Does iTunes sync iPhone contacts by default?

Question

My iPhone 4 died (battery related problem, I think) and all my contact gone with it. So, my question is, if I receive a new iPhone or restored version of my old iPhone, will iTunes restore my contact list?
I've never told iTunes to restore my contacts, so my question is, if that feature is by default on this application.

Answer 1

wjosten wrote:
Because Apple does not want users to rely on an iPhone backup as the sole depository for their contacts...which is good advice. Apple has changed the wording of that support document twice, & IMO it is still poorly worded & I have expressed such. But, I don't write them. Users should be syncing contacts somewhere...many don't.
I shoud add, there is no Apple supported method to access the contents of an iPhone backup.
After looking at the exchange between you guys, I looked also at the Apple support page, where it says at the bottom:
[quote]* Your contacts are part of the backup to preserve recent calls and favorites lists. Back up your contacts to a supported personal information manager (PIM), iCloud, or another cloud-based service to avoid any potential contact data loss.[/quote]
Wow that's clear as mud! So I agree w/wjosten--it's so poorly worded to be incomprehensible. I expect a majority (if not a VAST majority) of users don't regularly sync/backup their iPhones at all, thus their contacts are at risk unless they iCloud them (which is what we do--man that made our lives much simpler since my wife and I share the same Contacts list--changes are pushed and fetched and always in-sync).
Which BTW is another irritant of mine--that Push and Fetch are also poorly described by Apple...