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| title | date | categories | layout | image | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 4 | 2010-06-30T00:00:00+00:00 |
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post | blog/iphone-4/IMG_0035.jpg |
So on Thursday 24th June I decided to go and join the queue for the iPhone 4. Thankfully I was early enough and, after waiting for about 3 and a half hours they finally let me into the o2 shop to buy one.
This being my first ever iPhone I didn't really know what to expect. I've played with earlier models that belong to friends but it's not quite the same when you can't fully explore it. All I knew was that I wanted one.
It certainly hasn't disappointed. This is an amazing little device, worth every penny that I payed. The screen is a joy to behold and makes my MacBook screen look pixellated. Steve is right to say that you can't see the pixels from a normal viewing distance, and actually, even if you look carefully they're hard to discern.
Resolution is nothing without contrast and the iPhone 4's screen has it in spades. I genuinely haven't seen a screen as good as this on any device. Even apps that don't have updated artwork look better than I remember seeing them on older devices. The high resolution has the side effect of almost eliminating any 'graininess' from the display. Everything looks sharp and colourful. It's pretty good in direct sunlight too, staying quite readable.
The build quality of the phone is second to none. It just feels solid in your hand, with no flex or creaks like pretty much every other phone I've ever owned. The buttons are reassuringly solid to press and the little speaker and mic ports at the bottom look great. The only problem is that I'm genuinely scared of dropping it. The antenna problem that has the Internets alight is definitely there, although the extent that it's a problem very much depends on reception strength and hand cleanliness. I seem to have adapted the way I hold it a bit which has helped, although I have a bumper on the way which should alleviate the antenna issue and my fear of dropping it.
Given that my old phone was a Sony Ericsson K750i it's probably understandable that the battery life comes as a bit of a shock to me. The K750i would still be happily ticking along after 5-6 days, but the most I can get out of the iPhone 4 is about 40 hours so far. Given that everything I've read suggests that this is an improvement over the 3GS I guess it's just something I need to get used to.
The quality from the camera almost gives my 5 year old Canon compact a run for it's money. Pictures are detailed and the colour is very nice. It's certainly the best phone camera I've ever used. The HD video is an additional bonus and I expect I'll get some use out of that in time. The ability to edit video on the phone itself is quite something.
The OS is very nice indeed. It certainly seems like Apple have really sweated all the details in how it works. There's so much in there that I'm not even going to attempt to cover any of it here. The only bugbear in my opinion is that the double tap for multitasking feels like the wrong choice. According to what I've read that used to be a shortcut to the camera (although it seems to be a shortcut to the iPod app when at the lock screen). I'd certainly like easier access to the camera when I'm out and about. Currently I have to slide, type my code, tap the Camera app. I loved the K750i for that; slide the lens cover, take picture!