iPhone 4 Reviews

iPhone 4 reviews are out, and you probably won’t be surprised to hear they’re overwhelming positive. Here’s a few highlights including glowing words and some amazing pictures from our favorite reviews via Engadget, Walt Mossberg, and The New York Times.

Engadget’s iPhone 4 Review

My favorite and probably the most intensive review of the new iPhone comes from Engadget, who states plainly:

the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market right now

and, although noting there is some solid competition (no specifics named, unsurprisingly), goes on to say:

when it comes to the total package — fit and finish in both software and hardware, performance, app selection, and all of the little details that make a device like this what it is — we think it’s the cream of the current crop.

The best thing about Engadgets review is they really get into the nitty gritty, which is great for geeks like me. For instance, I’ve been dying to see some good macro shots of the new iPhone 4 screen resolution in comparison to the an iPhone 3G/GS, and they came through with this picture:

As you may have guessed, the older iPhone 3G/3GS screen is on the left, and the new iPhone 4 is on the right. That is some pretty amazing detail, I must say I am impressed.

Their review is loaded with good information and quality pictures. Speaking of quality pictures, are you ready to have your mind blown? Check out this image from Engadget that they took of a flower with the iPhone 4 camera:

Wow. That’s taken with a cell phone, that’s just amazing to me. Some of the low light pictures they show aren’t too fantastic, but they’re all huge improvements over the predecessors cameras. Considering the iPhone 4 price is about the same as a digital camera, this is all the more impressive.

If you’re either in the market for iPhone 4 or just waiting to get your hands on one, I would highly recommend checking out Engadget’s review. You can see many more pictures, a few videos, and read their full review of iPhone 4 over here at Engadget.com

Walt Mossberg of Wall Street Journal’s iPhone 4 Review

Famous tech pundit Walt Mossberg also wrote up a rather warm review of iPhone 4, widely praising the devices hardware, software, Apple’s rapid success in the cell phone market, and calling it “the best device in its class.”

Mossberg wasn’t all praise though, he noted that the biggest downside of iPhone 4 is being stuck on AT&T:

The most important downside of the iPhone 4 is that, in the U.S., it’s shackled to AT&T, which not only still operates a network that has trouble connecting and maintaining calls in many cities, but now has abandoned unlimited, flat-rate data plans. Apple needs a second network.

he then goes on to cite problems with reception:

…on at least six occasions during my tests, the new iPhone was either reporting “no service” or searching for a network while the old one, held in my other hand, was showing at least a couple of bars. Neither Apple nor AT&T could explain this. The iPhone 4 quickly recovered in these situations, showing service after a few seconds, but it was still troubling.

Whether or not the reception problems are AT&T or the actual iPhone 4 remains to be seen. Of course, iPhone 4 customers outside of the USA don’t have to worry about AT&T so we will soon have an answer to that question.

Read Walt Mossberg’s full review of iPhone 4 over at All Things Digital

The New York Times Reviews iPhone 4

David Pogue of NYT starts off by making an amazing point:

The iPhone 4 is already a hit. AT&T says that it received 10 times as many preorders as it did for the iPhone 3GS last year. On the first day of taking orders, Apple processed 600,000 requests — before its ordering system, and AT&T’s, descended into chaos.

He’s right, the buzz around iPhone 4 is incredible, everyone is talking about it, and it’s already sold out. AT&T has already said they won’t have any devices in store on launch day because they sold out, which is forcing fans to start camping outside of stores to try to get their hands on one of the hot devices.

The New York Times praises iPhone 4 in both software and hardware, describing it as “beautiful” and “Lexus-like.” Contrary to the statements of Walt Mossberg, they claim the new iPhone has better call quality than it’s predecessor thanks to some new features, resulting in fewer dropped calls:

Sound is much better on both ends of the call, thanks in part to a noise-canceling microphone and an improved audio chamber… …The new phone is also better at choosing the best channel for connecting with the cell tower, even if’s not technically the strongest one.

Does any of this mean no more dropped calls in New York and San Francisco? No. But there do seem to be fewer of them.

You can read the rest of the review at The New York Times website.

More iPhone 4 Info

• iPhone 4 Price Guide – find out how much iPhone 4 will cost you, with or without a contract, including data plans
• iPhone 4 Availability – when and where you will be able to get an iPhone 4, both on release date and after
• Check AT&T iPhone 4 Upgrade Eligibility – if you’re existing AT&T customer with an iPhone, check to see if you can qualify for an upgrade to iPhone 4
• iOS 4 for iPhone and iPad – find out about the all new iOS 4, the OS behind iPhone 4
• iPhone battery life – information about iPhone battery life and tips to improve it