The Apple iPhone 3Gs (3rd Generation) is a smartphone that was designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple from 2009 to 2012 as part of the iPhone series. The next generation of the iPhone has been introduced on June 8, 2009, and its price started at $199.
The iPhone 3Gs features GPS, 3G data capability, an 600 MHz Samsung ARM Cortex A8 processor, 3.5″ multi-touch LCD Display, two colors; Black and White, 8 GB / 16 GB or 32 GB of flash memory, 256 MB of RAM, built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 3.0 Mpix camera with Video recording, accelerometer, Digital compass, Dock connector, 3.5-mm headphone jack, and 5 hours of talk time on 3G and 12 hours on 2G.
Apple mentioned during the launch keynote that “S” in the name “3Gs” stands for speed. The smartphone has been improved in terms of performance. Apart from the appearance of the iPhone 3G body, this model is completely different. The company has introduced a number of changes and improvements that can be seen at first glance.
iPhone 3Gs were released in the United States, Canada, and six European countries on June 19, 2009, in Australia and Japan on June 26, and internationally in July and August 2009.
On June 24, 2010, an 8GB model was released, discontinuing the 16 and 32GB models.
This iPhone has been discontinued on September 12, 2012, and has been replaced by iPhone 4.
Today iPhone 3Gs is 14 years old!

iPhone 3Gs Release Date and Original Price
Introduced | June 8, 2009 (16 GB and 32 GB) June 24, 2010 (8 GB) |
Released | June 19, 2009 (United States, Canada, and six European countries) June 26, 2009 (Australia and Japan) July-August 2009 (International) |
Discontinued | June 24, 2010 (16 GB and 32 GB) September 12, 2012 (8 GB) |
Model Identifier | iPhone2,1 |
Model Number | A1303 (Worldwide) A1325 (China) |
EMC | 2315 |
Generation | 3rd |
Order Number | MB715LL/A (16 GB Black) MB716LL/A (16 GB White) MB717LL/A (32 GB Black) MB718LL/A (32 GB White) MC555LL/A (8 GB) |
Original Price | $199 (16 GB on a two-year contract) $299 (32 GB on a two-year contract) $599 (16 GB) $699 (32 GB) $99 (8 GB on a two-year contract) $499 (8 GB) |
Colors | Black (8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB) White (16 GB & 32 GB) |
Weight | 4.8 oz. – 136 Grams |
Dimensions | 4.5” H x 2.4” W x 0.48″ D 11.43 cm H x 6.09 cm W x 1.21 cm D |
Predecessor | iPhone 3G |
Successor | iPhone 4 |
Tech Specs
Processor
Processor | Samsung ARM Cortex A8 |
Processor Speed | 833 MHz (running at 600 MHz) |
Architecture | 32-bit |
Number of Cores | 1 |
Storage
Storage | 8 GB 16 GB 32 GB |
Memory
Memory | 256 MB LPDDR |
Graphics
Graphics Card | PowerVR SGX535 |
Number of Cores | 1 |
Display
Display | 3.5″ widescreen LCD Display |
Resolution | 320 x 480 |
Pixel Density | 163 ppi |
Brightness | 428 cd/m2 |
Input | Multi-Touch |
Controls
Buttons | Volume + / – Home Sleep / Wake up Silence |
Sensors
Sensors | Proximity Ambient light Accelerometer |
Connections
Networks | UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) |
Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g (A1303) None (A1325) |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR |
SIM slot | mini-SIM |
Ports | 1 – 30-pin dock connector 1 – 3.5-mm headphone jack |
Camera | 3.0 Megapixels with Video recording |
Location | Assisted GPS Digital compass |
Audio In | Microphone |
Audio Out | Speaker |
Media
Audio Formats | AAC Protected AAC MP3 MP3 VBR Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3) Apple Lossless AIFF WAV |
Video Formats | H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats |
Software
Original OS | iPhone OS 3.0 / iOS 3.0 |
Maximum OS | iOS 6.1.6 |
iTunes | iTunes 8.2 or later |
System Requirements | Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate Edition or later Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later |
Power
Battery | 4.51 W Rechargeable Lithium-Ion |
Battery Capacity | 1219 mAh |
Battery Life | Talk Time: Up to 5 hours on 3G / 12 hours on 2G Standby: Up to 300 hours Internet Use: Up to 5 hours on 3G / 9 hours on Wi-Fi Video playback: Up to 10 hours Audio playback: Up to 30 hours |
Power Adapter | Apple 5W or 12W USB Power Adapter |
References:
Apple Support – iPhone 3GS: Technical Specifications