Above is the svelte curves of the iPhone 3GS running iOS 6. Soon Apple is to release the new iPhone, the 5S. This will make the 3GS over 3 years old. So in this revisited article, how does the 3GS hold up against the current crop of smartphones including the current iPhone 5.

First up, in my opinion the 3GS is the most comfortable phone to hold. Just look at the back and the lovely curves. I prefer this shape over the 4/4S and 5. However, after that the 3GS starts to get punished by its competition. The screen is a low resolution affair, that is no retina screen. But it still allows for calls and apps to run. However, as iOS 7 arrives, this will be the first time it won’t receive an update to the latest operating system. That means that new apps/games or app updates will likely start not to support this older model. However, if you have all the apps you require, you will still have a great functioning phone.

The camera is low quality and it shows with noisy photos. Compare that to the iPhone 5 and it is not a fair comparison. The 3GS is really slow opening and closing apps. And it is noticeably slow. But again, if you don’t know any different, then you just adjust. The cell signal and GPS signal are not as powerful as receiving coverage as say the Samsung Galaxy S3/S4. GPS signal often drops when trying to use this in the car.

In reality, if you own a 3GS and it does everything you want, then that is great. But in tech terms it is really starting to show it age. Only one week to go now before Apple unveils its new iPhone(s).