To the Power of Four

Sandwiched between two layers of aluminosilicate glass and a steel band,Jonathan Ive’s design of the phone is evocative of the design of the ’60s Braun kitchen appliances in its bare minimalism. The curves and the hard plastic of the iPhone 3GS have been replaced by flat mirrored glass ends on both sides. This does make the phone difficult to hold,and takes some getting used to initially. The glass itself,according to Ive,has been strengthened to be 30 times as strong as normal glass,and is scratch resistant as well. The steel band,which is also the mounting point for all the components of iPhone 4,doubles as the phone’s antenna.

Apple engineers seem to have managed to rectify the problem of the loss of signal when the phone is held in a particular manner. Not only did I try dropping it on its face,but also held it between the bands on either sides in a conscious bid to disrupt the signal strength. Nothing happened. No scratches,no signal bars lost.

The old buttons are all still there,with the only exception that the button for volume has been replaced by separate circular buttons. A second noise cancellation mic on the top of the unit makes talking and listening in crowds a lot easier.

The iPhone 4 boasts of a LED backlit TFT,LCD capacitive touchscreen,a 5 MP camera at the back and a 0.7 MP VGA camera on the front for using the Face Time application,a gyroscopic 3-axis sensor and the accelerometer. Powering the unit is the recently developed Apple A4 chip. The faster processor simplifies multitasking.

The screen on the 3GS seems like an ancient relic in comparison with the iPhone 4. Apple’s new Retina Display has three times the pixel density per square inch. The touchscreen that features multi-touch is a delight to use. But the keypad does slide open easily and I did end up making a few calls without my knowledge.

The 5 MP camera with LED flash finally addresses the problems of image clarity and small camera lens that the iPhone has grappled with over the years. The unit also comes with HD video recording,capable of shooting at 720p and 30 frames per second. Also,with the new A4 chip (also used in the iPad),the phone performs impressively,switching applications breezily. The phone doesn’t slow down when multiple applications are kept open,thanks to the e-DRAM on the unit.

The unit is definitely an upgrade over the older 3GS in terms of design,speed,dual screen cameras,and the addition of the Apple A4 chip. Another plus for the iPhone 4 over the 3GS is the battery. I managed to get three full days of usage,which included around 50 minutes talking on the phone,and two hours of surfing the internet. Pretty impressive,given that the old one was a battery guzzler.

Both Airtel and Aircel have priced the phone at Rs 34,500 for the 16 GB version and Rs 40,900 for the 32 GB unit. Airtel has also announced data packages with which it hopes to woo fence-sitters. The iPhone 4 is a great buy for anyone who has the money and knows how to make good use of a good phone.