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Apple iPhone 3GS

Apple iPhone 3GS
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Posted: 08 Jun 2009 Announced: 08 Jun 2009
Market Status: Released
Release date: 19 Jun 2009
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US carrier availability: AT&T - Available (Since 19 Jun 2009)
Links: Apple iPhone 3GS manual Apple iPhone 3GS Official Page Apple iPhone 3GS Review Motorola DROID, Apple iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre: side by side Apple iPhone 3GS and HTC Nexus One: side by side HTC HD2 and Apple iPhone 3GS: side by side Apple iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS: side by side AT&T phones

Apple iPhone 3GS adds support for HSDPA 7.2 Mbps fast data and a digital compass. The new model from Cupertino's factory also has an improved battery life and working speed - loading is much more faster. The camera is upgraded to a 3-megapixel sensor with autofocus and tap to focus option and is capable of video recording with a VGA resolution (640x480 pixels). In the other aspects, Apple iPhone 3GS is pretty much the same as the previous version and has a 3.5" multi-touch display with resolution of 480x320 pixels, Wi-Fi, GPS and it has the same size.

Rating

Excellent 8.5 out of 10

Good

6.9 out of 10

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Apple iPhone 3GS specifications

also known as Apple iPhone 3G S

Pros

No pros

Cons

Slow processor (600 MHz)
Too little RAM memory (256 MB RAM)
Low-resolution camera (3 megapixels)
Low-resolution video capture
Lacks microSD slot for storage expansion
Proprietary USB connector - have to use its cable for computer connection instead of a standard microUSB

Design

Device type:
- Smart phone
OS:
OS - Phone that has capabilities, not usually associated with phones. Usually it has some of the above features: - Email, Web browsing - Personal information management - LAN connectivity etc
- iOS (5, 4.x, 3.x)
Form factor:
Form factor - Refers to the form factor of a phone. The main handset designs are bar, clamshell, slide, swivel
- Candybar
Dimensions:
Dimensions - Phone's dimensions
- 4.50 x 2.40 x 0.48 (115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm)
Weight:
Weight - Phone's weight
- 4.76 oz (135 g)
  the average is 4.4 oz (126 g)
Side Keys:
Side Keys - Buttons on the side of the phone, designed to be used by fingertips while holding the phone - one-handed operation.
- Left: Volume control, Other
Colors:
- Black, White

Display

Physical size:
- 3.50 inches
Resolution:
Resolution - Refers to the width and the height of the display
- 320 x 480 pixels
Pixel density:
- 165 ppi
Technology:
Technology - Refers to the type of the color displays. There are five major types: LCD, TFT, TFD, STN and OLED
- LCD
Colors:
Colors - Shows the number of colors that the display supports
- 16 777 216
Touchscreen:
- - Capacitive, Multi-touch
Features:
- Light sensor, Proximity sensor

Battery

Talk time:
Talk time - Maximum talk time in hours
- 12.00 hours
  the average is 7 h (448 min)
Stand-by time:
- 12.5 days (300 hours)
  the average is 16 days (390 h)
Music playback:
- 30.00 hours
Video playback:
- 10.00 hours
Capacity:
Capacity - Shows the battery capacity in mAh
- 1219 mAh
Type:
Type - Refers to the battery type. Three major battery typesare used: Li-Ion, Li-Polymer, Ni-MH
- Li - Ion

Hardware

Processor:
- Single core, 600 MHz
Graphics processor:
- - PowerVR SGX 535 GPU
System memory:
- 256 MB RAM
Built-in storage:
- 32000 MB

Camera

Camera:
Camera - Camera specs
- - 3 megapixels, Immobile
- Features:
  - Auto focus, Touch to focus, Geo tagging
Camcorder:
- - 640x480 (VGA) (30 fps)

Multimedia

Music player:
Music player - Audio support such as MP3
- Supported formats:
  - MP3, AAC, WAV
Video playback:
Video playback - Video support such as MPEG4
- Supported formats:
  - MPEG4, H.264, MOV
Speakers:
- Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Streaming:
- - Audio, Video
YouTube player:
- Yes

Internet browsing

Browser:
Browser - Capability to access special Internet sites using the mobile phone
- - Safari
- Supports:
  - HTML
Built-in online services support:
- YouTube (upload)

Technology

GSM:
GSM - Global System for Mobile communications. A world standard for digital cellular communications using narrowband TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access), which allows up to eight calls at a time on 800 MHz and 1800 MHz frequencies. Introduced in 1991. Is the standard most commonly used in Europe and Asia, but not in the United States. GSM phones use a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) smart card that contains user account information. Any GSM phone becomes immediately programmed after plugging in the SIM card, thus allowing GSM phones to be easily rented or borrowed. SIM cards can be programmed to display custom menus for personalized services.GSM provides a short messaging service (SMS) that enables text messages up to 160 characters in length to be sent to and from a GSM phone.
- 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS:
UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service, also called WCDMA, is a 3G (Third Generation) packet-based transmission of text, digitized voice, video, and multimedia at data rates up to 2 Mbps. It is based on GSM standard and is supported by major standards bodies and manufacturers
- 850, 1900, 2100 MHz
Data:
Data - Shows the particular phone's type of data. the major mobile phone data types are GPRS, CDMA2000 1xRTT, EDGE, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, UMTS, etc.
- HSDPA 7.2 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE
Global Roaming:
Global Roaming - Global Roaming is the convenience of having a mobile phone to make and receive calls, send and receive SMS while you travel overseas with your regular mobile number. Usually the Global phones support multiple frequencies like - 900/1800/1900 mhz.
- Yes
Satellite system:
- GPS
Navigation:
- Yes

Phone features

Phonebook:
- Unlimited entries, Multiple numbers per contact, Picture ID, Ring ID
Organizer:
- Calendar, Alarm, Document viewer, Calculator (Office 2007, Office 2003, PDF), Timer, Stopwatch
Messaging:
- SMS, MMS, Threaded view, Predictive text input
E-mail:
E-mail - Shows if the phone supports email features
- - IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange, MobileMe
Instant Messaging:
- - Yes
Games:
- - Yes

Connectivity

Bluetooth:
Bluetooth - Low power radio technology replacing the need for wires connecting electronic devices such as personal computers, printers, palm top computers and mobile phones.
- - 2.1, EDR
- Profiles:
  - Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP), Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol (AVCTP), Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol (AVDTP), Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile (AVRCP), Bluetooth Network Encapsulation Protocol (BNEP), Generic Access (GAP), Generic Audio/Video Distribution (GAVDP), Handsfree (HFP), Public Area Network (PAN), Phone Book Access (PBAP), Serial Port (SPP), Service Discovery Protocol (SDP)
Wi-Fi:
Wi-Fi - Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) - used radio waves (RF) or infrared signals to send and receive data over the air. Most popular WLAN solutions today is Wi-Fi (802.11b and 802.11g) standards. 801.11b provides data speeds of around 11mbps while 802.11g can go up to 54 mbps.
- - 802.11 b, g
USB:
- - USB 2.0
- Connector:
  - Proprietary
Headphones connector:
- 3.5mm
- Computer sync, OTA sync
Charging connector:
- Proprietary

Other features

Notifications:
- Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Phone profiles, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Sensors:
- - Accelerometer, Compass
- Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval:
FCC approval - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency, directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC's jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions. Every wireless phone device that that is sold in the U.S. has to be tested and approved for sale by the FCC.
- Date approved:
  Date approved - Shows the date when the particular phone is approved by the Federal Communications Commission
  - 08 Jun 2009
- - FCC ID value:
    FCC ID value - Shows the FCC Identifying value of the particular phone
    BCGA1303A link
FCC measured SAR:
FCC measured SAR - The exposure standard for mobile devices employs a unit of measurement known as the Specific Absorption Rate, or SAR. The SAR limit stated in the international guidelines is 2.0 W/ kg*. Tests for SAR are conducted using standard operating positions with the device transmitting at its highest certified power level in all tested frequency bands. Although the SAR is determined at the highest certified power level, the actual SAR of the device while operating can be well below the maximum value.
- Head:
  - 1.19 W/kg
- Measured in:
  - 1900 MHz
- Body:
  - 0.33 W/kg
- Measured in:
  - 1900 MHz

Availability

Officially announced:
- 08 Jun 2009

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Alternative variants

We list only the specs that are different than the main variant

Apple iPhone 3GS 8GB

Hardware

Built-in storage:
- 8192 MB

Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB

Hardware

Built-in storage:
- 16000 MB

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