Camera Phone Reviews

Apple iPhone 3G

Apple iPhone 3G Reviews

InfoSync reviews the Apple iPhone and writes, "The camera is the worst part of the Apple iPhone that people use all the time. Pictures looked okay, better than on most cameraphones we've seen, especially under the best lighting conditions. Colors were vivid, if a bit saturated, but noise was a significant problem. On the small screen, images look fine, but blown up to their full 2-megapixel size things got a bit messier. There are also no camera options on the Apple iPhone. Not one. We would at least like some control over white balance and exposure settings, and at best we'd like to see real auto focus on this phone. The camera can take advantage of GPS for geotagging pics, but we'd like to see this feature accompanied by great pics. Also, the lack of a video camera feature is surprising, considering even the most basic cameraphones pack this feature."

Pocket-lint reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "There is more to the iPhone, but its worth pointing out that the camera is still the shockingly poor 2 megapixel variant we saw first time around and it still hasn't got a flash. The iPod music and video player options are still the same and bar the 3G and GPS additions, not much as been added on a hardware front, which as far as upgrades go, is decidedly lame."

Macworld reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "For a product as on the cutting edge as the iPhone, its built-in camera is an embarrassment. Like the camera on the original iPhone, it’s got a basic two-megapixel resolution, doesn’t zoom, has no flash, doesn’t work well in low light, and doesn’t take videos. With still subjects in well-lit areas it produces nice results. In terms of quality, the consumer point-and-shoot digital camera I bought seven years ago still blows it away, and most of the iPhone’s smart phone competitors offer better cameras as well."

PC Authority reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "The iPhone 3G is truly an impressive device, although those familiar with its predecessor will lament the lack of features such as MMS, cut and paste and tethering (using the phone as a wireless modem for a notebook) - all features found on most other smartphones. The camera has remained at a measly two megapixels, with no option for video capture or video calls."

The New Zealand Herlad reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "What's missing from the new iPhone? Those who use phone cameras will be disappointed at the lack of video recording which is common on most high-end phones and smartphones to varying degrees of success. Video playback of saved files, though, is flawless."

PhoneMag reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "Since much of the change in functionality has been covered in the SlashGear review, I’ll merely cover what stood out for the newbie - whether good or bad. The camera is an obvious weak spot, I spent a couple of seconds trying to tap for a zoom control before realising it lacks even a basic digital zoom. Since the SMS app is so well laid out, with its threaded conversations, it’s all the more puzzling not to have MMS support. And why no dynamic icon for the weather, which changes according to what’s actually going on outside? It seems strange not to, when the calendar icon always shows today’s date."

Yahoo! reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "With more and more camera phones getting features like touchscreen auto-focus and Xenon flashes, it's disappointing that Apple's pretty much ignored the iPhone's no-frills camera application. Snapshots on the iPhone 3G's two-megapixel snapper—the same as on the original iPhone—look fine as long as you're in well-lit conditions, but you're not going to win any awards. Even more disappointing: still no video recorder, although I'm guessing that some enterprising developer will eventually sell one through the App Store."

Telegraph reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "I wasn't so impressed with the camera. In fact, the pictures I took of the concert were such poor quality that we can't reproduce them on this page. Apple has missed a trick here: the two-megapixel camera on the new iPhone is exactly the same as on the first-generation device. Even some low-end camera phones are now four- or five-megapixel. Here was a camera that could "geo-tag" your photos with your precise location, and let you instantly email snaps to friends, producing photos so poor that there was little inclination to do either thing. And there's still no camcorder capability either. What a let-down."

Stuff reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "The iPhone 3G still has a 2 megapixel camera. Maybe Apple is trying to keep the cost down but with Sony and Nokia upping the megapixels on their smartphones every year, it is a noticeable difference...That said, how many megapixels do you really need? If you'll only be viewing the photos on your iPhone or on your computer, 2MP is sufficient. Photo quality on the iPhone 3G was good. But there is no internal camera for videoconferencing."

PC Pro reviews the Applie iPhone 3G and writes, "The first thing that will strike you with the iPhone 3G is that it is looks very similar to the original. It comes in the same 8GB and 16GB configurations as the previous 2G model and has the same two megapixel camera...Both play music, both play video, both can make and receive calls, both can send and receive text messages. Both have a two megapixel camera, they have the same size and resolution touch screen and come with the same storage capacities (8GB and 16GB)."

CTV reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "The iPhone 3G has but a simple, 2 Megapixel camera with only the option to shoot and display pictures. There is no zoom and no shooting or editing settings of any kind. There are two innovations, you can save photos included in e-mails to your album, and the GPS can add your current location to each photo when you take them as part of their details. Underwhelming compared to the other features."

Gizmodo reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "The old iPhone's software can take a photo and email it or send it to a MobileMe gallery, but the camera itself is relatively weak. It won't capture video, and I've lost countless YouTube hits by not having a video device at the ready. This situation has not been improved much...The new camera has the same 2MP shooter which returns 1600 x 1200 pixels. There still isn't video capture. Image processing seems to be slightly less grainy but it's not something you would notice. The MP count would be fine, but the low-light quality is still terrible. Nokia and Motorola have built thin phones with better imaging, why not Apple? And Apple's forte is software, so why can't they beef up the software tools, by adding image stabilizers and noise reducers, not to mention Photo Booth-type frames and effects?"

Mirror reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "If the iPhone 3G has an Achilles heel, it must surely be its camera...With many rival smartphones sporting five-megapixel snappers, it comes as a major disappointment that Apple have decided not to add a flash or update the decidedly underwhelming two-megapixel camera from its predecessor...It also remains a mystery why the camera still cannot handle recording video - a feature that we’ve come to expect on the cheapest of camera phones."

Brighthand reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "Even though the iPhone 3G still has the same 2 MPx camera that the first-generation iPhone has, some have noticed there is an increase in sharpness to the photos, but it isn't that noticeable...Keep in mind that if you want to take good pictures on the go, it's recommended you use a digital camera for the purpose instead of using a cell phone, but that is just my opinion."

Mail Online reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "The camera is still the weakest part of the phone. A two-megapixel camera just doesn't cut it when most of Apple's rivals are on the verge of launching eight-megapixel models."

Engadget reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "There have been a number of other fixes to better the device as well. For example, the phone now has two proximity sensors to better detect when it's held to your ear. We also found that while the camera was essentially identical, we were getting images that were ever so slightly sharper and crisper than the original iPhone on 1.1.4 (check it out below). Still, knowing that HTC's Touch Diamond -- which features a 3.2 megapixel sensor and mechanical autofocus -- could pack such a great camera in an even smaller form factor than the iPhone's left us pining for something a bit more than the same 2 megapixels from the first time around."

The Syndney Morning Herald reviews the Apple iPhone 3G and writes, "...what you see with the iPhone 3G is what you get: a powerful, multi-featured, music and video-playing, internet- and email-capable mobile phone with a crappy camera...While Apple has added a feature which allows you to attach geo-locational data to photos taken on the phone, the camera is otherwise unchanged from the first version."