Apple iPhone 3G S

Colour (7.42)

The Apple iPhone 3G S captured good colour in our bright light test. We were most impressed with the high saturation level (110.9%) and deep, vivid colours. The colours were decently accurate, measuring a 4.72 colour error in our testing. This is far more accurate than the colours rendered by the Samsung Omnia, slightly better than the Flip UltraHD, and roughly on par with the Sony MHS-PM1. (More on how we test colour.)

Colour Accuracy Performance
Colour Test Chart (above), Colour Error Map (right)
The iPhone 3G S produced a colour error of 4.72 and a saturation level of 110.9% in our bright light colour testing. (The map on the right is a diagram of the colour error. The length and direction of each line indicates how the camcorder processed each particular colour.)

The Colour Error Map above shows the iPhone 3G S had trouble producing red and brown colours accurately. Most of the other colours, especially light and dark blues were very accurate. There are no colour modes on the iPhone 3G S, but below is a sample colour image from our test footage. The phone offers good contrast in its video image, although some parts of the frame were underexposed (as you can see below).

iPhone 3G S Colour Sample
Auto	100% Crop

The iPhone 3G S was light years ahead of the Samsung Omnia (another cell phone that records video) when it came to all things video. Below, you can see how much better the colours on the iPhone were compared to the Samsung. The iPhone even had stronger, more accurate colours than the Flip UltraHD, which records 1280 x 720 HD video. Out of the four models we used as comparisons in this review, the iPhone 3G S appeared to have the most vivid colours.

iPhone 3G S Colour Comparisons
iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia
Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1

Below are some close-up colour comparisons pulled from our colour test footage. Notice how much darker the iPhone's red patch is than the rest of the devices in this set. This oversaturation of red is the main reason the iPhone 3G S didn't get a better score for colour accuracy, as the phone did very well with most other colours.

	Close-Up Colour Comparisons
	Ideal	iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1
Red
	Ideal	iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1
Green
	Ideal	iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1
Blue
	Ideal	iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1
Skin Tone 1
	Ideal	iPhone 3G S	Samsung Omnia	Flip UltraHD	Sony MHS-PM1
Skin Tone 2

Overall, the iPhone 3G S did a very good job in our bright light colour test. Even though the camera captures a standard definition image, the colours were crisp, vivid, and strong. Its video image may be a bit dark for some people's tastes, but this darkness gives the footage better contrast and more pop.

Colour Performance Scores

Noise (12.06)

The iPhone 3G S averaged very low noise levels in our bright light testing. The phone measured just 0.3825% noise, which is nearly the same amount of noise present on the Samsung Omnia's footage. Surprisingly, this is somewhat less noise than the Flip UltraHD picked up and far less than the Sony MHS-PM1 recorded. (More on how we test noise.)

Noise Comparisons
iPhone 3G S 100% Crop	Samsung Omnia 100% Crop	Flip UltraHD 100% Crop	Sony MHS-PM1 100% Crop

When looking at the comparison crops above, keep in mind that the iPhone 3G S only captures standard definition video, while the Flip UltraHD and Sony MHS-PM1 both record HD video. The Samsung Omnia also tops out with a 640 x 480 video resolution, which is standard definition quality. This added resolution gives the Flip UltraHD and Sony MHS-PM1 a huge leg up when it comes to sharpness and detail (as seen above), but the iPhone 3G S has them beat when it comes to noise.

Noise Score Comparisons