iPhone 4′s Finally Arrive in Botswana!

Hello GadgetHigh readers! My name is Darren Fine. I live in Botswana (the country just north of South Africa), and this is my first post on GadgetHigh. For many of you Americans, the iPhone 4 is nothing new. In fact, an entire year has passed since you have been able to lay your hands on one. But for me, and for all Batswana, the iPhone 4 is new. Apple says that the iPhone 4 is the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone. But does it live up to the hype? How much better is it than its predecessor? A lot better. It’s much thinner (though slightly heavier), lasts longer on a charge (thanks to Apple’s A4 chip), and will offer two-way FaceTime video chat. You also get HD video recording and an all-new three-axis gyroscope that should make gameplay even more immersive. What’s more, the new iPhone is also now offered by Verizon and AT&T in the United States. Here in Botswana, our two main service providers are Orange and Mascom. Orange just recently begun to sell the iPhone 4 starting at P8000 (for those of you who are not familiar with the Botswana Pula, P8000 is about $1,220). In America, Verizon and AT&T are selling iPhone 4’s starting at just $199! What a deal! Mascom and Organge also sell 8GB iPhone 3GS for about P4500, or about $690 dollars. In America, it would cost you as little as $49 when bought from AT&T!  So, is the switch worth it? I certainly think so. If I haven’t convinced you, see the chart below for more information. Thanks for reading!

Have you made the switch? Surprised by the high price increase in Botswana relative to America? Leave any questions, comments, or thoughts below!

Specs  

iPhone 3GS

 

iPhone 4

Operating System iPhone OS 3 (Upgrade to iOS 4.3 and soon to upgrade to iOS 5) iOS 4.3 (soon to have iOS 5)
Size (inches) 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.37
Weight (ounces) 4.76  ounces 4.8 ounces
Processor 600-MHz ARM Cortex A8 Apple A4 processor
Display 3.5 inches  (480 x 320 pixels, 163 ppi) 3.5 inches (960 x 640 pixels, 326 ppi)
Camera 3-MP 5-MP with LED flash, VGA front camera
Video Recording VGA @ 30fps 720p @ 30fps
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g 802.11n
Sensors Accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light 3-axis gyro, Accelerometer, proximity, ambient light
Internal Memory (max) 8GB 16GB, 32GB
Talk / Standby Time up to 5 hours (3G)/12.5 days 7 hours (3G)/12.5 days
Internet Use (3G/Wi-Fi) 5 hours/9 hours 6 hours/10 hours
Video/Audio Playback Up to 10 hours/30 hours Up to 10 hours/40 hours