Apple iPhone 4

With a revamped design, a sparkling new display, a speedy processor, and additional features, Apple iPhone 4 is the biggest upgrade to Apple's smartphone since the iPhone 3g. It's also the showcase handset for Apple's newest operating system, iOS 4, which adds a selection of long-overdue features, plus a selection of smaller tweaks that we weren't expecting.

If they existed independently, iPhone 4 and iOS 4 wouldn't be much more than blips on the smartphone radar screen. When combined into one handset, however, the result is a sleek, satisfying, and compelling device that keeps Apple strongly competitive in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Indeed, the iPhone 4 is fast, the new hardware is a looker, and some of the new features blew us away. On other points, however, we have some concerns. Call reception still has its problems, and though we welcome multitasking with open arms, it has its drawbacks. Also, though the FaceTime video calling is more than noteworthy, we wonder if our interest will last more than a week.

So should you buy it? If you're an iPhone fan, you've probably already ordered your new baby. But if you're on the fence, think carefully. We won't say that the iPhone 4 is the best smartphone on the market today. To do so would ignore so many great competing handsets, and the fierce rate of change in the technology world. If you prefer Apple's vision of a polished, highly organized, and slightly closed user experience, then by all means you'll be pleased. But if you prefer a smartphone that offers more personalization, that isn't shackled to AT&T, or that is equal parts phone and mobile computer, than there are plenty of smartphones in the sea.

The iPhone 4 is available exclusively with AT&T and with other carriers around the world. With a new two-year contract, AT&T customers will pay US$299 for the 32GB model or US$199 for the 16GB version. Without a contract, you'll pay US$699 or US$599, respectively, but the phone will still come locked to AT&T. The iPhone 4 goes on sale in the US, France, Germany, UK and Japan on June 24. Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland will get the iPhone 4 in July.

Conclusions:

The good: Improved performance; lovely new display and an improved design; adds a ton of sorely needed features, both by itself and through the iOS 4 update.

The bad: Multitasking entails some trade-offs; home screen folders are limited to 12 apps; AT&T reception continues to be spotty.

The bottom line: With iPhone 4, Apple again shows that it's a powerful player in the smartphone wars. It won't be for everyone, and AT&T remains a sticking point, but the handset's striking design, loaded feature set, and satisfying performance make it the best iPhone yet.

iPhone 4 Technical Specifications

Size and weight¹

Height:

4.5 inches (115.2 mm)

Width:

2.31 inches (58.6 mm)

Depth:

0.37 inch (9.3 mm)

Weight:

4.8 ounces (137 grams)

Cellular and wireless

• GSM model: UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• CDMA model: CDMA EV-DO Rev. A (800, 1900 MHz)
• 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n 2.4GHz only)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR wireless technology

Location

• Assisted GPS
• Digital compass
• Wi-Fi
• Cellular

Power and battery²

• Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
• Talk time:

  Up to 7 hours on 3G

  Up to 14 hours on 2G (GSM model only)

• Standby time: Up to 300 hours
• Internet use:

  Up to 6 hours on 3G

  Up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi

  

• Video playback: Up to 10 hours
• Audio playback: Up to 40 hours

Mac system requirements

• Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
• Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later
• iTunes 10.1 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download) 
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Windows system requirements

• PC with USB 2.0 port
• Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
• iTunes 10.1 or later (free download ) 
• iTunes Store account
• Internet access

Environmental requirements

• Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F
  (0° to 35° C)
• Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F
  (-20° to 45° C)
• Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
• Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)

Capacity³

• 16GB or 32GB flash drive

Color

• White or black

Display

• Retina display
• 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen Multi-Touch display
• 960-by-640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
• 800:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical)
• Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating on front and back
• Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Audio playback

• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
• User-configurable maximum volume limit

TV and video

• Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 720p, 30 frames per second, Main Profile level 3.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format
• Support for 1024 by 768 pixels with Apple VGA Adapter; 576p and 480p with Apple Component AV Cable; 576i and 480i with Apple Composite AV Cable (cables sold separately)

Up is available on iTunes. Up © Disney/Pixar.

Languages

• Language support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, and Vietnamese
• Keyboard support for English (U.S.), English (UK), French (France), French (Canadian), French (Switzerland), German, Traditional Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Zhuyin, Cangjie, Wubihua), Simplified Chinese (Handwriting, Pinyin, Wubihua), Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji, Ten Key), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Estonian, Hungarian, Icelandic, Lithuanian, Latvian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malay, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Bulgarian, Serbian (Cyrillic/Latin), Catalan, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Macedonian, and Cherokee
• Dictionary support (enables predictive text and autocorrect) for English (U.S.), English (UK), French, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese (Romaji), Japanese (Kana), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Flemish, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, Croatian, Catalan, Vietnamese, and Cherokee

Camera, photos, and video

• Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio
• 5-megapixel still camera
• VGA-quality photos and video at up to 30 frames per second with the front camera
• Tap to focus video or still images
• LED flash
• Photo and video geotagging

External buttons and controls

• Sleep/wake
• Ring/silent
• Volume up/down
• Home

Sensors

• Three-axis gyro
• Accelerometer
• Proximity sensor
• Ambient light sensor

Connectors and input/output

• 30-pin dock connector
• 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
• Built-in speaker
• Microphone
• Micro-SIM card tray

Headphones

• 
• Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
• Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
• Impedance: 32 ohms

Rating for hearing aids⁴

iPhone 4 (GSM model)

• 3G network - 850/1900MHz: M4, T4
• 2G network - 850MHz: M3, T3
• 2G network - 1900MHz: M2, T3

iPhone 4 (CDMA model)

• M4, T4

In the box

• 
• iPhone 4
• Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
• Dock Connector to USB Cable
• USB Power Adapter
• Documentation