I've been using the iPhone 4 (Verizon) for about a month now. Prior, I had an HTC Droid Incredible for 2 years and before that, a Blackberry Curve--so my vantage point for comparing the iPhone to other smartphones is pretty good.
First APPEARANCE... the phone is sleek and beautiful. The materials Apple used for this phone put all of my previous phones to shame. They now feel cheap, like a dumpy car next to a Lexus. KEYBOARD: the phone has an excellent virtual keyboard--much better than the Androids. But, of course, there's nothing like an actual QUERTY keyboard. On the iPhone 4, I can type quickly and accurately most of the time. It doesn't have a built in mouse (like my Droid Incredible did), so you have less control of the cursor's position, but there is something wonderful about the screen that I can't describe. The auto-correct is also incredibly intuitive at fixing typos. WEB BROWSING: excellent but equal to the android. APP STORE: Apple charges for many of the applications that Android gives away for free, but the App Store has a nice selection and most of the apps work well. With the Android App Store, you sometimes get apps that totally don't work or force-close all the time. CUSTOMIZATION: yes, it's true--the Android gives you a zillion times more control over customizing your phone. For 2 years, I goofed around with all the layout options. And now, after one month of having a pretty fixed iPhone setup, I've come to the following conclusion. "Who cares?!" The iPhone has such a nice and easy-to-use layout that there's really not much need to change it around. BATTERY LIFE: It's not bad. If you keep the Location services shut off and close down applications when not in use, the battery can give you a decent run for your money. Battery life on this phone is much better than what I've experienced with the Andriod. (Also, Apple recently sent a battery-life fix to all iPhone4/4S users and I've definitely seen improvement.) With this phone, I don't feel overly pressured to conserve the battery. CALL/VOICE QUALITY: No distortion or breaking up. My phone hasn't dropped any calls and the signal strength has been slightly better than on my Android.
Now, some of the cons... This phone's screen seems much more likley to break if dropped on it's face. If you're a clutz, get the Otterbox or another super protective case. The volume for the phone's different functions is not very customizable. Meaning, you can't make your ringer loud and email notification soft. They're linked together. I find this annoying b/c I'd prefer to keep my ringer volume up at night in case of an emergency. However, I'd rather not be woken up by email notifications. Another small con, the phone's comfort on the ear is mediocre. (My old phone felt better.) Also, the grip isn't excellent. It's not slipping and sliding like a soapy dish, but the grip could have a better feel. I suppose Apple was more concerned with the sleek shape when designing the phone.
In conclusion, I really like the iPhone 4 and recommend it. So far, it hasn't given me a single problem. However, if you're crossing enemy lines from an Android, the iPhone does take some getting used to. For my first 2 weeks , I complained nonstop about every single thing the iPhone couldn't do (like live wallpaper or landscape mode on some applications)--but then I started appreciating its beauty and simplicity. Today, I'm really happy to be an iPhone 4 user. I say give it a try!
