Here's What Tech Critics Think of the Verizon iPhone 4

Check out what the top tech critics think of Verizon's newest phone.

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It's finally here. As Verizon begins taking pre-orders for its iPhone 4, tech critics around the world have begun publishing their thoughts and feelings on the first iPhone not tethered to the AT&T network. So, what's the overall verdict? It's good. Everyone seems to like the Verizon iPhone 4 because, well, it's, for all intents and purposes, the same exact phone as its AT&T brethren except it runs on a CDMA network as opposed to a GSM, and the antenna is in a slightly different place. That said, some reviewers did have a few gripes with the phone, like the inability to surf the web and talk on the phone. If you're wondering if you should cop the Verizon iPhone or not, take a look at what some of the most trusted names in the biz have to say...

David Pogue, NY Times

DOPE: "And to answer everyone’s question, the Verizon iPhone is nearly the same as AT&T’s iPhone 4 — but it doesn’t drop calls. For several million Americans, that makes it the holy grail."

Walt Mossberg, All Things D 

DOPE:"On the big question, I can say that, at least in the areas where I wasusing it, the Verizon model did much, much better with voice calls. Innumerous tries over nine days, I had only three dropped calls on theVerizon unit, and those were all to one person who was using anAT&T iPhone in an especially bad area for AT&T: San Francisco.With the nearly identical AT&T model, I often get that many droppedcalls in one day… Calls on the Verizon unit were mostly crisp andclear, including speakerphone calls and those made over my car’sBluetooth connection."

Jason Snell, MacWorld

DOPE: "I found that Verizon’s coverage was more reliable than AT&T’s. My daily commute includes a bus ride through the heart of San Francisco’s Financial District, and I’ve always been frustrated by the poor AT&T data coverage there. The Verizon iPhone was much more robust, allowing me to check Twitter, e-mail, and the Web without frustrating dead zones."

NOT SO DOPE:  "Adopting the CDMA cellular standard does force this iPhone 4 to take one step back—back to the days of the original iPhone, in fact. Unlike AT&T’s 3G network, which can transmit data and voice simultaneously, the Verizon 3G network can only do one or the other. That has a pretty serious side-effect: if you’re using the Internet and your phone rings, your Internet connection immediately drops."

Joshua Topolsky, Engadget

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MG Siegler,Tech Crunch 

DOPE: "The best part of the Verizon iPhone is that no, Apple did not have to make any concessions. The Verizon iPhone is not a “Verizon iPhone” — it’s an “iPhone on Verizon’s network”. There’s no Verizon branding anywhere on the device aside from the upper left of the screen which shows you the carrier next to the signal strength. There are no pre-loaded Verizon apps. There are no apps that work on the AT&T iPhones that won’t work on this model. Every app you’ve bought in the App Store will install and work on this Verizon version of the device. FaceTime is interoperable over the two devices. So is Game Center."

NOT SO DOPE: "The caveat to all of this is that it’s well known that Apple releases a new version of the iPhone every summer. Expect this summer to be no different. So if you buy this iPhone 4 on Verizon right now, know that there’s a good chance that an iPhone 5 will be out in six months or less. One can only hope that Apple and Verizon would do the right thing and allow the early Verizon iPhone adopters to upgrade to the iPhone 5 for a heavily discounted (if not fully subsidized price). But it’s still very much up in the air."

Edward C. Baig, USA Today

DOPE: "Though not every call was crystal clear — this is a cellphone, after all — I haven't experienced any of the dropped calls, so far anyway, or other frustrating hiccups during my tests that have been driving some owners of the AT&T iPhone bonkers during the 3½ years that the carrier has had iPhone exclusivity in the U.S."

NOT SO DOPE: "For business travelers, it's also worth noting that the GSM wireless standard is more broadly accepted abroad through roaming agreements. AT&T service is available in more than 220 countries around the world. Verizon's CDMA roaming service is available in about 40 countries, with most of Europe off-limits to the Verizon iPhone."

 

 


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