Spot the difference? The Apple iPhone 3GS looks almost identical in every way to its predecessor, the iPhone 3G. It’d take Atom man to shrink down in size and crawl into Apple’s latest mobile phone to spot the difference. That’s because nearly all the changes are internal, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less impressive than if Apple had strapped on an expanding 20-inch touchscreen. Read on for the full iPhone 3GS review…

The iPhone 3GS. It’s that S that makes this special. But that’s not what the letter stands for. It’s all about Speed with Apple’s new handset. Apple’s opened the hood and kitted it out with a speed-hungry 600MHz processor and the mobile equivalent of NOS to double the HSDPA speed from 3.2Mbps to 7.2Mbps. In English that means we were zipping through web pages with nearly as much ease as we would do on our Macs, and apps were opening with noticeably more speed than the iPhone 3G.

The new iPhone’s also glimmering with plenty of other features. Okay, the camera still lacks a flash, but Apple has finally seen fit to up the megapixel count to 3.2 megapixels, which is evident in the picture quality. The ‘tap to focus’ feature also helps out here in that respect.

But the big story image-wise is video capture. That camera shoots at 30 frames per second and takes, what look like, DVD quality flicks to the average punter. That means it’s very good rather than Blu-ray outstanding. The good thing here though, is the editing facilities, made simple thanks to the iPhone 3GS’s touchscreen. You can manipulate and trim footage using a simple drag and drop bar at the screen’s top. As soon as that’s done, YouTube beckons…

Elsewhere we were pleasantly surprised with the new voice control abilities. Although nothing new in mobiles, it is new to the iPhone and it worked well, allowing you to command your iPhone. Even to the extent where you could ask it questions and, more often than not, it’d give you the answer.

The iPhone 3GS is also available in a 32GB flavour now, really questioning why anybody would choose an iPod touch over an iPhone. 32GB should be enough storage for even the most anally-devoted music buff. And thanks to that souped-up download speed buying music on the fly is now easier than picking your nose!

It would be difficult to argue for anyone who already possesses an iPhone 3G to upgrade to an iPhone 3GS. Yes it has a lot of improvements (including some neat touches like the built-in compass), but a quick firmware upgrade will cure many of the 3G’s ailments.

Don’t get us wrong, though. The iPhone 3GS is without a doubt the best iPhone yet. If you’re in the market for Apple’s wunder-phone, then this is the one to go for. If not. Well, check out the best iPhone 3GS rivals.

Verdict
Thought the iPhone 3G was the best iPhone around? We’ve got news for you pal: the best just got better.

Love
The great looks of the iPhone 3G, with twice the speed
Editing videos is as easy as blowing your nose
A welcome boost for the much-maligned camera

Hate
Why didn’t Apple give this a flash as well?

The Spec
Screen: 480×800 pixels, 3.5 inches
Connectivity: 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS
Camera: 3.2-megapixels
Battery life: Talk time/Standby: 5/300hours
Storage: 32GB (16GB also available)
Size/weight: 116×62×12.3mm/133g

What do you think of the iPhone 3GS? Is it the best smartphone out there? Let us know…