While most manufacturers choose to do an overhaul whenever they’re faced with the task of “rebooting” a phone model, Apple chose to use the opportunity as a way to build upon the last iteration. As such, the new iPhone 3GS feels more like an upgraded version of the handset instead of an entirely new device.
Externally, the two phones are nearly identical, with only a slight difference in weight keeping them apart. Inside, however, the 3GS received major hardware updates that, for the most part, is akin to upgrading your PC’s guts. You’re still running the same programs, but they’re faster, with the option to run new software that just wasn’t possible with your old rig.
The hardware updates also happen to coincide with the advent of iPhone OS 3.0, which brings an innumerable number of improvements to the platform. Results are pleasing, to say the least, bordering on awesome.
As with any hardware upgrade, speed is a tremendous benefit. The iPhone simply runs faster with every single application (provided it doesn’t depend on the 3G connection), from the native functions to the downloaded games. The boot-up sequence alone is accomplished in half the time. These speed gains, of course, are offset a bit by AT&T’s failure to hold up their end of the bargain – no 7.2Mbps HSPA, no MSS and no data tethering until the latter half of the year. Once those things come, though, we should be able to better judge how much faster the 3GS really is.
The camera module, typically an ignored hardware component of the iPhone, has received plenty of attention so far and for good reason. Not only did they bump it up to 3 megapixels, but it has received a good range of capabilities (autofocus and video recording, among others) that render it a very usable feature. The images are far from perfect by any means (some blurriness are apparent, especially with poor lighting) but it’s a very good optics box that you wouldn’t mind using.
What’s most exciting about the hardware upgrades for this iteration, for me, are the new graphics processor and the magnetometer. Both components simply allow for a wide range of new apps to come to the platform. While their benefit is not easily experienced, it’s something I know will figure prominently in the future.
Simply put, the iPhone 3G S is a surprising upgrade. It doesn’t change the game at the surface, but really holds the potential to down the line.
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