After baulking at an upgrade to the iPhone 4 due to the "grip of death" controversy, JOHN HARRIS takes the plunge and puts Apple's latest phone handset through its paces.

After two weeks using an iPhone 4, I’m convinced it’s worth the upgrade if you’re free of a phone contract.

The new handset’s reception is significantly better than my former iPhone 3G model, even without the “bumper” case that Apple gave away until last month due to the much-ballyhooed “grip of death”.

In case you missed that hoo-hah, Apple’s June release of the iPhone 4 was dogged by claims that the handset loses signal strength and can drop calls if held in a certain way.

The reception problem was reported by southpaws who clasp the lower part of the handset, with the thumb on one side of its steel antenna band and fingers on the other.

My experience is that the problem is a storm in a teacup. During the past fortnight, I’ve travelled throughout SA and managed to get great Telstra 3G coverage hundreds of kilometres north of Port Augusta. I also had my old 3G phone in the car and the new handset consistently got better reception.

While I never delighted in my old iPhone’s performance as a phone, I loved everything else about it.

iPhone 4 not only has improved telephonic chops: It makes that ‘everything’ even better.

Even moving from my old iPhone to the new unit was simple: I just plugged its USB cable into my notebook and iTunes migrated all of my existing applications and music to the iPhone 4.

Apple’s iOS 4 software has convenient new features such as folders for storing app icons. It also adds the multitasking ability to run multiple apps simultaneously: Just double-tap the Home button to show open apps.

Powered by the iPad’s A4 CPU, the new hardware runs iOS 4 quickly, while the 4.1 version works well on the older iPhone 3G and 3GS handsets as well.

Reception aside, the new phone has much improved hardware, especially its brilliant new display. Although the 3.5-inch screen is the same size, it offers double the resolution, with a crisp 960x640 pixel display, making text much easier to read.

The iPhone 4 boosts camera performance from 3 megapixels to 5 megapixels and adds an LED flash, a backlit sensor and a built-in 5x zoom. With high-definition 720-pixel video at 30 frames per second, the iPhone has a handy tap-to-focus feature.

Somewhat disconcertingly, I discovered my iPhone’s front-mounted camera when I noticed my face peering back from its screen: This camera is for video calls.

On the downside, the iPhone’s battery still needs a daily power slurp to run all these features.

While sceptics may await an Apple hardware fix for the alleged “grip of death” problem, the iPhone 4’s current performance has happily justified my upgrade.

John Harris is managing director of Impress Media Australia. Email jharris@impress.com.au.

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