So on launch day, I lined up with the Kobo crew to procure some iPhone 4’s for the office. I ended up keeping a 16GB unlocked version for myself.

For a person who already has a Google Nexus One smartphone, I am struggling adjusting to the iPhone.

So I wanted to write my thoughts somewhere, to at least catalogue what I’m thinking and how I am feeling.

Hardware

Hands down, the iPhone 4 blows away the Nexus One. It really makes the N1 feel like a previous generation handset (admittedly it is).

In particular:

• Industrial Design: Stunning, the iPhone 4 feels like a high-end luxury good.
• Retina Display: The best that I can say is that it comes the closest to digital print. It makes eReaders look like digital newsprint.
• 5 MB camera: Really blows away the Nexus One’s camera. It is the first phone that I am comfortable saying it can replace a low-end, point-and-shoot.

All-in-all, this is not surprising. The product roadmaps for either device are not aligned, and the Nexus One is already 8-months old. You would really have to compare the iPhone 4 with the current generation of Android devices like the “Motorola Droid X or the variants of the Samsung Galaxy S.

ASIDE: Many people already have done that and the verdict: iPhone 4 has nothing to worry about (unless you are on Verizon).

Battery life – feels equivalent to the Nexus 1. I think with light usage, I should be able to easily get 2-days worth.

Antenna-gate – My experience

For what it’s worth, I haven’t experience any dropped calls. However, in certain areas of Markham and Richmond Hill, I can easily put the phone into EDGE mode just by bridging the contact. Does it affect my day-to-day use? No. However, it clearly shows that their is a flawin the antenna design. Otherwise, I have no complaints, the iPhone 4’s antenna works well, it allows for a larger battery and fixes one of the key problems I had with the 3GS (poor, poor battery life).

For the life of me, I haven’t been able to attenuate the signal on my Nexus one, but I do get flaky 3G in the same areas where I do with my iPhone.

Given that almost everywhere I go has accessible Wi-Fi, I’m not concerned.

The more troubling thing – Proximity sensor

The thing I find more troubling is the proximity sensor—it’s fucked up. If I’m not careful, I can easily hang up the phone when I’m talking. Kind of a bummer. Given all the antenna-hoopla, this is by far the more serious problem, IMHO.

Tai