So, it’s finally here, an all new iPhone. Numerous leaks online have been predicting a new handset for months, and last night Steve Jobs officially unveiled the new iPhone 4.
The iPhone’s new look is dividing the office, most love it, a few hate it, but most people here want it! If you’ve been holding off upgrading from your iPhone 3G or are about to switch from the iPhone 3GS, you’ll no doubt have a few questions about the latest must have phone.
All New Apple iPhone 4
There are loads of blogs out there that will be tearing it apart to analyse the internal workings of the phone and carry out a range of speed tests – which is all very interesting, but you’re probably going to get the phone regardless of these teardowns and to be honest, I’m more interested in knowing whether or not the new iPhone 4 will work with my existing chargers, docks and car kit, than I am how it’s made!
I’ll be upgrading to the iPhone 4 on June 24th, so I thought I’d spend some time going through some of the most popular accessories to work out which will work with the new phone, and which ones will need replacing to work with iPhone 4.
It’s good news when it comes to chargers. The iPhone 4 uses the same charger as the existing iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, so if you’re upgrading you shouldn’t need to replace them. As standard, the phone comes with the newer, compact USB Power Adapter and data cable.
Existing car chargers should also work fine, but I’d still recommend going for a branded car charger such as the Belkin Micro Auto Charger or Griffin PowerJolt.
As expected, iPhone 4 is thinner, slimmer and shorter than the existing iPhone 3GS. It’s also a completely different shape, so any existing cases aren’t going to work with the iPhone 4. The only exception to this is if you use a case that isn’t form fitting, such as the Knomo Slim iPhone Case or an iPhone Sports Armband.
Apple have already announced that a range of iPhone ‘bumpers’ will be available at the same time as iPhone 4 – these are rubber skins that protect the sides and edges of the iPhone 4, while leaving the front and back on view.
iPhone 4 Docks:
iPhone Docks are one of the most popular types of accessory for iPhone. They vary from being simple charging docks to advanced stereo/hi-fi systems, and because iPhone 4 is a completely different shape, it won’t fit into a dock that’s moulded for the iPhone 3GS unless it has swappable inserts around the dock connector, you’re going to have problems.
iPhone 4 Car Holders:
I know that a lot of iPhone owners use their iPhone in the car for Sat Nav or for listening to music – the safest way to do this is by using an iPhone car holder, but with the change in shape and size of iPhone 4 you’re going to need to replace your holder too.
The only exception to this is if you use a universal holder, like the Dash Genie, which is designed to hold any handset
iPhone 4 Screen Protectors:
Bit obvious this one and doesn’t really need saying, but no, iPhone 3GS screen protectors won’t fit iPhone 4. The glass has been toughened again to prevent scratches, but I’d still feel safer with a screen protector fitted. It’s also worth remembering that iPhone 4 has a glass front and back, so you’ll want to protect both sides.
iPhone 4 Car Kits:
In most cases, your existing iPhone 3GS car kit will work fine with the iPhone 4. The only time you might encounter problems is if your car kit has a moulded holder for your phone. Other than that, the connections on iPhone 4 are the same and bluetooth remains unchanged, so you shouldn’t have any problems.
Having said that, iPhone 4 runs a new version of software which may have a few compatibility issues with some car kits. If you find that it’s not quite working as it should be, check the car kit manufacturers website to check for any software updates. Parrot in particular are great at providing updates to keep their car kits current.
iPhone 4 Headphones:
No changes to the 3.5mm headphone jack on iPhone 4, so all your existing headphones and handsfree kits will work just fine.
The Headphones in the box haven’t been changed and will be the same as the ones included with the iPhone 3GS. They’re not bad but there are better iPhone headphones available.
iPhone 4 Bluetooth Headphones:
For me, this is still a bit of a let down, despite all the improvements to iPhone 4 and iOS4, it still doesn’t fully support stereo bluetooth and the AVRCP profile. This means that although you can listen to your music in stereo through bluetooth headphones, you still need to use your phone to change track and adjust the volume. So yes, they’ll work, but only as well as they do now.
No changes to the wiring in the dock connector this time, so all data cables should work just fine.
iPhone 4 includes a new sync and charge cable that you can use to charge your phone with the power adapter or connected to a USB port on your Mac or PC.
That covers most of the main iPhone 4 accessories and once the phone has been released and we’ve had chance to test it out with a few more accessories we’ll get this list updated.