Calls made between the two iPhones offered solid video quality over 3G. We tested Skype on two iPhone 4s, an iPad 2, and the Samsung Nexus S 4G, making calls between all devices as well as laptops and desktop PCs. We liked that buttons for tasks such as sending SMS texts, launching IM chat, searching for new contacts, disabling the mic, reviewing account info, and switching between cameras are laid out conveniently in the interface.
In landscape mode, caller video appears in a large left pane while a contacts pane sits to the right. The iPad 2 app is simplified even more: there are no tabs, simply a contacts page that morphs into large-screen video during face-to-face calls. The Android app offers the same features and layout as on the iPhone, but the homescreen is simplifed to four floating buttons: Contacts, Recent Calls, Call Phones (for connecting to land and mobile lines), and Profile. A button to end the call also appears there. You can tap the screen to pull up a hovering menu with a button to switch between a back or front-facing camera, mute the microphone, or check the call time. During face-to-face calls, the incoming caller's video takes up the entire screen, while a thumbnail-sized window of outgoing video sits in the left corner. To launch a call, you can select a friend from the contact list and tap "Video Call" (you can also initiate an audio call and send an IM).
The iPhone app is divided into five tabs: Call, Chats, Contacts, History, and My Info. Skype Mobile's interface works similarly to the desktop version but is simplified.