voice control

Again showing Apple trailing behind competitors even as it leads them in some areas, voice commands are also new to the iPhone 3GS despite them existing on BlackBerries and other phones for years. They're certainly welcome all the same, and they can be potential time- or even life-savers by taking users' attention off of the phone and towards where they're going.

How well it works depends on the task at and and the noise conditions in the area. We found it works best for voice calls indoors. It's intelligent enough to recognize most names, including some partial names, and can narrow calling down to a specific contact without a second prompt. Saying "call John Smith home" will skip directly to that person's number. It's especially useful with the wired headset, though we'd warn buyers that it doesn't (yet) support Bluetooth headsets or speakerphones; as such, it's still not as good as some rival devices.

Music isn't as reliable as we'd like. While it can recognize certain artists and songs immediately, the voice recognition is prone to identifying the wrong artist or track even when the name should be simple. There are advanced music controls that don't exist on many other phones, such as invoking a Genius playlist or shuffling tracks, but these too at times don't register properly. Until Apple can improve the detection algorithm -- if that's the issue -- or otherwise improve the reliability of its voice system, we'd still recommend using physical headset controls (which now have volume buttons) and the touchscreen to steer most music.

battery life and call quality

Gauging battery life on the iPhone 3GS is difficult because of the added performance and feature set, but we've noticed that the iPhone seems to drain slightly faster than the iPhone 3G in spite of Apple's claims to the contrary. Some of this owes to where the battery is most likely to run dry. 3G calls and data, games, GPS and video recording are all going to consume battery life much more quickly than Wi-Fi browsing or calling on GSM, and the speed may actually work against power users by encouraging them to do more in a short space of time. Those who intend to record movies often or know they'll spend long periods of time away from Wi-Fi should still consider an external battery pack, although for mild to moderate use the 3GS should last for most or all of a typical work day.

Call quality is virtually identical -- that is to say, good. We had little trouble in understanding either end of a conversation, and the external speaker is loud if set at higher volume levels. It's not flawless as a small amount of detail is lost, but we'd place the newer iPhone in the upper range of quality compared to other phones we've tested, smartphone or otherwise.

a note on iPhone 3.0

We've already discussed features of the new iPhone 3.0 software that aren't specific to the 3GS, so those who want to explore device-wide search, voice memos and other key additions are encouraged to read our iPhone OS 3.0 test to see how they fare. It would be easy to summarize many of these as helpful, but not game-changing, additions to the core iPhone experience. They both take care of long-standing feature omissions as well as performance issues for older hardware.



On the 3GS, these changes are amplified: searches run faster, there's more storage for voice memos, and jumping between apps to copy and paste text is that much quicker. Dedicated navigation apps will undoubtedly reap some reward from mating the compass to 3.0's hooks for turn-by-turn directions, too. It's evident iPhone 3.0 was made for the new device, even if it provides a benefit to legacy hardware.

wrapping up and buying advice

As an evolutionary upgrade, the iPhone 3GS still won't please some without a fundamental change in its technology, if it can please them at all. The Palm Pre's multitasking isn't something that can be replicated without a major overhaul of the iPhone's user interface. Likewise, Apple's aversion to a hardware keyboard will deter those who are convinced they need physical feel to type well (they don't). We can't give it a perfect rating as a result, and we don't believe there will truly be such a thing as a perfect phone.

Certain features also appear to be rough or underused. Voice control is the most obvious example, but the compass needs more than just a single Google Maps feature and a simple stand-alone app to be useful.

But when seen in its entirety, the iPhone 3GS is still a very capable phone and a decided step forward for Apple. There's no one feature that will necessarily tip the balance; rather, it's the aggregation of a series of noticeable improvements that add up to a convincing package. If there's more than one feature that seems worth having, particularly the better camera or the improved speed, it can well be worth the upgrade -- at least, if your carrier will give you a full subsidy on the otherwise high price. Some carriers won't allow full upgrade discounts due to the already high discounts they're forced to apply, and if you're one of those who bought an iPhone 3G in 2008 or early 2009, it's harder to justify upgrading so soon unless you can't live without certain new features that iPhone 3.0 doesn't already supply.

Perhaps the best compliment that can be given to the 3GS is that it eliminates many of the reasons for picking a competitor's phone instead. Autofocus and video recording aren't only in effect; they're done well. Its voice control is at least on par with other devices and is at times better, even if its music control isn't where we'd like. And once apps are written to exploit the compass and faster performance, the new iPhone may simply be in another league. It could be prudent for those who just bought into the iPhone last year to wait, but for original iPhone owners or those switching to the platform for the first time, the 3GS is most likely the best upgrade Apple could have hoped to deliver in the space of a single year.

by Jon Fingas