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Well. That didn’t take long. With problems beginning at pre-order failure and extending to some fairly serious reception issues, the iPhone 4 started experiencing a backlash almost immediately. Yet, the handset is still sweeping up fans left and right, selling an estimated 1.5 million units upon release (with 77% of those being upgrades). We waited in line like everyone else to get our review handset. Here’s what’s being said about Apple’s latest offering:
Engadget managed to collect some minor scratches on the back of their handset after just five days, calling into question the durability of the Gorilla Glass, but said the handset feels high-end when held in the hand (speaking of which, yes, we’ll get to the reception issues soon enough). CNET claims that “everything about this display is fantastic, from the bold colors and graphics to the vividly clear text. You can see it reasonably well in direct light and the details on Web pages, photos, videos, and applications are as sharp as they come. But the best thing is that you can't see any pixels on the display.”
*
Mossberg over at the Wall Street Journal said he “dropped it several times from a few feet onto a hard surface with no problem, and it acquired no scratches at all in my testing, even though I didn't use a case or coddle it.” The display is definitely earning praise, with an LED backlit 960 x 640 IPS screen capable of 326ppi pixel density, how could it not? -but has also encountered some minor issues with yellow spots or streaks across the screen. Reportedly due to the bonding agent, Oragnofunctional Silane Z-6011, not having sufficient drying time, the spots and streaks should disappear after the first few days. With one savvy commenter pointing out it would probably behoove the company to wait for the freakin’ sealant to dry before shipping; hopefully this is a non-issue by the time you’re reading this.
Speaking of the display, iFixIts extensive tear down reveals “two screws at the bottom of the device release the back panel of the iPhone 4; on previous models, these released the front display assembly.” This means screen replacement is significantly more difficult as “the display and touch panel are all glued to the front glass, so it's a total module replacement if the glass does break.”
ArsTechnica gave OS4 a thorough seven-page review, heralding it as a “major update (with) a handful of significant changes – namely Apple’s implementation of multitasking.” Key words here “Apple’s implementation” – although it’s by no means true multitasking, as it can’t grab new updates or work across the entire OS. They’ve also pointed out that the 32GB is in actuality more like 28.77GB (after you factor in the space the handset requires to operate).
Mossberg at WSJ chimes in on OS4 saying* ”The software is simply richer looking and smoother to use than on competing phones I've tested, with fewer confusing menus and settings, and far more apps.” While Ed Baig at USA Today raved about Facetime, calling it a “killer feature” – it only works over Wi-Fi and between iPhone 4 owners. ArsTechnica points out that Facetime, which has mysteriously replaced the “Hold” button, also cannot go in reverse. So in order to return to an audio-only call, the user would be required to end the session and redial.
The improved camera, OS, noise-cancelling mic and display are all impressing reviewers and users alike. What does not impress them? The stainless-steel band antenna.
Despite being called “a work of genius” by iFixIt, the external band antenna has proven to be a fussy mess for real-life users. Designed to improve reception on AT&T’s rather spotty network by “utilizing whichever network band is less congested or has the lease interference for the best signal quality, regardless of the actual signal strength”, the antenna has proven to be a major snafu. There’s currently a huge kerfuffle over signals being lost while the handset is being held (although cheap fixes are already being found)
Engadget says they’ve “seen reports of the same behavior on previous generations (the 3G and 3GS), and there is a running thread about this problem with the Nexus One. While it is definitely true that interference is an unavoidable problem, we can't help feeling like this is really a bit of bad design.” BoyGenuisReport suggests ” As this did not happen with iOS 3.0, this suggests a software bug which affects the signal meter the user sees. Even more interesting is the fact that despite displaying a weak signal — and in some cases no signal at all — many users report that the iPhone 4 is still able to make calls as if nothing were wrong.” Apple’s response – so far – has been to tell users to hold the phone differently (which is a pretty large serving of weaksauce as far as we’re concerned).
However, even that doesn’t seem to be hurting the handset much with Engadget calling it “the best smartphone on the market right now,” Pogue at NYT declaring it a “hit” (before its official release), and CNET saying “the result is a sleek, satisfying, and compelling device that keeps Apple strongly competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace…But if you prefer a smartphone that offers more personalization, that isn’t shackled to AT&T, or that is equal parts phone and mobile computer, then there are plenty of smartphones in the sea.”
*Wondering what MaxPC’s opinion is? Check out our iPhone 4 review here. And let us know what you think about, erm, what everyone else thinks.
More...
Engadget managed to collect some minor scratches on the back of their handset after just five days, calling into question the durability of the Gorilla Glass, but said the handset feels high-end when held in the hand (speaking of which, yes, we’ll get to the reception issues soon enough). CNET claims that “everything about this display is fantastic, from the bold colors and graphics to the vividly clear text. You can see it reasonably well in direct light and the details on Web pages, photos, videos, and applications are as sharp as they come. But the best thing is that you can't see any pixels on the display.”
*
Mossberg over at the Wall Street Journal said he “dropped it several times from a few feet onto a hard surface with no problem, and it acquired no scratches at all in my testing, even though I didn't use a case or coddle it.” The display is definitely earning praise, with an LED backlit 960 x 640 IPS screen capable of 326ppi pixel density, how could it not? -but has also encountered some minor issues with yellow spots or streaks across the screen. Reportedly due to the bonding agent, Oragnofunctional Silane Z-6011, not having sufficient drying time, the spots and streaks should disappear after the first few days. With one savvy commenter pointing out it would probably behoove the company to wait for the freakin’ sealant to dry before shipping; hopefully this is a non-issue by the time you’re reading this.
Speaking of the display, iFixIts extensive tear down reveals “two screws at the bottom of the device release the back panel of the iPhone 4; on previous models, these released the front display assembly.” This means screen replacement is significantly more difficult as “the display and touch panel are all glued to the front glass, so it's a total module replacement if the glass does break.”
ArsTechnica gave OS4 a thorough seven-page review, heralding it as a “major update (with) a handful of significant changes – namely Apple’s implementation of multitasking.” Key words here “Apple’s implementation” – although it’s by no means true multitasking, as it can’t grab new updates or work across the entire OS. They’ve also pointed out that the 32GB is in actuality more like 28.77GB (after you factor in the space the handset requires to operate).
Mossberg at WSJ chimes in on OS4 saying* ”The software is simply richer looking and smoother to use than on competing phones I've tested, with fewer confusing menus and settings, and far more apps.” While Ed Baig at USA Today raved about Facetime, calling it a “killer feature” – it only works over Wi-Fi and between iPhone 4 owners. ArsTechnica points out that Facetime, which has mysteriously replaced the “Hold” button, also cannot go in reverse. So in order to return to an audio-only call, the user would be required to end the session and redial.
The improved camera, OS, noise-cancelling mic and display are all impressing reviewers and users alike. What does not impress them? The stainless-steel band antenna.
Despite being called “a work of genius” by iFixIt, the external band antenna has proven to be a fussy mess for real-life users. Designed to improve reception on AT&T’s rather spotty network by “utilizing whichever network band is less congested or has the lease interference for the best signal quality, regardless of the actual signal strength”, the antenna has proven to be a major snafu. There’s currently a huge kerfuffle over signals being lost while the handset is being held (although cheap fixes are already being found)
Engadget says they’ve “seen reports of the same behavior on previous generations (the 3G and 3GS), and there is a running thread about this problem with the Nexus One. While it is definitely true that interference is an unavoidable problem, we can't help feeling like this is really a bit of bad design.” BoyGenuisReport suggests ” As this did not happen with iOS 3.0, this suggests a software bug which affects the signal meter the user sees. Even more interesting is the fact that despite displaying a weak signal — and in some cases no signal at all — many users report that the iPhone 4 is still able to make calls as if nothing were wrong.” Apple’s response – so far – has been to tell users to hold the phone differently (which is a pretty large serving of weaksauce as far as we’re concerned).
However, even that doesn’t seem to be hurting the handset much with Engadget calling it “the best smartphone on the market right now,” Pogue at NYT declaring it a “hit” (before its official release), and CNET saying “the result is a sleek, satisfying, and compelling device that keeps Apple strongly competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace…But if you prefer a smartphone that offers more personalization, that isn’t shackled to AT&T, or that is equal parts phone and mobile computer, then there are plenty of smartphones in the sea.”
*Wondering what MaxPC’s opinion is? Check out our iPhone 4 review here. And let us know what you think about, erm, what everyone else thinks.
More...