Even if you love Apple or hate it, you must think of the revolution this company made on smartphones market. Before the first iPhone was released, the coolest and the top selling phone for the past years was Motorola RAZR. This smartphone is on the first place, it is a leader market, and for sure it is the best selling phone in the last year. There are almost two years since the original iPhone has been released, and only few months ago the 3G version was released. Both phones miss some features, but the current version is much better, it definitely has some cool improvements. I will just briefly analyze in this article the differences between iPhone 2G and the newer version, 3G.
There aren't too many differences in the design matter, but I will point out the existing ones, before getting to the inner parts. The screens are both the same size, 3.5'', and they have the same 480x320 resolution. The original iPhone has a smooth metallic finish on the rear, with a black strip at the bottom. On the front part, it has a shiny metal piece, which is around the side of the phone, and it also goes behind of the screen. 3G has a piano black or white finish and the shiny metal piece is around the screen. iPhone 3G also has buttons made of a metal, excluding the Home button. This makes iPhone 3G look sturdier than the original version. The shape is a big difference between these two models, and I would like to point out that 2G is a little thicker and flat when set down, and that 3G is a little bit more round. Some people say that 3G's screen heats at a warmer temperature than 2G's screen does.
Let's get to the inside part, and we can observe that 3G has outstanding features compared to the original version. iPhone 2G supported WiFi, GSM and Bluetooth, but iPhone 3G supports, as the name suggests, 3G technology next to WiFi, GSM and Bluetooth. This makes surfing, watching videos and downloading better experiences, and the frequencies supported by the first generation didn't include UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), which are available on iPhone 3G.
A new feature on the latest model is GPS, which is absolutely necessary nowadays. Both smartphones have 2MP cameras, but none has the video recording feature. iPhone 3G weighs 0.1 ounces less than the previous version, which weighted 4.8 ounces. 3G's big disappointment would be that its battery drains fast. iPhone 2G rocks because it has 8 hours of talk-time and 3G offers 5 hours.
Comparing these two great phones is quite hard, but 3G was definitely a good decision of Apple. iPhone 2G remains a market pioneer,it is an impressive product, but 3G's features are somehow common requirements for the modern smartphone user, and this new model fulfills a lot of consumers' needs.
iPhone Shopping Comparison, on August 23, 2009
Great review and comparison between the two iPhones! I own a 2G, and as weird as it sounds, I was not one of those who woke up early to line up in stores just to have the 3G S. Afer reading this review, i think I'll still stick with my 2g for a little more time. It still satisfies me somehow.