Apple iPhone 3G review

Prior to the iPhone 3G's public debut, speculation was rife over what it would offer. When it appeared, we realised that Apple was taking very few risks with its second foray into mobile phones.

It comes in the same 8GB and 16GB configurations as the previous 2G model and has the same two megapixel camera.

The real difference is the inclusion of 3G, with both standard UMTS and HSDPA data services supported, the latter delivering a significant improvement in download speeds for web surfing.

Going mass-market

The new iPhone has an all-plastic black or white curved back in place of the 2G's metal rear case.

The replacement back is due to the larger battery used in the iPhone 3G, necessary to support the increased power demands of moving to 3G. The move from aluminium to plastic also means that the growing number of aerials within the case can get easier access to their respective signals.

It looks good, but doesn't have the same solid feel of the original. The curved back also disguises the fact the 3G handset is slightly thicker than the original, again due to the battery. The volume control and ringer on/off switch now have a good-looking chrome finish.

Another change to the case, involved the headphone socket. This is now flush with the top of the phone rather than recessed, allowing the easy use of any headphones, not just Apple's own.

The accessories supplied with the iPhone 3G have been downsized. You get a wired stereo headset, USB sync cable, mains charger and a cleaning cloth. The dock supplied with the 2G model now has to be bought separately, though you don't really need it.

3G and GPS

The iPhone still has 802.11 b and g Wi-Fi support alongside its 3G data services. Together these make a real positive difference to all internet services on the iPhone.

The Safari browser on the iPhone has long been regarded as the best mobile browser on the market, due to its ability to display full web pages in their original layout. It remains largely unchanged from previous iPhone software versions, although you can download web images to your camera roll by clicking and holding on them.

Adding 3G has also helped support the addition of Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support. Business users can now get over-the-air access to their Exchange calendar, address book and push email. While this also works over GPRS on the old iPhone, 3G offers clear advantages in terms of speed of download when out and about. Cisco IP VPN and WPA2 Enterprise wireless security support is also included.

The built-in GPS receiver makes the iPhone's Google Maps application far more useful. Instead of using triangulation based on cell masts and known Wi-Fi hotspots to make a 'best guess' on your current location, GPS provides more accurate data on a par with a dedicated sat nav device.

The new and improved hardware has had one major negative impact on the iPhone - battery life. Apple claims five hours of 3G talk time, 10 hours 2G talk time or 300 hours standby, though our real-world tests tell a very different story.

A basic run-down standby test with no email, iPod or phone use was just short of 160 hours standby. Moderate everyday use including one hour of iPod music use, push email and web surfing pushed the time between charges down to just 22 hours.

The App Store

While not exclusive to iPhone 3G, the launch of the iTunes App Store has been timed to coincide with the release of the new handset. Applications and games can be bought through a desktop iTunes client and then copied across to your iPhone, or you can choose, buy and download over the air.

For iPhone 3G users, this can be done using both Wi-Fi and 3G data connections. For 2G iPhone users, this is best done over Wi-Fi.

More rather than new

For existing iPhone users, moving to the 3G handset won't be much of a surprise. Face on you'll be hard-pressed to tell it from the original, and to prove this point I've spent the last two weeks swapping a 2G iPhone for various people's 3G handsets. Only when they've picked it up have they noticed it was a different phone, usually because the 2G unit felt heavier and more solid.

You can therefore argue that the iPhone 3G is just the original iPhone in a lighter, cheaper casing.

To an extent, this is true.

The move to 3G has required significant hardware changes as well as a bigger battery. If you are a heavy web surfer, you will notice a significant improvement in download times. Also, the iPhone 3G has a proper GPS receiver, so can do accurate positioning rather than the 2G's triangulation best-guess.

And it won't be long before you are able to run sat-nav applications on the iPhone thanks to the App Store. For instance, sat nav specialist Tom Tom has already announced that it is close to porting its software to Apple's device.

Beyond this, the iPhone 3G is indistinguishable from the 2G one as most of the functional changes are purely in software, and that iPhone OS 2.0 software is not only installed on all iPhone 3G handsets, but is available as a free download for all existing 2G iPhones as well.

Beyond 3G and GPS, both now have exactly the same core capabilities and exactly the same two megapixel camera. Failure to improve this is perhaps the most disappointing part of the iPhone 3G.

Heavy email users won't really benefit from 3G data support. GPRS and Edge data rates are more than sufficient for sending and receiving email, especially as both push and non-push mail on a mobile device is perfectly suited to trickling down in the background rather than always having to download on command.

This is why RIM's BlackBerry email devices have remained popular despite being GPRS and Edge-based.

The iPhone 3G is an excellent phone, but so was the original iPhone. The iPhone 3G is a spec-based upgrade that ticks some of the key feature boxes such as GPS and HSDPA that rival smartphones have offered for a while, making it great for first-time iPhone users, but offering little to tempt existing owners who aren't power browsers.

It's not a revolution - that already happened in June 2007 with the original iPhone launch. But it's fair to say that the best has got a little bit better.