2 Weeks with iPhone 4
Little over two weeks ago I took delivery of a 32GB iPhone 4, having ordered the SIM free version direct from Apple. I was out of contract, making me fully available for an upgrade from o2, but the lure of my current £15 o2 iPhone Simplicity tariff with 300 mins and unlimited texts was too much to ignore and I decided to buy the handset outright and stay on the Simplicity plan with a 12 month contract.
I have been totally blown away by the speed and beauty of iPhone 4. The screen is just beautiful – turn it to any angle and it just stands out, looking like the icons are painted ON the screen. That’s the first thing you notice. The second thing is the speed. Coming from a laggy iPhone 3G, it is a real treat to use something that loads games much easier and switches between apps that much quicker.
The 5MP camera on the iPhone is wonderful. I am truly stunned at the beautiful shots it produces and the tap to focus is a dream. Coming from a 2MP on my 3G is a huge upgrade and I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be needing a separate digital camera for my photography needs anymore. The iPhone 4 camera has taken it’s place. Here’s a photo straight from the iPhone, no editing…
One question I have been asked the most over the past two weeks is what my signal strength and reception is like, given that many are experiencing issues due to the antenna placement. I have not experienced a single dropped call. I know many people personally who have the iPhone 4 and none of them have experienced any significant issues with regards to signal, nor are they regretting their upgrade in any way. There’s now a rumour of an iPhone 4 recall. It’s interesting to note that of the people I follow on Twitter, those who appear gleeful of a possible (though unlikely) recall are the ones that don’t have an iPhone 4 or any interest in Apple. Make of that what you will.
I have made several phone calls and all of them have been clear and constant, no dropouts. Infact recently I was on a call and not paying attention to how I was holding the phone. When I looked, one of my fingers was near the ‘death grip’ corner and yet my bars were full. I’m pleased to say that the signal issue isn’t affecting me to the extent that it’s reportedly affecting others. However, talk to my Brother and he will tell you a different story with his handset – but then again he’s using a Nokia and gets repeated drops with every call he makes 
Have you bought iPhone 4? What are your thoughts and experiences thus far?
[rating:5/5]
Hope you can get one soon.
I’m still debating if I’m going to upgrade or not. It’s not a huge step up from the 3GS other than the display so I’m on the fence still. I know for sure I’m waiting until it’s available in white to even consider it. I’m not especially thrilled with iOS4 either, it’s got a lot of bugs. Sometimes the camera is snappy and sometimes it’s super laggy. The photos app is a mess. I’m often making changes to mine since my portfolio is on there but now after every modification and sync I have to restart my phone or there will be a bunch of black boxes where the thumbnails were. There’s thousands of complaints about this on the Apple help forums but no acknowledgment from Apple. My battery life has gotten even worse after upgrading to iOS4 as well, I love folders and multi-task but am sometimes wishing I hadn’t upgraded. I’m craving some decent battery performance which may push me to upgrade eventually.
So… I’m definitely waiting for the white model to come out but before that I’ll let them release their first iOS4 update and see what it fixes. If it’s still giving me issues I’ll wait until next year or possibly even switch to another device.
MobileMe has been a headache as well since they “upgraded” it. Contacts disappearing, their photos disappearing, mail having lots of slow periods. My entire MobileMe photo gallery got wiped out too. This is the first time I’m less than impressed with Apple in a very very long time. So I’m waiting it out a bit.
Glad you’re having a good experience, I definitely would have upgraded from just a 3G!