iPhone 3G Hardware and Software Features

iPhone & iPod

Updated March 19, 2017

Last Updated: Oct. 2015

Introduced: July 2008
Discontinued: June 2009

The iPhone 3G was Apple’s second iPhone model, the follow-up to the surprisingly successful first-generation iPhone. It carried through the core features that made the original phone such a success and added a host of new features. Three key features became core parts of the iPhone experience and continue to be used today. Those three innovations were:

The most important feature that came with the iPhone 3G was the App Store. While no one knew it at the time, the ability for developers to create native third-party apps is what would transform the iPhone from a nice, expensive smartphone into a ubiquitous, must-have device that helped revolutionize the way people use computers, communicate, and get work done
The second major improvement in the device was right there in its name: support for 3G wireless networks. The original iPhone had only supported AT&T's EDGE network; 3G support made the iPhone 3G's cellular Internet connection about twice as fast as its predecessor's
Lastly, the iPhone 3G introduced GPS support to the iPhone, unlocking the range of location-aware apps and services that users take for granted now, including mapping and driving apps and tools to find nearby restaurants, movies, stores, and more.

With this release, Apple also changes the device's price: The iPhone 3G was significantly less expensive than the original model.

The 8GB model debuted at $199, while the 16GB model was $299. The 16GB version of the original iPhone cost $399.

New Features in the iPhone 3G

Support for third-party applications 
App Store compatibility
3G cellular network support
Built-in GPS

Other Key Features

iPod/MP3 player 
Video playback/widescreen option

Wireless Internet access, using Wi-Fi and EDGE 
Email, web browsing
Phone, text messaging, Visual Voicemail
2-megapixel digital camera   (at the time, 5-megapixel cameras were common on many phones)
3.5-inch screen  , 480 x 320 pixels, with multitouch support
Bluetooth

Built-In Apps

Communication: Messages, Phone, Mail
Photography: Photos, Camera
Productivity: Calendar, Notes
Internet: Safari
Entertainment: iPod, YouTube
Misc: Stocks, Maps, Weather, Clock, Calculator, Settings, iTunes Store, App Store

Phone Company

AT&T

Capacity

8GB 
16GB

Colors

Black 
White – 16GB model only

Battery Life

Voice Calls

5 hours talk time on 3G
10 hours talk time on EDGE

Internet

5 hours 3G Internet use
6 hours on Wi-Fi

Entertainment

7 hours video playback 
24 hours audio playback

Misc.

300 hours standby

Size and Weight

4.5 inches tall x 2.4 inches wide x 0.48 inches deep
Weight: 4.7 ounces

Critical Reception of the iPhone 3G

Overall, the iPhone 3G was reviewed positively and enthusiastically by the tech press:

I gave the phone 4.5 stars, calling it "a solid jump past the first-generation iPhone."
Engadget said, "you're going to have a hard time finding a better device for two hundred bucks -- or maybe even for any price."

AnandTech said it was "the best consumer smartphone available."
CNET gave it 4 stars, saying "the iPhone 3G is a big improvement over the original model."

iPhone 3G Sales

Those positive assessments were borne out in the sales of the device. In January 2008, a few months before the phone was released, Apple said that it had sold about 3.8 million iPhones. By January 2009, six months after the iPhone 3G was released, that figure had skyrocketed to 17.3 million iPhones.

In January 2010, the iPhone 3G had been replaced by the iPhone 3GS about 6 months earlier, but the iPhone had tallied all-time sales of 42.4 million units.

While a good chunk of those 42.4 million phones were certainly original and 3G models, it was the 3G that helped accelerate iPhone sales to their historic pace.