Flashback: iPhone 4, the phone that made Apple a camera and display powerhouse

15 September 2019
The Retina Display kicked off a resolution war with other smartphone makers. Also, this was the first iPhone with a front-facing camera.

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  • P
  • PXI Kannivel
  • rJJ
  • 15 Sep 2019

4 or 4s is also good mobile...

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • nx1
    • 15 Sep 2019

    THIS was the iPhone that made Apple a no. 1 phone maker. The previous iPhones from 2007-2010 were merely concepts with some interesting features but not well specced. iPhone 4 changed all that and this was when it became the powerhouse we know.

      Anders, 15 Sep 2019And here we are 9 years later and the iPhone 11 actually ha... moreLollllllll

        • C
        • Cir8
        • UFF
        • 15 Sep 2019

        I had this phone and it was the last iPhone I would ever owned. Hated it.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • n5X
          • 15 Sep 2019

          It has higher ppi than iPhone 11

            Kingslayer, 15 Sep 2019In fairness, I did like iOS4. I prefer Scott Forstall's ske... moreI don't think it was for anyone. Windows Mobile had my heart at first

              • B
              • Biki
              • Gfu
              • 15 Sep 2019

              I up graded from 4 to XR🙈

                Most of their "upgrades" are incremental.

                Now that they finally made a camera improvement - they stayed on 64GB as a base and 4GB RAM, design has gotten even uglier and they topped that with removal of 3D touch.

                  Anders, 15 Sep 2019And here we are 9 years later and the iPhone 11 actually ha... moreHarsh, but fair.

                  Apple got greedy and took their customers for granted. Their "innovations" latley are just slap in the face to everyone buying their products.
                  Removing headphone jack.
                  Notch.
                  No touch-ID.
                  Price hike.
                  Removing 3D touch...

                    Kangal, 15 Sep 2019The original iPhone (2G) paved the way for phones to transf... moreMostly BS. Check your dates and try again. MeeGo was just one device. Palm was almost dead anyway. Elop killed Symbian. And WP dead in 2012?

                      Carol, 15 Sep 2019Yeah, i also remember how cool those days were, when every ... moreOh well, if you are fixated on the antenna-gate and standard essential patents (imho) then I would have to agree with you. Reluctantly.

                      If you would have read my last statement, you could make out that I am not an Apple fanboy.

                        In fairness, I did like iOS4. I prefer Scott Forstall's skeuomorphic design over Jony Ive's flat design introduced in iOS7.

                        Apple gave us Retina Display (inventing another marketing term), FaceTime (iOS video calls), and a multi-task bar. It was in 2010 with the iPhone 4 when the product line was starting to mature. The first three generations of iPhone were throw outs. The 4th iteration is when Apple started to get serious.

                        Ode to my launch day iPhone 4 (June 2010-Aug 2013). I had good times with it but I had to move onto Android with the Nexus One in October 2011. And believe it or not, I wasn't a fan of Android early on until they introduced Ice Cream Sandwich. Android was a slow burn for me. Wasn't love at first sight at all.

                          • K
                          • Keith K
                          • StU
                          • 15 Sep 2019

                          I had the 4S until the update slowed it down and made it annoying to use, also the battery life became very poor.
                          I liked the size / design very much and wish they would bring it back, it strikes me very possible to design a phone with the same physical dimensions and reduced bezels to give a real increase in screen size using oled technology.
                          Not everyone wants to carry a huge phone all the time!

                            • i
                            • ip4x
                            • tZk
                            • 15 Sep 2019

                            had one,
                            antenna issues - anyone remember ?
                            terrible gps
                            no more updates after ios 7

                            my 1st and last iphone

                              • d
                              • dynamic_gsm
                              • fvi
                              • 15 Sep 2019

                              I still have the 4s version , battrey dry fast , but i love it and i will never sell it ..unfortunately stop give OTA update a years ago ..

                                • D
                                • AnonD-819322
                                • 3aW
                                • 15 Sep 2019

                                Carol, 15 Sep 2019Wait, what? This device was destroyed by Nokia N8 in pretty... moreI'm quite a Nokia fan myself, but I don't show bias.
                                The N8 had AMOLED, the 4 had over 300ppi. This depends on the user's preference.
                                The 4 had better battery life (9 hours v 6 hours video playback).
                                2.5D glass was a gimmick, even some feature phones from the 2000's had 2.5D panels.
                                Symbian and MeeGo were decent, Android was worse (except for the Market).
                                The N8's camera was way better than the 4.
                                Multimedia wise, the N8 is better as it has a 16:9 display instead of the dreaded 3:2.

                                It seems like Samsung have stole the N8's back design, especially the J series.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • PIF
                                  • 15 Sep 2019

                                  Anonymous, 15 Sep 20199 years on and while there’s still haters spewing nonsense ... moreSuck it what?
                                  It's just a company
                                  You're not benefitting from it
                                  You give them money so no need to defend

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • PIF
                                    • 15 Sep 2019

                                    Popularized? Galaxy S was launched with a super amoled display of 480 x 800 pixels so stop

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • v3K
                                      • 15 Sep 2019

                                      9 years on and while there’s still haters spewing nonsense & hoping for them to fall, Apple remains as one of the top companies in the world.

                                      Suck it haters :)

                                        And here we are 9 years later and the iPhone 11 actually has a lower PPI than the iPhone 4. Apple is a joke