The iPhone 4 was just announced about an hour ago and already the uproar is incredible. It’s a completely new kind of iPhone, with features that will knock your socks off. For a really good summary of the new features, release dates, and prices, please visit this page. And for the best photos I’ve seen and a liveblog transcript please visit Engadget.
So the question ends up being this: is it worth the upgrade?
It all depends on your contract status and the state of your current iPhone. For example, I currently have an iPhone 3GS that is essentially new (I got a replacement from Apple under warranty for some damage) and I am only six months into my AT&T contract (aka NOT eligible for an upgrade at the moment). So no matter how much I want this new phone, it’s just not possible at the moment unless I care to shell out the big bucks (which I don’t). If you are eligible for an upgrade, however, (and please visit the link above for news on AT&T’s new and very generous upgrade timelines) it may be worth the $199-$299.
And here’s how you should go about it: Go to Gazelle.com and sell them your phone. For my brand new iPhone 3GS 16GB in perfect condition they offered me $226 (as of five minutes ago, but this WILL go down as we get closer to the iPhone 4 release). This will take a huge chunk of the cost off of your hands and if you are only getting a 16GB iPhone 4 you might even make some money off of your upgrade!
But if you’re not so sure you want to upgrade (or, if you’re like me and can’t at the moment), here are the pros and cons to help you make up your mind (or justify your decision):
Reasons to Upgrade to the iPhone 4
- Not expensive if your timing is right (see above)
- Cool new look
- Better camera
- Front-facing camera with chat
- Much better screen resolution
- Thinner
- Longer battery life
Reasons NOT to upgrade to the iPhone 4
- The iOS 4 operating system is where most of the cool features are, excluding the camera, and that will be available for free. It will have full compatibility with the iPhone 3GS and partial compatibility with the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (excluding 1st generation touches).
- Some may not like the new design
- You can live without a screen resolution that is better than our eyes can recognize
- As of right now, the main two killer things the iPhone 4 has that the 3GS doesn’t are the front-facing camera for chatting and a better battery. If you’re honest with yourself, you can live with the 3GS battery (I have been quite happy for six month without an issue). And the front-facing camera is only good for chatting, which as of this moment only supports iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 chatting and NOT any other chat services such as Skype!!! This makes the camera much less cool, as you will most likely not have anyone to chat with even if you do get the new phone.
So all in all, my assessment is to wait a little while. Apple isn’t as crazy as others (RIM *coughcough*) about getting new devices out there lickity split so you’ll have some time before this new device is surpassed. That’s not to say that if I had everything line up neatly with my contract and such that I wouldn’t be the first to pounce, but I don’t feel a great sense of loss that it’s not the case at the moment.
So what do you think? Did I miss something? Are you going to get the new iPhone 4 when it comes out later this month and why/why not?
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