The smartphone industry has developed consistently and the rate of development in recent times is rapid. Back in the day, phones were minute devices with a small display. We can not say the same about today’s smartphones. Apple’s iPhones have come a long way since Steve Jobs unveiled the Virgin iPhone on January 9, 2007. Following this, we saw the commercialization of the 3G network. In addition, Apple released the iPhone 1 and released the iPhone 3G in 2008. In June 2009, the company announced the iPhone 3GS. This article looks at an Apple “ten year challenge”. What did we have in 2009 and what did we get in 2019?
Even in third world countries where you can find the oldest iPhones, iPhone 6 is probably the oldest active iPhone you can find. That, during a cleanup, a close ally approached iPhone 3GS out of the corner of the drawer a few days ago. After charging the battery, turn on the trusted Apple LOGO. We got the long lost “click” unlocking sound. This smartphone is a complete history, but here we are with an active iPhone 3GS.
The iPhone 3GS was a hit back in the day, as it is the first iPhone to use a 32GB memory. With the introduction of Apple Store with the iPhone 3 a year earlier, it was clear that 16GB would not cut it. Even in China, iPhone 3GS sales were massive. On October 31, 2009, the first official sale of this smartphone was held on Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing. There was a total shutdown today with a host of people trying to purchase this device.
Ten years later, the iPhone 11 series launched by Apple last year became an “arcade”. The hardware configuration and software features of both smartphones are a world apart. If two iPhones are separated by ten years together, we can perhaps see more clearly the progress of the iPhone over the last ten years.
iPhone 11 Pro Vs. iPhone 3GS – Design & Display
The iPhone 3GS uses a 3.5-inch multi-touch screen with a resolution of 480 × 320. With a compact and sleek body design, there is no pressure on the single handle. The iPhone 11 Pro, on the other hand, can talk about a 5.8-inch display. The resolution is 1125 x 2436 pixels, which is a massive increase from ten years ago. While Apple has increased the size of the display, the one-touch display on the iPhone 11 Pro is still cool.
Of course, there is another huge improvement in the iPhone 11, the body material. While the iPhone 3GS manages a rough-textured plastic body, the iPhone 11 Pro uses a glass body + stainless steel center frame design. No doubt, it is easier to operate the iPhone 3GS with one hand due to its small size. However, the texture and operability of the entire iPhone 11 Pro is an enormous leap from 10 years earlier.
If you look at the display of the iPhone 3GS, you can see that massive ugly edge at the top and bottom. iPhone 11 Pro comes with a massive improvement by using a notch display. Furthermore, the bottom edge is as thin as the edges, another plus. If you look at the big edges, that ten years has not changed much. There is a difference (but not significant) in the tin of the sidewall in both devices.
iPhone 11 Pro Vs. iPhone 3GS – Camera
The first-generation iPhone (2G network) and the second-generation iPhone 3G use a 1.2MP camera. However, the iPhone 3GS comes with an upgrade, it uses a 3.2MP camera from OmniVision. It also adds video playback and autofocus features. Ten years later, the iPhone 11 Pro still uses these features, not much improvement if you ask me. However, let’s look at some image examples
It can be seen that even in a well-lit scene the appearance and feel of the photos taken by the iPhone 3GS are still full of “age”. The low pixels, lack of HDR, and other congenital deficits are clearly visible. Furthermore, there are often shortcomings in the highlights of their images. The details are not clear and in the dark it is completely lost.
In contrast, the iPhone 11 Pro on the right, thanks to hardware advantages such as higher pixels, optical image stabilization, and software optimizations such as smart HDR and AI, the overall look and feel of the photos is even better than some entry-level SLR / card cameras.
In low light conditions, the image quality of the iPhone 3GS will soon deteriorate, accompanied by a lot of noise. Forget taking a photo in the dark with the iPhone 3GS, because what waiting for you will be an almost black photo. After all, the iPhone 3GS does not support the so-called ‘night mode’, and there is no flashlight. What can be photographed at night depends entirely on “God’s will.”
The upper and lower limits of the recording capabilities of the iPhone 11 Pro are much higher. Even in scenes with almost no natural light sources, iPhone 11 Pro requires on the “night mode” software optimization. It can also achieve recording, no matter what. Furthermore, there is a rear flashlight that can act as an additional light source.
iPhone 11 Pro Vs. iPhone 3GS – Hardware and Software
As for software, the iPhone 3GS comes pre-installed with iPhoneOS 3 and has been upgraded to iOS 6.1.6. The new flat design iOS 7 excludes the iPhone 3GS from the list of supported devices, so iOS 6.1 .6 is also the latest iOS version supported in iPhone 3GS history.
As the “end point” of quasi-materialization, we look at what iOS 6 has to offer, and it is indeed a bit shy. You get dunes like the classic glide to unlock sound effects, the rolling closing animation when opening the camera, and so on.
As for the processor, the iPhone 11 Pro comes with an Apple A13 Bionic (7 nm +) processor. However, the iPhone 3GS uses a Samsung APL0298C05 65nm chip. I think a lot of people do not know that there was ever a 65nm process.
Conclusion
Just as we would expect, there has been a major upgrade over the past 10 years. We see upgrades in almost every aspect. From hardware to software, design to display, there is a major improvement. Ten years is a mark, a summary of the past, and again a vision for the future. Maybe ten years later we’ll be looking back at the current iPhone 11 Pro.
