iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3GS: the tale of the tape
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Jun 8th 2009 4:26PM
posted Jun 8th 2009 4:26PM
| Basics | ||||||
 iPhone 3G
|
 iPhone 3G S |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $99 8GB ($299 for ineligible upgraders) |
$199 16GB, $299 32GB ($399 and $499 for ineligible upgraders) |
||||
| Processor | 412MHz ARM 11 |
600MHz ARM 11 |
||||
| Graphics capability |
OpenGL ES 1.1 |
OpenGL ES 2.0 | ||||
| Camera |
2.0 megapixel fixed focus |
3.0 megapixel autofocus with macro mode and auto white balance |
||||
| Video recording | None | 30fps VGA with on-device editing capability | ||||
| Voice control |
None |
Dialing, music control |
||||
| Nike+ support |
No |
Yes |
||||
| Wireless technologies | 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR | 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR | ||||
| Water- and oil-resistant finish |
No | Yes | ||||
| Integrated magnetic compass |
No | Yes |
||||
| Included headphones |
Standard | Inline remote for music control |
||||
| Battery life |
Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 10 hours on 2G Up to 6 hours data on WiFi Up to 24 hours audio Up to 7 hours video |
Up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 12 hours on 2G Up to 9 hours data on WiFi Up to 30 hours audio Up to 10 hours video |
||||
| Dimensions |
115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm | 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3mm | ||||
| Weight |
133 grams / 4.69 oz. |
135 grams / 4.76 oz. |
||||
Update: Turns out the original 3G only supports OpenGL ES 1.1, not 2.0. Thanks, Andri S.!
lil wayne < Soulja Boy
That is like comparing being shot in the foot versus shot in the arm.
Excellent analogy.
But I'd say it's like being shot in the right arm or in the left arm; they both suck equally.
but then again. the things you do with that... right arm arent equally as satisfying as the left. you must think of these things
Is the Nike+ really only going to be offered on the 3GS? Why? And why is Apple only allowing certain features on certain models? That would make Nike+ only available on the iPhone 3GS and iPod Nano.
They don't want you running with a microdrive because it's probably not the best for it.
I think that the Nike+ thing won't work on the Bluetooth 2.0 chipset in the earlier iPhone.
and the 2nd Gen iPod Touch
And what is their excuse for voice control on the 3GS only- that can't be hardware related
Actually, voice recognition is pretty processor intensive so that could be a reason.
I still find it lame (I have a 3G)
I've been using voice recognition in google's app and it's really good in the Vlingo app. It recoginizes all of my contacts. Hell, Apple's app even looks like Vlingo.
sua: My old Razr V3i had voice dial. The real kind with no training and worked universally for all contacts. That's all I want on my iPhone, which has significantly more processing power than the old Razr... Yes, it's processor intensive, but more than doable.
I'm just amazed with the freedom of jailbroken development that no one has come up with a universal voice dial that works no matter what app you're in, or on the lock screen. I know that sort of integration is possible from things like Boss Prefs, so why hasn't it been done?
Nike+ is also available on second generation touch - but who wants to go jog with a brick phone style device anyway? That makes for a awkwardly large arm band or an inconvenient fanny pack type unfashionable statement around your waste. I am happy with the nano and will keep it that way.
Nice improvement but still no flash (camera and adobe)
i was initially highly impressed, but now with the 3.0 OS being released for the older versions, I wonder how much of an improvement the 'S' brings.
If its indeed twice as fast, as Apple claims, then this alone will be worth the money imo.
It is a nice camera upgrade, but I would call it "minor" or "a must".
Still a big gap to current 8+ megapixel phones. Remember 5mp with much better lens and flash have been around for at least 3 years...
The "Inline remote for music control" part seriously screams propriety headphones. No thanks.
Model Upgrade Early Upgrade No Commitment
iPhone 3G 8GB $99 $299 $499
iPhone 3G 16GB* $149 $349 $549
IPhone 3G S 16GB $199 $399 $599
IPhone 3G S 32GB $299 $499 $699
@Aguiluz
Or an adapter... or maybe a new bluetooth headset/phones. Apple took their old one off the shelves a while ago, so a new headset with the controls would be no surprise (or even bt headphones *fingers crossed*).
Did something happen with the iPhone today? ....I can't tell as there seems to be the same number of Apple stories on the site as any other day.
I wonder if ATT will budge on that "No Upgrade Eligible" Price. $699 is ludicrous. What happened to the $399/$499?
"Still a big gap to current 8+ megapixel phones."
Yes, because more megapixels is so = to better pictures...
(/sarcasm for those unaware)
I noticed something about this picture, they make the 3G seem darker and less attractive, like those before and after shots they show on those horrible infomercials for excercise equipment...
The iPhone 3G used the Absmaster and became the 3GS... it has a satisfying social life now, powered by twitter and facebook
Totally disappointing upgrade and not worth the money. I was really hoping to upgrade my iPhone 1st generation - but Apple really don't offer that much more to justify the price. Not even a stupid flash! But what is really upsetting is they couldnt't even style it up a bit and give us nice new design. For the kind of money we pay for OLD hardware - the least they could do was make the case look different to the 3G.
So now it looks like I have to skip the 3GS just like I skipped the 3G. So hopefully 2010 will be when I actually upgrade my iPhone. Laptop owners get better features year on year with reduced prices, iPhone users get mediocre hardware updates and pay the same price. This is just effed up. Disappointing is putting it lightly.
If someone told me that at the end of today Palm Pre owners would be smiling - I never would have believed it, but the Pre does look good!
...oh and Apple, it's all about HD video these days - incase you haven't heard.
Lack of Flash (camera) is an irritation, but I can't see how they could have fitted anything worthwhile into the form factor.
Lack of Flash (software) I am still happy about, because the more popular devices there are that don't support it, the more web developers not to be lazy arses and to use proper open standards instead of shitty Flash.
3MP. "Not enough megapixels!!!" Fed up with this argument - I have one of said 8MP camera phones (C905 plus) and I have it permanently set to 3MP. And there is still visible noise in the background even in good light conditions. The pictures taken at 8MP look no better but are much larger.
If you're desperate to have 8 million pixels in each of your images, regardless of the pointless use of the storage space and the lack of any better quality, then feel free to upscale them afterwards in photoshop.
8+MP in a tiny camera phone sensor is simply pointless at this time.
- happy Sony Ericsson user
Another quick point - I thought iPhone / 3G both only supported OpenGL ES 1.x, not 2.0?
Seems to me this is a stop gap measure.
It looks like Apple merely copied the T-Mobile MyTouch3g / HTC Magic specs.
He's right. iPhone only supports OpenGL 1.2 and not 2.0 yet.
sanriver12 must have been molested by Steve Jobs as a child for all the hated he's spewing.
I see what you did there.
Nice!
“i was initially highly impressed, but now with the 3.0 OS being released for the older versions, I wonder how much of an improvement the 'S' brings.”
since this was announced back in march, including the release to older iPhones and iPod touches, what were you impressed by? they always do this, and we expected them to.
What does the S bring? Hardware upgrades, of course. You know specs, which basically make everything about the phone faster. And peep the storage: you pretty much can't NOT get a 3gs unless you want the low end 8gig model.
Since you pay a subscription on the phone, they don't charge 'extra' for the upgrade, but you gotta pay ten bucks on the 'subscriptionless iPod touch.' Of course, anyone who buys a $200 gadget to play games on isn't allowed to bitch about a 10 dollar optional upgrade. I can't wait for Jun 17.
2 grams lighter is a noticeable advantage?
The camera upgrade is 2 yrs late... now they need at least 5MP and a flash to stay with everyone else.
Actually Flash will be added this year. Apple and Adobe stated they would work on a special version of Flash for the iPhone to be released in 2009 back 2 months ago.....they also stated that it would not be released with the 3.0 OS too. Bastards.
Don't really care about having a cheesy little flash in the camera. I have a Blackberry Bold for a work device and a iPhone 3G for a personal. I tried taking some shots of a good looking girl I met in a bar down in Medford Oregon in the dark. The flash on the bold was only functional for about 3 foot from the bold. Outside of that distance my 3g took better pictures - without a flash or zoom. I think I am in the same boat as everyone else who admits the cellphone cameras are good for every day life moments when you need something in a pinch when something funny or unexpected happens. I would never use my cellphone to take wedding photos or do a photodocumentary of the polar bears in northern Siberia (just making that up). The last thing I used my cell phone for was a shot of my daughter after she destroyed a cupcake on her birthday. My mom couldn't be there and I wanted to email her a picture - why take out the big camera, turn the megapixels down to something easy to send and then take a shot, get out my cable and dock, import my photo to iPhoto in my iMac, put the picture in an email and then send a message when I can point, click, email and be done in under 30 seconds?
Moving on to adobe flash - is it just me or are more websites ducking away from flash and going to open standards? The great thing about not relying on flash is that it is one lest object that may or may not crash your browser. What do you think crashes internet explorer everytime someone gets on it? It's the browser plugins reacting to the objects on the screen. I will take a browser that is more stable, doesn't react to plugins it doesn't need and surfs the internet reliably. Don't get me wrong - Flash is great, but the only reason most people want it is to view videos. With the internet streaming capabilities and more people going to open formats - like h264 - you are going to see that 3.0 is going to handle most of what people want.
I am okay with no Adobe Flash - give me a Hulu App that can do quality streaming video over the air and I will never complain again.
$200 surcharge for upgrading is radioactive bullshit of the highest order.
I totally agree. $499 if i wanted to upgrade from my old old iphone 3g to the 32gb 3GS. So lame. I think I'm giving up on the iphone. Going to try an get me a Palm Pre GSM when it's out.
Yeah, this cancels out any excitement I had for today's announcements. Really thought they were going to do the same kind of upgrade they did last year for original iphone owners.
You are already in a contract and not eligible for a discount on a phone. What is so difficult to understand? I am currently in contract with my FUZE and if I wanted an iPhone, it would cost me $500, too (not that I would EVER buy an iPhone)
What will refurb 3Gs cost now? (that's 3Gs, not 3GS)
Isn't it cheaper to cancel your current contract after a year and just get a new 3gs
@PeterF+++
Yes, exactly. Kids these days seem to want the new thing today and have no concept that they have to pay something for it. In this case, you're in a 2 year contract and, boo-hoo, now you have to wait for it to be over or pay more $$ to upgrade. Welcome to real life.
The thing is contract cancel fees are prorated so now someone can just pay the cancel fee and go somewhere else. No more money to AT&T. If they would just give people say after a year in contract the ability to buy at the new customer price they could keep that customer and continue getting the monthly fees. AT&T is very shortsighted.
Since AT&T is not just charging users $200 for a mid-contract upgrade, but also requiring us to sign an additional 2-year commitment at the same time, I stand by my initial statement: this surcharge is shit for the birds.
@ Blake,
they actually do that.
If you pay your bills every month on time and don't get your service shut off due to non-payment they;ll let you re-new as a new customer with full subsidy discount after on 1-year into a 2 year contract.
I've done it almost every year
You bash on AT&T but contract cancellation as it stands is industry standard for the most part. I agree 100% with PeterF, if you don't have an iPhone and want to upgrade to a new phone mid-contract you have to pay. What makes an iPhone 3g owner so F'n special? Get over it and yourself and shell the bucks for breaking a contract if you want it so bad. I have a 1st gen and may upgrade, I didn't upgrade last year because I wanted my contract to expire so I could play the field. Not seeing anything too intriguing I may re-up with AT&T once I take the Pre on a test drive. You know, cause, that's what adults do....
Is two years too long for people to wait? People who can afford $200 phone with $70/mo fees are actually bitching about subsidy. What gives?
Last try. By charging this much to upgrade, and requiring a new commitment on top of that, AT&T is scoring *subsidy-free* 2 year contracts off of any existing customer who has the chutzpah to want to upgrade their hardware mid-contract. Put another way: a contract renewal *comes with a subsidy*. But if you commit to a new contract early, they leave out the subsidy and charge you extra for the privilege, hoping you will be too blinded by the pretty sparklies and fingertip video editing to notice the scam. I'm sorry but this seems shifty and underhanded to me. Charging a penalty or fee is one thing - but this is over the top and if you consider it good customer service or value for money then you have my sympathies.
Can you guys not understand basic logic? If you bought a $199 iPhone, AT&T fronted the other $300 to Apple in exchange for you agreeing to pay your monthly bill for 24 months. If you haven't completed that contract yet, why in the hell would AT&T give you ANOTHER new phone at the subsidized price?
I swear, it seems like half the engadget reader base are 15 year old morons.
Think about it this way - AT&T pays a lot more money that $199 for a 16 gig iPhone 3g - let alone a 3GS. As a company they spent 1.7 billion dollars (almost 1/15th of Canada's National debt) last year subsidizing the iPhone - and they also spent almost 17 Billion (over half of Canada's Debt) upgrading the network so you have better and faster coverage all over the US. Not only are they duplicating that this year for us (the upgrades), but they are committing to doubling the speed and spending 17.6 billion dollars this year (in the middle of a economic crisis when other companies are not laying off people and not giving a cent to anyone else) - yet people are griping over the company not wanting to lose another 1.7 billion dollars on phones when last years ones aren't even paid off. As a business owner - I wouldn't give people the full upgrade until I broke even either. As a customer do you want to throw your money away? Do you think AT&T does too?
If you want the full discount - wait the full year after you bought it - until AT&T has had the opportunity to make their investment back off of you and stop being ungrateful. You could be stuck in China without the ability to get the iPhone at all.
As for everyone complaining about the new phone and not being that much of an improvement - I welcome the speed and the better graphics. The video and the autofocus will be awesome (love not having to carry another camera around to share cute stuff my one year old does) and the voice control is much needed for hands free dialing in states like WA (where I live) where it is a $278 dollar ticket if you drive and talk on your phone without a hands free device.
If you are that worried about the price - here's a novel idea. Put your phone on ebay and sell it. Even the 2g is going for rediculous money still. If you are lucky you might even be able to sell the 3g, buy a 3gs and pocket some cash. A friend of mine just came back from China and tried to buy 5 iPhones because they are selling for $1400 dollars over there in some areas!
Stop hating on Apple and AT&T - keep in mind that the iPhone would be twice as thick if it was a CDMA variant on Verizon. That extra radio takes up a lot of room - and it wouldn't work all over the world. AT&T has the current best technology and in WA - they are the only people whose service works all the way to the Canadian border (even on the small two lane roads) and works across the border too.
Thank you AT&T and Apple. I pre-ordered my 3GS on Monday. Can't wait!
care
not
Don't know why but my iphone 3G isn't shiny so much today :'(
If there was a big processor upgrade, they would have made sure we to let us know about it. It might be the same, or a minor upgrade...
Yeah, it would be nice to know if the speed boost is from more/faster ram or a faster processor, or both. I'm guessing the reason voice command, video and other features aren't included in the regular 3G 3.0 are because they would run dead slow. What I'm hoping is that 3.0 doesn't run really slow on my 3G.
I'm not upgrading. I'll catch the next wave.
I think you are right.
"on average up to" means a whole lot of nothing to me.
If I remember correctly, there were two different processors made when the iPhone came out.... 400mhz and 600mhz. The 400mhz was what the iphone 1st and 2nd gen had... so they may have upgraded to the 600mhz and just optimized some code. (Again, not positive on the speeds, just going from memory). Either way, a decent speed boost and more battery is something everyone likes.
what makes the HSDPA on the 3Gs different than the 3G?
I want Voice Control on my 3G DAMMIT!! Thats really all I want...
well its 3.6mbps on the 3g and 7.2mbps on the 3gs...so its faster
but it wont matter considering AT&T wont have 7,2mbps hsdpa until late 09 early 10
Miss the part on the chart that says 3.6Mbps vs 7.2Mbps? After reading the AT&T announcement, it doesn't sound like the higher speed network won't be completed till 2011. So the new iPhone might not take advantage of the new radio depending on your area.
Still a worthy upgrade for me coming from the EDGE iPhone. 4x the storage (cause I'll be getting the 32GB), far faster processor, more RAM, 3G speeds, a-GPS, autofocus camera, etc.... I hope it takes advantage of the features of the high end Apple headphones. I'd like to be able to control volume with them and not just pause, next, and back.
+1 for Voice control on OG 3G
What I meant was, Is it a new HSDPA chipset that supports 7.2mbps, because the iPhone 3G already has HSDPA.
That's what you really should take away from this. Incremental updates are to be expected, especially in this economic climate.
There's no technical reason for no voice control on the 3g or 2g for that matter. They have mics too you know. Its the same thing as MMS on the 2g when 3.0 comes out. No reason for it not to be there. It's all software.
I agree with wii60 that a lot of the 3GS only features are just software upgrades that aren't being added to the previous models. The processor on the old ones could handle video, voice, etc., they're just trying to make incentive to upgrade. I had voice dialing on my POS first cell, a moto v220, so it wouldn't be hard for them to get voice commands to some level on the edge or 3g iphone, jailbreaking has proven video recording is possible on old iphones, they just want you to upgrade, and pay the less subsidized price to do so also.
MMS? :D
engadget - when i called at&t they told me $699 for me to upgrade from my 3g to the 32gb 3gs. if it's $499 that's still a rip off but $200 easier to swallow
that is correct.
engadget has their numbers wrong... there is no discount for early upgrade...
it's extending your contract AND paying $599/$699... looks like ATT simply wont sell you one if you dpon't extend and wont give you a discount if you are not a new customer.
Is the 3G with OS 3.0 or OS 2.2.1?
*Dodges flying tomatoes*
I have the same doubt. 2x faster is way too high IMO.
And what about the upgraded screen. What a dissapointment
Water- and oil-resistant finish?
What's that? When was it announced?
that's what makes the 100 buck difference from the 3g you dummy
OOoooh, the 3GS is a different shade this time around. Upgrade for sure! Fail.
Aside from the claimed improved battery life, not much to write home about. Much anticipated update, fail.
so is this iPhone 3,1 or 2,1?
weak ._.
Why is "Integrated Magnetic Compass" part of the tale of the tape feature set? It's like comparing the iphone and pre and one of your points of comparison is "Card Based Interface"
are you kidding? it's like saying an accelerometer isn't a feature...
yeah like everyone was dying without a compass beforehand, they make it seem like such a huge feature.
accelerometers are actually used for the interface, the compass on the other hand isn't essential and will just end up in a bunch of obscure games/apps.
What might that oil and water resistant finish be?
From apple.com:
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating
apple got pwnd. so did the fan boys.
So much for multi tasking.
So much for oled screens,
So much for multi cores.
So much for video calling.
So much for new design.
RIP APPLE. im happy with my e71
Ericsson x2, touch pro 2, samsung, palm pre. are all laughing right now. good for them. they really have tried latley. apart from ericssons release dates. how ever.
yeah, too bad Apple has been smacking all those phones with their overwhelming unit sales of the iPhone 3g.
This new model will sell even better.
Isn't there a saying about a fool and his money being easily parted?? there should be...
Apple mobile base - 40,000,000+ units
Apps - 50,000
Palm Pre base - 50,000 units
Apps - 18
Yeah, Apple got pwned alright. Apple is quaking in their boots.
Ya thats a fair comparison. Years of Apple selling touches and phones compared to one day of Palm sales.
nice handle there, Callum.
Have you used the Touch Pro/HD 2? I have. And you know what? They suck. Might have a nice screen but iphone kicks it's ass in every other department
40m iphones/ipod touchs Get your facts straight. Also they gave ipod touchs to people who bought new machines last year. C'mon on man im a fanboy and i know these things.
LOL hahahaha, you guy's are stupid. Your comparing sales figures? hahahah, what a joke. The iPhone CANNOT compare to total SE, Nokia, Samsung global sales, it's sales are way lower.
I see someone already seems to think voice control is a new thing! Typical fan boys. Did Apple invent the video recording too?
Forgive me but you sir are an idiot. The feature set you list wasn't even remotely likely to happen, it's the usual pie-in-the-sky ramblings of people with no concept of the cost of technology or marketing.
* Multi-tasking - was never coming and Apple already announced their solution of background notifcations a YEAR ago
* OLED Screens - very expensive and while nice are hardly a necessity. If one was to come it would be best with a resolution bump and you need suitable API's in the SDK for developers to build resolution indepenednt apps
* Multi-cores - and these chips would be... what, exactly? And the hooks for them in the SDK are... where exactly? And battery life would be how many minutes (cause there's no way it's getting to the hour mark).
* Video Calling - has never, not once, broken into the mainstream market. Increases handset cost for very little gain.
* New Design - was only every going to be a very minor redesign at best because why mess with something that works?
Simply put, Apple don't NEED to push the feature set to the stupid levels that, say, Samsung do with their latest handsets. The iPhone is already a premium product with a very strong user base and an exceptional reputation. All they need to do is continue to refine it and ensure the user experience is as good as possible. This may change in a years time when Android phones litter the market and WebOS has a chance to grow but right now they'd be stupid to make sweeping changes.
Well, Steve, with customers like you who'll take what they get and be thankful for it they certainly don't have to push the boundaries do they?
Especially when they can squeeze another $200 out of you next year for the same unit with a front facing camera and better Bluetooth, right?
Copy and Paste Troll = FAIL
oh well, ill just wait for the 5th gen iphone instead...seeing the 3rd gen is just the 2nd gen but with 7.2mbps hsdpa and video recording
now to go bid off on that unlocked 1st gen iphone on ebay :)
well i WAS going to upgrade but but as its not really an improvement... i guess this is a good thing giving iphone owners half into there contract "like me" a chance to try another type of phone instead of feeling pressured into upgrading to the latest "half assed" version! mite get to try a Pre/Android after all =D
I kinda wish they had done something different to the case. I liked the idea of the non-shinny back that was floating around. Something to let people know you have the new model.
Not sure if I am going to upgrade or not. I have a 3G and have been considering dropping it for a Pre and Sprint to save the money on my monthly plan. The Pre looks to bring a lot more "new" to the table then this does, IMHO.
Can engadget compare N97 to ifone... to see how many light years we are behind?
Or to a small Diamond?
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2615
The N97 definitely has more hardware features, but it also costs a lot more. Only a limited amount of users are going to buy the N97 and Nokia is going to lose money on every unit they sell. I think the N97 is a very nice handset, but I'd rather have the user interface of the iPhone and so would most people. The N97 is going to sell in the hundreds of thousands of units and the iPhone is going to sell in the tens of millions of units, so it's Nokia that's pwned and their market share will take another hit from the iPhone. Nokia's smartphone percentage leader position will be coming to it's end shortly.
Nokia handsets are now considered popular for old fogeys and geriatrics. It's the last handset they buy before they die.
well i guess I'm an old fogey (not)
and do you ever do you're own research and do any of your own independent thinking? sigh. guess i'll break it down for you.
unlocked phone(N97 or whatever else) on at&t:
$600+($15/month for unlimited internet*24 months) = $960
32GB iphone on at&t:
$399+($30/month for unlimited internet*24 months)=$1120
keep thinking that you're saving money by only paying $200 or $300 up front when you are paying TWICE AS MUCH per month for the SAME internet that people with unlocked phones are paying. wake up people