Apple's iPhone 4: Thoroughly Reviewed
by Brian Klug & Anand Lal Shimpi on June 30, 2010 4:06 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- iPhone 4
- Gadgets
- Mobile
The Display in the Sun
As we mentioned earlier, the new glass is more reflective than the 3GS' screen. In direct sunlight the 4 is somewhere in between the usability of the iPhone 3GS and an AMOLED Android phone. The photos below should help convey that.
All of the screens were set to max brightness with automatic adjustments turned off. The EVO 4G came in as the worst of the bunch, while the iPhone 3GS was the most legible.
The iPhone 4 in direct sunlight
The iPhone 3GS in direct sunlight
The Google Nexus One in direct sunlight
The EVO 4G in direct sunlight
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
270 Comments
View All Comments
Charlie22911 - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
The EVO does not really bring anything new over previous highend phones like the HD2, Droid, or Nexus One aside from the front camera. Android phones are a dime a dozen.- Former Droid owner
JAS - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
Had AnandTech's review concluded that the iPhone 4 is a terrible product, would you complain that the reviewers have a bias *against* Apple?I've read the review a couple times and see it as nothing but fair.
g5isalive - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
I registered just to thank you for finally getting to the meat of the iPhone reception issue. Absolutely the best evaluation I have read.k.alexander - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
Hear, hear! I did the same. I have not read through the full review, but the page on the antennae issue is by far the most thorough and thoughtful think I've seen from looking all over the web. Great Great Work!mczak - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
Looks like a glaring omission, however I'm not convinced yet it would actually improve matters a lot. The bumper case not only insulates but also adds distance between your fingers and the antenna.I think it would be an interesting experiment to actually try this out, with some duct tape as insulative coating for instance...
btw I think that bumper case is _vastly_ overpriced. For that price I'd expect it would at least properly work with the dock connector, but as is that's not really good value...
kmmatney - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
It works with an "Apple" dock connector - just not with third party connectors that make the connector too large. I'd probably just file down my cheap third party connectors before paying for an overpriced Apple accessory.MurderMostFowl - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
In the signal Attenuation chart.... Is that iPhone 3GS "open palm" figure correct? 0.2 dB... I would think that kind of reception wouldn't be possible. since it is better than the other two devices by a massive amount ( remember dB is not linear )it must be an error, no?
eyk03 - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
This review is just phenomenal, I love it. So much more objective and in-depth than the 27 word reviews that Walt Mossberg or David Pogue deign to fart out.spunkybart - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
Finally someone sits down and does some tests!I love, love your use of the Star Trek "ugly bags of mostly water" line, lol!
I found it very interesting that your first thought was that the external antenna should have been coated -- that could have been a very easy thing to have done during manufacturing, so it sounds like Apple totally messed up on that decision!
InterHmai - Wednesday, June 30, 2010 - link
This was an incredibly well detailed review, thanks for all the hard work!