The iPhone 3GS has only a 3-megapixel camera, and its video camera doesn’t record in HD. The 3GS lacks the 3-axis gyroscope of the iPhone4 and 4S, but has an accelerometer. a gyroscope can sense how a device is being rotated around many axes, where an accelerometer has a fixed axis and can only measure speed of rotation.
The biggest concession the 3GS makes is it doesn’t have HSUPA (High-Speed Uplink Packet Access). HSUPA is just an improvement on High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) technology. Simply put, the 3GS wireless data speeds are just not as fast as the iPhone4 and 4Ss. Phone calls should be fine, the 3GS just won’t download and upload data like pictures and e-mails as fast and it will cost a little more to send that data.
Though the iPhone 4 and 3GS aren’t as powerful as the 4S, they still share in one of the best upgrades announced during Apple’s “Let’s Talk iPhone” press conference: the new mobile operation system, iOS 5. The biggest thing to come out of the iOS 5 is the new iCloud service, which gives users free 5GB of online media storage. The iOS 5 also comes with a new, less intrusive notification center, a new messenger app and a better camera interface.
To read more in depth about the new iOS5, click here.
But the iPhone 4 and 3GS won’t get one of the 4S’ coolest new iOS5 features, Siri. Siri is a voice assistant app that accepts more conversational commands and can perform a wide range of tasks on the iPhone. you can ask it to set your alarm clock or find a particular restaurant in the neighborhood. you can use Voice Control on the other two, you will just have to speak more like a robot, and it doesn’t have as much functionality. The iPhone 4S’ A5 chip is what gives it the power to run Siri.
So the final verdict is the iPhone 4 and 3GS are pretty capable devices, but if you just want the “wow” factor of the iPhone and want it just to make phone calls and play a few games, the 3GS is a great free option. However, users won’t be able to take full advantage of the iCloud service, since the data exchange will be slower and more costly.
If you think you’ll be doing a little more media downloading and want a few more bells and whistles, go with the iPhone 4. but if you want the best toy in town, get yourself a shiny new iPhone 4S, which comes out Oct. 14.
Also if you want an iPhone, but don’t want it on Sprint, Verizon or AT&T, you can unlock the iPhone 3GS, which means you pay the unreduced price of $375. An unlocked phone will work on any GSM network as long as it has a SIM card. it just might not transmit data as fast as on the official three wireless networks.