Digital Trends

Apple iPhone 3G 16GB September 22nd, 2008 | by Mike Kobrin

Look at it / What’s New

The back of the iPhone 3G is now glossy plastic and is contoured, providing better ergonomics than its predecessor's aluminum back but also giving it a more slippery feel. The 16GB model comes in black or white, while the 8GB model is black only. The physical volume and power/lock buttons and ringer switch on the side and top are now polished aluminum. The original iPhone's recessed headphone jack (which sprouted a mini-market of adapters and headsets) is thankfully gone in favor of one that's flush with the phone's top.

Everything else is held over from the first iPhone, including a 3.5-inch multi-touch display (480 by 320 tightly packed pixels), speakers on the bottom, a SIM tray on top, and a 2-megapixel camera lens on the back. The front is interrupted only by an earpiece and a physical Home button.

Overall, this is a wickedly sexy phone. It gets completely covered in fingerprints, so Apple included a cleaning cloth. We're big fans of the shrunk-down AC power adapter, but the stock iPhone headset and USB cable remain unchanged, and there's no dock or dock adapter.

Network Specifications

The iPhone is quad-band on GSM/EDGE networks, but the major addition is tri-band 3G support (UMTS/HSDPA) for better call quality and faster data throughput in the US and abroad. Another key addition is Assisted GPS, which tracks your location via cell towers and WiFi networks as well as GPS satellites. The feature is tightly integrated with Google Maps, but it also supports third-party apps.

Image Courtesy of Apple