Apple has yet to release the iPhone 4 in the Philippines via its exclusive carrier Globe Telecom. Even before then, a lot has been said about this 4th generation iPhone — from the supposed antenna issues, the Retina Display, to Face Time and the modified form of multi-tasking feature. So check out our review of the Apple iPhone 4 after the jump.
The new design of the iPhone 4 represents the biggest departure from the original one when it first came out 4 years ago. The body is composed of two sandwiched pieces of high-grade glass and lined with two strips of aluminum that doubles as an external antenna — a design that became subject to one of the biggest controversy Apple has faced in years.
The size is still the same at 3.5 inches across but it’s thinner and a bit heavier on the hands. The back panel is now flat and made of a sheet of glass with 5MP camera and LED flash embedded on the upper section. A second front-facing camera is situated at the front for making video calls Apple refers to as Face Time.
The iPhone 4 is a smudge-magnet — not only in the front panel but the back panel as well. The glass plates in front and in the back attracts fingerprints like there’s no tomorrow.
The volume controls are on the left side along with the toggle that activates instant mute of the volume while the power button is on top just across the 3.5mm audio jack.
The iPhone 4 also features a new screen technology called Retina Display. Indeed, the display looks very impressive and the pixel density is so packed the images are very crisp and clear that rivals even the Super AMOLED screens used in other smartphones (like the Samsung Galaxy S and the Samsung Wave).
I’ve compared the display of the iPhone 4, HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S — the Desire is bright and crisp, the Galaxy S is brighter and deeper contrast but the iPhone 4 definitely has better resolution and a more refined display. The 960×640 pixel resolution is among the biggest we’ve seen on a smartphone by far.
The choice of Retina Display over Super AMOLED could be a move by Apple to avoid production delays of the latter and eases up Apple’s dependence on Samsung which its biggest suppliers of displays (and also a competitor in the smartphone wars with the Galaxy S touted as its strongest rival).
Apple also introduced the new iPhone OS with the iPhone 4. Called the iOS 4, the new operating system finally includes multi-tasking, an important feature Apple shunned for years due to concerns on performance and battery life of the device.
With the Apple A4 chip running on the iPhone 4 (similar one used in the iPad), the device performs very well without any significant lags when navigating and switching between apps. The system feels very snappy and apps launch pretty quickly. It’s very noticeable especially when processing large files of photos or videos (and that built-in video editor works like a charm but you have to buy iMovie separately from the iTunes App Store).
Multi-tasking is also something very new to the iPhone 4, a platform feature introduced with iOS4. While others would argue it’s not really multi-tasking in its truest sense, it works as it’s meant to be. I’ve also noticed significant improvements on the speed and performance of the browser.
The camera on the iPhone 4 is among the best ones I’ve seen and used on a smartphone. It rivals that of the Galaxy S in terms of image quality.
The camera takes good to great photos that are properly focused, adequately exposed and saturated. The lens can focus on any subject by just tapping on the screen. It’s got a fast focusing speed and shutter speed to avoid blurry images even on low light conditions.
See the entire gallery of photos taken with the iPhone 4 here.
What makes it slightly better than the Samsung Galaxy S is the accompanying LED flash that allows for additional light source when needed. While the main camera is rated at 5MP, the secondary camera is only VGA which is used for Face Time.
Video recording on the iPhone 4 is another plus point for the phone. At 720p, videos are vivid and clear with no noticeable drop frames even on longer clips. Here’s a short video clip taken using the iPhone 4.
The lens also actively re-focus as the subjects on the frame changes. You can actually manually refocus the video by just tapping on the subject on the screen. The exposure also dynamically changes depending on the focused subject so you will notice some over-exposure when moving from light frames to darker frames.
Here’s an example of an active and manual refocusing of subject while recording the video.
In some respects though, I believe the Galaxy S takes a bit better video than the iPhone 4. On another note, I wasn’t able to do test out Face Time on the device.
One of the more controversial issues surrounding the iPhone 4 is the antenna reception. I’ve previously tested several smartphones (see here) regarding the drop signal strengths and they all behaved the same although at a slightly varying degree. While there’s a noticeable decrease in signal strength as indicated in the signal bar on the iPhone 4, I have not experienced a single dropped call.
The battery life is a little tricky to measure, which is true in all smarpthones in the market today. While the device can do over 2 days on a single full charge, you can also easily drain it in under a day if you’re a heavy user.
There are so many other features the new iPhone 4 had that’s well worth mentioning but the ones I’ve highlighted above are what makes this device really kick ass. It’s got a solid build and design construction, a very tight operating system, hundreds of thousands of apps (most of them free) and UI that’s simple yet elegant.
Apple iPhone 4 specs:
Apple 1GHz A4 chip
3.5-inch display @ 960×640 pixels
16GB & 32GB
3G/HSDPA 7.2Mbps
WiFi 802.11n
GPS w/ aGPS
Gyroscope
5MP camera with LED flash
2nd front-facing camera
2 mics w/ noise-canceling
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR
iOS 4
The iPhone 4 official release is still at least a month away and Globe has not indicated the exact date. However, dozens of iPhone 4′s are being sold in the grey market everyday, some even reaching street prices of up to Php92,000. And yes, people still buy them at those prices. It has since gone down to about Php41k to Php78k, depending on the source and if it’s factory unlock or not.
The iPhone 4 is a great smartphone but we can’t really peg a verdict unless we know how much Globe will be selling it in the Philippines. I have a hunch it will be in the same range when the iPhone 3GS came out and if that’s the case, it’s going to be well worth the upgrade.
[...] 4 announced! Tweet Update: See Globe iPhone 4 Price here. Read the full iPhone 4 Review here or check out the iPhone 4 Release [...]
pwede ba papalit sim ko ng micro sim pero same number p rn?
Bossing Yuga, have you seen this?
http://www.facebook.com/cheftonio/posts/212549468780152?notif_t=share_comment
This is sold locally via http://www.gizmotherapy.com Ganda! :)
Brand new iPhone 4 for sale! Unlocked and sealed, fresh from California. BRAND NEW!
I’m selling it for 30k only, both black and white. Cash basis only. Thanks! Contact me at 0916-352-8072.
Meet-ups at Mall of Asia and LRT Stations Line 1. Thanks!
hi do you still have your phone for sale..????
let me know what your price
hi do you still have your phone for sale..????
let me know what your price..
[...] PRICE and REVIEW here. [...]
Did you know that more and more people are having problem with the home button of their iphone4. Hope Apple has an official answer to this.
It’s absolutely wonderful technology. it has changed the technology.
Guys try this, I already cashed out 20 USD in just 3 days of just being online from time to time. Earn an Extra $1000 to $1200 per month doing Part Time Data Entry Jobs! Work from home data entry jobs to post simple data submissions on Internet. Make $1 per entry. Easy form filling, data entry and ad posting jobs. No selling, No phone calls, No Marketing. No Investment. Bi-weekly payments. Full Training Provided. Pls visit : http://www.onlinejobsopen.com/?id=853494
[...] got one of the best cameras in a smartphone I’ve tried (oftentimes besting the camera of the iPhone 4). The sensor is fast and accurate, delivers nice crisp image and well-saturated colors. The [...]
[...] S has got one of a best cameras in a smartphone I’ve attempted (oftentimes besting a camera of a iPhone 4). The sensor is quick and accurate, delivers good frail picture and well-saturated colors. The [...]
Twitter: sophie317
says:
My friendly iPhone is always with me. I really like this device as it is very helpful in my everyday living, most especially in business. The phone helps track most of my business transaction. It is indeed a cool smartphone!
Twitter: forumcelular
says:
The Iphone 4 take a nice pictures. :)
Very nice Review!
[...] to get the iPhone 4 free last year with Globe in exchange for a 3-year contract). Do read on our iPhone 4 review from last year to get a better perspective before reading [...]
hi inquiry for cheapest i phone 4s 64gb, my # +639398888242
hi inquiry for cheapest i phone 4s 64gb, my # +639398888242
i have a iphone 4 from US and its CDMA can globe telecom Flash it?
I just like the helpful information you supply to your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and take a look at again here frequently. I’m reasonably certain I’ll be informed many new stuff proper right here! Best of luck for the next!
This is really interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of
your magnificent post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
These are truly enormous ideas in on the topic of blogging.
You have touched some pleasant points here. Any way keep up wrinting.
Hello there, I discovered your web site by way of Google even as looking for a similar topic, your site came up,
it appears great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Hello there, simply became aware of your weblog thru Google, and located that it is really informative. I’m gonna be careful for brussels.
I’ll appreciate for those who proceed this in future. A lot of people will be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
This design is spectacular! You most certainly know how to keep a reader entertained.
Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost.
..HaHa!) Excellent job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that,
how you presented it. Too cool!