From the Steve Jobs keynote to the competitor fears and the fanboy prognostication, Apple's new 3G iPhone has promised to be more powerful, faster and better than its first-gen predecessor in every way. But is it really? And how does the new mobile powerhouse compare with alternatives to the iPhone 3G? We've now spent hours in the PM lab running the super gadget through our rigorous smartphone review gamut, matching it up against the original iPhone and the touchscreen Samsung Instinct (Sprint's best-selling 3G device). Check out our hands-on video comparison here for tests on data speeds, call quality and daylight readability—you know, after all that yellow screen business. Then scroll down for results and overall impressions. ...



Test Results:

Backlight: We put three phones under the glaring summer sun and tested for readability.
Winner: Original iPhone

Data Speed: We clocked Web browser load times to PopularMechanics.com with a stopwatch.
iPhone 3G: 33 seconds /// Original iPhone: 70 seconds /// Samsung Instinct: 25 seconds
WINNER: Samsung Instinct, although its browser was far more difficult to navigate and read than either of the iPhones.

Call Quality: We rang up several friends and colleagues—on land lines and cellphones—to observe sound clarity. WINNER: iPhone 3G

First Impressions:

The new App Store is great, and should satiate those yearning for more functionality who don't want to take the risk of illicitly unlocking their expensive device. Applications download in seconds through either the 3G network or Wi-Fi. It appears that developers across the board placed an emphasis on stripping their applications down to the bare minimum. In practice, that means clean operation and quick downloads—good news for those who want to save every megabyte they can get for music and movies. And while games such as Super Monkey Ball cost a few bucks, there are some interesting offerings in the "Free" section. I particularly enjoyed "Light," which claims to turn your iPhone into a flashlight by simply turning your screen white. Would I pay for this? Of course not. But for free, it's fun—and easy on iPhone 3G's memory.

Physically, the phone differs from its predecessor in two key ways. First, the headphone jack is (finally) standard size. I tried plugging in a variety of headphones, and they all worked just fine, although the small jack of the included Apple earbuds makes them a good physical fit. The other difference is in back: The first iPhone had a metal back, but the smooth, glossy plastic on the 3G version is an absolute magnet for fingerprints.

Overall, the new iPhone is a step up over the first generation in just about every way. It's faster, the onboard GPS does a solid job of pinpointing locations (although there aren't yet any applications that allow for Garmin-esque, turn-by-turn directions), and it's nice being able to use any set of headphones we like. If you were thinking of buying an iPhone, I can say, without qualification, that this is a good time to buy. There is no way Apple is going to lower the price anytime soon, and it will likely be at least another year until we see a hardware update. In the meantime, any incremental updates can be downloaded—and probably for free. —Seth Porges