Hands on review: iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS

Apple has been releasing a new iPhone every year now for the past three years. Many loyal fans have unquestioningly lined up on release day to upgrade to the newer and better models. Others are adamant in their refusal to get the iPhone citing the inherent trendiness of the iPhone as the main reason people buy it in the first place. Most of us however fall into that grey category where we have heard both good and bad about the iPhone. Many of you reading this review might be one of those people or you may even be an iPhone 3G owner who isn’t sure whether or not upgrading to the iPhone 3GS is worth your while. Let’s take a closer look at the iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS to see if getting either device is the right choice for you.

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: New Features

The iPhone 3GS has a slew of new features that the iPhone 3G does not have. Check out the iPhone 3GS specs and features. The integrated magnetic compass helps even the playing field against the G1. GPS becomes much more intuitive once you don’t have to look at the sun or star charts to determine your own orientation. The Compass on the iPhone 3GS will also be used in the augmented reality apps due for release soon.

The iPhone 3GS also comes with voice control and Nike+ support. The included earphones have also been improved and now they have volume control on the clicker/mic piece. Don’t expect that to last though as Apple’s earphones have been notorious for breaking after a few months of sustained use.

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Chipset

The iPhone 3GS has a much faster chipset with the ARM 11 CPU running at 600 MHz. This difference in speed shows with app loading times and game performance. While the two devices essentially have the same selection of apps, they do tend to run slightly smoother on the iPhone 3GS vs iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G has the same ARM 11 CPU but it runs at 412 MHz. To improve the graphics on the iPhone 3GS even further, it also has support for OpenGL ES 2.0 where as the iPhone 3G only supports OpenGL ES 1.1. When it comes to the chipset and graphical performance, the iPhone 3G does present a considerable improvement.

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Camera

The above is the video camera on the iphone 3GS. The iPhone 3G has had a camera 2 MP camera which can only take pictures. If you have your iPhone 3G jailbroken, you can record video as well but the framerate is abhorrent and transferring the videos out of your phone can be a tricky process. The iPhone 3GS comes with an improved camera which can take pictures at 3 MP as well as video at a surprisingly attractive 30 fps. The iPhone 3GS also has built in editing software.

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Hard Drive

The iPhone 3G came in two configurations, 8 GB and 16 GB. The iPhone 3GS has 16 GB and 32 GB models. With apps getting bigger and bigger, it seems that having extra space is always a good thing. Still, there is a $100 difference between the two models, is an extra 16 GB worth that much?

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Battery Life

The iPhone is not the most energy efficient phone. There is always room for improvement though and the iPhone 3GS does come with a slightly better battery life. While the iPhone 3G required me to charge it about once every 7 hours, the iPhone 3GS requires a charge roughly once every 10 hours or so. The breakdown is all in the chart from Engadget!

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Price

As of right now, both the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS require you to sign a contract with AT&T if you want to get the subsidized price. The iPhone 3G is now only $100 with a 2 year contract while the iPhone 3GS is $200 for the 16 GB model and $300 for the 32 GB model. With AT&T and Apple both trying to clear out their inventory of the iPhone 3G, there are tons of bargains. You can now get an iPhone 3G refurbished for $50!  Of course you can go through Craigslist or E-Bay to get an iPhone without the contract but at a much higher price. The iPhone 3G is still running at about $400 while the iPhone 3GS costs a whopping $700+ on average. The price advantage of getting a 3G is very obvious here. Getting the iPhone is more than just the initial price for the phone though, you must also factor in the fact that over the course of 2 years with a contract from AT&T, you will be paying roughly $2000 just to have it.

iPhone 3G vs iPhone 3GS: Conclusion

The iPhone 3GS has a substantial increase in functionality and operating speed. Whether or not all the new perks is worth the additional money is up to you. If this is your first iPhone and money is not an issue, we definitely recommend the iPhone 3GS. However, if you are a little bit more budget conscious, we would recommend the iPhone 3G. If you already have an iPhone 3G, the new bells and whistles did not many of us to upgrade but if you have one of the even older iPhone 2G models, we recommend the upgrade since you will be adding 3G reception as well! Good luck with your decision and if you feel that we’ve missed a vital point, feel free to share with us in the comments section! Have a great day!

-Derek