The news is hot, 2 months after the iPhone 4G prototype was lost by Gray Powell – Apple has finally announced the iPhone 4 Officially. Despite people speculating that the next iPhone will have 4G network support, Apple has taken us by surprise yet another time. The iPhone will still be supporting UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) but not 4G. All other features that were present in the leaked prototype are still present in the new iPhone 4. The new iPhone will have FaceTime, Apple’s brand new video-conferencing application. The design of the iPhone has been overhauled. Instead of the chrome lining and tapering edges, the shape has been changed to something that looks like the image below.
Here is a full breakdown of the features that have been added to the, new – fully baked – iPhone 4.
Hardware
The iPhone 4 now features an Apple A4 chip, the same that we saw in iPad earlier this year. The processor is much faster than the one on iPhone 3G and 3Gs and has a special technology for effiecient power management. Apart from that, Apple has added a, longwaited, 5 Megapixel camera. The Camera is capable of taking 720p HD videos and edit/share them on the fly. It also has a LED for flashes which doubles as a lighting bulb in video recording. Apple has also thrown in a front facing camera for video-conferencing. But the thing that will set you off here is that FaceTime, Apple’s new video chatting application won’t work over 3G network, it require you to connect to a Wi-Fi system. What is good though is that you can use front, as well as rear cameras when using FaceTime app. iPhone 4 is the first phone with a built-in three-axis gyroscope. When paired with the accelerometer, it makes iPhone 4 capable of advanced motion sensing such as user acceleration, angular velocity, and rotation rate. Translation: More motion gestures and greater precision for an even better gaming experience.
Design
This is the first thing you will notice when you see a new iPhone 4. The design overhaul is very much noticeable. Apple has added the same glass it uses in the display, to the back of the iPhone body. This not only makes it more eye-catchy, but it is also scratch-resistant – so you don’t have to worry about buying separate covers anymore. The Glass used is 30% more stronger than in the previous iPhone. Apple has also designed the new aluminum chassis for the iPhone 4. The chassis doubles as antennas for the iPhone, making it less noisy and more clear. The new iPhone also supports micro-SIM format. It is 24% thinner overall and feels solid in hand. The 960-by-640 backlit LCD display boasts a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch, making it the highest-resolution phone screen ever. To achieve this, Apple engineers developed pixels so small — a mere 78 micrometers across — that the human eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. That makes text remarkably sharp and graphics incredibly vivid. IPS technology also provides excellent color and contrast from almost any viewing angle.
Software
The iPhone will come with OS 4. There are a few feature that make it worthwhile. Like long awaited multi0tasking and App grouping. The multi-tasking works on all the apps doesn’t drain out the battery that much either. The smart grouping of folder will just blow you away. If you want to group applications as folders, you just have to drag and drop then into one another and iPhone automatically groups them into a folder based upon the type of the apps. The homescreen now support wallpapers too.
Battery Time
One good thing about the A4 processor is that it is much smaller than its predecessors. Not onl does it allow more room for the battery, but it is much more power efficient. iPhone 4 gives 40% more talk-time than iPhone 3Gs on a single charge.
- Talk time: up to 7 hours on 3G; up to 14 hours on 2G
- Standby time: up to 300 hours
- Internet use: up to 6 hours on 3G; up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi
- Video playback: up to 10 hours
- Audio playback: up to 40 hours