Several early reviews have already highlighted the pros and cons of the new Apple iPhone 3G. As it turns out, the long-awaited next-generation iPhone is better than its predecessor, but also has several flaws which question whether those who already own iPhones of the first generation should bother to upgrade.

The most touted feature, the 3G connectivity, is plagued by two problems: lack of widespread coverage by AT&T and a much shorter battery life. The 3G radio chips are more advanced and the technology utilizes bandwidth in a far more effective way than 2G GSM networks, but all this comes at the expense of the power draw needed to fuel intense computations.

For example, reviewers noticed that the talk time on 3G networks is less than five hours, which means it is slightly less than Apple has advertised. This happens because Apple's estimate is a maximum talk time, only achievable in areas with maximum signal strength, which seldom happens. The manufacturer says that on 2G networks, it will work for 10 hours of talk time on a single charge.

Also, the GPS antenna is allegedly no good for turn-by-turn directions, as it is too small, which translates in high inaccuracy. However, some reviewers found that it worked well for them. The difference may be due to the area they live in: Manhattan isn't the place to rely on an iPhone for GPS guidance.

There are other downsides, such as the plastic backing which replaces the brushed steel found on the predecessor. Also, the slightly different dimensions mean that some older third party accessories will not work with the iPhone 3G, which is a pain for those who invested a lot in iPhone paraphernalia. Critics also noticed iPhone's lack of video recording and MMS.

A significant improvement which everybody seems to have noticed is call sound quality, which is now excellent.

Those pondering the upgrade to a 3G iPhone should remember that the upcoming 2.0 firmware, available for free to all first-generation iPhone users, will bring to their "old" gadget most of the functionality of the iPhone 3G, minus the 3G support and the GPS antenna.