Review of the Verizon iPhone 4: Better Than AT&T?

The Verizon iPhone 4 is one of the most anticipated tech gadgets this side of consumer-friendly jetpacks and hoverboards. There are quite a few Apple fans out there that have wanted an iPhone for years, but weren't willing to subject themselves to (what they perceive as) low coverage and spotty data connections courtesy of the iPhone's main provider, AT&T. With the Verizon iPhone 4, that's no longer necessary. We'll take a look at how the Verizon iPhone stacks up to the AT&T version and which phone is the better choice for the serious smartphone user.

First, let's talk about hardware for a little while. The Verizon iPhone looks virtually identical to the AT&T iPhone and has the same processing power and features. That means that you'll get the same camera, same retina display, and pretty much the same everything. If you'll look close, you'll notice that there are four metal bands around the Verizon iPhone 4 as opposed to the three on AT&T's model. As these bands are the phone's antenna, this seems important, but it's difficult to make a value judgment on whether reception is inherently better, since Verizon is a different provider. However, I can say that it was more difficult to recreate the infamous sudden call drops that caused an unfair amount of bad press for Apple last year.

There are also minor design changes. The volume buttons have moved. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. If you really have a preference for one or the other based on pure aesthetics, you're kidding yourself.

The network's the thing that most people care about when choosing an iPhone, and the Verizon iPhone operates very well in this respect. Verizon is known for dependability, and in my area (St. Louis) I quickly got a 3G connection and fairly fast speeds. I have to say that this was not noticeably different from my experience with AT&T, but the wide area of coverage provided by Verizon is good news for rural iPhone users or anyone who travels frequently.

There's been a lot made about the inability to use the iPhone's web browser or other data features while you're on a call, but for most users, this is only a minor inconvenience. The Verizon iPhone 4 also offers wireless tethering (although it costs extra), so that might make up for a lack of in-call multitasking.

Overall, the Verizon iPhone 4 is a great phone, as we'd expect from Apple, although it's not particularly distinct from its AT&T counterpart. You can get the Verizon iPhone 4 for $199 for 16GB or $299 for 32GB. Verizon also offers an unlimited data plan for a mere $29.99. Overall, the Verizon iPhone 4, with its network and data plan, narrowly edges out the AT&T iPhone 4, but the competition will likely heat up in the months to come.