Photo: MIKI Yoshihito from Sapporo City,Hokkaido., JAPAN / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons · source
iPhone 3GS
The same shell, twice as quick, with video and a compass.
Overview
The S in the name stood for speed. A 600 MHz Cortex-A8 processor and 256MB of memory made apps open and web pages render noticeably faster, and a new PowerVR SGX graphics chip brought better games to the platform.
The camera grew to 3 megapixels with autofocus and tap-to-focus, and for the first time an iPhone could record video, at VGA resolution. Voice Control let users dial and play music by speaking, and a digital compass worked with the Maps app. The software also gained copy and paste, MMS and landscape keyboards through iPhone OS 3.0.
Capacity options were 16GB and 32GB, with the 16GB model sold at $199 on contract. The 3GS stayed on sale for three years as a budget model, with an 8GB version added later.
Why it mattered
It showed the S-year formula that Apple would repeat for a decade: keep the design, make everything faster.
At a glance
- Announced
- June 8, 2009
- Released
- June 19, 2009
- Discontinued
- September 12, 2012
- Launch price
- $199
- Chip
- Samsung S5PC100 (ARM Cortex-A8), 600 MHz
- Display
- 3.5"
- Storage
- 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 600 MHz Cortex-A8 processor
- 3MP autofocus camera with VGA video
- Voice Control and digital compass
- Copy and paste via iPhone OS 3.0
- Sold for three years
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 3.5-inch
- Type
- Multi-touch TFT LCD with oleophobic coating
- Resolution
- 480 x 320 pixels (163 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Chip
- Chip
- Samsung S5PC100 (ARM Cortex-A8), 600 MHz
- GPU
- PowerVR SGX535
Memory
- RAM
- 256MB
- Storage options
- 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
Camera
- Rear cameras
- 3MP autofocus camera
- Front camera
- None
- Video recording
- VGA at 30 fps
Battery
- Video playback
- Up to 10 hours
- Charging
- Via 30-pin dock connector
- Audio playback
- Up to 30 hours
Connectivity
- Cellular
- UMTS/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, GSM / EDGE
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11b/g
- Connector
- 30-pin dock connector
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- GPS
- Assisted GPS
Design
- Dimensions
- 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
- Weight
- 135 g
- Materials
- Plastic back, glass front
- Water resistance
- None
Security
- Authentication
- Passcode (optional); hardware data encryption
Software
- Launch OS
- iPhone OS 3.0
- Final OS
- iOS 6.1.6
