Early reviews of Apple’s new iPhone 4 – available from tomorrow – have been glowing in their praise for the updated smartphone. According to a roundup of reviews from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Engadget declared it “the best smartphone on the market right now,” PC World said the device is “everything that a new piece of technology should be; innovative, attractive and ahead of its competition,” whilst the WSJ’s own Walt Mossberg called it “…still, overall, the best device in its class.” Reviewers were particularly positive on the new video-calling FaceTime service; Engadget described it as “a teensy bit amazing.” The smartphone’s improved battery life, sound quality and tweaks to its speed were also highlighted as positives. Drawbacks were few and far between, and mainly focused on ongoing issues such as the lack of Adobe’s Flash software and US consumers being tied to an exclusive operator, AT&T.

The new iPhone was described by Apple CEO Steve Jobs earlier this month as “the biggest leap since the original iPhone.” iPhone 4 is claimed to be the thinnest smartphone ever (9.3 millimeters) and goes on sale in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK tomorrow. Available in either black or white, it will retail in the US for US$199 for the 16GB model and US$299 for the 32GB model. A further 18 countries will receive the iPhone 4 by the end of July, with this total increased to 88 by the end of September, making it Apple’s fastest ever product rollout globally.