3GS speed in real situations - how does it compare?

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Level 2

496 points

3GS speed in real situations - how does it compare?

As the title says, I'm just wondering how people who have owned both the 3GS and the 3G think they compare in real world situations?

I'll be buying an iPhone in the next month and will mostly be using it for the iPod, texting, web browsing and a couple of apps. Not a heavy gamer. The only feature I would make that much use of in the 3GS over the 3G is the extra speed, is that worth the extra £100?

TIA 🙂

PC, Windows Vista, Home Premium

Posted on Jul 18, 2009 7:06 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 18, 2009 7:14 AM in response to matttye88

I love my new 3GS. When you are using it in the real world it is definitely faster than my old 2G. I am experiencing very slow download speeds on WiFi, however and that does seem to be a relatively frequent experience for 3GS owners.

I'm sure they have a fix in the works for that, and worth overlooking until then!

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Answer 2

w7ox

Level 4

2,407 points

Jul 18, 2009 7:32 AM in response to matttye88

My daughter had two 3G units in her family and both have been upgraded to 3GS.

They're both very pleased they did so -- even though they were not eligible for the lowest price and paid a substantial premium. Comments are that apps load almost instantaneously, etc.

I went 2G to 3GS and never considered a 3G. Speed is only one factor. The 3GS has a 3 megapixel autofocus camera (vs. 2 mp), will shoot video, lets you attach photos and video to emails, supports MMS (though AT&T does not -- yet), etc. Lots of reasons to spend the extra $$$, especially when you consider the cost per month spread over a couple of years.

Phil

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Answer 3

matttye88 Author

Level 2

496 points

Jul 18, 2009 8:04 AM in response to w7ox

Yeah I know of the other features, but I don't really have much use for the voice control, compass, video camera or Nike+ sensor. I'll use the 3MP AF camera and extra speed but that's about it!

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Answer 4

w7ox

Level 4

2,407 points

Jul 18, 2009 8:27 AM in response to matttye88

I do use the compass in conjunction with Maps. The surprise is how much I use the video camera, just because i have it with me.

Phil

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Answer 5

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Jul 18, 2009 8:35 AM in response to matttye88

Just curious as to what models you are comparing (3G verses 3g S). Here in the US, the only 3G available is the 8GB @ $99 (16GB models are discontinued.) The new 3G S is 16GB @ $199. If these are the 2 models, apparently the 3G S costs about $63 more in the UK.

Regardless, if you have the money, I think you should always go for the latest model. Down the road, it will have a higher resale value.

I think the faster speed in loading Apps is well worth the cost of the new model. It certainly appears to me that programs that involve streaming are much better with the "S" model. Maps seems to render redraws faster than the old 3G. I'm happy that I was able to upgrade to the new model.

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Answer 6

Jul 18, 2009 8:41 AM in response to matttye88

My 3GS is noticeably faster than my wife's 3G in nearly all situations. When I borrowed hers once, I remember thinking "how can she live with this thing being so slow." I wisely didn't say anything when I handed it back though 😉

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Answer 7

matttye88 Author

Level 2

496 points

Jul 18, 2009 8:52 AM in response to Macaby

Macaby wrote:
Just curious as to what models you are comparing (3G verses 3g S). Here in the US, the only 3G available is the 8GB @ $99 (16GB models are discontinued.) The new 3G S is 16GB @ $199. If these are the 2 models, apparently the 3G S costs about $63 more in the UK.

Regardless, if you have the money, I think you should always go for the latest model. Down the road, it will have a higher resale value.

I think the faster speed in loading Apps is well worth the cost of the new model. It certainly appears to me that programs that involve streaming are much better with the "S" model. Maps seems to render redraws faster than the old 3G. I'm happy that I was able to upgrade to the new model.

I was comparing the 8GB 3G to the 16GB 3GS. I don't want a contract so I'm going to buy one of them on pay as you go... and the 3GS is £98 more. I didn't even consider the extra space actually, that would be useful to me 😀

* iPhone 3G 8GB - £342.50 ($559.36)
* iPhone 3GS 16GB - £440.40 ($719.25)
* iPhone 3GS 32GB - £538.30 ($879.14)

I'm only an apprentice at the firm I work for at the moment so I have to save up for this phone, that's why I want to make sure I pick the right one. I might just have a play with both of them in the shops first.

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Answer 8

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Jul 18, 2009 1:37 PM in response to matttye88

From your original post, you might be able to make do with a iTouch if the phone portion doesn't mean that much to you. Besides the phone, the only thing you would be losing would be texting. As long as you could find a wifi signal, you could pretty much do most of what you want via wifi.

I don't understand why people such as yourself do not want a contract. The only way you are going to be able to text, surf with 3g (except via wifi), etc is with service. As far as I know, the service fees are exactly the same whether you have a contact or not. If you can say pretty much that you will never need the IP again after 6 months, 7 1/2 months, 247 days or whatever, maybe it would be wise to not have a contract. On the other hand, even with a contact, there is a "bailout" fee that I think is less than the upfront cost for a un-contracted phone. I guess you just have to do the math, but it seems to me the FULL IP pricing method is NOT the way to go.

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Answer 9

Jul 18, 2009 1:49 PM in response to matttye88

I have had all three iPhones and can say it IS worth the extra cash. The speed makes you want to use it more because you know it will perform. Switching between SMS, FaceBook and IM Chat while on the bus listening to music is a pleasure now where as before it would lag and sometimes would cause the music to "stutter".

The compass is a nice to have but wouldn't make me buy it. The voice control is something that I can't get to work but would never use. The camera is better but still loads of room for improvement. The screen is a MILLION times better for staying clean and being cleanable, this is probably one of the most under promoted features of the handset.

If you can stretch to a 3GS totally go for it. I wasn't expecting much of the upgrade but sooooo glad I did.

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Answer 10

matttye88 Author

Level 2

496 points

Jul 18, 2009 2:05 PM in response to Macaby

Macaby wrote:
From your original post, you might be able to make do with a iTouch if the phone portion doesn't mean that much to you. Besides the phone, the only thing you would be losing would be texting. As long as you could find a wifi signal, you could pretty much do most of what you want via wifi.

I don't understand why people such as yourself do not want a contract. The only way you are going to be able to text, surf with 3g (except via wifi), etc is with service. As far as I know, the service fees are exactly the same whether you have a contact or not. If you can say pretty much that you will never need the IP again after 6 months, 7 1/2 months, 247 days or whatever, maybe it would be wise to not have a contract. On the other hand, even with a contact, there is a "bailout" fee that I think is less than the upfront cost for a un-contracted phone. I guess you just have to do the math, but it seems to me the FULL IP pricing method is NOT the way to go.

I need the phone part too. I text more than I phone, but I still do phone people.

I took out a contract on the first iPhone, against my better judgement (I dislike credit), then when I walked out on the job I hated I couldn't keep paying my contract. O2 wouldn't give me another contract even if I did want one.

£15 a month is all I need on the O2 unlimited pay as you go tariff. Most of the people I know are on the O2 network, and for £15 a month I get unlimited data + wifi, unlimited texts and calls to other O2 users, plus I get the £15 to spend on top of that - for things like picture messaging.

PAYG is much better for me, it's just the upfront cost I have to figure out :P

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Answer 11

Macaby

Level 3

923 points

Jul 18, 2009 2:23 PM in response to matttye88

Well, if you're getting all that for just 15 pounds (sorry, but I don't know how to enter the pound symbol on my US keyboard), I would say you have a great deal there. Just data here in the US is $30. With just one phone on the account, the total monthly cost here is $80 plus tax. It's the same whether I have a contract or not.

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Answer 12

Jul 18, 2009 2:30 PM in response to Macaby

The aversion to a contract comes from two sources: long-term finances and "future tech." I can understand both. Granted, with an ETF costing about half of what the subsidized difference is, I see little reason for the average person (with good credit) not to get a contract since they can always break it for $300 less than the cost of purchasing an unsubsidized iPhone. Similarly, if Network B rolls out something that crushes the iPhone, just pay the ETF to move over.

And I'm not writing this as a response so much as musing out loud on the whole "I dislike contracts" idea 🙂

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Answer 13

RKahl

Level 1

35 points

Jul 18, 2009 2:41 PM in response to matttye88

Compare?? I'll tell you by doubling the storage and adding an A/F 3.0 megapixel camera, this is well worth paying $100 more for the 3GS.

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Answer 14

matttye88 Author

Level 2

496 points

Jul 18, 2009 2:57 PM in response to RKahl

It's £100 pounds sterling more (around $163 according to xe.com)

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Answer 15

matttye88 Author

Level 2

496 points

Jul 18, 2009 2:59 PM in response to Macaby

Macaby wrote:
Well, if you're getting all that for just 15 pounds (sorry, but I don't know how to enter the pound symbol on my US keyboard), I would say you have a great deal there. Just data here in the US is $30. With just one phone on the account, the total monthly cost here is $80 plus tax. It's the same whether I have a contract or not.

Yeah, you get free web & wifi for a year when you buy a payg iPhone here in the UK. After that it's £10 a month, so I could just carry on buying my £15 credit each month and just have £5 to spend on extras rather than £15. It's way cheaper than any of the contracts O2 offer.

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