So what had been added to the new iPhone 3GS for you not to think that it was not somewhat a low-key upgrade? Well here’s the key improvements on the iPhone 3GS that we’ve come to notice, the new iPhone 3GS has improved performance (on speed and battery life), a digital compass, bigger memory, voice control and video recording, a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, and the new 32GB storage option.

Improved Performance:

We’re not talking about the iPhones user interface or any additional applications – everything that runs on the iPhone 3GS can run on the iPhone 3G, but the 3GS is significantly faster “S -for speed”. Rather than to introduced new features or new apps, Apple decided to concentrate on speed over the previous generation making iPhone 3GS a ‘more powerful’ model over the previous one.

Looking at the specs, the CPU in the iPhone 3GS is clocked at 600MHz using its ARM Cortex A8, compared to 400MHz on the previous iPhone 3G. As well as this, you’ll be getting 256MB RAM compared to 128MB in the 3G. When you’re using the 3GS it feels a lot more responsive, and the speed at which applications load is staggeringly quick compared to what you’d get on the older generation.

Battery:

A surprising feature of the 3GS is increased battery life, despite a higher clock speed in the device. Battery life is always a concern in smartphones, with most lasting no more than a few hours of intensive use, but the average user will be able to get a full days charge with the new improvements to battery life.

Camera:

Beside improvements on speed and battery life is the 3.2 megapixel camera, another reason to opt for the 3GS over the 3G (2.0 MP) or other older generation. The camera in the iPhone 3GS has always been pretty shocking, although I would never use the iPhone’s camera as my main point-and-shoot, but you’ll find a 3.2 MP camera in the 3GS useful to boasts video recording and auto focusing for when taking still shots.

You’ll be surprised how much this will increase the quality of your shots over previous generations, especially when used with the new auto exposure and auto white-balance features. When it comes to the quality of your video recordings, you’ll be impressed with the quality for a mobile device, although it simply can’t compete with dedicated video recorders. Still, it’s a nice feature to have, and you can tap the screen when recording to focus your videos.

Summary:

Though the iPhone 3GS is not an insignificant step forward in the iPhone family. The Nike+ support, magnetometer (compass), video recording, voice control, better camera, better battery life and faster data network are all improvements nobody would call a step backwards.

Specifications: iPhone 3G versus iPhone 3GS

Processor:  iPhone 3G has 412MHz ARM 11 / iPhone 3GS has 600MHz ARM Cortex A8

Graphics capability:  OpenGL ES 1.1 / compare to OpenGL ES 2.0

Memory:  iPhone 3G with 8 GB/ 16 GB storage, 128 MB RAM / iPhone 3GS has 16 GB/ 32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM

Camera:     2.0 megapixel fixed focus / 3.15 megapixel autofocus with macro mode and auto white balance

Video recording:  iPhone 3G -None / iPhone 3GS with 30fps VGA with on-device editing capability

Voice control:  iPhone 3G -None / iPhone 3GS has Dialing, music control

Nike+ support:  iPhone 3G -No / iPhone 3GS -Yes

Wireless technologies:     3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR  / compare to 7.2Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Water- and oil-resistant finish:  iPhone 3G -No / iPhone 3GS -Yes

Integrated magnetic compass:  iPhone 3G -No / iPhone 3GS -Yes

Battery life:  iPhone 3G has up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 10 hours on 2G, up to 6 hours data on WiFi, up to 24 hours audio and up to 7 hours video.

Battery life:  For iPhone 3GS, up to 5 hours talk time / data on 3G, 12 hours on 2G, up to 9 hours data on WiFi, up to 30 hours audio and up to 10 hours video.

Weight: iPhone 3G for 133 grams / 4.69 oz. / iPhone 3GS weigh 135 grams / 4.76 oz.