iPhone 4: Amazing Phone, But A Little Too Late

The Apple iPhone 4 finally made it to India after having been announced nearly a year ago. The previous generations have enjoyed quite a bit of attention and needless to say, the community has been waiting eagerly for the handset to launch officially. Of course, it has been here, through ‘other’ means, so most Apple fans have already gotten comfortable with it and the scenario of getting Apple mobiles a bit earlier than when it officially launches. The iPhone 4 has been made available through two carriers – Aircel and Airtel. However, don’t fret, it’s also available unlocked through the same stores as well as Apple affiliated dealers like the Imagine and Maple stores as well as places like TATA’s Croma stores.

iMovie will be handy for editing 720p video

This is the fourth-gen model and Apple has been constantly setting a standard for touchscreen smartphones and let’s face it, as good as the competition may be, they’re still playing catch-up to the overall UI experience. If you’re still in a quandary about buying the iPhone 4, my review below should help you make up your mind whether or not it’s worth spending the kind of money required.

Form Factor
This time Apple has gone with a slab design. The iPhone 4 measures in at 4.5-inches in height and 2.31-inches in width. The iPhone 4 comes in two versions and in two colors: 16GB and 32GB, both capacities are available in black and white. It’s made up of two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass, one in the front and the other at the back; this is the same type of glass used in helicopter and train windshields so we’re talking about serious durability. Apple claims that this glass is chemically strengthened to be 20 times stiffer and 30 times harder than plastic.

A secondary mic at the top to help suppress ambient sounds for voice clarity.

As with all iPhones, minimalistic is always in and Apple has deployed the same options with this version. The iPhone 4’s primary characteristic that sets it apart from any and all other mobiles out there is its 3.5-inch ‘Retina Display’ which sports a resolution of 640 x 960 pixels. The display has a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch which is four times more than the iPhone 3GS.

While the front and back of the phone are made of glass, Apple has used a brushed stainless steel band along the sides of the phone. This has helped in making the phone noticeably thinner than the 3GS. The depth of the iPhone 4 is 9.3mm which would have made it the slimmest smartphone available except the Galaxy S II is actually a whole millimeter thinner at 8.5mm. The plastic buttons seen on the 3GS have been replaced with the same brushed stainless steel of the sides and have been separated now - circular as opposed to the linked slim form keys.

FaceTime for video calls is a one touch operation.

Apple has upped the camera to a 5MP (autofocus) version with an LED flash that can shoot HD videos in 720p. In addition to the rear camera Apple has added a VGA camera in the front for making video calls, using Apple’s FaceTime or shooting self-portraits. The iPhone 4 has two microphones. The secondary mic is located near the 3.5 mm jack at the top of the handset and is used for noise cancellation. The sleep/wake/power button on top also has a brushed stainless steel finish to go with the rest of the handset. Apple’s proprietary USB/power adapter port is located at the bottom as usual. Although it looks like a set of stereo speakers on the bottom on either side of the connector, one is actually a microphone.

Overall, the iPhone 4 is one of the most brilliantly designed handsets to date complete with scratch resistant display. While the iPhone 4 is quite stylish in design, the only downside of it is its weight. It weighs in at 137g, which is slightly heavy for a mobile phone and about 20 grams more than the Galaxy S II.