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.
One of the changes found in the iPhone 4 is on the inside of the phone. The iPhone 4’s predecessor, the 3GS contained a Samsung-based Cortex CPU. This has been replaced by Apple’s own A4 chip, the same one used by the iPad. The iPhone 4 does not quite speed along at the same rate as the 1GHz available to the iPad, but it is still more than fast enough. It brings up graphics quickly and navigates seamlessly. Those who find it too slow are likely looking for something to complain about.
Viewing those graphics is accomplished on a 3.5 inch screen. Though not as large as screens found on some comparable models, the iPhone features what is known as the Retina Display. It boasts 960 x 640 pixel resolution and an incredible 326 ppi pixel density. So named because it reportedly displays images in more detail than even the human eye can distinguish, Retina more than makes up for any lack of screen size. Due to the incredible resolution, blurry and pixilated images are of no concern at all. Many testers of the iPhone 4 claim that they have never seen images so clear on any other handset.
It almost wouldn’t be worth having the Retina Display if the iPhone 4 possessed the 3 megapixel camera of past models. There are no worries here, because it doesn’t. The iPhone 4 has upgraded to a 5 megapixel camera that includes a backside-illuminated sensor with improved sensitivity to light. Also featured is an LED flash, although it can blow out some photos, a symptom not uncommon in flashes of this kind. It really is not that big of a deal, because the camera takes great pictures in low light and without a flash.
Finally, Apple has decided that it is time to produce a phone that allows multitasking. Though not backgrounding in the strictest sense of the word, the iPhone lets some APIs that imitate backgrounding to run simultaneously. Critics will cry foul, but for regular, everyday users, it is just fine. Until now, Apple has stated that their smartphones would suffer battery drain by performing multitasking. The iPhone 4 has cleared up any potential issue here, as it has been known to produce almost 40 hours of normal use in some tests.
With the iPhone 4, Apple has once again established itself as a leader in smartphone technology. With a Retina Display that none other can boast and improved performance, they have set the bar high. Not only has Apple won again, so have their customers.
Leave a Reply