iPhone 4,

The iPhone is Apple's crown jewel; it's Apple's most successful product ever. With one of the biggest launches yet, Apple has done it again with the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is Apple's next generation smartphone, ready to compete with other powerful devices like the Droid Incredible, the EVO 4G, and the upcoming Droid X. Is it worthy of the fanfare and praise, or is it a disappointment? Hit the jump to read our comprehensive review of the iPhone 4.

Design 
The most notable feature in the iPhone 4 is the drastic design change. Apple completely redesigned the iPhone, ditching the outmoded, round, plastic back in favor of a more modern, stainless steel shell that is sandwiched between two pieces of strengthened glass. The result is a gorgeous phone that has a very sophisticated feel to it. The steel band goes completely around the phone, broken only by the antenna bands, the speakers, the dock connector, and the hardware buttons. With the new shell, the iPhone measures in at 4.5 x 2.31 x 0.37 inches and weighs just 4.8 ounces, making the device thinner and tighter than the previous iPhone.

In a touch of elegance and practicality, Apple also changed the volume key into two separate buttons for easier use. When you pick up this device, you will immediately feel the elegance of the design. But, however elegant the phone may be, there is a problem with using glass for the back. Anyone who has used a touchscreen phone will know that touchscreens are grease magnets. After just five minutes of use, the iPhone 4 we used for review was covered in finger grease. Now, instead of just wiping the screen after a period of use, you have to wipe both the screen and the back. Finger grease aside, the design is nothing short of beautiful.

Display
A lot of things were expected from the iPhone 4 before it was revealed; we expected hardware upgrades and improved performance. We did not expect, however, that Apple would change the market with an absolutely stunning display. Dubbed the "Retina" display, the 3.5 inch widescreen multitouch screen has a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels and is rated at 326 ppi. The result? A screen that delivers clarity like no other smartphone screen on the market. The individual pixels are nearly impossible to see, which means picture, text, and video is crisp and clean. 

The slight blur is from a shaky camera hand, not the screen itself.

Hardware
Inside, hiding under the display and the steel shell, is the guts and glory of the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 is powered by the same A4 chip that runs the iPad, although Apple has not specified whether the clock speed is a bit slower or the same as that of the A4 chip in the iPad. The A4 chip comes in handy now that the iPhone has to handle multitasking. Although it may not be full multitasking, iOS4 allows a handful of API's to run in the background, which means that you will be able to have some multitasking features.

Residing next to the A4 chip is the improved battery (not that the battery in the 3GS needed any improvement) that, according to Apple, offers up to 7 hours of 3G talk time and 300 hours of standby time. Also, whereas the iPhone 3GS had only one camera with no flash, the iPhone 4 comes with a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and 720p video capture, and a front facing VGA camera. Other goodies include WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. Internal storage comes in the same 16 GB and 32 GB sizes. The most prominent hardware upgrades from the previous iPhone are the A4 chip and the Retina display, both of which make this iPhone 4 a powerful next generation smartphone.

Camera
Apple finally answered one of the biggest problems with the iPhone 3GS: the camera quality and the lack of flash. For the iPhone 4, Apple upgraded to a 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture and added flash on the backside. On the front, Apple added a VGA camera for self-takes and for FaceTime video calls. The 5 megapixel takes great stills, comparable to the 8 megapixel camera on the Droid Incredible (which is what we used to take our photos of the iPhone 4). It also records great quality videos that can be edited straight from the phone with Apple's new iMovie app ($4.99). 

The VGA camera doesn't have great quality, but what can you expect from a VGA camera? It's still decent enough for FaceTime calls, however (it can hide acne from your friends). And, FaceTime lets you switch between both cameras, so you can talk to your friend or switch to the rear camera and show them what you're seeing. The only downside to FaceTime is that it requires a WiFi connection to work, but then again, we don't think AT&T's network needs anymore trouble.

Software
The iPhone 4 comes with iOS4, which brings with it improved speeds, a bit more customization, the ability to organize apps into folders, and some multitasking features using specific API's. Although the new features like folders and multitasking are great, there are still a few problems we have with the OS. We're not too big on Apple's version of multitasking, as it only allows certain parts of apps to run in the background. For most apps, the OS just pauses the app so you can return to it later. This system works great for the most part, but sometimes, you really do need the benefits of full multitasking. 

We are also disappointed that Apple hasn't worked at all to improve the notifications on the OS. The pop-up notifications are just obtrusive and extremely annoying. It pauses whatever app you're on and shoves a notification in your face. We really would've liked to some sort of notification bar, but we guess Apple is holding that feature for iOS5 or hopefully a future update. Another qualm we have is the lack of widgets; Apple definitely has the ability to create some great widgets, so we're disappointed that Apple refuses to create a weather widget or at least make the weather icon show the actual temperature. Is that too much to ask from Apple? Android definitely has the edge over iOS4 with full multitasking, a great notification system, and widgets. We would love to see some improvement in this area.

Antenna
One of the biggest points that Apple was making with the iPhone 4 was the improved antenna. The iPhone 4 utilizes the shell itself as an antenna, and for the most part, the reception is much better on the iPhone 4 than on the 3GS. Unfortunately, it became obvious soon after launch that the new antenna system had a serious Achilles' heel. Many users have found that when the phone was held the natural way for the left hand, the signal would drop from full bars to none; this has varied from phone to phone and person to person, with some dropping some or all bars and others even dropping calls completely. The photo below illustrates what is now called the "Death grip".

The signal was full bars before and is dropping slowly down to two bars in this photo.

Because this is the way a lot of people hold their phones, this is a major problem. All phones tend to lose a fraction of signal strength when held, but this is the worst we've ever seen. Tests run by a number of users have narrowed the problem down to the bottom left side. When you cover the area with your hand, the signal problems occur. Apple is working on a fix, but we have no idea when the fix will be available. The later batch of phones that will come with the launch of the white model will probably yield some sort of fix, but until then, you will have to use a case like Apple's own Bumper case or the upcoming Vapor case from Element Case, in order to avoid choking the signal from your device.

Verdict
The iPhone 4 is easily one of the best smartphones on the market right now, and will likely continue to be until the next generation. With a stunning display, long battery life, and the muscle to go the distance, the iPhone 4 truly is a great device. But, although the iPhone 4 is definitely a highly sophisticated and powerful device, we have to mark it down for the severe problems with the antenna and the features missing from the OS, like widgets, full multitasking, and an improved notification system.

Should you buy this phone? It really comes down to personal preference; if you want a powerful smartphone, you have numerous options like the Droid Incredible, the EVO 4G, and the upcoming Droid X, aside from the iPhone 4. They all come with their own distinct talents and specialties, so choose what is best for you. We highly recommend the iPhone 4 for those on AT&T or those planning on switching to AT&T; we do have to suggest waiting until the antenna problem is fixed, however. Cheers.