iPhone 3G S tops new smart phone Ratings, edging out Palm Pre

The iPhone 3G S tops our new smart-phone Ratings (available to subscribers), with strong performance in everything but voice quality, an area in which few phones score well. It's not a runaway winner, though. A number of other phones ranked close to the iPhone, including the Palm Pre, which turned in a fine performance, as we expected from our head-to-head review of these two highly publicized rivals.

The phones vary significantly in how they achieve their high scores. The iPhone 3G S edged out high-scoring competitors such as the Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm thanks to a superior display, reinforced by top-notch multimedia, navigation, Web browsing, and battery life. However, the Pre, the Storm, and other BlackBerry models bested the iPhone in messaging, and the Pre, with its new deck-of-cards handling of multiple applications, is a superior multitasker.

To better display those differences, we recently added more attributes to our Ratings and put more emphasis on the display, ease of navigation, and multimedia and messaging prowess. In turn, we've somewhat reduced the contribution of talk time (as reflected in our battery life results) and voice quality, in part to reflect the growing importance of non-voice use of smart phones.

The iPhone 3G and some other older phones have moved up due to these changes, while others, including the Samsung Blackjack II and BlackBerry Pearl Flip, have dropped in their ranking.

One of the few changes to our test protocol involves phone sensitivity, as one reader already noticed and commented on. During our Ratings revamp, we concluded that our existing tests of this attribute no longer adequately replicated real-life reception experience. Creating reliable reception tests has become steadily more challenging as smart phones add more tasks and use a growing range of reception technologies.

We've removed sensitivity scores from our Ratings while we develop tests to more accurately evaluate this attribute. Until then, we suggest anyone concerned about this (like the reader who commented on our blog) inquire about return provisions for phones, and take advantage of them as needed.

In addition, we're wrestling with ways to further evaluate phones' speed and versatility—growing concerns as the devices acquire more sophisticated operating systems and a host of third-party applications.

Such challenges are not unique to smart phones; they crop up periodically for all products, as they, and consumer expectations for them, change. Smart phones are among the most complex products we test, and perhaps the most subject to personal preference. Their Ratings have prompted debate and sometimes disagreement in the past. We welcome your comments and questions on the changes we've made this time around. —Paul Reynolds

Comments

[Brad]

They don't grade voice quality and call quality b/c it varies due to location. I have Sprint, and where I went to college, the reception was awful and my calls weren't as clear. After I graduated and moved back to a bigger city my call quality was almost perfect, and I can't remembert the last time I had a dropped call.

I used to have AT&T and didn't have a lot of problems with them at my house, but my uncle couldn't get reception at his house which was in an upscale community about 10 minutes outside a major city. So basically call quality and dropped calls all depend on so many external forces. Basically they'd be doing more of a review on providers for that rather than phones. I've been with Sprint for awhile now and haven't had any problems with the 4 or 5 phones I've owned, but I'm sure there's some people who have issues with the quality b/c the network strength in their area is poor... same is to be said for AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, etc.

[GeeMONEYY]

I have 3G S and i Tether on a Weekly basis being that i travel and fly alot. MMS i can live without because i currently live in an Email world. Everything else puts the Iphone light years ahead. I just Downloaded Navigon Full turn by turn Navigational System so now i dont even need a real Navigation Device. YMMV but i love my Iphone

[Sam]

I agree with the comment about not testing the Nokia E71 even though I have never used it. I feel that the devices picked for testing by CR are really poor no matter what the category. You may see 10 Canon cameras tested but no Pentax/Olympus/Panasonic, etc.. Reminds me of the comment that another user made about CR following the crowd. Getting back to these smartphones and I have been a user longer than most, it is ridiculous to give so much importance to multimedia playback, etc. The bulk of the smartphone revenue comes from business users worldwide. I see business users on planes (I travel a lot) who never use their smartphone (iPhone or other) for multimedia because the primary use of the phone is to make calls and you cannot get off a flight with a dead battery.

Also, multitasking is critical. On an iPhone I cannot be logged into my messaging programs while doing something else. I have been able to do this for years on Windows Mobile. While the UI on Windows Mobile certainly needs improvement it is definitely a superior platform in its capabilities today. As long as there are things that I cannot do on an iPhone that I can do on other phones I cannot agree with CR's rating of it.

[Ron Beasley]

I am a Verizon customer. I wanted go to the I phone however I have talked to other customers of AT&T and I was told the call quality and the number of dropped calls would really make me unhappy. When will the I phone become availible to other providers?

[Neil]

The iPhone 3Gs is a superior platform to any other smart phone on the market.

That is a pretty bold statement so let me support it with some thoughts:

1. Incredibly smooth interface
2. Superior, splendid availability of applications and utilities
3. Tremendous Web browsing capabilities
4. Conference calling function
5. Voice commands
6. Eliminates need for iPod
7. Entertainment center
8. Quality 3-MP camera with ease of email and upload
9. Video camera with excellent sound reproduction and editing capabilities
10. A network that has much to do to improve, and is doing so

Enjoy the switch, fun, functionality and form at a price all can afford.

[Joe Bacon]

I have had the iPhone 3G S for a week and I am very pleased with it. The call quality is improved over the 3G and I have no problem going through the day without charging it.

[brad]

eww, E71 really?

[so unbiased]

what a joke for a report...

call quality doesn't matter??

ok, how about these non-calling features: tethering, MMS, multi-tasking, non-removable battery?

you guys are so biased... so afraid to not follow the crowd and make an unbiased analysis?

[LaughingJohn]

"To better display those differences, we recently added more attributes to our Ratings and put more emphasis on the display, ease of navigation, and multimedia and messaging prowess. In turn, we've somewhat reduced the contribution of talk time (as reflected in our battery life results) and voice quality, in part to reflect the growing importance of non-voice use of smart phones. "

Come on, they may be smart but the primary use for most phones is still making voice calls. And it doesn't matter how smart a phone is if the battery is dead.

IMHO these 2 categories should still very much be the top of the list.

[Greg Hancock]

Until the iPhone frees itself from the exclusivity arrangement with at&t, it will be plagued with inferior network capabilities.

[Molly Keene]

How do the IPhone and Palm Pre compare on the cost of international calling and in their calendar features, syncing with other family in particular?

[Tommy Flynn]

I disagree with your contention that call quality and voice quality are not as important as the other features. After all, even with the all the neat bells and whistles, it is a phone first and foremost and needs to be able to make and receive calls reliably.

[EVVJSK]

If you didn't test the Nokia E71, then your testing/comparison was incomplete. I guess you can say you did a fair test, but in my opinion it was pretty incomplete. Sorry, not paying for a subscription if your testing is going to be incomplete.