The Apple iPhone 3GS in a nutshell
The Apple iPhone 3GS is more of an evolutionary product rather than a revolutionary one and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. We know that a lot of folks were actually waiting for a new design which didn't come about. This is actually a good thing in our opinion. For one, there are already so many third party accessories to choose from to spruce up your phone. If Apple came up with an entirely new design, manufacturers would have to create a whole new suite of third-party accessories from scratch, and existing iPhone consumers would have to ditch their existing accessories to purchase new ones. Most importantly though, why fix a perfectly good formula so soon? Refine it and that's exactly what Apple did with the new 3GS version.
The iPhone 3GS is a step upgrade from the previous model in the sense that it has video recording capabilities, a better camera unit and a compass amongst many other functions. In the software department, the 3.0 operating system upgrade will go a long way as it features the cut, copy and paste functionality that the previous model critically needed. It's also much faster as we presented in our video test results and the battery life too is considerably better than the 3G model.
On the flip side, the iPhone is not without its flaws. On the top of our list is that texting using the on-screen keyboard is still a heavy texter's nightmare. Also, it is a downer that the phone only offers a measly 3-megapixel camera while other rivals are already dishing out 8 to 12-megapixel camera phones.
There also have been reports that the iPhone 3GS faces overheating problems and discoloration issues , but frankly, we are in no position to comment on this as we haven't used the phone long enough to suffer the same problems.
With all said and done, now comes the million-dollar question - should you buy the iPhone 3GS? It all boils down to individual preferences as usual. As a new adopter or one who is upgrading from the first generation iPhone, the 3GS model is highly recommended. If you have an existing iPhone 3G and have no need for a video camera and can live with the existing hardware, then there is no pressing need to upgrade - unless of course you do want a more responsive phone. Besides, with the dipping prices of the current iPhone 3G model, for users who have always wanted an iPhone, now is as good a time as any to get one.
In a nutshell, the iPhone 3GS is like the Six Million Dollar Man. It is better, faster and stronger, and the best part is: it won't cost you six million dollars.
By the HardwareZone.com team