The second generation iPhone 3G was shipped in the US on June 8, 2009. Internally, not much has changed from the original model, which also uses the Samsung 32-bit RISC ARM11 620 MHz processor. The improvements were mostly of the basic “customer demands”, such as MMS feature and Bluetooth stereo support.
Suprisingly, its most distinctive feature is its price! The 3G iPhone became Steve Jobs’ “budget iPhone”.
Unlike the one and a half year interval it took for an upgraded version of the first iPhone model to be released, the much controversial 3rd generation 3G iPhone came out within the same month from its predecessor! With the new release, the $200 price of the 3G iPhone 8 gigabyte went down to $99.
Physically both iPhones look very similar. The 3.5-inch 3GS iPhone’s 320 x 480 mega pixel display contains a bit darker shade of tint and has a “lipophobic” oil repellant coating. It is also a little bit heavier by around 0.01 ounce from the 4.7 ounce weight of the 3G iPhone.
Unlike the iPhone 4, which can be identified like an electronic billboard, it would take a vulgar up close inspection of the two iPhone 3G models to precisely identify them. The model number of the 3Gs is A1301 while it is A1241 for the 3G. On the other hand, the A1325 is China-only counterparts that have disable Wi-Fi.
The real difference of the 3GS is the improved speed, thus the “S”. The processor was upgraded from 412 MHz to 600 MHz with a doubled memory capacity of 256 MB.
Here are a few of its other internal improvements:
Camera features – 3.0 megapixel (1 megapixel higher) with macro mode autofocus, VGA video recording at 30 FPS, and auto white balance. It also provides basic editing features for videos.
Graphics – OpenGL ES is now version 2.0 (from the previous 1.1)
Wireless – Higher wireless technology of 7.2Mbps HSDPA and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.
Digital Compass – comes with a Google Maps functionality.
VoiceOver – now lets you record voice at 30fps VGA with on-device editing capability as well as dialing voice control and music control. It also comes with Nike+iPod support which includes an inline remote on the headphone cable.
Battery Life – it has a battery life that lasts 6 hours more for music playback, 3 hours more for internet Wi-Fi, and 2 hours more for 2G network talk time.
Display – oil repellant display, arsenic-free glass and mercury-free LCD
The weakness of the 3Gs when it was rolled out was its $200 price for a just a meager 8GB. But, hey! This phone already has a better version. The overhauled iPhone 4 is now available with a new exterior and positive reviews. The 3GS iPhone that was previously sold at $200 is now only $49. So which for you is more suitable the iPhone 3G or the more expensive iPhone 4 with FaceTime?