iPhone 4 – It’s Out And It’s Good!
For awhile, no smartphone manufacturers held a candle to Apple and its iPhone. As time went on, companies realized that their existence would depend on keeping up with smartphone technology and spent time and money improving their own models. As the gap has closed, Apple felt the pressure to remain ahead of the competition, and has answered their competitors’ handsets with the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 4 features some changes on the inside from previous models. Replacing the Samsung-based Cortex CPU in the 3GS, iPhone 4’s predecessor, is Apple’s own A4 chip. Those in the know will recognize this as the same chip found in the iPad. While the iPad boasts 1GHz of speed with the A4 processor, the iPhone 4 doesn’t quite reach those heights. This is not to say the phone is slow by any means. It renders graphics quickly and navigates smoothly. Users who are looking for a high performance phone have nothing to worry about.
Those quickly-rendered graphics are displayed on a 3.5 inch screen with 960 x 640 pixel resolution. Combine that with a mind-numbing 326 ppi pixel density and you have a display that is absolutely second to none. The incredible resolution makes up for any shortcomings in size, and it has even earned the name of Retina Display. It is so named due to the claim that it presents graphics in more detail than the human eye is able to distinguish. It may seem like overkill to present clarity that the user can’t see anyway, but at least consumers need not worry about a less than stellar display. In fact, many testes of the iPhone 4 have stated that the Retina Display easily provides the sharpest images they’ve yet seen.
The iPhone 4 also takes advantage of its Retina Display by improving on the meager 3 megapixel camera found on the 3GS. A new, 5 megapixel camera replaces the old and includes a backside-illuminated sensor more sensitive to light. The LED flash, like most flashes of its size, can over-illuminate the photographs, but the iPhone is adept at producing high-quality photos without flash and at low light.
Multitasking finally makes an appearance on an Apple smartphone with the iPhone 4. Technically, the phone doesn’t offer true backgrounding, but it does allow a few APIs to operate at the same time that imitate backgrounding. For those who are looking for typical use, it presents no problem at all. Apple claimed that their reluctance to embrace multitasking abilities was due to the battery strain it would put on the phone. iPhone 4 users will not find battery life a problem at all, as some tests have produced nearly 40 hours of regular use on one charge.
The iPhone 4 has placed Apple at the forefront of smartphone technology once again. Featuring a Retina Display unmatched in the industry and improved performance over older models, Apple’s iPhone 4 is a standard setter. Customers will be thankful for the efforts.
