iPhone 4 Review Roundup: RAVE Reviews For Apple's New iPhone

The new iPhone 4's official launch is June 24, but critics are already releasing their reviews of Apple's new smartphone.

Many have glowing praise for the iPhone 4, which they call "amazing," "the best smartphone on the market," and "the best device in its class."

Check out what critics from All Things D, New York Times, USA Today, Boing Boing, and Engadget really think of Apple's new iPhone.

Are you getting the new iPhone 4? Send us your review of it at [e-mail]!

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All Things D's Walt Mossberg

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Mossberg says the iPhone 4 is "the best device in its class."

I’ve been testing the iPhone 4 for more than a week. In both hardware and software, it is a major leap over its already-excellent predecessor, the iPhone 3GS. It has some downsides and limitations—most important, the overwhelmed AT&T network in the U.S., which, in my tests, the new phone handled sometimes better and, unfortunately, sometimes worse than its predecessor. I’ll get into that below. But, overall, Apple has delivered a big, well-designed update that, in my view, keeps it in the lead in the smartphone wars.

The phone's biggest downside "is that, in the U.S., it’s shackled to AT&T, which not only still operates a network that has trouble connecting and maintaining calls in many cities, but now has abandoned unlimited, flat-rate data plans. Apple needs a second network."

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Mossberg says the iPhone 4 is "the best device in its class."

I’ve been testing the iPhone 4 for more than a week. In both hardware and software, it is a major leap over its already-excellent predecessor, the iPhone 3GS.

It has some downsides and limitations—most important, the overwhelmed AT&T network in the U.S., which, in my tests, the new phone handled sometimes better and, unfortunately, sometimes worse than its predecessor. I’ll get into that below. But, overall, Apple has delivered a big, well-designed update that, in my view, keeps it in the lead in the smartphone wars.

The phone's biggest downside "is that, in the U.S., it’s shackled to AT&T, which not only still operates a network that has trouble connecting and maintaining calls in many cities, but now has abandoned unlimited, flat-rate data plans. Apple needs a second network."

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Comments

[Waterphoneman]

02:47 PM on 07/12/2010

Ah, for the good old days when a smoke signal would do. Of course if there was a breeze the signal would drop.

[fla kracker]

11:44 AM on 06/25/2010

I like to read all the apple hate. It's getting more desperate as apple sells out stock on yet another hated product that doesn't work as well as fill in the blank

[ResearchtheFacts]

11:39 AM on 06/25/2010

Call me. Oh, I forgot you can't make calls.

[okila]

09:49 AM on 06/25/2010

so this is how i see it. They release a phone with kinks, get people to line up and buy, then work out the kinks and release an update. Im not hating on Apple. I have no loyalty to any company but to who brings the best goods. Microsoft has done the same thing with the xbox (red ring of death et al). Its just a matter of marketting getting a hold of a niche populace willing to spend more for a product that does everything well except what it should. and p.s it looks like it was made by HTC.

[microsoap]

08:42 AM on 06/25/2010

So Apple says: "You're not holding it right!"

But THEIR VERY OWN ADS show a person... wait for it... wait for it-- not holding it right!

http://www.twitpic.com/1zs2jp

#applefail

[jubo]

06:12 AM on 06/25/2010

Lovely epoch. We pay through our noses for a system that does not always work. It is in the food.

[fightingkrav]

06:50 PM on 06/24/2010

Are all the iphone haters, iphone haters or apple haters, get over it. we have 4 iphones, 1st gen to the 4. AT&T locked us in for unlimited data plans for all our phones for the next 2 years. IN WRITING!!! You can look for reasons to hate the iphone, but you're running out of reasons, rational ones anyway. IPHONE 4 ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lance Spencer]

10:22 PM on 06/24/2010

there are still plenty of reasons to hate the iPhone.

1. It doesn't do anything that Andriod and other phones haven't already been doing for the past 2-3 years. Facetime is a cool little marketing gimmick but other than that being able to only video chat on wifi and iphone 4 to iphone 4 is pretty lame compared to the Evos ability to video chat over wifi/3g/4g and broadcast to anybody.

2. Its still a closed off system with a contradictory/arbitrary app approval process. Its my phone why is apple telling me what I can and can't run on my device.

3. Still yet again tied to AT&T, everybody hates it because it sucks.

4. Yet again apple is nickel and diming people. You have to buy a $30 glove so when you hold your phone a certain way it won't drop signal (as if AT&T doesn't already do that enough now u have to worry about the phone doin it too), if you want to plug it into your tv, gotta get a cable for that, wanna plug this into your home dock system, chances are you have to buy another one cause the one for ur iPhone 3G doesn't work for the new one. Oh and you want iMovie? Fork over another 5 bux on top of that.

the list goes on my friend. iPhone 4 is Apple finally getting the picture and copying features android already had.

[liberalscrutinizer52]

08:59 AM on 06/25/2010

I so wanted an IPhone. I have a MacBook laptop and love it. But the Iphone uses AT&T and AT&T sucks big time. So I got a Droid, and use it to get internet on my laptop everywhere all the time, for no extra cost. Ever. I love my Droid and wouldn't trade it for an IPhone!

[Daron Gardner]

09:37 AM on 06/25/2010

I appreciate your opinion, but I will believe the industry professionals who receive and compare and test all the phones and almost uniformly agree the iPhone 4 is the cream of the crop. Yes, ATT sucks in a lot of areas, but for a lot of areas it is way better. So just choose the one that has the best connections for your area. As simple as that. Connecticut for example. I had verizon in New haven, and had to goto my room mate's room to even get 1 bar. Driving to Guilford, Verizon had 0 bars, and Guilford is one of the closest well off areas. Switching to ATT allowed me to actually get and make phone calls in my own home and in the town.

[flashblitzen]

03:13 PM on 06/24/2010

I'm a critic and I say it's going to be so 2010 next year. By the time you figure it out , the next version will be cooler and you will look like a putz for having something so old.
If you want to chase technology, find something that doesn't change flavors every couple of months. Ask yourself this ; what do you need it to do? Find something good at that and forget the hype. I hate proprietary stuff that constantly needs upgrades and comes at you fast before you understand it's take on your privacy. You have been warned.

[blakej19]

04:04 PM on 06/24/2010

Good Advice, but they will never listen. I got the BlackBerry for work an occasional GPS directions and it works great. Other than that its a phone, my computer can do everything else.

[Gudrun]

08:41 AM on 06/25/2010

No one is required to upgrade.

[curiousasheck]

12:53 PM on 06/24/2010

It's classy. Still not buying one though. It's not a necessity nor does life require it to say, breath.
Life's not going to end without one either.

It's a toy

[Daron Gardner]

09:39 AM on 06/25/2010

More accurate it is a tool. Certainly not necessary, but I will say that it sure makes life a lot easier a lot of the time.

[Alexandra Mandelis]

12:47 PM on 06/24/2010

FaceTime is a cool idea, but how many people want a video phone? Not getting dolled up to chat is one of the biggest allures of the telephone.

[NC4Obama]

01:00 PM on 06/24/2010

Also Apples video chat is very limited.

[shockaslim]

02:48 PM on 06/24/2010

Well, FaceTime is really just Skype.

[Lance Spencer]

10:25 PM on 06/24/2010

other phones have done video chat before the iPhone its not really anything new. Apple just put a cool gimmicky name on it.

[cataplasm]

12:30 PM on 06/24/2010

For all the merits and demerits associated with the iPhone's smartphone capability I always come back to the question of how good a phone is it? I use an "original" iPhone and am continually disappointed. Part of it is AT&T's performance - GSM allows me to use the phone abroad but at such a cost it is cheaper for me to get a PAYG phone from another carrier. Voice coverage is OK but, as everyone knows, big city problems exist and service ...?.

The hardware/firmware of the original iPhone really isn't that good. Volume is lamentable - no use at all in a noisy environment. I rely on the vibrate function and then go hide somewhere to actually hear the caller speak. Ringtones - I refuse to buy them from Apple when I own the rights to my own music CDs. The screen disappears in even moderate sunlight (especially with greasy fingerprints on it). I cannot voice dial - something my RAZR could do years ago. I can link by Bluetooth but cannot link to my car's handsfree device to screen calls (my wife's non iPhone can) or access my phone book and I cannot stream my MP3s through it to my radio.

Tell me that in the rush to make everything else better that Apple hasn't forgotten that we still use this thing to make and receive the occasional phone call!

[truth67]

11:36 AM on 06/24/2010

can you ear me now?

[dogisgreat]

10:39 AM on 06/24/2010

The AT&T network can barely handle voice calls. How many years until it will be able to carry video calling? Another 10 years maybe. Maybe they're too burdened with interest payments on the loans for buying out their competition and unable to invest in upgrading their network. Gotcha capitalism controlling consumer rather than competing on the basis of quality of service.

[Valerio della Porta]

11:12 AM on 06/24/2010

It will never happen: WiFi is the future. I downgraded my account to 200MB -- couldn't use more even if I wanted to unless I'm willing to stare at the loading swirl all day -- and use WiFi at home and in most places I go.

Hopefully over time we'll have public WiFi just like we have roads and highways.

[Alexandra Mandelis]

12:45 PM on 06/24/2010

I hope so too!

[NC4Obama]

01:01 PM on 06/24/2010

They are working on it, its not to far away.

[dogisgreat]

10:34 AM on 06/24/2010

State-of-the-art smart phone running on a 20th century network. It can't even use the network for video calls which the Japanese have been able to do since 2005. Pathetic.

[J0E1]

10:16 AM on 06/24/2010

The "best in its class" phones don't lose reception when you pick it up lol...