So abundant bottle is agleam and beautiful, but we accept a brace of concerns. Despite the oleophobic blanket on both the foreground and aback sides, the bottle attracts smudges by the ton. Also, even admitting Apple CEO Steve Jobs promises that bottle bigger resists scratches and cracks than plastic, we’ll be watching abiding durability. The iPhone 4 has a solid, athletic feel, admitting we didn’t adulation its aciculate corners. It survived a few drops to a carpeted floor, but we admiration how it will bear traveling in a abridged with keys and coins. Luckily, the Apple-supplied bonanza will action bare protection, even if it takes abroad from the handset’s glassy profile. Time will acquaint how it holds up to abundant use.

The iPhone 4 (left) compared with the iPhone 3G.

At 4.5 inches alpine by 2.3 inches advanced by 0.37 inch deep, the iPhone 4 is as alpine as the iPhone 3GS, but hardly thinner–25 percent, to be exact–and attenuated if abstinent beyond its foreground face. It does feel abate if compared with its predecessors, but we don’t anticipate that’s a bad thing. Jobs alleged it the thinnest smartphone around, but aback that chase changes daily, it may not authority the appellation for long. If put on the scales it comes in at 4.8 ounces, which is aback to what we had with the aboriginal iPhone (both the 3G and 3GS models were hardly lighter). We aspect the added ambit to the bigger battery, so we’re not traveling to complain. And added to the point, the aberration is almost noticeable.

User controls

Other new architecture elements awning a new front-facing VGA camera, a new LED beam with the capital camera lens, and a new noise-cancellation microphone on the phone’s top side. Needless to say, we acceptable the additions aback they represent new functionality (See the Appearance area for added details). We aswell don’t apperception the new breach aggregate buttons, aback they’re a bit easier to butt than the antecedent aggregate rocker.

The handset has a athletic feel in the hand.

Above the aggregate controls is the accepted aphasiac switch, which Apple aswell gave a baby makeover. In bigger changes, Apple confused the SIM agenda aperture to the appropriate aback and switched to a Micro-SIM format, just like the iPad. According to Jobs, the Micro-SIM architecture allows added amplitude for the beyond battery. Just accumulate in apperception that you will not be able to use a accepted SIM in the phone.

The actual exoteric elements are abundantly unchanged. The Home button is in its accustomed abode beneath the display; the 3.5mm angle jack and ability key sit up top next to the aloft noise-cancellation microphone; and the 30-pin connector, microphone, and apostle are area they accord on the iPhone 4′s basal end. Unfortunately, and to no one’s surprise, you still can’t abolish the battery.

In the box arise the accepted accessories, like the baby bank plug, a USB/30-pin adapter cable, and the accepted Apple earbuds. Oddly, you do not get the SIM abatement apparatus that came with the antecedent models. True, you can use a baby cardboard clip, but we’re afflicted that we didn’t get it. Apple didn’t accept an account for the omission.

The iPhone 4′s antennas blanket about its attenuate profile.

Antennas

The stainless animate bound is added than just decorative; it doubles as two new antennas that amphitheater the absolute phone, bare three baby notches. Seriously, leave it to Apple’s automated architecture aggregation to accomplish an antenna pretty. The aboriginal antenna, which runs from the cleft on the top of the buzz to the cleft on the larboard side, is for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. That leaves the additional antenna, which spans from the top cleft down the appropriate ancillary and about to the basal of the phone, for EDGE and 3G.

Though Apple did not accurately affiance that the new antennas would advance alarm above or Wi-Fi reception, their actual actuality is an aberrant acceptance (and the aboriginal that we’ve credible by the company) that abstracts and articulation accession accept been alarming and charge to be addressed. Admitting accepted iPhone users abundantly accusation AT&T for connectivity problems, bethink that both a carrier’s adjustment and a phone’s antenna play a allotment in reception. Yet, as we acknowledgment beneath in the Performance section, the antenna didn’t magically cure all accession issues. In fact, it even acquired new problems.

Display and interface

Sometimes the best allowance is something that you didn’t apperceive you wanted, and that’s absolutely the case with the iPhone 4′s display. It appearance a 940×640-pixel (326 pixels per aboveboard inch) “Retina Display,” which is four times the resolution of antecedent iPhone models. What’s more, it uses the aforementioned IPS awning that’s begin on the iPad, with an 800:1 adverse ratio. Admitting we’ve consistently anticipation awful of the accepted iPhone displays, the aggregation needs to attempt with the attractive AMOLED screens and TFT displays we’ve credible on abounding Android phones like the HTC Evo 4G. And that’s absolutely what it’s done.

The iPhone’s affectation is beautiful. Just aloft is the VGA camera lens.

Though “stunning,” “gorgeous,” and “dazzling” are words we usually use to call high-quality smartphone displays, we’re not abiding if they do the iPhone 4 justice. Accept us that aggregate about this affectation is fantastic, from the adventurous colors and cartoon to the vividly bright text. You can see it analytic able-bodied in absolute ablaze and the abstracts on Web pages, photos, videos, and applications are as aciculate as they come. But the best affair is that you can’t see any pixels on the display. It’s absolutely arresting and abnormally credible if you authority it up next to the 3GS. No, we’re not absorbed to absolutely accept Apple’s affirmation that the affectation exceeds what’s barefaced by the animal eye, but there’s no abstinent that it looks good. We haven’t credible the chicken areas that users accept complained about. For added on the display, see the abounding testing after-effects from CNET Labs.

Of course, the iPhone 4 has the aforementioned ambient ablaze sensor, adjacency sensor, and accelerometer as the antecedent iPhones. We saw no change in their functionality. We would accept admired to see how Beam videos activated on the display, but you apperceive how that goes.

Features

With a abundant bulk of new goodies, the iPhone 4 runs circles about its 3GS antecedent in bringing new features. Some are different to the device, and others arise with the iOS 4 update. We’ll awning the closing accumulation first.

Multitasking: Admitting you’ve consistently been able to multitask with congenital iPhone appearance like the music player, the advantage is now attainable for third-party apps. Your primary admission point is a multitasking card that’s attainable by double-tapping the Home button. Already there, you’ll see a account of currently active applications alternating the basal of the affectation that you can annal through application a alongside feel swipe. The pop-up card shows alone four apps at a time, but you can accumulate abounding added in the tray.

The new multitasking affection is attainable by double-tapping the Home button.

Managing the multitasking card couldn’t be easier. To attainable a active app, annal admitting the card and tap its figure once. If you’re attainable to end an app, aboriginal use a continued columnist on the accompanying figure and afresh bang the tiny annul figure in the top larboard corner. Switching a part of apps is a simple action as well: as you move aback and forth, you’ll acknowledgment to the exact point you left. There’s aswell a bright faculty of organization, with the a lot of afresh acclimated app on the larboard side. All things considered, it’s a actual Apple experience.

But is it real?: As you’d expect, Apple’s multitasking works a little abnormally than on added smartphones. Instead of accepting all accessory assets attainable to every active app, iOS 4 lets alone seven app casework run in the background. According to Apple, this adjustment will accept beneath of a cesspool on assets like array activity and anamnesis than if it gave developers chargeless rein. Also, aback accomplishments apps about pause, it will chargeless the arrangement from accepting to alter assets and annihilate adjourned applications.

So what can you do in the background? Apple’s seven accustomed processes awning audio (you’ll be able to play Pandora radio, for example), VoIP casework like Skype, GPS/location for apps like TomTom, advance notifications, and bounded notifications (those that don’t to accept to go through a server), assignment completion, and fast app switching (apps about hide not to use the CPU). The closing two are a lot of notable. With assignment completion, an app will accomplishment something it’s already started even if you forward it to the background; it will forward you an active if it’s through. Fast app switching, on the added hand, is the app dawdling action that allows you to toggle aback and alternating bound and acknowledgment to the aforementioned abode you left.

Though some accept complained that the congenital limitations beggarly that iOS 4 doesn’t accept “real” multitasking, we anticipate “incomplete” is a bigger description. Granted, you can’t run aggregate in the background–your Twitter feed, for example, will not amend while paused–but iOS 4 does acquiesce you to run assertive appearance from assorted apps simultaneously. If that isn’t multitasking, afresh we don’t apperceive what is. What’s more, it wouldn’t be the aboriginal time Apple bound appearance or took best with development in adjustment to aftermath a adapted chump experience. You may not accede with such a philosophy, but Apple has consistently been honest about advancing it. Like so abounding things in technology, it just comes down to what works best for you.

You can abutting apps in the multitasking menu.

Nice, but not afar ahead: Even afterwards the continued wait, we’re absolutely admiring with the multitasking experience. As it has a aptitude for doing, Apple has presented the affection in a slick, easy-to-use manner. It performed beautifully, after anytime abolition or freezing the phone; it didn’t arise to abnormally affect array life; and it accomplishes what it sets out do. But even with able points, we wouldn’t accede that it’s the “the best” way to multitask (a accepted Apple claim). It may be glossy and save you a few clicks, but added approaches–such as the “deck of cards” interface on WebOS–continue to impress. Similarly, admitting bound multitasking may aftereffect in more-efficient ability management, we’ll accept to run allegory testing with added smartphones afore we can agree.

We aswell don’t allotment Jobs’ appearance that Apple’s band-aid isn’t a assignment manager. If he apparent iOS 4 endure April, Jobs took a dig at Android and added operating systems that crave you to abutting accomplishments applications that ability be slowing down the phone. “In multitasking, if you see a assignment manager…they blew it,” he said. “Users shouldn’t anytime accept to anticipate about it.” Fair enough, but we anticipate it’s a bulk of semantics. As with a lot of assignment managers, the iOS 4 multitasking card allows you to browse through active applications and abutting any that you’re no best using.

Granted, you may not accept to annihilate arctic applications as generally as you would on, say, a Windows Mobile phone, but you still accept that option. We aswell begin account quirks that are accepted with assignment administrator apps. Pressing the Home button once, for example, artlessly sends an app to the background; it does not end it completely. To do so, you’ll charge to attainable the multitasking menu, acquisition the accompanying icon, and end it there. And we couldn’t discount accession point: now that a double-tap of the Home button opens the multitasking menu, you can no best use the ascendancy as a adjustment for a appointed feature. As such, the advantage is gone from the Setting menu. A baby bulk to pay for a new feature, we suppose.

Apps will come: We apperceive that some CNET users are anxious that abounding absolute apps are not activity in the background. Accumulate in apperception that it will yield time for developers to amend their apps for multitasking capability. Apple plays no aphorism in authoritative those updates, so acquaintance the alone developers for a time frame.

Home awning folders: Admitting we adulation apps as abundant as the next person, we’ve become annoyed of scrolling through several pages of iPhone home screens. Thankfully, that has afflicted with the accession of home awning folders. This is accession accepted affection that aggressive accessories accept continued offered, so it’s nice to see Apple dispatch up.

Folders bright up amplitude on your home screen.

To get started, use a continued columnist on the home awning so the icons “jiggle.” If your icons are dancing (they’ll aswell accept a tiny annul figure in the corner), you can yield an app and bead it on top of accession to actualize a folder. The binder will afresh arise as a aboveboard with tiny icons of the included app inside. Tap the binder to admission the included apps and get an broadcast appearance of the folder’s contents. Alternatively, if you wish to abolish an app, just annoyance it aback to the home screen. It would be nice to able to baptize one app figure as the “cover” of the folder, but we apprehend we’re nitpicking.

Thankfully, you’re awarded a fair bulk of adaptability for binder organization. You can add as abounding folders as you like, change the absence binder name, and add both accompanying and different apps. Surprisingly, we could even accumulation bequest appearance like the Weather and Stock applications into a alone folder. The action is easy, but we wouldn’t say it offers a huge change from the agnate acquaintance on Android. And really, Apple, we’re bound to just 12 apps in one folder?

E-mail and enterprise: The iPhone consistently has been a anatomic e-mail machine, but we’ve never enjoyed switching aback and alternating a part of assorted accounts to apprehend new messages. Fortunately, iOS 4 has a new unified in-box that is attainable beneath the “Mail” advantage on your home screen. Listed aloft your alone in-boxes is a new advantage for “All inboxes,” which contains letters from assorted accounts. You can’t admission alone folders from the accepted in-box, but you can annul and move messages. Here again, it works well, but it’s not awfully above to how aggressive OSes handle the aforementioned process. Also, the accepted in-box doesn’t consistently accompany anon with the inboxes for alone accounts.

Other e-mail changes awning the adequacy to add assorted Exchange accounts, adapt e-mails by thread, jump anon to alone in-boxes, resize photos afore you send, and attainable accessories with a adopted app. All are nice, but we’ll burrow into a brace of our favorites for added detail. E-mails in a cilia will now be appointed by a baby amount on the larboard ancillary of the bulletin header. Clicking the amount will yield you to a abstracted awning that lists all accordant messages. It’s a nice touch, and we like that you can move or annul letters in the thread. We aswell like the new advantage to annul e-mails anon from seek results.