[@NickyColman]

I thought I would open a thread for everything iPhone (aside from pre-order, signal, screen issues etc).

So you lucky, lucky iPhone 4-ers out there - What do you think of iPhone 4?



I'm going to come right out and say it - iPhone 4 is, without doubt, the best handset I've ever owned.

There, its out there.

Build

The build quality of the '4' is outstanding. Its thin, heavy and luxurious. When I pick it up, I get the feeling of holding something very exclusive. Something very expensive.

The clean metal lines teamed with the glass front and back has propelled iPhone into a category only it deserves to sit in. When compared the 3G/3GS just looks chunky and much cheaper.

Obviously at the time of writing there are well documented signal issues surrounding iPhone and its antenna's (of which there is already a thread) so I wont go into it here other than to say, I've no problems at all.

The Screen

Three words - Oh My God.






Its stunning. I cant quite express the quality of the screen. It almost seems fake at times because its so perfect. I can see it at virtually any angle. It doesnt flicker. It doesnt dim (other than when adjusting for lighting conditions). Its just amazing. [INSERT OTHER GUSHING COMMENTS HERE]

Camera

Steve Jobs wasnt joking when he said its not all about the megapixels. 4's new camera is fast, focussed and really a demonstration of how Apple doesnt always take part in the spec 'arms race' that other manufacturers fall into. Teamed with the fact iOS4 has bumped the processing speed too, makes it perform that much better.

Several sites online have already stated iPhone 4 is a fantastic camera, triumphing over most of its competitors to which can wholeheartedly agree.

The rest

Its already clear to me that 4 is sporting a quicker, more efficient processor than 3GS and most definitely the 3G. It romps through tasks, switches apps and tears through pages much quicker than any phone I've ever owned. It actually makes the screen of my iMac feel dull & old fashioned. (Who wants to join my campaign to get every manufacturer to switch to the 'Retina Display' standard???)

The battery life is also performing really well for me. It holds out for much longer than my 3GS - although this could be because the 3GS is now a year older.


I really cant sing iPhone 4's praises enough. I really cant. You may think of me as an Apple Fanboi, but I can assure you thats not the case. I've had 2 iPhone 2G's and hated them both. Clunky, fat and seriously under-specced. Even when I had the 3G and before Apple relented on the lack of MMS - I hated the iPhone just as much as I loved it.

But iPhone + iOS4 is a combination many will find hard to pick flaws with.

[Hands0n]

Okay, so maybe I do not really want to have the iPhone 4's babies. But it is a rather nice smartphone, even if there are better spec'd devices out there, the one thing that Apple excel on is the aesthetics of design and functionality. For the purposes of this topic I will stay away from the technical design flaw that is the steel aerial array around the handset that is causing so much angst right now. I would also caution against believing everything you read - the media are out to make sales or attract clicks - while there are elements of truth in what is being reported, it is being blown completely out of all proportion.

I like the extensive use of glass and metals to replace the plastic that was the iPhone 3G and 3GS. I do think Apple had it right with the original iPhone that was largely glass and metal also. Although I have witnessed that the aluminium case of the original iPhone 2G did suffer at the hands of the less careful. With the new iPhone 4G I suspect that the "polish" of the handset will last a lot longer and take much more abuse than any of its predecessors. That said, greater care will have to be taken to avoid dropping the device. As tough as the glass is it will eventually shatter, even if it survives the first one or two drops.

The iPhone 4 is much thinner than the 3GS and as such it does feel a bit smaller in the hand. I keep worrying about it slipping through my fingers, although the glass does have a slight "sticktion" effect that means that the actual risk is slight. The lightest pinch between thumb and forefinger has the iPhone 4 firmly located in the hand.

Battery life, as has already been said, is significantly more long-lasting than any of the earlier iPhones. I have had a full Saturday of fiddling and using the iPhone 4, with a 35 minute phone call, and by 10pm it had 25% remaining charge. And that is quite an improvement on the earlier models.

The camera is good - very good indeed, putting many regular digital cameras to shame, and in fact outdoes not only the 3GS but many other modern day camera-phones. I have not checked out the video quality and capability, but examples posted on the Internet show great promise.

Pretty much all that you read about the new iPhone's enhancements is true - it is all good.

[Ben]

Definitely a 'love it' from me. I think everyone agrees that the materials and build quality are beyond reproach. The reactions of those that I've handed mine to have been entirely positive in this regard, though I'm classing 'quite heavy' as a positive, there!

I've had a fantastic time with the camera this weekend. I'll clearly be taking a great deal many more pictures and videos on iPhone 4, and the backlit sensor and LED flash make an incredible difference when it comes to dealing with low light.

I agree with everything that has been said, but for me I think the ultimate benefits are the greatly improved battery life, improved performance (I think the RAM is helping a LOT in Safari), and that awesome shell that now encases iOS 4.