Many things can change over the course of three years in the mobile phone market as technology seems to leap new heights constantly when gadgets are being packed with intricate hardware and an accompanying platform to make it gratifying.

The mobile phone landscape changed dramatically when the original iPhone first came to fruition back in 2007 to a wide audience that was initially skeptical in how an unknown device in the mobile community could change the game. The events that unfolded over the last couple of years tell the true telling of how the iPhone substantially impacted the mobile phone industry with its ground breaking performance.

It’s summer and Apple’s tradition of releasing a new version of the iPhone each year continues as the world has been well informed regarding the highly prized device that received plenty of attention in the last couple of months leading up to its release due to a bevy of leaks. The appeal of Apple products isn’t rooted in their use of revolutionary concepts, but rather the careful refinement of existing ones. Here, the iPhone 4! Now and in the flesh! However, will it be enough to withstand the onslaught of competition that’s currently catching up, closing the gap, and consistently evolving?

The Apple iPhone is no longer the Superman of the mobile phone market, despite all the hoopla, lines and glitz. Every carrier now has (or will have) at least one comparable Android super-phone, such as T-Mobile’s Google Nexus, Sprint’s EVO 4G, the upcoming Droid X from Verizon on July 15, and Samsung’s Galaxy S from either AT&T or T-Mobile later this summer. Plus, the iPhone 4 also has to compete with the lower-priced 3G S that also can run the new-and-improved multi-tasking iOS 4 operating system.

You can’t make a smartphone that everyone loves and Apple is not even trying. Much like any other iPhone so far, the iPhone 4 is a smartphone that everybody loves and hates. Actually, the question really isn’t whether the iPhone is a cool, new smartphone – it is. Its video chatting FaceTime is remarkable and fun, the Retina high-resolution screen is a salve to squinters, its 5MP camera is exceptional. However, the iPhone 4 also suffers from a couple of niggling issues which, now that you have plenty of super-phone choices, make it less than it could have been.

iPhone 4’s Design and Layout

Apple claims the iPhone 4 as being the thinnest smartphone ever. This is misleading. The iPhone 4 is actually thicker around the edges than the tapered 3G S, so it feels thicker. And its glass rear is slipperier than the plastic 3G S.

The iPhone 4 is a smidgen smaller all around than the 3G S and the same weight, but thanks to the metal band around the perimeter and the glass front and back, it feels more solid. It’s also squarer than the tapered 3G S, which means form-fitting skins won’t fit (they’ll be too small), and the upper frame by the earpiece has a sharper edge, which means a naked iPhone 4 held tight to your ear will feel sharp and uncomfortable.

The iPhone 4’s controls and jacks remain in the same place, but the volume controls and home key require a firmer touch, which eliminates accidental presses.

iPhone 4’s Retina Screen

Everyone will be talking about FaceTime, but the iPhone 4’s Retina screen that will be the longest-pleasing improvement.

The iPhone 4’s Retina 960 x 640 pixel screen leans to the greener end of the color spectrum compared to the 3G S’s cooler blue hue, most noticeable on white background Web pages, on clear blue skies, and on faces. But those extra pixels make a world of difference in illuminating tiny details and creating sharper edges in snaps and video. More importantly, the iPhone 4’s screen has deeper blacks (noticeable when comparing the iPhone 4 and the S when in sleep); colors pop in both tone and in contrast like never before.

But all of a sudden, the iPhone’s 3.5-inch screen seems small in the expanding world of 4-inch and larger super-phone screens.

iPhone 4’s iTunes Integration

As it does for snapshots, the latest version of iTunes gives you the choice of down converting all higher bit-rated MP3 and AAC files to 128 Kbps AAC for use on your iPhone. We were able to save nearly 4GB of space by doing this, with no real loss of headphone sound quality.

iPhone 4’s Sound Quality

We could discern no qualitative improvement from the 3G S, but the speaker did pump out a bit more volume during FaceTime conversations. In a quiet room, we didn’t even have to go much beyond three quarters of maximum volume.

iPhone 4’s FaceTime

Apple has also added a front-facing camera, which aside from providing users the obvious ability to take snaps of themselves, enables the iPhone 4 to make real-time video calls using FaceTime. With FaceTime users can choose to either make a standard voice call to someone on their contact list, or start a video call.

The FaceTime feature is integrated seamlessly into the core actions of a phone call, and can be found in the address book alongside commands to text message, email, or call a contact. There are some admittedly frustrating limitations of FaceTime, however, as both users must be connected to a Wi-Fi network and both must be using the iPhone 4. Fortunately, Apple intimated their plans to allow users to use the feature over 3G, but not until wireless providers improve their networks. There is also the possibility of app developers being able to tap into the front facing camera and bring expanded voice chat functionality – can anyone say Skype, or even mobile Chat Roulette?

Still, FaceTime represents a futuristic vision come to life to some degree. There is a definitive “Wow” moment when you first initiate a FaceTime call, due in part, to the realization that you can easily tap on a friend’s contact and within seconds see them on your screen. Though video streaming is not an uncommon feature of smartphones, FaceTime is fairly seamless in its implementation and produces some impressively clear and smooth video conferencing. In our experiences, we were able to chat with other iPhone 4 users for extended sessions without interruption or degradation.

But FaceTime, HD video recording, and the new high-resolution display are only made possible through the implementation of Apple’s A4 processor, which is the same chipset that powers the iPad. The benefits of the A4 chip are not immediately apparent when loading apps, but rather when you see how responsive menus are and how fast you can scroll through media. Gone are the days when your iPhone chugs along or stops in the middle of a progress bar – the iPhone 4 breezes right through it.

iPhone 4’s Web

Even more than it is for movies, the Retina screen is a boon for reading smaller website print, and drastically improves ease of reading for text of any size, especially emails.

Websites and pages all load a second or two faster on the iPhone 4 compared to the 3G S, even on AT&T’s much-maligned 3G network in Manhattan. Since both phones support high-speed 7.2 Mbps HSPA technology, the speed improvements must be attributed to the faster processor and improved antenna array.

iPhone 4’s Camera

Just because the iPhone 4’s built-in camera is “only” 5MP rather than the 8- and even 12MP imagers showing up on other mobile phones doesn’t mean squat. A 5MP built-in camera is all you need on any digital camera, unless you plan on creating billboards. It’s all about the lens and the processing. And the iPhone 4’s built-in camera, sans flash, is the fastest we’ve used. We were frankly stunned at how quick – a second, maybe – the iPhone 4 captured and processed snaps and was ready to shoot another. Shooting with the flash added a second or so delay between pushing the touch-screen shutter release and snap capture. Larger icons would have been preferable for switching between still and video recording.

In terms of quality, indoor snaps and video all had an orange hue, even when we used the flash. Zooming was easy – tap the center focusing square and a touch 5x slider pops up, although indoor and night results look extra grainy. Photos also maintain focus across the entire frame, unlike the larger snaps on some of the other super-phone cameras.

Sadly, there’s still no self-timer.

iPhone 4’s Battery Life

Apple says the iPhone 4 will give you seven hours of talk time and six hours of 3G Web surfing, with 30 hours of audio listening, compared to five, five and 40 on the 3G S. Both are rated at 10 hours of video viewing. With only a few days of use under our belts, it’s impossible to judge exactly how accurate these figures are, but FaceTime does seem to drain the battery faster than a normal call. After 45 minutes of FaceTime, the iPhone 4’s battery went from 100 to 68 percent.

Conclusion

The iPhone 4’s cool factor alone will grab your attention, but unless you’re a current AT&T customer sans iPhone, we would say hold on to your 3G S for a bit. Apple iOS 4 is a major upgrade, but it brought improvements to the 3G S as well, mitigating functional differences and perhaps lowering the reasons to upgrade. If you’re a Verizon, Sprint or even T-Mobile customer, you have plenty of worthwhile iPhone 4-like choices.

Apple iPhone 4’s Main disadvantages:

• No Flash support in the web browser
• No true multitasking for all apps
• No file transfer over Bluetooth or USB Mass Storage mode
• No stereo speakers
• No hardware shutter key for the camera
• No FM radio
• Poor loudspeaker performance
• No smart dialing
• No microSD card slot
• MicroSIM card support only
• Hardware design is prone to reception issues
• FaceTime video calls work only over Wi-Fi
• Too dependent on iTunes for loading multimedia content

Apple iPhone 4’s Specifications:

• Carrier: AT&T Wireless
• OS: Apple iOS 4
• CPU: Apple A4
• RAM: 512MB
• Storage: 16GB or 32GB; no expansion slot
• Display: 3.5-inch 960×640 pixels; 326 ppi
• Camera: 5MP with LED flash and video recording; plus a new front-facing camera
• Networks: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM and UMTS; Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
• Dimensions: 4.5(h) x 2.3(w) x 0.37(d) inches
• Weight: 0.3 lbs
• Keyboard: Virtual QWERTY keyboard only
• Sensors: Accelerometer, GPS, digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor
• Tethering: USB
• Battery: Lithium-ion 1420 mAh
• Charger: Apple Ultracompact USB Power Adapter
• Price: $199 for 16GB and $299 for 32GB (with 2-year contract)

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