iPhone 3GS Hardware Review

Bluetooth issues

The iPhone 3GS includes support for Bluetooth 2.1, adding A2DP capabilities for stereo sound. However, I found in tests that the Bluetooth implementation in the 3GS hasn’t yet been integrated with some of the other new features in the device, and it broke compatibility with Bluetooth devices that worked fine with previous iPhone models.

For instance, in tests I was able to easily connect a Motorola ROKR S9 headset with the iPhone, and I could hear stereo sound from both the integrated iPod and the Pandora App Store application. I found that while paired with the iPhone, the call button on the S9 could be used to answer or hang up calls, and the volume controls also worked. However, the call button on the Bluetooth headset could not be used to trigger the 3GS voice dial and search engine, and if I triggered voice dial from the 3GS itself, I could not speak into the Bluetooth headset for recognition. I presume we will see Bluetooth devices designed to work with the 3GS and voice search in the near future.

In subsequent Bluetooth compatibility tests, I found that I could successfully pair the iPhone 3GS with a BlueAnt Supertooth speakerphone, but no sound could be transmitted in either direction. The speakerphone did work as expected with an older iPhone 3G with iPhone 3.0 OS, indicating further compatibility issues with the newer 3GS model.

Better Battery Life?

Apple claims the iPhone 3GS offers greater battery life than its predecessors, particularly when using the device’s data features over a Wi-Fi network (up to 9 hours). Like its predecessor, the 3GS is rated for 5 hours of talk time with a 3G connection (12 hours for 2G) and up to 300 hours standby time.

I started a few talk time tests in our San Francisco offices and found that after a 4-hour call the battery still reported more than 50 percent charge available. However, I noted the connection occasionally moved between 2G and 3G coverage, so I could not obtain a definitive battery number for a strictly 3G call.

For all practical purposes, I did not notice any significant differences in battery performance on the new device. I still found myself charging the phone after a day and a half of use along my normal patterns. (I typically disable e-mail push and notifications unless specifically needed for an application, such as instant messaging.) However, I did greatly appreciate that the 3GS can be set to display the battery’s remaining charge capacity (by percentage), which provides a clearer understanding of just how much juice is actually left than the graphic depiction shown on previous iPhone models.

The other big difference between the iPhone 3GS and its predecessors is the camera. As a still camera, the iPhone 3GS provides slightly better resolution than the iPhone 3G or the original iPhone, with 3 megapixels instead of 2, as well as a new “tap to focus” feature using the touch-screen. With the 3GS, users can also easily switch to video capture mode, which captures video at 30 frames per second. After capturing video, users can then do some basic editing on-device, cropping off the beginning or end of the segment.

The iPhone 3GS also includes a built-in compass, which can be viewed via an included application. Of slightly more interest, however, is the integration with Google Maps, which uses the compass to orient the map to the direction the user is traveling.

Whether all of this is enough to convince existing iPhone users to upgrade their hardware or just the OS will remain to be seen. However, the fact that the new phone, with double the memory, is priced the same as the iPhone 3G was on release in June 2008 may help.

 Andrew Garcia is senior analyst at eWeek.