- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Apple iPhone 3GS
- iOS 6
- 3.5G
- 3.5"
- 0.6 GHz
#2 in cheapest iOS phones
Released June, 2009
by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)The contents of the box are pretty standard issue stuff - a USB cable, a charger that uses this very cable to charge the phone and a pair of headphones.
Conclusion Check out the Apple iPhone 3GS
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Apple iPhone 3GS
0.6 GHz
iOS 6 3.5G
Rated 80% by by c|net (Jun, 2009)It's a nice touch, and we like how the standard Google Maps view now shows the 3D outlines of buildings.
screen size
3.5"
4.7"
4.5"
iPhone 3GS by c|net (Jun, 2009)As you point the lens toward your subject, a small box appears on the center of the display.
iPhone 3GS by c|net (Jun, 2009)You can get both memory sizes in white or black, and the iPhone 3GS display sports a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating that is supposed to attract fewer fingerprints and smudges.
screen resolution
iPhone 3GS by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)Colors seem balanced and the image is nicely sharpened with relatively good reproduction of details.
iPhone 3GS by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)It offers to fill in the details for you, when you are working on some online form.
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 2 GB |
processor
iPhone 3GS by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)Apple is still pretty cagey when it comes to the exact hardware specification in the iPhone, but the 3GS has seen an increase in speed for the main processor, along with a new graphics chip, while there's also more memory on tap.
iPhone 3GS by Scott701 (Feb, 2013)The 3G essentially works the same, but the processor is old and it can only be updated to iOS 4.2, which most apps, including Skype, are not supported.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
iPhone 3GS by c|net (Jun, 2009)Apple boosted the camera's resolution to 3 megapixels and added a new "Tap to Focus" feature.
iPhone 3GS by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)Since objectively judging image quality based on full resolution samples produced by cameras of different calibers will be a daunting task to anyone, we decided to take them all and downsize them to a more appropriate 2 megapixel level.
Performance Real world tests of Apple iPhone 3GS
browser benchmark
iPhone 3GS by Moi-CR (Aug, 2011)The product was in perfect condition...accessories in very good condition .... very fast shipping,The product funsion well in another country, and I really liked the product.
download speed
iPhone 3GS by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)This had me very confused until I ran a data speed test and found that while my iPhone 3G was managing around 700kbps on the office Wi-Fi connection, the 3GS was reporting download speeds of between 19 and 40kbps.
iPhone 3GS by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)This turned out to be the case, since when I tried the same test an hour later the 3GS once again spanked the 3G, and running the speed test again turned in a download speed of over 600kbps.
talk time
720 min
330 min
410 min
iPhone 3GS by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)Video playback endurance has been upgraded from 7 to 10 hours, while the stand-by and 3G talk time remain unchanged.
iPhone 3GS by regie-garcia (Mar, 2013)overall its a good phone battery is great, i can do everything i want and it functions very well.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
18,000 min -
3.5 mm -
Apple App Store (iOS) -
Capacitive -
3 MP
cons
-
164 ppi -
1,219 mA·h -
78.36% -
480 x 320 -
62 x 116 x 12 mm -
Single core -
1,381 ms -
3 MP -
Photos in poor lighting will be dark and grainy -
640 x 480 @ 30 fps -
None -
Can't share your phone's data plan with other devices -
54 Mbit/s (802.11g) -
Cannot detect when the tablet is rotated -
12 mm -
Jun, 2009 -
0.25 GB -
7.2 Mb/s (HSDPA) -
0.6 GHz -
16 GB -
Doesn't support the fastest, most reliable networks -
3.5" -
Only one app at a time can run
Reviews Word on the street
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 | Rated by 387 users at amazon.com Rated 20% by by Deimos--. (Jul, 2012) Rated 80% by by lissapolanco2 (Mar, 2011) Rated 80% by by JMark235--Mark (May, 2012) |
Network technology
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)If anything else, at least it's easy to spot that the iPhone 3GS doesn't offer superior results to iPhone 3G.
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)That's not so much a criticism of the 3GS, just that the 3G is still a great phone, that has just got better with the implementation of 3.0.
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)The real truth about the iPhone 3GS is that though it may look the same, the 3GS has got some new feel to it that certainly makes a difference.
Apps
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)With 3.0 OS users can finally enjoy listening music with stereo Bluetooth headsets or compatible Bluetooth speakers.
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 80% by by c|net (Jun, 2009)You can search calendar entries, music, notes, apps, contacts, and e-mail, and you can search within an individual e-mail in-box.
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 100% by by Scott701 (Feb, 2013)I'm a longtime BlackBerry user which I still prefer for work, but the 3GS is great for personal use and to store music.
Operating system
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 100% by by L.-Gildart (May, 2012)I bought mine just recently, and, while it is clearly not as awesome as one of the later model iPhones, it is a really great phone that runs the most recent operating system quite snappily and runs all of the applications I use flawlessly.
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 80% by by c|net (Jun, 2009)We were very glad to see a stereo Bluetooth profile arrive with iPhone OS 3.0.
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)So the new software surely brings around some improved performance.
Screen
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)Sliding the main home screen to the right will reveal the Search screen - pressing the Home button while already on the Home screen will have the same effect.
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)It's got great viewing angles, excellent colors and most of all, yet unsurpassed among GSM handsets sunlight visibility.
Apple iPhone 3GS | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2009)The Zoom feature magnifies the interface screen in every application.
Video
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 80% by by AndyG (Apr, 2012)got it and i was quite amazed love that it can play 720p video mp4 format of course and that the screen was clear first thing you want to get for this device is a screen protectorpros.
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)But then I'm not convinced that I'd want to be shooting HD video with my phone - is anyone really trying to shoot high quality video with their phone, or is it more a case of a quick video clip of your friends/children/complete strangers doing something?
Apple iPhone 3GS | Rated 80% by by c|net (Jun, 2009)Until now, the iPhone's camera has been good, but far from great, with decent photo quality, but no editing features.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Rated the best by consumers LG Nexus 4 vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 2 | Samsung Galaxy S II Least latency on actual networks Samsung Galaxy S II vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 3 | HTC 8X Sharpest screen HTC 8X vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 5 | Nokia Lumia 820 2-way tie: Longest battery life during active use Nokia Lumia 820 vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 6 | Sony Xperia go OK standby time Sony Xperia go vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy S III mini 3-way tie: Screen uses OLED technology Samsung Galaxy S III mini vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
 | 8 | HTC 8S 6-way tie: Supports Flash HTC 8S vs Apple iPhone 3GS |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Popular Questions
September 21, 2012
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Huawei Ascend G300
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread
- 3.5G
- 4"
- 1 GHz
1 more Sortable user recommendeds the Apple iPhone 3GS over the Huawei Ascend G300.
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Beginner I
0
votes I love it u can update it and much more buy it. the huiwei cant connect to a mac/osx
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- October 21, 2012
- Reply to: How well will the Ascend G300 connect to OS X
