First iPhone 3G Reviews: Mossberg, Baig, and Pogue - MacRumors
Skip to Content

First iPhone 3G Reviews: Mossberg, Baig, and Pogue

The first iPhone 3G reviews are in from the reporters who have had early access to the iPhone 3G for the past two weeks. While we encourage you to read their reviews in full, we've highlighted some interesting tidbits:

Walt Mossberg / AllThingsD

- "it mostly keeps its promises."
- "more capable version of an already excellent device"
- Battery drained much more quickly using 3G
- Greatly improved audio, much louder speaker
- Data speeds 3-5x faster than original iPhone
- Better voice coverage with 3G. "At my neighborhood shopping center, where the first iPhone got little or no AT&T service, the iPhone 3G registered strong coverage."

Edward Baig / USA Today

- "iPhone 3G: The Sequel, is worth the wait."
- Still no recording video, no stereo bluetooth or voice dialing
- Supports PowerPoint attachments; mass move or delete multiple e-mail messages
- 10-30 seconds to load popular websites on 3G.
- GPS was very accurate
- Speaker sounded better for both speakerphone and music.
- "started receiving low battery warnings toward the end of a busy work day; I found myself charging the device overnight, the same as with the older iPhone."

David Pogue / NYTimes

- Sound is much improved. "In fact, few cellphones sound this good."
- Feels better in your hand due to the curved back
- "According to Apple, the iPhones G.P.S. antenna is much too small to emulate the turn-by-turn navigation of a G.P.S. unit for a vehicle, for example."
- No voice dialing, video recording, copy/paste, memory card slot, Bluetooth stereo, MMS
- "the really big deal is the iPhone 2.0 software and the App Store, neither of which requires buying a new iPhone."

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

8 CarPlay Features in iOS 27 Feature

Which iOS 27 CarPlay Features Actually Work in Your Car?

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:17 am PDT by
In iOS 27, available now, CarPlay gets its biggest update in years, but some features depend on what type of car you have rather than your iPhone model. Some of the biggest additions won't do anything in the vast majority of vehicles on the road today. Here's how the new features pan out. Works in Any CarPlay Vehicle Custom widgets: In iOS 27, CarPlay is no longer limited to Apple's handful ...
iphone 18 pro max prepare

iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping

Friday September 18, 2026 4:27 pm PDT by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity over 20 watt-hours, which means there are additional shipping requirements. If an iPhone 18 Pro Max needs to be shipped somewhere, its maximum battery capacity has to be limited through firmware. According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an "innovative battery-firmware solution" that limits battery capacity to below 20Wh between when the...
Apple Watch New Charging Puck

Here's Why a New Apple Watch Charging Puck Was Just Released

Wednesday September 16, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have hardware changes that allow for faster charging, but you will need to use the new version of the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger included in the box in order to achieve this boost. If you need extra ones for your own charging stands or travel or so forth, Apple released the new version of the charger on its online store last week, with...