The iPhone 4 – Is it worth the money?
The iPhone 4 – is it worth the money?
By Philip Bolt
OK, so you’re looking to buy a shiny new iPhone 4. But is it worth the money?
The much vaunted new phone from Apple is now available for you to buy over the counter. But be prepared – it isn’t cheap. It may have Video calling, HD video playback and an extra high resolution screen but regardless of which route you opt for – Pay & Go, SIM only or Contract – it will cost you a pretty penny to own the latest ‘must-have-toy’.
In the UK, Orange, Vodafone, Tesco Mobile, O2 and 3 have released their prices with options on Pay as you go, Monthly and SIM only deals. The total cost of ownership for a 32GB iphone 4 will total over £1000 on a 24 month contract but that should not stop you from considering the phone itself – it’s getting rave reviews.
Specification
The iPhone 4 offers the biggest ‘jump’ in spec (in comparison with say 3G to 3GS). And this was perhaps one of the reasons why many 3G owners decided not to upgrade to the 3GS initially and waited it out for the iPhone 4 instead.
This waiting game may prove to be the right move as the new iPhone boasts a massively revamped (Retina) display (doubly the pixel density usually seen on this type of device), 5MP camera (with Flash) and front facing camera along with a noticeable boost in speed.
Interestingly, there has been no improvement on the flash storage capacity with the iPhone 4 still being offered in 16GB or 32GB versions. Battery size and life has been improved on the iPhone 4 however – and this enhancement will prove useful given the emergence of the new iOS 4 with multi-tasking.
Look and Feel
The iPhone 4 has got a whole new look and sleek lines abound in this new design – with custom glass and stainless steel edging making the phone 24% thinner than the 3GS. The plastic casing has disappeared completely – and the glass used in the iPhone is said to be the same type used on high speed trains.
Overall, the look of the phone now is transformed and the stainless steel band around the edge of the phone will also give it some resilience against being dropped.
Features
Whilst many of the new features (multi-tasking etc) sound impressive, they are also be available on the 3GS (with the iOS4 launch) – so from a pure functionality point of view if you aren’t in the market to be doing a load of video calling or making movies using the HD video production features – then you may want to stay put. However, if you currently have another type of older Smartphone and you are coming to the end of your contract then the iPhone 4 is definitely worthwhile.
Price
Nowadays price is one of the key drivers when buying anything. There are plenty of deals to be had on the new iPhone and if you’re in the lucky position of just coming to the end of your current contract then you are in the perfect bargaining position for an upgrade. Cost of ownership is the key measurement to consider – you can either pay up front for a lower overall monthly fee or pay less initially and pay more monthly – the key thing to consider is how quickly you can upgrade the next time.
Tesco Mobile is offering an almost unheard of 12 month contract which means that if you‘re prepared to pay between £229 to £429 outright you could be free of your contract by the time the iphone 5 is being rolled out!
The Competition
So how does the iPhone 4 hold up against the competition? Well if we take three other popular models from competitors across the pond in the US – Droid Incredible, EVO 4G and Google Nexus One we can see that the iPhone 4 does not fare well across all categories.
Where it does win hands down is when comparing the Visual Display (almost twice competitor display resolution). On the down side the iPhone does not have flash compatibility or a MicroSD slot to expand storage (the other three do). The rear camera of the iPhone 4 has one of the lower specs with 5MP – Droid and EVO have 8MP with autofocus. Also the iPhone does not have FM radio as standard.
Overall
So is the iPhone worth the money? It depends. Overall the new iPhone truly offers a steep upward improvement in terms of technology, processing speed and design. If you are a 3G owner nearing the end of your contract then the iPhone 4 is a no brainer. If you are like me, a proud owner of a recently upgraded 3GS then it may be worth your while to sit tight and see what deals come your way further into the future.
