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Our Apple iPhone 3GS Review

On the outside, Apple's new iPhone 3GS is almost identical to its predecessor, the iPhone 3G. Put the two side by side and you will notice hardly any difference.

It's on the inside where users will undoubtedly notice the difference. The processor has been upgraded, apparently to 600mhz (Apple have been strangely tight-lipped about this), RAM has doubled from 128mb to 256mb, there's an improved camera, new cut ‘n' paste facility, Spotlight and many other improvements.

Storage is available in either 16Gb or 32Gb and this, together with the new amount of RAM and new operating system make browsing much faster than before. The ‘S' in the name stands for Speed.

This model's release coincides with the much-awaited new OS 3.0 operating system. It has many feature improvements to keep Apple fans both impressed and happy.

The company have also finally introduced a cut, copy and paste text facility, and not before time. You can use draggable anchors to choose your selection, or rely on the phone's intuition to guess what you are trying to highjlight. This works surprisingly well. Another tap and you can paste back into another document. To undo the action, simply shake the phone, although this may baffle onlookers.

The iPhone offers for the first time a new and very welcome landscape keyboard facility. The onboard camera has been upgraded, too, from 2 megapixels to 3 megapixels. However, this can be enough when coupled with the extremely useful autofocus software, which focuses in with just a tap.

Which brings us to the impressive video recording and editing capabilities on offer here. With 30fps VGA video, the results are great in raw form. Things start to look even better when using the editing function, a lite version of the iMovie application to be found on Apple Mac computers. Unfortunately, the editing process is destructive, but it's only a fun accessory, after all. If you really want to be up for next year's Oscars, you'll want to use better equipment than a phone, no matter how clear and smooth its results.

Overall, there's loads here to impress. The iPhone is available on the 3 network from around £25 per month, a price that won't break the bank considering everything you get for your money.

What We Liked

Like most Apple products, the thought behind apps and their usage is phenomenal. The new features, coupled with improved speeds make this a must-have product. Its new features, such as the landscape QWERTY keyboard and upgraded camera will soon be must-have additions for any smartphone.

What We Disliked

There are still coverage problems with the 3 network in some areas. The battery life is no better than previous models, and the iPhone doesn't seem to charge its battery when connected to a computer.

Our Final Verdict

Anyone who has been toying with owning an iPhone should congratulate themselves on waiting this long. It's the right time to enter the world of iPhones.

Compare Handsets

	Read Review
	Apple iPhone 3GS
General
Form Factor	Candybar
Dimensions	115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 (mm)
Talk Time	600 mins
Standby Time	300 hours
Weight	133 g
Quad Band	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes
Photo and Video
Integrated Camera	Yes
Camera	2.00 megapixels
Phone
Vibrating Alert	Yes
Polyphonic Ringtones	Yes
Smart Phone	Yes
Internal Memory	8GB or 32GB
Messaging
MMS	Yes
Screen
Colour Screen	Yes
Touch Screen	Yes
Screen Resolution	320 x480
Screen Colour Depth	16M colours
Connectivity
3G	Yes
EDGE	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Email	Yes
GPRS	Yes
HSDPA	Yes
WAP	Yes
Web Browser	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes
GPS	Yes
Music and Radio
MP3 Player	Yes
MP3 Ringtones	Yes
Additional Content
Downloadable Content	Yes
Downloadable Games	Yes
Downloadable Ringtones	Yes

Apple iPhone 3GS Full Specification

General

Photo and Video

Phone

Messaging

Screen

Connectivity

Music and Radio

Additional Content