Next to the old iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 4 is visibly different. There’s enough that’s different here to give the Apple faithful a reason to upgrade to this new version of the iPhone that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs revealed today at Apple’s developer event.

The most distinctive difference is the band of stainless steel that runs along the entire border of the iPhone 4. This band serves as an antenna for a variety of the radios inside the device, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, global positioning system navigation and the GSM phone protocol. The device also has a much clearer screen than the older phone. That’s because it uses Apple’s new Retina Display, which has four times as many pixels as the older 3GS. The screen looks the same from afar, but up close it’s very pretty.

The improved screen helps a lot as you use the phone for making video phone calls or snapping cool pictures. Here’s our video of the white version of the iPhone 4, side by side with an older 3GS. Please check it out.

Don’t miss MobileBeat 2010, VentureBeat’s conference on the future of mobile. The theme: “The year of the superphone and who will profit.” Now expanded to two days, MobileBeat 2010 will take place on July 12-13 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Register now. Tickets are going quickly. For complete conference details, or to apply for the MobileBeat Startup Competition, click here.

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