If anything was made clear during Apple's WWDC keynote address it was that the iPhone 3G S is an evolution of the iPhone product series, not a revolution. Although the improvements made to device are significant from a performance perspective, it is not a complete replacement or successor to the iPhone 3G. Instead, the iPhone 3G S offers a few exclusive functions and some extra space, speed, and power for current and prospective iPhone owners, all while maintaining the existing price points of $199 and $299 with a 2-year contract. While we will not deny that we had been secretly hoping for a full-fledged iPhone overhaul, we recognize that given the current economic climate and the state of the United States' wireless infrastructure, now wasn't the time to roll out the iPhone 4G. Instead, the iPhone 3G S is a reasonably safe move for Apple – improve an already popular product while maintaining the existing cost to consumers. The iPhone 3G S' largest improvements over the iPhone 3G are improved battery life, video recording and editing support, a higher resolution camera, and a solid processing boost.
The handset now packs a 600MHz processor and 256MBs of RAM – 25 percent faster and double the memory of the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G S' processing boost equivocates to roughly twice the speed of the preceding model, which may not seem like much on paper, but in use turns out to make a remarkable difference. For those who are upgrading from a iPhone 3G, the superiority of the iPhone 3G S is recognizable from the moment you start it up. While the iPhone 3G was hardly what we'd define as "slow," there is little question that if a horror movie director wanted to create the most tension as a terrified victim frantically powers on their cell phone, the iPhone 3G would be an excellent candidate. We're happy to report that the silver Apple logo amongst a black background appears and disappears with record speed. Similarly, accessing applications immediately after powering on is quicker than ever – making quick information access swift and simple. One of our primary uses for the iPhone 3G S is email access on the go, and while the iPhone 3G takes several moments to load a previously accessed inbox, the iPhone 3G S is almost instantaneous. Having installed iPhone OS 3.0 on our iPhone 3G prior to testing the iPhone 3G S, it was clear that the new firmware is a contributing factor to the iPhone 3G S' speed. iPhone 3G users who install the OS 3.0 software will notice a sizable speed increase in many areas of the device's functionality, but the iPhone 3G S' powerful processor brings that extra juice to all applications.
Watch our official video review for the iPhone 3G S.
While the boosts we noticed in the Mail client and other data recalling programs were largely due to the RAM expansion in the iPhone 3G S, it's the 600MHz processor and OpenGL ES 2.0 support that can be attributed to the device's speed in other functions like web browsing and gaming. The speed of the iPhone 3G S' web browsing still hinges on the strength of your network access, but assuming you've got a signal, the iPhone 3G S is leaps and bounds above the 3G. The standard 3G model would often display a checkerboard background as it loaded the page you were attempting to view, but now with the iPhone 3G S, there is a rarely an instance when that loading background appears. Larger sites still take some time to load, but usually the core framework of a page loads instantaneously and larger media elements take a bit longer. As for gaming, smaller titles load with lightning speed, whereas more 3D-graphic heavy titles are faster, but still a little cumbersome.
But speed isn't all there is to talk about with the iPhone 3G S; the other major selling point of the new handset is its capacity for video recording, editing, and sharing. Although video recording had previously been proven possible on the iPhone 3G by particularly advantageous hackers through a process known as "jailbreaking," but Apple maintains that the feature could only work effectively on the iPhone 3G S for its superior processing, data, and battery performance. We can't attest to the work of said iPhone hackers, as such a practice is a violation of Apple's terms of service, but it stands to reason that video recording on the iPhone 3G would likely take a significant bite out of the device's battery. In any case, as far as first-party support goes, video is exclusive to the iPhone 3G S. Recording video on the device is relatively simple: through the iPhone's regular camera application, toggle an on-screen switch to enable video recording, and hit record. The iPhone 3G S' 3 megapixel camera, which has been increased from the iPhone 3G's 2 megapixel lens, makes video recording sufficient, but hardly breathtaking. Those expecting to record vibrant documentaries and action shots like Apple showed off in their demo reel should check those hopes for the device at the door. There is no question that video recording on the device is impressive, but it suffers from many common problems with video support of handsets – it's overly sensitive to motion, both of the user and the user's target, and it is not particularly quick to adapt to varied lighting situations.
Watch our official video review for the iPhone 3G S.
The real compelling aspects of video support on the iPhone 3G S is in its editing and sharing capabilities. Users can make simplified adjustments to their recorded videos all from within the on-screen video preview. Once the videos are sufficiently tweaked, users can then upload their videos directly to YouTube, share them via email, or transfer them to their computer through a standard USB connection. Uploading the video to YouTube is surprisingly painless; Apple created a stripped down version of the video uploading interface to quickly add title text, a brief summary, and content tags. Upload speeds seemed to be almost equal to the duration of the video – minute long videos take roughly a minute, 30 second vids take half a minute or so, etc. Eventually, when AT&T brings MMS support to their networks in the United States, video files will be capable of being transferred via standard messaging, although the exact limitations of the service are still unknown. Taking still images with the 3G S has been improved through the aforementioned upgrade to the on-board lens, as well as new tap-to-focus features, which enable users to guide the focus of the image with a single tap of the finger. Macro photography (close-up images) has also been improved on the 3G S' camera, which can now focus on close proximity targets with a reasonable level of clarity.
Overall, we were pretty satisfied with the iPhone 3G S' improvements in the area of media capturing, editing, and sharing, but those improvements would have been completely offset if Apple hadn't improved the iPhone's internal battery. We found that battery performance on the iPhone 3G S had improved by two hours or so during most functional uses, although the variability in settings and uses makes establishing consistent performance difficult. Still, particularly active iPhone users will notice a slight improvement in battery life. Those who run the phone at maximum brightness with WiFi and 3G communications blasting 24/7 will not notice the change, as their battery will die in an hour or two anyway, but for those with more moderate, in-waiting, uses will appreciate the extra juice.
As for smaller functional improvements, many additions to the iPhone 3G S can be acquired through the iPhone OS 3.0 firmware update, such as landscape text entry, cut, copy, and paste, and search. However, there are a few exclusive functions for the iPhone 3G S other than video recording. Perhaps the most notable function exclusive to the new phone is Voice Control, which enables you to control basic functions with your voice rather than having to navigate on-screen menus. By simply holding in the home button, users can access the Voice Control feature, which will then make a sound indicating that it is ready for your command. From there, the Voice Control feature can access contact information, dial phone numbers, start playing your stored music, and even allow you to select specific artists without touching the screen. The feature works relatively well, although particularly loud or ambient environments can sometimes create some issues with the command recognition. The limitations of the function are that you have to use a certain syntax with every command, and learning the various ins-and-outs can take some brief research or, in our case, trial and error. Once you learn to act within those limitations and the environment isn't excessively noisy, the iPhone 3G S' ability to recognize commands is pretty impressive. We were particularly surprised to find that Voice Control was able to recognize our command "Play Artist: Imogen Heap," and not respond with: "Mmm, what you say?"
The other surprise winner of the iPhone 3G S' exclusive features was its digital compass, which proved to be surprisingly useful…kind of. We found little use for the compass application itself, however, when it is applied to the Maps application, it is actually quite handy. By double tapping the locate me button on the lower left hand corner of the map application, the program not only indicates where you are, but gives a free-flowing representation of the direction in which you are facing. Spin around and the map will spin with you, and a graphical cone of perspective will better acclimate you to the area you are in.
Check out the iPhone 3G S' speed in action.
Finally, the physical build of the iPhone 3G S is host to a few small changes from the iPhone 3G, which are worth noting. The dimensions, build materials, and shape are identical to the iPhone 3G, however, the Apple logo and model name on the backplate are shinier than before, making your iPhone-using status symbol apparent to everyone that spots you holding to your ear or snapping a picture or video. Perhaps the biggest change, however, is the iPhone's new glass screen, which is now oil-resistant and thus doesn't smudge as easily. The glass is still just as dense as before and scratch resistant, but now those with oily hands have less to be embarrassed about.
When all is said and done, the iPhone 3G S is a solid improvement to an already stellar smartphone that has energized an entire area of consumer electronics. There is no doubt that the iPhone has more room to grow and some problems still persist – lacking battery life, better video support, etc. – but like any product, those problems will be fixed in time as the necessary technology becomes more readily available and cost-effective. However, the value of the product ultimately comes down to the customer in question, and pre-existing iPhone owners should definitely proceed with caution. From a consumer perspective, the iPhone 3G S is a mixed bag. Those who are considering picking up an iPhone for the first time should definitely go for the 3G S, as it is without question the best iPhone available, however, those in the midst of a 2-year contract with AT&T facing upgrade costs and another 2 year commitment to the provider might want to consider skipping a generation. For three consecutive years, Apple has released a new iPhone every summer, and they will certainly do it again in 2010, and next year could mark some significant changes, such as the end of AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple and the implementation of the next generation of wireless technology -- 4G LTE networks.
From a purely performance and technical standpoint, the iPhone 3G S is an impressive piece of hardware, but like any major purchase, picking one up requires some serious consideration on the behalf of the consumer. If you insist on being on the cutting edge at all times, picking up the 3G S now only to upgrade a year later is a nonissue, but for those who want to settle into a phone for the next two or three years, we'd recommend waiting to see what's in store from Apple in June or July of next year.