In the keynote that announced the iPhone 4 [Portal page], Steve Jobs told the world that the iPhone 4 features a 5MP camera. A decent bump from the previous iPhone 3GS’s 3.2MP camera, but still a far cry from some of the latest phones out there which are rocking 8MP cameras (see: HTC Incredible). Jobs was quick to also say that the iPhone 4 uses something called a back-illuminated sensor which is designed to capture more light than traditional smartphone sensors, to enhance low light performance. The iPhone 4 is also capable of recording HD video at 720p (1280×720) at 30 FPS, according to Apple.

Here I’ve got some comparison photos and videos from the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS cameras:

Video Recording

At the end of the video there is a link to the same video taken with the iPhone 3GS. Make sure you are watching in HD.

Real HD video and flash (YouTube) HD video are a bit different. The raw file is certainly of a better quality than what YouTube is showing, but you should still be able to get the gist of it.

Photos

I’ve taken a variety of shots with the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS. Be sure to click on photos to enlarge them for full detail. The iPhone 4’s flash is turned off in all photos. The iPhone 4 takes photos at a resolution of 2592×1936 while the iPhone 3GS takes them at 2048×1536.

General Use

Close Ups

Extreme Close Ups

Low Light

Extreme Low Light

For one, it looks like the iPhone 4 has better contrast than the 3GS. This is particularly apparent in shots of the pen, where there is a more broad range of blacks and whites in the iPhone 4 shot; on the corresponding 3GS shot, you’ll notice that the darkest black on the photo appears to cover more area instead of fading through a series of shades as the light and colors change.

Probably the best picture to see the difference in resolution is of the belt in the Close Ups section. This was semi-dark shot and the iPhone 3GS’s photo suffered because of it.

Special back-illuminated sensors are great, but just how much better is the low light performance on the iPhone 4? I might be able to dig up a technical answer, but let’s look at what it means in real world terms. Take a look at the first two photos in the Extreme Low Light section. On the iPhone 4 shot, you can see the lilies toward the bottom of the pond a bit better than the 3GS shot. Additionally, the pond’s surface is not as noisy in the iPhone 4 shot as it is in the 3GS’s, due to the enhanced low light performance.

Is this really a significant improvement? I would put my money on the fact that the majority of iPhone 4 users will not notice the difference between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS cameras when it comes to photographs. Most user’s photos will either stay on the device, or be uploaded or sent somewhere at reduced quality. But for those who really use their camera, I think they’ll be quite please with the iPhone 4’s camera. On the other hand, the HD video recording capability on the iPhone 4 is a pretty clear improvement. The flash is also something to consider, though because the iPhone 3GS doesn’t have one, we didn’t use it in these shots (if you are interested in flash info, you’ll find it in our upcoming full iPhone 4 review).

You won’t find it here… not today anyway. You’ll find plenty of iPhone 4 coverage as we thoroughly test the device, but unlike many sites out there, we won’t be ready to publish our iPhone 4 “review” until we’ve actually had time to put the device through it’s proper paces. Here at Carrypad, we believe that just a few hours with a device doesn’t give us the necessary experience to give you a thorough review. So sit back and relax, we’ll post our review after we’ve really had time to test the iPhone 4, but don’t fret, we’ll be posting plenty of coverage as we go.

Here’s a quick look at the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 3GS facing off head to head. I didn’t cover too much stuff in this video, so if there are more comparisons that you’d like to see, speak up in the comments, and do it soon; the iPhone 3GS is going away (far away) very soon.

Looks like we were one of the lucky people that got our iPhone 4 [Portal page] a day early, and fortunately that means you get to take a look at it a day early with us. Check out the video unboxing below as well as some photos. Just to note, I mentioned that the iPhone 4 doesn’t come with a SIM ejector, but I didn’t say that it also doesn’t come with a polishing cloth as the iPhone 3G once did. Stay tuned for more.

We, along with nearly everyone else, previously presumed that the iPhone 4 [Portal page (updated)] would feature 256MB of RAM. However, to the delight of some 600,000 pre-order customers, which Apple reportedly acquired on the 15th, the iPhone 4 will come with 512MB of RAM, double that of the previous iPhone 3GS and the iPad. The news comes from a WWDC session and was reported by MacRumors.

The prior assumption was based on one bit of evidence, and one inference. The evidence was a leaked photo of an iPhone 4 prototype which was confirmed to have 256MB of RAM. The inference was that the iPhone 4 would feature 256MB of RAM because it was using the same A4 chip as the iPad (which has 256MB of RAM). Apparently between the launch of the iPad and the iPhone 4, Apple was able to double the amount of RAM, which will make the iPhone 4 the most powerful mobile iDevice yet released. Others are pointing out that this is a likely explanation as to why the iMovie app will only be available for the iPhone 4 and not the iPhone 3GS or even the iPad.

Apple may not have been able to deliver the expected bump from 32GB to 64GB storage, but I think I’d take the extra RAM if I had to choose between the two. We’ll see if I still agree with that choice after I fill our iPhone 4 to the brim with HD video and have no room left for music!

One of the promises of the iPad [Portal page] is that its large capacitive touch surface would be great for having multiple people interact with content on the screen. It’s taken a little while, but I’ve finally found some games for the iPad that are, not only fun, but great for more than one player on a single iPad, and I’ve had a blast playing them with friends and family — some of which are gamers, casual gamers, or not even gamers at all — yet all of them have had fun! Check them out and consider giving them a try!

Harbor Master HD

Harbor Master is a free game which tasks you with guiding ships into their proper ports to have their cargo unloaded. Once the ships are free of their cargo, you need to direct them off of the screen. The challenge is to not have any ships crash into each other. The premise is simple, but things start to get hectic and fun as more and more ships start to crowd the waters, and there is even multiple types of ships to make things more challenging.

While Harbor Master necessarily designed to be a multiplayer game, it works great as one, and if your hoping to place anywhere on the online leaderboards, you’ll likely need a few friends to help you out with your boat managing abilities. The game works great for multiple players as each player can claim a section of the map to take care of. It makes for some great teamwork too as you send your friends ships to manage while you ensure that your section of the map is copacetic. Check out this video of Harbor Master HD on the iPad in action:

MultiPong

MultiPong is an awesome little game that is clearly designed for multiple players. The game is $2.99 and supports 1-4 people on a single iPad. Think of your classic Pong, then visualize four paddles, powerups, and a dynamic play space.

The map is arranged in a square with pairs of players across from each other. There are several powerups (or sometimes powerdowns) that can be activated by hitting them with the ball:

• Long paddle – increases paddle size
• Energy paddle – zaps the ball when it hits your paddle, increasing it’s speed
• Extra Life
• Gravity – pulls the ball toward your goal for a number of seconds
• Multi ball splits the ball into two (can happen over and over again until you have a bunch of balls on the map)
• Short Paddle decreases paddle size
• Big Ball increases the size of the ball (can happen several times, until the ball becomes quite massive!)
• Reverse paddle likely the toughest of them all; reverses the direction that your paddle moves

On top of powerups, there is a dynamic play space. There are several types of bumpers, spinners, and various obstacles that will appear in the center then changed randomly. There is even an ominous storm cloud to obscure your view of the ball.

The app looks good, sounds good, and is a blast to play with friends and family! Check it out:

Today was pre-order day for the iPhone 4 [Portal page] and things went far from smooth. Both Apple and AT&T’s pre-order processes were taken to their knees by the hoard of people attempting to pre-order the iPhone 4. If you were trying to place an iPhone pre-order, you’d be lucky if you actually managed to make that happen.

Apparently, we we’re one of the lucky ones, and we managed to get a pre-order through to the Apple store earlier today. According to Apple, the iPhone 4 will be here on launch day June 24th, and we’ll be bringing you the usual quality coverage along with a full review after some serious hands-on time with Apple’s latest phone.

Did any readers take the pre-plunge today and order themselves and iPhone 4? Let us know in the comments.

Today was pre-order day for the iPhone 4 [Portal page] and things went far from smooth. Both Apple and AT&T’s pre-order processes were taken to their knees by the hoard of people attempting to pre-order the iPhone 4. If you were trying to place an iPhone pre-order, you’d be lucky if you actually managed to make that happen.

Apparently, we we’re one of the lucky ones, and we managed to get a pre-order through to the Apple store earlier today. According to Apple, the iPhone 4 will be here on launch day – June 24th, and we’ll be bringing you the usual quality coverage along with a full review after some serious hands-on time with Apple’s latest phone.

Did any readers take the pre-plunge today and order themselves and iPhone 4? Let us know in the comments.