Apple iPhone 3G S Cell Phone Review

The latest incarnation of Apple's iPhone is the iPhone 3G S (also known as the iPhone 3GS) which adds a number of new features to an already attractive phone. The big addition to this $299 phone is a faster processor and more memory, which makes the phone more responsive and increases the amount of music and video it can store to an impressive maximum of 32GB (a 16GB model is also available). The camera has also been upgraded to a 3-megapixel model, and the  3G S can now capture video and upload it straight to YouTube.

Performance (read the full lab performance results at WirelessInfo.com)
In our extensive lab tests, we found that the new iPhone 3G S was a big improvement on the older 3G model in a number of areas, particularly in overall use and image quality. With the latter, we found that the new camera was significantly better than the one on the iPhone 3G; as well as taking higher resolution pictures, they were sharper and had better color. The video that this new camera captured was also very impressive; we found in our tests that it produced sharp, clear video with good color. It's not high definition, though; it shoots purely at a standard definition 640 x 480 resolution. Videos can be trimmed and uploaded to YouTube from within the phone, but you can't edit them otherwise, add music, etc.

In general use, we also found that the 3G S was improved; the faster processor and more memory mean that the phone was more responsive, with much less lag in opening programs and running some games. The iPhone is mostly unchanged in other ways, though; the screen and other hardware remain the same, with only one physical button (the home button) and other buttons (such as the dial button and keyboard) appearing on screen as required. This doesn't slow it down much, though; we found that we were able to manage about 70 words a minute with the on-screen touch keyboard after some practice. One noteworthy addition here is that the keyboard can be used with the phone in landscape mode with most programs, which makes the keyboard longer, wider and significantly faster to use. The latest version of the built-in software on the iPhone also adds the ability to cut and paste; a huge plus if you need to copy a phone number from an email or Web page and paste it into a contact, for instance. The new software also adds a feature called Voice Command, where you can ask the phone to play music (including requesting a specific artist or song) or to call a contact with your voice. We found that this feature

As a music and video player, the iPhone 3G S remains the king of the castle; although the screen has not been updated, the amount of music and that can be stored on the device has been doubled to 32GB (a 16GB model is also available), which is enough for many thousands of hours of music, and the screen remains one of the best that we've seen in a cell phone or media player.

Comparisons (read the full lab performance results at WirelessInfo.com)
The iPhone is the 800-pound gorilla of the cell phone world, and the new iPhone 3G S does a lot to solidify this position. But it's not the only phone on the block, and Apple's competitors are doing all they can to try and compete. And some phones offer some superior features; the Samsung Memoir, for instance, has a better camera that captures higher resolution images with more accurate color and more detail. The AT&T Fuze also has a decent camera and a similar sized screen, and includes a slide-out keyboard for those who are not comfortable with the on-screen iPhone keyboard. But the Fuze uses a touchscreen interface called TouchFLO on top of Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, a combination that's a lot less easy to use than the iPhone.

The iPhone 3G S is priced at $299 for the 32GB version, or $199 for the 16GB version with a new contract from AT&T. The price for existing users is higher (up to $499, depending on the account status).

For a more in-depth review, visit the Apple iPhone 3G S Review at our partner WirelessInfo.com