Check the reviews section for my review of Final Fantasy XIII. I just posted it as well.

As you know, I stood in line like a madman to get the iPhone 4. It's a good thing I preordered it, or I wouldn't be writing this product review. I should point out that this may be the last expensive product review I write in awhile. I have to start investing money to reviewing products like potentially a new house...and that eventual engagement ring that may pop up in the next year or so (my girlfriend doesn't read my reviews so no surprise ruined). Anyway here we go: iPhone 4: the super hyped iPhone that has everyone lining up like madmen. Wait I said that already.

What I love about this device

#1: The Screen, he HD capability, and the LED flash.

I know the Retina Display is a big hyped thing, and there is some controversy behind it. I'm here to tell you it looks gorgeous. The resolution is amazing. Games and even simple apps like Facebook look just awesome. They brought iBooks to the phone, and the text is so crisp, I tend to read more on the phone than on the iPad. More on the iPhone vs. the iPad later. The HD camera and iMovie make for some awesome quality chances to capture life. Plus I put more movies on it to watch them in HD. We FINALLY, FINALLY get a flash. It's bright, too. I almost blinded my brother. Although I'm only talking about a few things, Apple did a lot to catch up to what other phones were able to do for years. They manage to do it in a way that doesn't make the phone clunky or slow, and it works.

#2: The Sound

They finally put a noise-cancelling mic in, and increased the speaker volume so I can actually hear the thing on speakerphone. I'm one of those people adverse to bluetooth headsets. Instead, I set my phone somewhere it's easy for me to push the homescreen and use the voice control to dial in speakerphone (when I'm in the car of course, and I wait for red lights to make the call). I was barely able to hear the person on the other end with the noise outside and the noise of the heater/AC vents. I can very easily hear someone on speaker phone now, and I'm Lovin' it.

#3: The Battery Life

While I'm not too convinced that the battery life is really all that much better, I should point out the use comparison with my old 3Gs. On the old iPhone, I had Push Notifications turned off, AIM turned off, GPS and Location Services turned off, and the brightness turned down to a quarter. I would never play any games even though they were on the phone, and I wouldn't dare stream music. I would still end the day at 40% if I was lucky. Since I got the iPhone 4, I've turned AIM back on, GPS and Location Services stay on, AIM has Push, and the brightness is at default. I also play games a little more (Sim City, Need for Speed, but not for long as it's a battery intensive game, and I'm thinking of getting the Civilization game...plus Street Fighter IV and the Sims 3). I don't play games for long periods of time, but I feel comfortable playing them again. I still end the night between 30% and 40%. The phone is getting more use, but still gets me through the day. I didn't call it an improvement at first until I really looked at it. The battery life never goes down when it's on standby either. This is why I stick with Apple products. People complain about Walled Gardens and this and that, but who cares if your phone dies? Apple knows how to make things as efficient on battery life as they can.

What I don't love about the device:

#1  The outside structure is the antenna.

I bought a protective "bumper" case from Apple because the antenna system built into the outside structure of the phone scares me to death. Now I'm hearing complaints of people losing signal strength just because they're touching that stainless steel band unprotected. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I don't know that I like this design idea. It makes me way too paranoid in the way I handle the phone.

#2 The glass on the back as well as the front: fingerprint magnet!

I know the front is going to be prone to fingerprints due to it being a touchscreen, but now I have to deal with it on the back as well. It's pretty easily wiped, but I find I have to wipe both sides much more often. Dust shows very easily on both sides as well. At least the back isn't as prone to scratches as older models.

#3 They should have introduced the Retina Display on the iPad first then brought it over.

Apple introduced the A4 chip on the iPad and then brought it over to the iPhone, which is great because it contributes to a snappy, battery efficient phone in addition to my snappy, battery efficient iPad. Why didn't they introduce the Retina Display on the iPad? They had to know that iPad buyers would be buying the iPhone 4. Why introduce a better display on the phone than is on the iPad? All those iPad buyers are now going to spend more time on their phones because it is more pleasing to the eye. It makes me feel like Apple is screaming, "HA HA SUCKER!" as us loyal buyers.

Overall:

I was toying with getting an Android phone for awhile because they were starting to do a lot of things that the iPhone just wasn't able to do anymore. I'm glad I waited because this new phone pretty much solves any of my previous complaints. Although the design is meant to be flashy instead of functional, I still really enjoy what this new phone can do. I just hope it lasts me two years before they introduce a better one.

Score: 5/5