iPhone 4: complete coverage

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iPhone 4 is here - and has video calling, a better screen and more

Check out our hands on with the new iPhone 4:

Feature comparison between the new and old handsets:

Other news and opinion:

Release, hardware and app info:

iPhone 4

This is what was rumoured before the announcement - we've updated it with our verdict on whether the rumours were right or wrong.

The iPhone 4G won't have a touch-sensitive case - PROVED TO BE FALSE

So much for rumours of a touch-sensitive case backplate: The rumoured case is merely a glassy back that delivers better wireless reception - the Gizmodo prototype was the real deal.

Mouse

MOUSE TO PHONE: It's the iPhone 4G! Of course it isn't - it's a Magic Mouse, but the same multi-touch tech was rumoured to be coming to the iPhone's casing

The iPhone 4G will use Bing as its default search engine - PROVED TO BE TRUE (although it's not a default)

It's no secret that relations between Apple and Google are becoming increasingly frosty, especially now that Google has entered the smartphone market. It happened, but only as an extra option. BusinessWeek said Apple and Microsoft were certainly talking about it, although "the discussions could still unravel and may not be concluded quickly."

The iPhone 4G will have an RFID antenna - PROVED TO BE FALSE

Another rumour based on a real patent: Apple filed a patent showing an integrated RFID antenna, which would enable iPhone users to scan packages and dogs, to use their phones as Oyster cards or to pay for things with a quick swipe. Other patents included haptic feedback, which would enable you to "feel" on-screen keys, and fingerprint identification. Maybe next time.

The iPhone 4G will have more storage - PROVED TO BE FALSE

We've gone from 8GB to 16GB to 32GB, and only a fool would have bet against 64GB as this year's magic number. The flash memory chips certainly exist. But it didn't happen.

The iPhone 4G will have an OLED screen - PROVED TO BE FALSE

A brighter, higher resolution screen was originally rumoured for the iPhone 3GS but didn't make it, so we thought it was a shoo-in for the fourth generation iPhone - not least because rivals such as Google's Nexus One have OLED displays.

The iPhone 4G will not have an OLED screen - PROVED TO BE TRUE

John Gruber of Daring Fireball thinks the OLED predictors are wrong and he was right. "I think Apple is all-in on LED-backlit IPS displays (which they're using for the iPad and iMac, and promoting in the tech specs)," he writes.

A recent microscope analysis of the screen also showed it's nothing more than LCD either - albeit with a very high-res display.

The iPhone 4G will have a double-resolution display, two cameras, an A4-style Apple chip and third-party multitasking - PROVED TO BE TRUE

Mr Gruber knows people who know things, and his predictions were borne out by the infamous Gizmodo iPhone. Absolutely spot on.

The iPhone 4G will be called the iPhone HD - PROVED TO BE FALSE

We know the answer to this now. We said that unless the next iPhone supports 4G networking - more of that in a moment - calling it the 4G doesn't make sense unless Apple intends to call its 4G model the iPhone 4G 4G. iPhone HD sounds much better but it was wrong.

The iPhone HD will have a 16:9 screen - PROVED TO BE FALSE

Watching TV or films on existing iPhones isn't perfect, because the aspect ratio is slightly narrower than the 16:9 we've come to expect from widescreen displays. This YouTube video claimed to show the next iPhone's display, and it was a 16:9 effort - perfect for mobile movies. But John Gruber was right, a double resolution 960x640 display retains the existing iPhone's unusual aspect ratio.

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Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.