This is the final update from your tweets, emails, comments and Facebook messages. Here is the review that you've written for the iPhone 4. (For the most part, you seem to like it...aside from that pesky antenna issue.)
Last updated 1:04PM ET, 6/25/2010.
Unboxing
[Ed note: The first 5 seconds cracked me up.]
- Amir Zonozi
The Early Impressions
- nae1
- littlbilly76
The Design
More lines makes for a more solid feel in the hand.
- Wasabimon
This is definitely the sturdiest phone i've ever felt and the first impression after being held is "wow." It feels less like a cheap toy and more like an old metal camera.
- Gabriel Militello
It feels like it's the Lamborghini of phones. (I want to always use it but I am scared to handle it.)...The feel of the volume buttons are precise and tactile, does not feel dull like the 3g. The toggle switch also has a very short throw in between silence and sound.
- DJ Peterson
The new iPhone 4G is thinner than the iPhone 3G/3GS, but not by much.
- Wasabimon
The back feels like glass...a couple of people have said it feels heavier but it seems the same to me.
- WaltPad
It's a little harder to figure out which side is which when it's in your pocket, but that's pretty minor.
- Sergio Azevedo
The Screen
The screen protection that comes on is actually usable and if you don't take it off it can work as a screen protector until you get a real one! (Just cut the tabs off first)
- Russell Varga
Text on the iPhone 4 looks amazing. It looks like ink when you are typing.
- GilCabrera
I have a feeling iPhone 4 users will eventually refuse to use apps that aren't updated for the native res. 430x320 looks horrible on this.
- Mark Jardine
[Ed note: Zoom in and you can see the screen door grid on the old screen, the smoothness of the new.]
- loyalmoses
The pixels on the display I use at work look comically large now.
- WaltPad
Ok so this new iPhone 4 screen is still horrible in sunlight...
- willthetech
It makes my 1920x1200 resolution MacBook Pro screen look so outdated it might as well be a glorified Speak 'N Spell!
- Sergio Azevedo
Everything looks and functions better from my new iPhone BITCHEZZ!!!
- yoNery
Performance
[Ed note: Side by side vs 3GS...gets good toward the middle]
- DJ Peterson
The speed is incredible and is blazing fast. It feels more akin to the iPad than anything else. I've used a 3GS a bit and it definitely is quicker. Not enough to say "WOW" but it's enough to know that his baby has more juice. One thing to note is safari feels a lot zippier than the GS and I attribute this to the large amount of ram
- Gabriel Militello
I can honestly say the new iPhone was a great investment!! Everything is running sooo much better!!
- _angie_marie_
The Reception/Call Quality
The iPhone 4's apparent reception seems to decrease when you hold the phone in your hands (around the antennas)... We've tried placing fingers in different positions to see if there is an exact spot triggering it, but all we seem to find is that, with great consistency, the bars plummet when we hold it and the palm and fingers come in contact with the sides.
- FameFoundry
This is exactly what I'm getting. It's a great phone when left on the table, but the moment you pick it up, it's a paperweight. I've had more dropped and failed calls today with the 4 than I ever had with the previous iPhones combined. Seriously.
- magpie maniac
I have the same exact problem. The signal is all over...call quality has dropped and I am unable to talk clearly while holding the phone....even without touching the black lines on the sides.
- Shashank Mittal
Just had a crazy clear convo from home where drop calls happen a lot...[then later] place where my iPhone always (I mean always) dropped? Didn't drop with iPhone4.
- GilCabrera
- Chrismorris528
...full bars everywhere I've been. Love it!
- SexyEnigma
I am getting horrible reception with my new iPhone 4. Dropped calls in places I never got dropped calls before. Downshifting to Edge frequently also. WTF Apple!
- Justin25
If my phone is lying on my desk/couch/etc.., I have decent service in my house but when I pick the phone up with a full hand (palm + all fingers) my service drops quickly to "No Service". If I use two or three fingers & hold it near the top, I have at least 2 bars & I can use the phone to make calls...
- Slim Johnson
Mixed bag here. I seem to get more bars in areas of my house where I didn't use to. On the other hand, I also seem to get less bars in other areas. Needs further testing for me to make a solid judgment.
- Gabriel Militello
I tested my old phone against my wife's new one and the quality of the call sounded better on the iPhone 4...reception is improved.
- Cody
Some background, I have a DLink dual band wireless N router in my house, the new iPhone 4 is supposed to have wifi-N in it, as compared to the old 3G which only had wifi-G, so i was expecting to see a speed bump when I ran speedtest on the new iPhone 4. As you can see in the attached screenshots, the 3G wifi speed is actually faster than the the results for the new iPhone 4 which I did today (the results were pretty consistent after multiple tests today)...But during the 3G test...[the iPhone 4 is, somehow, much faster]
- Andy Shannon
The Battery
[Mine's at] 49% [after 4.5 hours] with what I'd call moderate use. Some email, some twitter. Some phone calls. Doesn't seem like improvement.
- Gil Cabrera
I've been using the shit out of it for about 3 hours...At 80%...Went all day without killing any [apps]... Just checked and have 9 running.
- nach0/Pyrobling
I am bit biased here because I am coming from a 3g which had a mediocre battery life at best. With that out of the way, the iPhone 4 has an amazing battery so far and I've been using it profusely since 11am and its now 4pm with a battery sitting at 83% from a 99% charge. I'll need more testing but this thing seems rock solid in the battery department.
- Gabriel Militello
Just like when I got my iPad and ran it through some 'heavy' use, the new iPhone is no different. I've gone all day without charging it (outside of the initial activation) and I'm nowhere near the halfway point. I didn't even plug it into the car adapter on the way home; I actually listened to the radio! I had wifi running with numerous apps in the background. Taking photos and video. Surfing the web. A FaceTime call. Still going strong!
- Sergio Azevedo
I just finished playing Need for Speed shift for 30 minutes and the battery is only at 84%....nice!...since my 3g battery would have taken a 30-35% chunk of battery.
- DJ Peterson
Battery length seems great. I used it all last night surfing [over Wi-Fi] Gizmodo, Modmyi, App store, playing with settings, downloading music, and with not even a 100% full charge it still wasn't at half way when I went to bed 3 hrs later.
- scottw03
4 Hours 22 Minutes of what I would call moderate usage, 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on, 9 Hours 44 Minutes of standby. 61% Battery remaining! Amazing!
- Devon Corcoran
Camera Tests
You have the option to change flash from auto/on/off. Icon in top right let's you take pictures with the front facing VGA camera.
- Cody Clarke
Taken today on my new iPhone 4 using the camera+ app, Im a professional photographer, and without a doubt this will be the camera i use for pre-vis on my projects from now on.
- Sam Rivers
iPhone 4 front facing camera takes picture of Nexus One...breaks the space time continuum.
- Erik@DigitalGroupAudio.com
Video Tests
Impressive Macro
[Ed note: Watch the shift 12 seconds in...I was impressed.]
- johnhmeyer123
A trio of video tests emphasizing lowlight:
1. Light on - Sachin Patel
[Ed note: The lowlight video actually has a respectable amount of detail—just check out those blinds—though the camera's autofocus gets a bit confused.]
2. Light off with LED flash - Sachin Patel
[Ed note: The flash throws enough light to deepen the contrast but not really tackle the gain.]
3. Light off without LED flash - Sachin Patel
iMovie iMove Stabilization
- before and after clip, via Brett Martin
FaceTime
- aglanon
It is really awesome. Considering I'm traveling more, this is really going to be cool so I can see my wife and daughter instead of just hearing. I won't fall into the 'it changes everything' gimmick, because I don't think having it only on WiFi is a huge change. In any event, it is really cool.
- Cody
A co-worker of mine had a back injury and went to the chiropractor. While there he was asked about his work setting (chair, desk height, etc.) and he FaceTimed me. I gave the tour of his desk, and she suggested several things right on the video to help his back. It was great!
- Jon Schalliol
The Foibles
Heat
It definitely runs warmer than previous iPhones. Not uncomfortable, but noticeable.
- WaltPad
The temperature of this phone is noticeable warmer. It doesn't get hot, but it is warm. I wouldn't say it's uncomfortable. However, after a day or so of heavy use I suppose the real verdict will come in on it.
- Cody
Antenna Oddities - MUCH MORE HERE
See above in "Reception" section.
Dings/Dents
I discovered a small ding on the top end of the phone between the glass and the metal bezel. The picture doesn't do it justice, but that's the best I could do with my MacBook camera. It's frustrating because I like to keep my stuff immaculate and I am always thinking about resale value...
- Nate Bennet
Bluetooth
I got my iphone 4 today and connected it with my Bluetooth Parrot RKi8400 car stereo. What I found was is that when playing music via Bluetooth it kept cutting out. Where as my 3G never had this problem. I would think with a faster processor this wouldn't be happening, but maybe with the new accessibilty features something got messed up. Who knows! It just sucks.
- Cory Johnson
Bad Vibrations
So I recieved my iPhone 4 today in the mail. Everything was going great for an hour or so. Then all of a sudden the screen shuts off and it started vibrating continuously at max vibrate. I was waiting for a reply to a text when it happend, and hadn't done anything out of the ordinary to cause it. I've tried to power it off, to reset it I've held all the buttons and every combination of them.
- Adam Koegle
Yellow Screens - MORE HERE
Just unboxed my new phone and synchronized with iTunes and decided to play a movie to see the new "RETINA DISPLAY" in action... There is a damn yellow line at the bottom of the screen about a 1/4 inch above the home button! Man am I pissed!!!! Even when I flip it around it stays at the bottom!
[Ed note: There are many reports coming in of yellow screens...NOT AGAIN!]
- 476259
I just got my iPhone 4 today (ordered it from the Apple online store) and it has a yellowish discoloration of the LCD screen in the bottom left corner. I've been assigned a case number and was told for the fastest resolution to contact the local Apple retail store. They stated they would need until Friday to determine if they'll have an "extra" to hold for a defective product swap. They said I may have to wait a week until their stock is at a point where they can place one to the side for me. I told them I'd rather wait until I wouldn't have to fight the chaos of launch week anyways...
- Dave Tatum
Spotted Screens (several cases reported)
I have about 9 white dots of varying but constant brightness in the top left corner of my screen. See attached photos.
- Josh Greenman
I just got my IPhone 4 maybe an hour ago and was checking around for the yellow spot problem. Well, I didn't have the problem that I know of but something else. There are two bright spots and one really tiny faint spot that is very bright. It's almost like a dead pixel but i think it's some sort of backlight issue?
- Kyung Park
HERE'S WHAT WE STILL NEED:
• Beautiful Photos
• Build Impressions
• Screen Quality Shots (side by side?)
• Camera Tests (regular and lowlight)
• Video Tests (regular and lowlight)
• FaceTime Demos
• Reception Tests
• Battery Life Observations
• Speed Tests
• Nitpicks
• Clever Insights
• Anything Else You Can Think Of!
AND THERE'S A BOUNTY!
Those who give us the absolute best shots, most critical observations and deep comparisons will be rewarded not just with fame and glory, but with $20 iTunes gift cards. We won't be too stingy with 'em, promise, just send us great, usable stuff that we don't already have!
How can you submit info? Check here!
[Lead image by Mark Jardine]
The End: Thanks for everyone's participation in our grand experiment! I find it fascinating that, while major reviewers failed to uncover many of the iPhone 4's issues (like the antenna), the power of the masses spotted them with no delay. Awesome.