Although the new iPhone 3G doesn’t bring much hardware updates on the inside, the outside brings a relatively new look. Keeping the same form factor and beautiful 3.5 inch touch screen, the 3G iPhone has a plastic back with a much more glossy appeal. Also, the corners and edges have a slighter rounding to them while the phone itself is a bit thinner.
Note: In all the images, the iPhone 3G is on the left.
This is the backs of the iPhones. The 3G iPhone now sports a plastic back that is much more glossy. It also comes in black and white at the 16GB level.
The iPhone still has the same buttons, but the headphones jack is now flush. The 3G iPhone is a bit more slim.
The screens on the iPhones are exactly the same.
This year the bag for the iPhone was white (and yes, I did keep last year’s bag). I also have each year’s box.
I'd say the hardware upgrades are more than the outer casing, as all that really changedwas the back, compared to the addition of 3G, GPS and more on the inside.