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Apple iPhone 3GS User Reviews

Overal user rating

Good 8 out of 10 56 Reviews

The overall rating is the average of all user reviews, while the overall alternatives are the ones that has been listed most.

Reception 6/10
Display 5/10
Build quality 9/10
Text input 7/10
Everyday usage 8/10
UI speed 7/10
Camera 6/10
Multimedia 6/10
Internet 8/10
Call quality 7/10
Battery 5/10
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Please note that each user review reflects the opinion of its respectful author and not of Phone Arena.

lolish123 posted on 16 Nov 2009, 04:32

Average 6

What A load Of Rubbish!

There was all this hype over the iphone when it first came out and now it's just a big fat letdown.The camera is crap and there just introducing things that many other phones have had for years.The only plus is the apps which are great but they don't come preloaded and a lot of the good ones aren't free so your basically paying extra to make the phone better when the phone is already too expensive.Xoxo

Pros

  • Apps =)

Cons

  • Everything else it's a heap of junk.
  • And it's far too expensive.

6 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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awesomeguy69 posted on 11 Nov 2009, 12:23

Poor 4

it's okay

It's really, really great for music.  If you're into childish little apps and games, then it's great for that too.

It has pretty bad call quality, and I drop calls quite a lot.  My 3G barely ever works.  In addition, it's pretty damn ugly.  And so are the menus.  There is seriously no customization whatsoever.  The camera is also pretty disappointing. 

If you are connected to WiFi, the internet is amazing!  Very easy to use.  It also has great GPS and Facebook and Twitter apps.

It's a decent device, but as a phone, its pretty sub-par.

Pros

  • Internet
  • Battery Life

Cons

  • Customization
  • Ugly
  • Camera
  • Call Quality

4 out of 15 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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RodThaBod posted on 07 Nov 2009, 10:05

Excellent 9.7

Great Phone but........

I have nothing bad to say about this phone. It is great. The bad part is , the network it is on. ATT is not a great network. I think ATT has just sat around and let Verizon pass them. Look at the 3G network map. Verizon is everywhere and ATT is pretty much no where.

Pros

  • The phone is AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Cons

  • Too bad the phone is on a terrible network.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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bigred0308 posted on 03 Nov 2009, 14:16

Good 6.7

The i cant do phone

The phone that cant do many things



Dont get me wrong its a nice phone but what good is a phone if the network sucks


I would never buy this phone even if it was free


But thats just my opinion others think it is the best phone out

Pros

  • nice looking phone good touch screen

Cons

  • just go to androiddoes.com and it will tell you what the iphone cant do

3 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Anonymous posted on 11 Oct 2009, 21:22

Excellent 9.7

great phone

 This phone is great. good camera call qauility and has the best touch screen availible. The people who wrote the negative reviews only did that because they are verizon and sprint users even though att sucks. you will never be bored with this phone i have it. There is so much to do that you might forget to check your mail or something. I just wish it had a removable battery or something but i guess that makes it more sofisticated.

9 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Tron posted on 25 Sep 2009, 07:23

Excellent 9.7

Niceo

 The iPhone 3Gs is a great phone, it does everything I need it to do and is capable of doing more. There are some annoying things about it, like the fact that you have to press back to close the text field in messages and sometimes the accelerometer gets stuck going from landscape to portrait mode in the messages app. However the iPhone is hands down the best smart phone on the market. The multi touch UI is fluid and intuitive, no other phone matches the iPhone in this department. No it doesn't multitask, but look at the phones that do users are constantly complaining about slow performance and battery life. Well thats, because multitasking uses more memory and since those apps are running in the background they are still open and using battery power as well. To Rhett I understand where you are coming from with the magnifying glass, but if you into settings--->general-->keyboards and turn on caps lock when you double click on the arrow on the keyboard it will turn blue and that's caps lock. Also MMS does work, I've had my MMS working late Thursday night. Just update the carrier files from iTunes, you don't need to wait for At&t you can download them yourself and load them in if MMS is that big of a deal to you. Check attached photo if you don't believe me. I would also like timestamps too, I find that annoying as well. 

Pros

  • Mobile Safari
  • App Store
  • Fluid/Intuitive UI
  • Built in VPN
  • Built in iPod Touch

Cons

  • None really now that MMS is supported.
  • No time stamps in messages
  • have to press back in messages app to get rid of text field.

11 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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a posted on 23 Sep 2009, 20:57

Excellent 8.7

iphone

first of all rhett,

the iphone DOES have caps lock - you double tap the shift key and it turns into caps lock.

MMS is part of the OS 3.0 and therefore has been implemented already

there is no arrow key to move the cursor while typing, you hold your finger down on it and the magnifier comes up with a cursor and you move it. read the finger tips on apple's site.


www.apple.com/support/iphone - go there 

9 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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iPHONE3 posted on 22 Sep 2009, 17:44

Excellent 10

The best phone

This phone is the best every ! the reason I'm saying this is based on qualty. It can do anything that ANY other phone can do, better. It lookes great, fills great , works great, easy to use, does anything, and it is made be apple. Thats all there is to it. I don't have to say anything else. But I will, this phone is so nice that I will never have another type of phone ever. The best part about this phone is that it will only get better as updates come out. C apple gives iphone customers free updates every so offten. It may fix anything from texting, to battery life, to mms. which by the way apple didn't let that happen b/c of the pic quailty is not as good when you mms pic as to email. C when you email a pic it will turn out better! which emailing is free texting anyways. These mobileity store verizon, tmobile, etc have made texting to make more money. where if you have mobile data then you could email (aka texting)  for no extra charge with web browsing.

Pros

  • EVERYTHING

Cons

  • NOTHING

4 out of 12 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Rhett posted on 20 Sep 2009, 16:23

Good 7

The iphone 3GS is NOT perfect.   here is the list of what needs to be changed/fixed-Vibrate not very strong-MMS (they claim it is coming, but should have been here day 1)-Every line of texts need time/date stamp, not the random times the phones does-TEXT TONE per contact.  my old LG could do it, y not the newer phones.-the "shake to undo" feature can't be turned off-Slow to rotate to/from landscape -the "home" screen does not display in landscape-NO arrow key to move cursor when typing-Can't text to an email-once key pad is open in a text you have to go back to get rid of it.  makes reading texts hard-NO CAPS LOCK!-need character counter in texts-need to be able to run more than one app-BIGGEST PROBLEM  AT&T!!!!But with all that, i am keeping the phone just because of the internet.  But as soon as verizon gets the phone.  i am switching back. 

Pros

  • internet

Cons

  • See review, AT&T, NO INSURANCE, itunes,

3 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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EDub posted on 07 Sep 2009, 01:06

Excellent 10

iPhone Review

I work for AT&T, but trust me, it doesn't make my biased. Quite the opposite in most cases, but we won't venture down that road.As far as this phone, the iPhone 3GS, there is nothing to compare it with. Seriously, there are a lot of cool phones out there, and many have some of the functions, but not one has all of the functions that can be done with the iPhone. 1,000,000,000+ apps and counting in the iTunes store. Get real! Get one!

Pros

  • All of the above

Cons

  • That you have to go through iTunes (unless you jailbreak it and void the warranty)

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Oldman1 posted on 02 Sep 2009, 14:14

Excellent 10

A phone even a old man could love.

Did not realize this phone could be so easy to use. I'm all about music and this is unlike anything I have ever used. Speed of accessing pictures is fast, not like other cell phones I have had. Internet is simply the best.

Pros

  • Music
  • pictures
  • Internet

Cons

  • None

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Prettyeyes0520 posted on 28 Aug 2009, 08:49

Excellent 10

Love this phone!

I was not suprised when I got this phone. I expected the best and I got the best. I pod feature is the best out.Looks of phone is so classy. Much improved over my old 3g.

Pros

  • Looks
  • I pod
  • App Store

Cons

  • If I had to pick one it would be Battery could be longer lasting.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Techridder01 posted on 28 Aug 2009, 08:30

Excellent 10

Very Nice Phone

This is a very nice phone.I love watching movies on it. Music is super. I listen at work all the time.The apps are very good and not as expensive as ones for other phones I have had. Battery is good considering how much I use.Really love this phone.

Pros

  • Apps
  • Movies
  • Music
  • ease of use of phone
  • Visual voice mail

Cons

  • non at this time

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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TimeTraveler posted on 27 Aug 2009, 09:33

Excellent 10

Impressed

Got to admit I didn't believe the reviews, but I was wrong. This is one fantastic phone.I should have gotten one sooner.Watching movies is great. What can I say about the games and other Apps.It has won me over.

Pros

  • Apps
  • Screen
  • quality of the phone
  • ease of use

Cons

  • non that I can find

2 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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AJsool posted on 16 Aug 2009, 21:23

Excellent 10

Great phone

This phone is realy a good phone it has great reception good batterie life.
The new 3gs makes a nice diffrence from previous iphones.
If you buy a mophie juice pack and it says its not compatible dont take it back charge the phone with the mophie and make sure its pluged in and let it charge all night.

Pros

  • batterie life
  • reception
  • touch
  • internet
  • dont need to bring laptops on trips
  • apps

Cons

  • none so far

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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zjw22796 posted on 15 Aug 2009, 22:41

Good 8.3

Nothing comes close

There are over 50,000 apps to choose from the app store. Also there is a 3.2 mp camera with video recording and auotfocus. One of the better features about this phone is that the software constantly keeps updating wich makes the phone much better and operate more smoothly. This phone is twice as fast as the 3g and with saying that the internet is pretty fast. Also there are a lot of fun cases to put your iphone in. Now to get to  the bad stuff. First talking on the phone for 2 to 3 hours or going on the internet for 2 to 3 hours burns practically all of your battery. plus you might like a physical keyboard. [ touchscreen keyboard is very responsive with 3.0 update ] Another bad thing is that 1 minute you have 3g and the next minute you have 0 bars. Sometimes the internet crashes for some reasons bit im sure that will be fixed with the 3.0 software update. And lastly the phone heats up when you use it like a daily cellphone user. But these are just minor bugs that will eventually be fixed. I've had thge pre and storm. DONT GET EITHER. I will explain in another review on here later. But overall no phone can touch the iphone #gs. Not just in the country, but in the whole entire world. O yea i forgot to say that wifi is included in the iphone and  you can use this phone around the world. The pre , storm, my touch, touch pro 2, and instict dont stand a chance. Thanks, hope you found this review helpful.

14 out of 16 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Will posted on 31 Jul 2009, 02:37

Excellent 9.7

Fantastic

I am a huge cell phone buff, i usually switch my phone every 6 moths to a year, but with this phone i have not needed to do so, i upgraded from the 3g which i absolutely loved to now my 3gs which is incredible. The speed the usability and just the overall functionality of the phone is stellar. I dont know how i would ever go back to another phone after having this one.

Pros

  • speed
  • video recording w/ edit
  • best touchscreen of any phone ive used
  • very user friendly

Cons

  • none =)

5 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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fun berg's review. posted on 15 Jul 2009, 09:43

Excellent 9.7

Best phone yet!

My iPhone is my life! Everything i need is right on it, like texting, pictures, calls, notes, calculator, my ipod, and even the apps. Calling and making three-ways are extremely easy and i think the connection is great. I love the SMS texting and the set-up. The new software was deffinatley a step up, however i did not download it yet on my phone. The fingerprint management is poor, but it's easy to clean or wipe off. I would perfer getting a hard shell case with this phone, because i did get some nasty scratches on the back. I can do anything with this phone and i love it! However, if you talk on the phone for about 2-3 hours, i would recomend fully charging your phone.
There's so much to do with it!! Best phone yet.

Pros

  • - everything but the CONS :D

Cons

  • - finger print management
  • - battery goes quick while talking on the phone for a long time

3 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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MALIX posted on 14 Jul 2009, 12:13

Excellent 9.3

Most Practical, UserFriendly, and Useful Tool.

This is NOT a phone!!!  This is a tool with ability to make calls.  I had the 3G version for about a month when 3GS version came out -- and the changes have much improved what was a great product to begin with.  The first product that didnt have anything I didnt need -- all programs I use -- no extra clutter, which you can download for free if you really want it.  It is much faster then the predessessor, both in processing and speed.   I dont need a navigation system in my car anymore.  I dont need internet at home anymore.  I dont need some of my handiman tools anymore (level, compass, tapemeasurer, etc)  I dont need my airhockey table anymore, lol -- free program to download. Google Earth is a free program that tilts with your phone as if you're looking at the landscape from a plane window.  You have an iphone -- you have all these things.
Oh, the typing (or mistyping) on the screen is improved by 300% imo.  I have not misstyped anything since i had the 3GS model.  This cannot be replaced by a traditional querty phone because the ability to change the keyboard to any language you want easily while you type. 
Must mention the drawbacks though.
1.  Hmmm...
2.  I'm sure there's a couple
3.  Oh it has had a brain-fart: it froze for a moment once. (the 3G older version did that maybe 3 times while i had it.)
4.  Everyone wants to play with it.
5.  Asks you if you want to "save the location"...  

Pros

  • My technologically-challenged, cannot-use-a-mouse-Mom wants one, because she found it easier to use then her basic cell phone.
  • GPS Rotates to your direction
  • Everyone one is making special programs and websites for it -- banks, stock brokers, etc.
  • There's virtually no end to this list -- digitally or physically

Cons

  • Like I said, everyone wants to play with it.

10 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Nathan Falu posted on 10 Jul 2009, 07:20

Excellent 9.3

I reccommend it

I got the iPhone 3Gs about 2 weeks ago and love it. I have had a smartphone for about 3 years (At&t 8125, 8525, and the Tilt) and would say the iPhone is just a good if not better than the HTCs. If you are looking for a phone, music device and entertainment product in one device. This is it. The 3Gs is far faster than the 3G one.

Pros

  • Small
  • Light weight

Cons

  • No flash for camera
  • Confusing when looking to get new ringtones
  • Speakers could be a lil bit louder
  • Would be really nice if it was waterproof

5 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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jon2009 posted on 09 Jul 2009, 09:12

Excellent 10

ATT Customer Service???

First I'd like to say how much ATT customer service S!@#%!!!  They are idiots.  That said, ATT has the better reception in the area I live.  I cannot get one of these phones to save my life.  I ordered one through apple online.  After over a week of the phone not being shipped I made my way to the apple store.  They had them in stock. I canceled my online order and suddenly my upgrade date changed to September!!!  I was told by apple I now had to pay full price for this phone.  I then went to the ATT store across the street.  They could not help me b/c I apparently ordered the phone online and it was out of their hands.  I spoke to ATT customer service (oxymoron) and the person I spoke to could not comprehend my situation.  It was like a broken record, "your upgrade date is September, blah, blah...  I finally spoke to a supervisor over the phone who told me I could now only buy the phone thru ATT b/c the note in the computer is only available to be viewed by ATT.  I ordered the phone on Monday.  Was told phone would be shipped shortly and as of today has it been shipped....NO!!!  Has customer service and common sense been thrown out the window b/c the computer says so???  Thanks for letting me vent.  Sincerely, love the iphone but think ATT are idiots.

Pros

  • Awesome Phone/Computer

Cons

  • ATT Customer Service, or lack there of.

5 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Olin posted on 08 Jul 2009, 17:04

Excellent 9.7

iPhone 3GS is best hands down..

because of the faster processor and the ram.  I don't worry about any apps crashing because I run out of memory.  I'm very happy with this iPhone and I have all 3 generations.  iPhone is the best phone I have ever had. 

Pros

  • Processor is fast.
  • 32GB for tons video and music.
  • Video/Camera with auto focus.
  • Voice Control works great while driving using bluetooth car stereo.
  • Bluetooth is better..

Cons

  • Still no multi-tasking applications..
  • Bluetooth needs file tranfer added..
  • at&t... Need I say more?
  • Have to jailbreak to get everything I want out of the phone..

5 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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M is 4 Michael posted on 08 Jul 2009, 14:29

Excellent 10

.... Super HOT ( no realy it's hot )

Great phone ... no complains .... a lot of new little things but that matter

Pros

  • 3.0 soft
  • app store
  • 50.000 app's for u to play
  • good camera with AF
  • oleophobic coating
  • 2x faster than the 3g

Cons

  • ... hmmm i would say the ovearheating ... of course it is because of the procesor .... but if you don't stress it to much it's o.k.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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Windsponge posted on 06 Jul 2009, 13:45

Excellent 10

The best gotBetter

I am a verizon customer who has bought both 3g and 3gs. I tried touch pro, Storm, and kept an Omnia.Which I no longer use because If i am going to pay for data I want to be able to use it.The 3gs is all that and more . Better camera, Much faster, Quality of phone in all areas. I will keep paying two phone bills till Verizon gives me a phone like this....Don't tell me pre it doesnt come close.I love this phone. Wish all friends and family would switch then I would drop Verizon.I can't believe anyone would not think this is even better than 3g.

Pros

  • Great Camera
  • Compass is fun
  • Voice comands is really good
  • so easy to use ..eaiser than regular phone
  • Everything else

Cons

  • None as of this time

8 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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hindutaxidriver posted on 28 Jun 2009, 16:17

Excellent 10

GREAT PHONE!!

this phone is very good i got it the day it came out i had the previous version the 3g and i  noticed this one goes much faster in the way it processes informationa and whatnot but i deffinetly recomend this phone to everybody on the at&t network

Pros

  • camera Speed apps compass landscape keyboard mms many more...

Cons

  • its all good

2 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Do you?

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