iPhone 4: Unboxing and Review

So, yes, I'm one of those people who flipped for the new iPhone 4. I'm also one of those people who just upgraded to get one, and—you guessed it—I'm also one of those people who absolutely loves it!

I ordered my spiffy new iPhone on the 2nd, a bit put off by the fact that they didn't just have one in the store that I could walk out with. Yeah, I'm a little impatient. But having the phone shipped to me did increase my excitement and anticipation, which was fun! And it actually ended up arriving earlier than I thought it would, which is extra super because that means no extra trip home from college just to pick up a phone. Because let's face it, that's kind of out of the way, even for an awesome phone.

So I came home this weekend to marry off one of my best friends, and it just so happened that my iPhone 4 was set to arrive this weekend. How convenient is that?! Waiting for FedEx to deliver it was tiring for me. I must have checked my tracking information at least a hundred times. (Yes, I'm also that neurotic.) And when it did arrive, I felt the occasion worthy of proper documenting.

That being said, here we are! A slew of pictures of the unboxing of my beloved new mobile phone.

The box has arrived! Excitement ensues.

The contents of the box.
Not sure what the thing on top is meant to do.

iPhone 4!

My brand new phone, right inside the box!

Hello, iPhone 4!

The back of my phone, black and lovely.

Inside the box.
Headphones, USB cord, plug.

Box top, contents, iPhone 4.

I could have taken more pictures, but I resisted. I do seriously love this phone, though. Very sleek, feels natural to hold, and to me it feels more solid than my previous phone, the iPhone 3GS. More sturdy, I suppose you'd say.

So now you've seen the pictures, which brings me to my mini-review. Since I've only been using the phone for a day or so, I don't have an in-depth review, but I do have some surface observations and fan-girl favorites.

To start with, as I said, I love the new design—It feels more solid than the former 3G and 3GS design. It's more like the original iPhone, which I also loved. The glass back is delightful to look at, very polished, good sharp design. The curved look is gone, so the phone is more squared off, and I like the stainless steel band a lot.

The camera now has a flash, which is excellent! I take pictures with my phone all of the time, and not every situation has great lighting, so the flash is very helpful for capturing photos in lower light, or even at night! I can't wait to really get to use this new feature. And the front facing camera is great! I haven't tried FaceTime yet, but it's nice if you want to take a picture of yourself. It takes the guess-work out of it—You know right away how the picture is going to look, and you won't cut your face in half anymore trying to gauge where to aim with the camera on the back. Love that. Also, the camera has been upgraded to 5 megapixels. Score.

The retina display is fantastic! Puts my 3GS to shame with the clarity of text, images, everything. I still can't get over how flawless the screen looks. I absolutely love it.

I haven't had a chance to try out the new HD video recording, but I hope to in the near future. I foresee numerous videos of Tucker getting taken, as I'm already hopelessly obsessed with photographing my dog.

I haven't had any of the reception issues that some iPhone 4 users have complained of, but I also bought a case more or less immediately. That's the problem with new toys; don't want to damage them! Here's the case I bought. I really like it.

I really like this case because it's a hard case, not just rubber. But it's easy to hold on to, so hopefully I can keep from dropping my phone as long as possible! Also, it snaps on, so you're sure that the phone will fit really well in the case. I've had rubber cases before that fit great at first, but over time stretch just enough that the phone fits loosely inside. I'm hoping since this is a snap-on hard case, I won't have that problem again. Plus it's purple, which is my favorite color. Fun fact. :-)

I also got a screen protector for it. (I'm neurotic, remember?) And the AT&T rep, Shadi, who helped me out, did a stellar job of putting that screen protector on for me. Props to him. He rocks. Big time.

So there you have it. I have a new phone, and I love it. And I think it's a really great phone.