• Home
  • Latest Posts
  • Categories
    • Craft
    • Fashion + Beauty
    • Featured
    • Film + TV
    • Gadgetry
    • House + Home
    • Kids
    • Life Dorkage
    • Love + Sex
    • Opinion
You are here: Home / Featured / We’ve been playing with the iPhone 5!

We’ve been playing with the iPhone 5!

October 16, 2012 By Wez Knowles

iPhone 5 ReviewFive years ago this year, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage in San Francisco to unveil a device that would revolutionise the mobile computing industry over night.

People were no longer happy with their cheap and cheerful Nokia “dumb”-phones or their school calculator looking BlackBerries and millions flocked to Apple Stores on launch day to snap up the Cupertino company’s latest “must-have” product.

Every year since then, Apple has refined and improved the iPhone in various ways. 2008’s iPhone 3G added a new design and faster data speeds. iPhone 3GS had an improved camera and faster processor. iPhone 4 had an all new glass and steel design and much improved internals, while last year’s iPhone 4S added an even better camera and Siri.

The Sixth iPhone is here!

This year was no exception with the eagerly anticipated announcement of the iPhone 5. The numerically challenged sixth iPhone adds even faster internals courtesy of Apple’s A6 processor, a bigger display for the first time in five years and an improved design.

But is that enough with growing competition from the Android and Windows Phone camps?

iPhone 5 Review: Design

The iPhone 5 styling isn’t a radical departure from the iPhone 4 and 4S, but the differences are immediately noticeable when you get up close.

The steel-band-sandwich era is over, with the iPhone 5 sporting a new aluminium enclosure that is 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the previous generation. The iPhone 4S will definitely feel heavier and chunkier than you remember once you hold this thing.

On the front Apple has added a 4-inch Retina display which won’t impress those of you sporting 5-inch mega-phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note, but has the advantage of still allowing you to type using one hand if that’s your thing.

On the bottom of the device you’ll notice the headset jack has been moved from the top and is nestled next to Apple’s new Lightning connector port. Gone is the old 30-Pin Dock Connector we all knew and hated. The new Lightning connector is MUCH smaller and is also reversible: you won’t have to fumble around on your bedside table in the dark trying to plug your phone in any more.

Like previous iPhones, the iPhone 5 is available in black or white.

Inside the iPhone 5

The changes Apple made to the iPhone 5 aren’t just skin deep. The A6 processor blows every other iOS device (including this year’s iPad) out of the water. Pinching, tapping & scrolling all register immediately with nary a stutter in sight. After a couple of weeks you’ll wonder how you got by before.

The iPhone 5 also has an LTE (4G) radio inside which allows much faster data speeds on certain networks. Here in the UK we don’t have a lot of options. EE, the merger between Orange and T-Mobile, will be launching their 4G network in a few cities at the end of the month with the other providers launching their service at an unspecified time in the future.

iPhone 5 Camera

At first glance, the iPhone 5 camera looks the same as last year’s model but it sports much improved low-light skills, better noise reduction and a panorama mode. The 8-megapixel snapper can also shoot 1080p video with image stabilisation and face detection. The front camera has been upgraded to enable 720p video for FaceTime video calls.

Battery life on the new iPhone 5

Apple claims that the iPhone 5 will get roughly the same battery life as the 4S. Impressive when you take into account the performance improvements. In my experience, I’ve found that I easily get through the day with heavy usage (the same couldn’t be said for my previous iPhone 4).

Wrap-Up

The new iPhone 5 is an excellent upgrade from the previous generations, but it’s still an iPhone.

Current iPhone owners will love it (you probably already have your credit card in hand) but if you haven’t been tempted to switch from another smartphone in the past couple of years, I can’t see enough new here to pull you over.

There are a lot of excellent phones out there now. The landscape has changed since the launch of the original iPhone, and the decision to buy one isn’t black or white any more. You might want a bigger display, a smaller display, a keyboard or a cheaper phone, and there are plenty of devices out there for you.

But in my opinion the iPhone 5 is the best smartphone available today. Its design, build quality and software are unmatched by any device on the market. Maybe it’ll stay that way. At least until next year.

Available from

  • Amazon
  • T-Mobile
  • Orange
  • Carphone Warehouse
  • Phones4U
  • O2
  • Vodafone
  • Tesco Mobile

 

 

Wez Knowles

More Posts

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebook

Please share if you enjoyed this!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr

Related

Related Posts

  • ARCHOS 8 Home Tablet: Dork review
  • The phones you’ll be upgrading to this year
  • Wireless iPad Keyboard from Adonit – it’s right classy
  • There should be an app for that

Filed Under: Featured, Gadgetry Tagged With: Apple, Gadget Reviews, iPhone, iPhone 5, Mobile Phones, Phone Reviews, Phones

Hey there, dork

You're a nerd, we're all nerds, let's make something beautiful happen. Sign up for our newsletter. We promise not to use your details inappropriately.

Yes, I need more email!

Comments

  1. Rebecca Noakes says

    October 16, 2012 at 10:09 am

    My 4S battery rarely makes it through the day. The 5 seems to have better battery life than Apple gives it credit for!

Welcome to the Dorkside!

About Us
We are a group of geeks with interests that range from crafting to the latest lifehacks. If you can be geeky about something, we're probably covering it! Here are some of our most popular current obsessions:

Doctor Who :: The Walking Dead :: Craft Patterns :: Fifty Shades of Grey :: Apple :: Game of Thrones :: TV Reviews

Recent Comments

  • Lillian on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls
  • Lillian on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls
  • Brittney muns on Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls

Recent Posts

  • Edifier Prisma Bluetooth Speaker with ‘Storm-trooper’ styling
  • Gtech AirRam Mk2: Our new favourite battery-powered vacuum cleaner
  • These are my 10 Commandments for Email. What are yours?
  • Are you brave enough for a Personal Barber shaving box?
  • What parenting gadgets are actually worth getting?
  • Doctor Who LEGO is upon us! Get it before it sells out!

Most Popular Reads

  • Time Heist: Doctor Who does Ocean’s Eleven
  • This is only going to make my Netflix problem worse
  • Peppa Pig knitting and crochet patterns! Update: And Sewing!
  • Here are 10 Things I Hate About the Gilmore Girls

Dork Adore

  • Advertising
  • Dork Adore Writers
  • Contact Dork Adore
  • Discount Codes
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Competition Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writing for Dork Adore
  • Latest Posts

Categories

  • Craft
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Featured
  • Film + TV
  • Gadgetry
  • House + Home
  • Kids
  • Life Dorkage
  • Love + Sex
  • Opinion

Follow Dork Adore On

RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest

Miramus Ltd © 2014 · All Rights Reserved