The revised 2012 edition sports a taller (or indeed wider, depending on how you hold it) 4 inch display, faster processor, better audio, quicker internet connection options and a smarter, higher resolution camera.
The iPhone, no longer quite the ubiquitous brand it once was, might not quite excite as much as it once did when a new model arrives, but the iPhone 5 is a solid new piece of hardware, ticking pretty much every box I could think of.
Compared to last year’s 4S, the 5 is 18% thinner and 20% lighter, and boasts much richer colour saturation (as the latest iPad offers) but one of the main advantages over older models is LTE internet (where available of course) and 802.11n for when Wi-fi is available.
The new A6 chip is apparently capable of throwing things around at up to twice the speed of the one in the 4S, and the new camera (with panorama mode) will be a welcome boost from my current 4 model. The two-tone case is gorgeous too, made entirely of glass and aluminium.
The iPhone 5 will make full use of iOS6 when it’s released next week, with redesigned apps, Apple’s own point-to-point navigation and a boosted Siri. Pre-orders kick off in a day or two and I’m already sold, but let me know how you feel about this latest design.
Tanzil
Yet I still wont buy a smartphone…
tactical20
I bet ios6 makes the iphone 4 run like shit, so forces everyone to upgrade. I love my iphone 4 but I’m not overly impressed by the iphone 5, so might upgrade to samsung when the time is right.
plutoniumdragon
Having reluctantly conceded that the iPad is in some ways better than my TF300 I was eagerly awaiting a feature laden phone to tempt me from my Galaxy S3 – where was it?
YOURMUMANDME
As soon as Apple announce a new product you can be sure someone, somewhere is going to have a go.
“Its just the same phone”
“They’ve just changed that part to get more money”
“How many iPhone’s are Apple gonna release, surprised it’s not iPhone 20 by now”
“That camera is still shit”
It’s cringe worthy to think that people fuel so much criticism into a product that is, let’s face it, a revolution. Say what you want but Apple gave me something that as little as 5 years ago I was dreaming up for the distant future, iPad & iPhone have shaped every handset and tablet anyone uses today. They are the benchmark.
Critics should at least try to spend a bit of time using an Apple product, properly. Hell, I can remote into my laptop from the other side of the planet on my iPad and literally do anything a PC can on it. Search, adventure it’s games, it’s apps, It’s beautiful screen. Then I’m certain you won’t have half as much to moan about.
R/O
YOURMUMANDME
And yes. I’ll buy one asap! :D
plutoniumdragon
I’ll admit that the iPhone is a nice enough thing in its own right, but the device itself was never revolutionary.
The smartphone I had before the iPhone even launched could do most of the things the first one could do. What was genuinely revolutionary, however, was the concept of the app store and the whole Apple ecosystem. Even Apple haters have to give them that…
Ossy
I totally agree on your iPad comments, I knew how many people loved them but never thought they’d be worth £400 +. I finally bought the new iPad earlier this year and it is simply one of the best things I have ever bought.
I use it for everything if I want to go on the Internet, check emails or anything I will opt for the iPad over the Vita, desktop to laptop because it’s quicker and easier to use. I was also surprised at how often I found myself playing games on it as well.
People complain about it’s price, it’s just a big iPod etc but unless you have owned one you can’t form a very good opinion on them.
Gamoc
Are you in 2005? The iPhone (the original) was revolutionary. It changed phones and created the smartphone. There are no arguments against that whatsoever.
Now? Nope. The iPhone 5 is not only a disappointment as far as the next iteration of an iPhone goes, it is behind in the smartphone market. Panorama? One of the “biggest” (according to them) things they introduced this time around? The phone I had in 2005 did that (not an iPhone, obviously). NFC is nowhere to be seen despite it having been in at least two generations of Android phones (the Samsung Galaxy S2 had NFC last year). Hell, it’s got a sub-HD screen.
The iPhone was revolutionary. It’s not any more, it’s just lagging behind.
I own an iPad and have since half a year after the iPad 1 released. At the time, it was good – that’s why I bought it, Android tablets hadn’t caught up yet. Now? Well, retina is its only great feature above other tablets, and that’s just a high res screen (which naturally brought lots of issues when it came to older apps), so it won’t have that for long.
Saying you can remote into your computer from the other side of the world means nothing beyond the fact that it’s possible at all. I can do that with my iPad, yes, but I could do it on any other tablet too, as well as my Android phone. And my actual laptop.
plutoniumdragon
@Gamoc, “It changed phones and created the smartphone”
Seriously, what did the original iPhone do in 2005 that my Windows *smartphone* couldn’t do in 2004?
plutoniumdragon
Answering myself, but a quick Google/Wiki suggests the only extra thing it had was multi touch. I’m not denying the design aesthetics, but the revisionist history that claims that Apple did everything first is just a bit grating. They didn’t invent the mp3 player either.
plutoniumdragon
I also meant to add that I don’t dispute that Apple bought the smartphone to the masses. But that was my original point anyway.
Gamoc
I don’t mean ‘created’ to be ‘invented’, I mean created the idea of what a smartphone is today. It brought the touchscreen into mass use, created the app store. The iPhone was revolutionary to the world of mobile phones, argument to the contrary is in vain, it has changed the field forever.
And it wasn’t just multi-touch, it was a responsive, non-stylus multi-touch touchscreen, miles beyond the crap on those old Windows mobile handsets.
Have you used one of those old Windows mobile monstrosities? My Dad used to have one, so I’ve used one – they were horrible. Clunky, awkward and ugly as hell.
bunimomike
Unless I’m mistaken, the mix of touch screen, gesture-based controls and wonderful GUI revolutionised the mobile industry and kickstarted smart phones. It made them usable for the masses which is one helluva thing to do.
plutoniumdragon
@Gamoc. Yes I have and point taken.
colmshan1990
My iPad 2 is a great product and I use it everyday.
Never been greatly impressed by an iPhone though (apart from the first reveal of the Retina screen) compared to other manufacturers who are pushing newer features consistently.
I currently have a Nokia N8 and I’m crying out for an upgrade (as fantastic as the hardware is, Symbian is an OS I wouldn’t wish on anybody in 2012).
Currently the battle for colmshan1990’s next phone is between the stunning Lumia 920 and whatever phone gets announced between now and the Lumia release (possible next Nexus?).
Kennykazey
Nothing special, my Galaxy Nexus looks better… To me, this isn’t the major leap Apple needed to retake the throne. Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, Motorola and possibly Nokia all make more interesting devices. This seems generic. And in terms of performance, who gives a rats arse? All modern phones are quick enough today for everyday use. The rest is just a firmware update and a better camera. I want it to brew me a cup of coffee, damn it!
grogy86
I think it’s definitely enough to upgrade from an iphone4. Some people will be happy and some people won’t. At the end of the day the iPhone revolutionised the mobile market. It’s hard to think what else the phone needs, some wanted it bigger, some want it to make toast…what else does the iPhone need?
XisTG
I was going to get the S3, but when I saw that screen it scared me away. I think I don’t have pockets big enough for it, it’s almost the same screen size as the Vita!
While I’m not crazy about Apple, it seems the iPhone 5 will be the last chance I have of having a 4 inch screen. Never though I would ever prefer a smaller screen in anything, but yeah.
Awayze
I want to see this in person at the Apple store, I still love my iPhone 4 even if the Home button maybe fucked and only responds after you hit it 10 times but no phone makes me want to ditch it :(
I still get sad for selling my iPhone 2G!
cam the man
Six phones in five years, not like they’re cashing in on their loyal fan base.
bunimomike
How many handsets do the other manufacturers bring out per year?
Awayze
Wow, one phone a year, didn’t Nokia just release another two Lumia’s?
It’s not as though HTC release shitloads of phones every year or Samsung release a new Galaxy S every year to cash in on their “Apple hater base”.
Oh wait……….