the past 4 years. It's just too expensive! And why would you want a radio in what is essentially a 32GB ipod?
And let's not forget that, with internet access, if you really wanted to, you could listen to radio stations online. -
bj commented on 02/08/2009 22:46
whats the point in having an iphone if you've got an ipod touch, or an ipod for that matter
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Dalla commented on 29/06/2009 17:05
@Blind-as-a-bat - radio? It's an iPod for crying out loud. Who wants a radio when they've got their entire music library at the touch of their fingers anyway?
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Stipe commented on 28/06/2009 20:09
Oh forgot to add 3gs weighs 2grams more than 3g so best to stick with 3g
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Stipe commented on 28/06/2009 20:07
you get mms with the update of the software for 3g anyway, not worth getting 3gs compass doesn't work bad reviews, and voice control? big whoop? you dont even see ppl using bluetooth headsets anymore. g2 by htc is better. but like sheep ppl follow shame on you lol all.
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Gh0stly commented on 20/06/2009 23:35
Great for new inductees to the iPhone world. Love the new 32GB size. Exactly what I was waiting for to finally make the switch :D That and tethering. Cut Copy Paste was also a seller.
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