iPhone 3G performance with iOS 4.2 look promising (with video)

19 Comments

“We took a look at iPhone 3G running the iOS 4.2 GM seed, which is usually binary-identical to the final release and… the results were pretty good,” Rene Ritchie writes for TiPb. “iPhone 3G’s hardware isn’t as fast and it’s RAM is literally a quarter of iPhone 4’s but it did a decent job typing, scrolling, pinching, and zooming its way around iOS 4.2.”

Full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

19 Comments

  6. Montex – I’m with you. Except for slow down iOS 4.0 caused, I’m still happy with my white iPhone 3G (no “S”) and am too waiting for the iPhone 5. Battery life is down a little but still very respectable. Very happy with my iPhone 3G – yes my phone may be “missing” features – wallpaper, multi-tasking, Facetime, and others – but I find I do not miss what I never had.

    By the way, I think what you meant was you are happy to know that your phone will still run the latest version of the iOS software.

    Peace.

    Reply

  10. Why hold out for something that can only be marginally better, at best? Believe me when I say, the iPhone 4 kicks some serious ass. It’s much faster than my 3G-S was. Also, the retina display makes you realize exactly how bad your eyesight is getting.

    Multi-tasking is way sweet and the phone must feels much more portable and solid. The camera is so awesome that you don’t need to carry an extra one around. Apps run so fast that it’s really like night and day from previous models.

    Realistically, what can they add to an iPhone 5? OLED maybe? Too expensive, I think. More megapixels? It that even worth the wait? Any more RAM would rock, but honestly, 512 is super nice already. Unlock the dual core functionality of the A4? Maybe. Think also that you are going to have to wait an additional few more months for version 5, simply because Apple won’t be able to make them fast enough. Get the 4, live a little ” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />

    Reply

  11. Still feels like I got my 3G yesterday; it feels that “modern”. Sure an iPhone 4 would be nice to have, but for my needs, a 3G is still more than capable. I’m glad that 4.2 will improve things more than 4.1 did. I find that the typing is slow under 4.1 whenever network activity is happening. Clearly, it’s busy managing that.

    Reply

  12. I think Apple is following the tick-tock approach to iPhone development. The iPhone 4 is a tick, a major update, while the 3GS was a tock, a minor update. I wouldn’t wait for iPhone 5, except if you are hopelessly stuck on Verizon, as that may be the only major change. The iP4 is great, fast, great camera, great video, just 100% better than previous iPhones.

    Reply

  13. “It killed my poor 3G. Solution? Get a ip4. Thank Apple.”

    Gosh, and you think Apple is unaware people do this? Why do you think they don’t offer an easy path to re-install the older iOS version? You must buy a new one, you have no choice … unless you jailbreak, switch brands, … go Windows. So like most, you’ll grumble, then buck up for a new iPhone. Apple wins!

    Reply

  15. Comment from: Jfdi
    “It killed my poor 3G. Solution? Get a ip4. Thank Apple.”

    I have two friends who had 3G iPhones. Both want to ditch it for something else entirely (ie not an iphone) because they’re pissed the 4.0 update killed their productivity while giving them nothing substantial (folders didn’t benefit them since they didn’t have pages and pages of apps like I do. Bu then I have a 3GS), and they couldn’t easily downgrade back to 3.x.

    One I’ve convinced to wait til the 4.2 update to see if the responsiveness issues are addressed (looks like they should be), but that’s 4 months of crappy experience to overcome long term.

    Reply

  16. I would like to hear arguments for holding onto 3G, rather than upgrading to iP4 for $200. If I’m not mistaken, EVERY owner of 3G is eligible for purchase of iP4 at subsidised price. If that is the case, that means the subsidy on your 3G has been paid off in full (to AT&T), and you are therefore giving free money to AT&T for every month that you don’t upgrade to iPhone 4.

    Your 3G can fetch up to $250 on eBay/CraigsList. If you upgraded today, you’ll end up ahead by at least $50. If you wait until iP5 comes out, you’ll have wasted over $150 in monthly payments to AT&T, plus your 3G will likely fall below $200 by then.

    If you upgrade now, and then really, really want that iP5 next summer, you can always unload your iP4 for about $400 and get a reduced-subsidy iPhone for $400. You still break even.

    I really see no point in waiting even a single day beyond eligibility to upgrade with a new contract. You lose money, regardless of what you plan to do later on.

    Reply

  17. I’m not eligible for iP4 subsidy until the end of next February. But the iP5 will likely debut in July ’11 – eight months from now.

    Consider if I bought iPhone 4 now, I’d pay $500 for the 32GB version. As someone who spent $652.37 on the first iPhone, then another $400 for a 2nd after my first was stolen, and another $400 for the 3GS, I’m not in a hurry to plunk down another chunk of change for a phone that will be obsolete in less than a year. I can wait for iPhone 5.

    Reply

  18. I’ve noticed that after using bunch of apps my 3G slows down a lot, and that’s because the apps leave stuff in RAM. There are certain apps that do it more than others. The 4.2 should really have a button that clears the memory when needed.

    Reply

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