iPhone 3GS

GamePro reviews the new 3GS and walks away thoroughly impressed. Can you say "best smartphone in the world"?

Should You Upgrade to the 3GS?


    If you own a 1st-gen iPhone...

    ...go and check your upgrade eligibility right away. If you're eligible, upgrade to the 3GS immediately. Not only will you see an uptick in performance but the phone's smaller and sleeker. You'll have to re-up for another two-years but that's standard procedure with cell phones and besides, you'll spend those two years with the 3GS.

    If you own a 3G...

    ...consider upgrading only if you truly want or need to. You still have access to the 3G network with your existing cell phone and the performance boost isn't as great as the jump from the first-gen iPhone. The form factor isn't much different either. However, if you do decide to bite the bullet, you won't have any trouble unloading your existing phone and you can use that money to offset your costs.

    If you're on another carrier...

    If Apple were smart, they'd have some sort of "test drive" program where people can come in, put down a credit card or cash deposit and get a test 3GS unit to use for two weeks. I don't know what the percentage of converts would be but I'm guessing it would be high enough to make it worth their while. Unless you absolutely love your current carrier or hate the thought of joining the Apple cult, you should at least take a look at one; wander into an Apple store for an afternoon or ask a friend to let you mess about with theirs. Chances are, you'll see something that'll make you frown at your existing cell phone and mutter "Why can't you do that?" Cell phone companies also treat new customers like kings, so if you do make the switch, you'll get the best deal available.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to a bug on our network, it's been brought to our attention that the GamePro Fun Factor isn't appearing at the top of the page. Rest assured, the iPhone 3GS earned high marks with Tae, scoring an impressive 5 out of 5 stars.

I've never owned an Apple product in my life. I've been an old-school PC gamer since the days of DOS and only used Macs because that's all my school had in the computer lab. When MP3 players became ubiquitous, I turned my nose up at the iPod and went for competing products from companies like Creative and Sansa. I also didn't jump on the iPhone bandwagon, deciding instead to stick it out with my original carrier, Verizon.

Sure, I knew that Apple made great products that mixed slick aesthetic design with a butter smooth user interface and OS. But I still resisted the siren call of Apple for one reason: I didn't want to get "locked in" to Apple. I didn't want to get locked into iTunes, I didn't want to get locked into AT&T and I didn't want to get locked into AAC. So I was happily living a non-Apple existence when I was offered the chance to review a 32GB iPhone 3GS.

I decided to bite the bullet and give it a chance. For two weeks, I sent my existing cell phone (a Verizon Blackberry Storm) on vacation and gave my entire life over to the 3GS. That meant every phone call, text, email, IM, and Twitter and Facebook post I made was done on the iPhone. I used it for everyday tasks like looking up map directions, Googling random things like "How old is Winona Ryder?" (she's 37), checking sports scores and weather forecasts and Yelp reviews. After my testing was done, I compiled a list of pros and cons with three final verdicts depending on whether you own a first-gen iPhone, a 3G or another cell phone. If you want the tl;dr version, here it is: it has some blemishes but the 3GS is, in my opinion, the best cell phone money can buy.

Now, read on to see what I liked and didn't like about the 3GS.

iPhone 3GS

Comments [16]

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Heather

Awesome review! I'm glad to see that you were very open to iPhone despite your aversion to the "apple cult". It is sad you had to go back to the Storm :/

wutisupmon

booyah. Not worth the upgrade from the 3G in my opinion, but still fantastic.

wutisupmon

btw, no mention of tethering in this review. It's not for everyone, but with it I was able to surf on my macbook on the highway.

TKK

I didn't try tethering because that isn't something the average user would do but it is a cool feather nonetheless.

I miss the 3GS.

TKK

mpvinny78

So i have no choice but to use itunes to put music on it. I used to use that and it was such a resource hog. There is no other way?

wuffenstein24

i love my 3g, and even though the 3gs is amazing (my friend has one), it isnt worth the price to change. btw, great review!

maranda

if only The Conduit had received an objective review, I might believe this guy.... sorry but had to bring that up

mpvinny78

Conduit is a last gen shooter up against current gen games. IGN's review chose to put it in a vacuum and only compared it to Wii games. His, and many others, including gamespot reviewed it for what it was, a last gen shooter. Don't bag on a guy for being honest.

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