July 13, 2010 marked the day I received my iPhone 4 that was purchased in France (and officially unlocked!). As I have written before, I prepped my Globe SIM by cutting it to microSIM size, inserting it on a microSIM-SIM adapter and testing it on my NexusOne. Whilst it worked on the NexusOne, I was a bit worried that it will not work on the iPhone 4. Luckily, it did!

First thing that blew me away was the screen! It is simply GORGEOUS! I am sure you read about it from reviews on the internet and from our TechNews editor, but you have to see it to believe it! It is like laser-printed text on very high quality paper! Crisp and clear, and yes, no pixels visible!

The speed, owing it to the 1GHz A4 chip and 512MB RAM, was evident right from the start. Swiping from one page to the next, launching apps, switching from one app to the next (thanks to iOS 4), are all fast, specially if you are coming from the iPhone 3GS, and even if you are coming from the Nexus One (with a similar 1GHz chip)!

The iPhone 4 has been bashed by reviewers (specially from Gizmodo) and from consumers for two major issues -- the proximity sensor and the antenna problem.

The proximity sensor is a feature that turns off the screen when you put the phone close to your ear during a call - this prevents you from accidentally activating buttons on the screen. Some say that their phones do not turn off, hence the sensor was not working properly. I tested mine and mine worked as expected.

The next one, which more of a deal-breaker to most, is the antenna reception problem. A problem that makes the phone drop calls when held incorrectly, i.e., holding it on your left hand and making the two metal bands on the side connect using your skin.

Did my iPhone 4 exhibit this problem? Maybe. YES because it definitely drops some bars when held on the left hand. NO because I know that reception on Globe is really not good. Whatever the reason is, the most important thing to consider is - does it drop calls or disconnect you from your 3G connection? Mine doesn't and that is all that matters to me.

Some say that you need a case to prevent the antenna issue from manifesting. Since I usually get a case to preserve the beautiful engineering marvel, this is no issue for me. Heck, my iPhone 4 is now inside a clear case that I received a day after I got the phone.

Apple issued a software fix, iOS 4.0.1, that modified their algorithm in calculating the display of the reception bars. Whilst it definitely did not solve the antenna design issue, it did help by accurately displaying the signal strength from the cell towers. At least now you will not be surprised when your 5-bar signal drops to 1 when you pick up your phone.

Personally, with iOS 4.0.1, my iPhone 4 and my wife's iPhone 3G display the same number of bars and react the same way when you pick it up. It drops one bar and that's it.

Anyway, I have tried the camera and again, I was blown away by the quality. The LED flash, however, was nothing extra ordinary. It exhibited practically the same performance as my NexusOne. The HD video, however, is amazing!

I have yet to try FaceTime - still thinking if my editor is willing to test FaceTime with me... but then again, I am too shy to make video calls! :P

If you are still on the fence about buying one, I'd say it is worth the upgrade from the iPhone 3GS. Wait for it this September or October, when it is officially released here by Apple and Globe.