The Good: Storage! I’ve had the original iPhone 8GB for about two years before I upgraded to the 32GB iPhone 3G S, and oh my, I am really enjoying this extra storage. I have the majority of my music, along with several TV shows, and podcasts, and I still have about 8GB free! Speed! It’s definitely faster than the previous models, which is a nice plus. Camera! The camera is pretty awesome, you can now embarrass your friends with video and upload it to YouTube before they convince you otherwise. Screen! Oleophobic screens are awesome! You can EASILY wipe off smudges and fingerprints without much effort, I just hope the coating will last a couple years. New headset! The iPhone 3G S now comes with volume control built into the headset.
The Bad: No accessories included. I love the dock, I have one at work and one at home. How I’m stuck having to either modify my existing docks, or go out and spend money on new docks. Also, whatever happened to the cleaning cloth?! No MMS or tethering support on initial release! There was a time, I believe Apple would have insisted on having these in place before launching the product.
The Facts of Life: If you have an original iPhone and really enjoy the platform, the iPhone 3G S is a solid upgrade. Chances are you won’t have to pay the early upgrade fee, and it’s really nice having the faster processor, extra RAM, extra storage, and 3G radio. If you are a current iPhone 3G user and you are happy with your storage, there is no need to upgrade. There also wasn’t as much wow factor from the original phone–when I restored my original iPhone to the iPhone 3G S it felt like the same phone I’ve been using for years…just faster, I supposed I’ve acclimated to the platform.