Apple iPhone 4 (GSM)
Phone Scoop Review
Jun 24, 2010 by Philip Berne
In-depth with the latest from Apple. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
love it!!!
I was real worried about taking the plunge with this phone and the dropped calls but i only had one dropped call with it but that was in a bad signal area... to give you an idea, this phone does better in low signal areas than my tilt 2 did. even in a low signal area, my internet was pretty fast. this phone has good sound quality on calls. the music player can't be beat... plus the ability to watch youtube is cool as well. i love the aps on this thing. blows aps on win mo out of the water. plus, it has never froze on me. that was an every day occurrence on win mo. i love the safari browser on this thing... just like using a computer. I'm visually impaired and need a screen reader to access a phone and this iphone 4 has it built in. on win mo and symbian, i had to spend extra money just so i can use the phone. i love the design on this phone. defanatly the coolest design i have seen yet. only thing is the keyboard takes a while to get used to. i have owned it for 2 weeks and still am not all the way used to it.. if you have been on the fence on this iphone, then i say you should pick it up... you have 30 days to take it back if you don't' like it but i think you'll agree, your life will be a lot better once this iphoen is in it :).
Amazing phone!
Awesome phone! For a decade Iâve own only Nokiaâs. I liked everything about the IP4, but was worried about the antenna issue. More on that later, but donât miss out on this phone for an easily dealt with flaw. I live in a big city and also in a rural northeast environment. I have no dropped calls. No proximity sensor problems either.
The OS interface is smooth, and you can really see how much better it is than other systems (BB, Android). It just works, which is very much Appleâs trademark. Support, often overlooked, it a real plus. Just walk into an Apple store and they will deal with it there.
This phone has quad band GSM and quad band WCDMA. Works everywhere, including Japan. It has an extremely well built quality factorâ¦down to the real metal of the SIM holder. The oleophobic (oil resisting) coating on the front really keeps smudges down, and cleans easily. The new flat profile is better. Browser is the best, the retina screen amazing (24 bit color), and the bigger battery is a remarkable improvement over ANY smartphone. If you are an iPod/iTunes user, this has the best music player out. And it has WiFi, ânâ now too!
5 Megapixel camera is much improved for night photos. Flash for both stills and HD movies.
Downsides? Yes, all Apple products are works of industrial artâ¦but they slip out of your hand easily. Iâd prefer if Apple put a matte bumpy finish back and side. So I have the IP4 âBumperâ. It does not scratch the phone, and itâs rubber lip raises the front/back a few mmâs so itâs glass does not sit on the table surface. Antenna issue: If you have 3 bars or less, donât touch the 1mm black band on the lower left; Stronger signal? youâre OK. Bumper solves problem for weak signals, no care how held. Actually reception better than 3GS with new antenna.
Pros:
battery life: 7 hrs 3G talk-time
Screen - remarkable!
Camera + HD video
Quality built
OS4
Support
Con:
Slippery â needs case or bumper
Antenna- needs care or bumper/case.
Great phone (for me)!
Let me start off this review by admitting I'm an Apple Fanboy. I've had every iPhone on launch day. Even though I'll try to give a fair review, you may add a bit of bias. I would also like to say phones are a personal device. Everyone has their own unique requirements. Before you buy any phone, list down your requirements and make sure the phone has it. It angers me when people bash the iPhone for something like "it doesn't support Flash". Well if you must have Flash, get another phone. Apple has made it quite clear they don't support Flash, and probably never will. Which brings me to another point... don't buy a phone with expectations that something will eventually be supported or get fixed. Buy it as it is!
PROS
- Looks. It's a beautiful device.
- Battery life. You'll hear mixed reviews on battery because everyones expectations, usage, and environment are different. I don't make alot of calls, but I do use the iPod, Camera, Pandora, Facebook, SMS, Email and Safari like crazy! And in my environment, I can go two days without charging.
- Retina display. I didn't initially care much for this feature when announced, but it really is amazing.
- Camera was my biggest appeal. People, don't use specs to compare cameras. Because it has more MP doesn't necessarily make it better.
- Face Time. Works great and it's more practical than I thought.
CONS
- It just feels fragile. They claim the glass is stronger than plastic, but I'm just afraid I'll drop this phone and it will shatter to bits!
- Yes, that's the only thing I don't like.
Now alot of reviewers are complaining about drop calls and proximity sensor issues. Majority of users don't have these issues. So most likely, neither will you. Return or exchange the phone immediately if you do.
To sum up, I love this phone. I'm not claiming it's the best phone on the market... but for my requirements, it is. The Android phones are great too, it's all a matter of what features are important to you.
Awesome
I have had this phone from the begining and have not had had issues with it. The only thing was I had to upgrade my blue tooth headset so I could have it in my pocket while talking. I Love this phone, the camera is awesome I like the ability to take pictures of myself with other people without turning the phone around. I don't know anyone with the iphone 4 so I haven't been able to use the face call feature. It syncs with outlook and my calendars. I love that I can put cartoons on it so I can distract my kids if I need to.
The only con in my book is that its only available through at&t and the service is expensive.
Great Device
This is a great overall device and if you have good coverage in your area with AT&T (I'm in the Atlanta suburbs) then you will be plenty happy. Is it perfect? No, but what phone is? All the pro's are true that you have read, some of the cons are suspect. The antennae issue at least for me is a non-issue. I have had no problems at all. A couple of cons: Notifications, need improvement. It will buzz or ding twice (that's it) to let you know you have a message or voicemail. Outside of that you need to press the button to see if you have anything. The earpiece volume could be a bit louder, it could just be me. Lastly, setting up any automated dialing (office voicemail etc.) with pauses is easy to set up but sounds terrible. It is as if the automatic dialing is holding down the key or digit instead of a quick press. It works but boy is it annoying. AT&T's coverage so far is pretty good in my area. I came over from Verizon and I must admit that Verizon has stronger coverage. I have had the phone for about a month and have dropped a couple of calls but to be fair it is hard to tell if it was them or me. With Verizon I dropped a couple of calls over a 8 year period. If it were all about making calls I would have stuck with Verizon, but it isn't. This is so much more than just a phone and compromises aside I am very happy.
Awesome Phone
I have had every iphone and can say that apple has done it's part in updating and enhancing the iphone with each addition. I have had this phone since it came out and must say that I have not had any issues at all. No phone is perfect and each will have their pros and cons. I have used the Bold, Bold 9700 and Storm 2 and while i enjoyed each none could give me the experience I have had with with the Iphone 4. It by far is the most user friendly phone on the market. I was recently in Florida and passed by a T-Mobile stand. The representative told me that The Samsung Vibrant had just came out and would topple my Iphone experience. I tinkered with this new phone for several hours and quickly found out why my browser experience as well as other features on this phone were far more superior. My suggestion when exploring for a new phone is to ask yourself this question. What exactly am I looking for in my personal phone experience? Then research the important aspects and select the phone that fits your style. You then will likely be satified with your personal selection. As for me nothing tops the Iphone 4. This is a truly Awesome Phone.
PROs:
Battery Life
Applications
Camera
Video Camera
Ipod
Internet Browser
Ability to select from EDGE, 3G, and WiFi
CONs
None that this or any other phone would not experience.
First iphone, won't be the last.
First off I am not an apple fanboy, and I never heard of Steve Jobs before antennagate. I've had the phone since release day and have dropped a total of one call. Far less than the Nokia it replaced. And I blame that more on where I live than the phone. Seems to be a big deal going on about the antenna, but as long as it doesn't drop calls who care how many bars are showing.
Pros;
Display, sharpest I've seen.
Build quality, feels solid not cheap plastic.
Camera, more megapixels doesn't always mean better pictures. Takes better pictures than my 8mp coolpix.
Can take hd videos.
Touchscreen best I've used.
Ipod, but that shouldn't be a surprise.
The only con for me is you can't transfer contacts to sim card. I use an old phone when working in conditions where a phone could get damaged and when I switch the sim no contacts are on it. Not a real big deal, just need to buy a third party app to do it. Not a deal breaker as far as the phone goes.
Overall the best phone I've had. To those that don't like it, you have 30 days to return it. I checked out AT&T's next best phone, the Captivate and I wouldn't trade. Iphone is much more user friendly.
IPHONE 4
Great phone and ipod...best video calling experience possible.Antenna problems exist, but not to the extreme. Apple still is on top of the game and they will soon fix this problem with a software fix....Same thing happened to 3GS when it first came out....Stop hating people...
Very good upgrade from 3GS
Ok here's my overall review. This phone is a definite upgrade to the 3GS model. The speed of the phone, camera quality w/ flash, screen, gyroscope, multitasking are great so far. I haven't had any signal issues. My area was recently upgraded to have 3G so that increases the quality on the usage end. I know in due time, we'll see apps that support all of the new features this phone offers.
Pros:
Screen
Gyroscope
Speed
Camera w/ flash
Call quality
Real Flashlight capabilities
iOS4 smoothness
Design
Cons:
Needs more apps to support new features
Hopefully the next model phone will have a bigger screen
Best Phone I've Had
From someone that's had an iPhone 3G and a Samsung Omnia, upgrading to the iPhone 4 is a huge jump in speed, and capability. Facetime is worth every cent, as is the Retina display. I don't care what they call this display, it is clearer than any screen on any device I've ever seen. As for the antenna, with the bumper, no calls have been dropped at all. Reception is in fact better then my 3G. Battery Life is as good as can get on a smart phone. Even the new flash on the back rocks as a flashlight with a number of free apps. Overall, very impressed feel and design. A must have if you can get it and have good AT&T reception where you are.
