6 ms·

iPhone 5 review

31 points by casschin 14y ago

Mythbusters 14y ago
It's sad that every time the authors chose to compare the phone they compared it with iPhone 4S instead of comparing it with any of the newer phones out there in the market such as Lumia 920 or GSIII. That is like taking a page from Apple's marketing book. Of course it is going to be better than the older version released last year. How does it compare to the phones of this generation? That question is left unanswered. May be that is because the audience won't like the answer...
- Steko 14y ago
  This is simply false they compared the Sunspider mark (924) to SG3 (1400) and HTC one (1700) and the battery life (11:15 rundown) to industry leading Droid RAZR Maxx (+10 min longer).
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- bryanlarsen 14y ago
  Sure, comparisons with the 920 or GSIII are interesting to those who are watching the market, but frankly only comparisons to previous iPhones are useful. Nowadays iPhones and flagship Androids have gotten good enough that the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems.
  - Steko 14y ago
    All comparisons matter I think but Engadget is not a benchmark heavy reviewer. They don't even give overall grades anymore.
    - potatolicious 14y ago
      > "They don't even give overall grades anymore." Thank heavens. Because we all know how judging phones by letter grades, percentage points, and benchmark scores is so useful.
      - Mythbusters 14y ago
        yeah 45% thinner than the previous one! OMG!!! 45!!! that is a big number.
  - aik 14y ago
    >> the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems. Not sure I agree. Most people I know ended up with their phone because that's what was popular at the time, or because it was pushed into their face, or it was reasonably inexpensive, or it was what their company handed out. They use it, play games, might use a specific app here and there, and might use the more advanced ecosystem features but more than likely those confuse them. They use it because they're used to it by this point, and not much more. Meaning changing wouldn't be the end of the world. Personally I have an iPhone (and iPad) and have a good number of apps, though I regularly use very few of them and am enamoured with even less. I'm not necessarily invested in the ecosystem -- I wouldn't mind throwing away most apps I paid for since they were $1 and because I don't even use most of them any more, and the ones I do care about are most likely available on alternative ecosystems. It also doesn't help that my backups in iTunes fail 90% of the time and the bulkiness and slowness of iTunes does not often lead to a positive experience. I'm not saying alternative ecosystems would be all roses, just that this is my experience and that it prevents me from becoming overly attached.
    - bryanlarsen 14y ago
      I'm also thinking in terms of familiarity. For me, I get frustrated whenever I use an iPhone because there's no back button. I also get frustrated whenever I need to change any sort of setting on my wife's iPhone.
  - josephcooney 14y ago
    I disagree. After using and enjoying my iPhone 4 for quite a while my next phone is going to be android, to see how the other half lives. $10 in the play store and a few hours making sure all my settings are synched should be sufficient (and the synching I would have had to do anyway to go from iPhone 4 -> iPhone 5).
    - SoftwareMaven 14y ago
      I've been in the ecosystem since the original iPhone. Switching would involve a significant time and money outlay as I figure out what apps I should replace my current apps with and outlay the money to do so. It would easily wind up costing me as much as the phone.
      - Mythbusters 14y ago
        It depends on how many applications you use very regularly. Games pretty much get old as you complete them. When it comes to the rest of the apps, I doubt an average person buys more than a few bucks worth of non-game apps. smartphone costs a few thousand dollars to own over a couple of years. Cost of apps is bust a small portion of that cost.
    - jamesrcole 14y ago
      but how long in the play store to find good replacements for your iOS apps? (btw, I'm not at all saying there aren't good replacements, just that you have to learn about which ones these are. The same argument could be made with regards to switching from Android to iOS).
- jasonlingx 14y ago
  It's cos that would be like comparing apples with oranges...
Steko 14y ago
Roundup of links to early reviews: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57515524-37/initial-iphone-5-reviews-arrive-critics-praise-new-screen/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57515524-37/initial-iphone... I found David Pogue's early review hilarious if only because, reading between the lines, it boils down to: David Pogue has spent thousands of dollars on third party Apple dock gadgets and does not appreciate compatibility being broken.
hack_edu 14y ago
The more I see that Lightning port, I can't help but wonder why they didn't just do the obvious and go for micro USB. I'm wholly confident Apple could design the highest of quality micro USB connector to satisfy even the biggest of haters that claim its too flimsy while silencing the constant gripe of obsolescence.
- macrael 14y ago
  Another reason might be that they pipe analog audio out of it? I don't know much about hardware, would it have been possible to use the standard micro USB connector and still provide those features? From the article: > the adapter will provide the power and analog audio that the vast majority of docks and accessories (and cars) in the world need
  - inportb 14y ago
    With an adapter, sure. My G1 has a small adapter that accepts a 3.5mm jack and plugs into the phone's micro-usb port.
  - wahnfrieden 14y ago
    They don't. They no longer pipe audio out through the dock connector, you have to plug in a headphone cable, or the external device has to have its own DAC (ala the giant adapter they have now).
- mtgx 14y ago
  Yeah, and they could've waited a year longer to switch directly to micro-USB 3.0, especially considering their new laptops are also supporting USB 3.0, and it would've improved the transfer speed for iTunes files anyway. http://www.pcworld.com/article/247507/usb_30_to_reach_smartphones_tablets_by_year_end.html#tk.rss_news http://www.pcworld.com/article/247507/usb_30_to_reach_smartp... Apple didn't use Lightning for the users, they did it for the lock-in with the accessories (in the future).
- kyleslattery 14y ago
  This post explains that a little bit: http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/ http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/ Essentially, his conclusion is that micro USB can't support everything Apple wants the connector to do.
w1ntermute 14y ago
> But, [Maps] isn't nearly as comprehensive as Google's offerings on Android. The biggest drawback is the unfortunate lack of public transportation directions. If you haven't quite mastered New York City's subway system, you won't get any help from your iPhone 5. Curiously, the app offers to give you public transportation directions, but should you choose that option it pops you straight into the App Store with a search for "Routing Apps." Right now, there are zero results. By itself, no public transportation directions in Maps should be a deal-breaker for anyone living in a big city. How Apple could have allowed such a huge feature regression from the 4S/iOS 5 to get into the final version of the iPhone 5 is beyond me.
- mburshteyn 14y ago
  So, everyone who downloads iOS6 onto their iPhone 4/4S will have to live with this "upgrade"?
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    From what I understand, yes, that's correct. You will probably be able to jailbreak and replace the Maps app with the older version. That may not come out for a month or two though.
  - wahnfrieden 14y ago
    Yes.
  - dakrisht 14y ago
    Yes. However, Google will be releasing a Google Maps app shortly to replace the crap that is Apple Maps.
    - w1ntermute 14y ago
      You won't be able to designate that as your "default" Maps app though, right? So if there's an address in another app, you can't just tap on it to go straight to the Google Maps app.
dakrisht 14y ago
Pre-release iPhone 5 name: "iPhone 4Stretched." Tim Cook: "Couldn't go with that one, they're stupid, but not that stupid."
fingerprinter 14y ago
I have zero desire to upgrade to iPhone 5. At this point, I can't see anything that would compel me to plunk down any money for the device over what I have now (iPhone 4). That being said, if I had a free upgrade, I'd take it, but I wouldn't pay any money for it. I'd actually be more interested in a new iPad (please call it the iPad 4...'The New iPad' is a ridiciously stupid name) with a better processor for playing Madden NFL type games. BTW..the most curious thing I saw out of the Apple news the day the iPhone 5 was announced was the new Nano. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_... I can't believe they are using those round icons. Does that strike anyone else as odd? It doesn't fit with anything else they are releasing and, IMO, looks pretty terrible.
- dakrisht 14y ago
  @fingerprinter - couldn't agree more with your comments. I'm surprised they didn't release a smaller iPad to compete with the new Kindle Fire HD, which looks pretty damn good actually. Check out my post above this one on my thoughts on Apple.
- sixothree 14y ago
  The iPhone 4 and 4s are pretty nice phones and hard to top. The only reason I might upgrade is to gift my 4 to a parent.
- dmishe 14y ago
  Developing with 4/4S everyday I just can't help but notice the difference in performance between them. Now, 5 is 2+ times as fast as 4S it seems, so I would argue that for 4 owners it's a pretty good upgrade. For 4S, well, maybe it's not that exciting
IanDrake 14y ago
I don't understand why the back isn't all glass or all aluminum. The two seams on the back don't appear to be functional or visually appealing. Can anyone explain what the deal is?
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  Just a guess, but could it be to alleviate previous reception issues?
  - dakrisht 14y ago
    Interesting point. I fully agree with the OP here, the back looks bad. I don't get it. The all-glass back on the 4S was really nice. Had a certain allure and design sense to it. Apple this time around: Tim Cook: "Hey Jony, let's make the back uglier by anodizing the steel and let's see how many we can sell before we release the 5S next year." Jony Ive: "Alright Tim, I bet we'll sell more than the 4S with an uglier case, you're on"
- dmishe 14y ago
  Here's a good write up http://thetechblock.com/the-unibody-iphone http://thetechblock.com/the-unibody-iphone. It's for WiFi/GPS.
- deveac 14y ago
  The two glass sections contain various antennas which have signals that cannot pass through the aluminum well.
- yskchu 14y ago
  Some have said it may be to improved antenna/wireless comms performance
greenmountin 14y ago
I find it interesting that everyone is talking about the screen size instead of the screen technology. The CNET review[1] and I'm sure others often show them side by side with the iPhone 5 brighter!, when of course it's like the before/after pictures on TV and could very well just be the slider setting. I'm also waiting to hear better estimates for battery life -- why is talktime the best standard when no one I know talks for 8 hours on a bill, let alone a charge? I love the data/cpu usage shackles Apple has put on apps, but iOS 6 better let me turn off LTE with less than 6 taps!! [1] http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/ http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/
- SoftwareMaven 14y ago
  iOS 6 better let me turn off LTE with less than 6 taps I wouldn't count on that. It wouldn't even surprise me if they didn't provide a setting to do that at all, after all, there is no way to turn of 3G in the settings. You might have to jailbreak to get that capability.
  - __chrismc 14y ago
    > after all, there is no way to turn of 3G in the settings There is on my 4S running iOS6 (and I'm sure it was there on my old 3GS...) :- Settings > General > Mobile > Enable 3G (toggle switch)
endlessvoid94 14y ago
I'm pretty surprised the lightning connector isn't thunderbolt. Didn't the original iPod come with a firewire cable?
endlessvoid94 14y ago
Interestingly, lightning was the previous name of Hyper Transport (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperTransport http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperTransport), which was used in Powermac G5 machines.
vibrunazo 14y ago
If you specifically don't like engadget's review. Here's gdgt's aggregated reviews list: http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5/ http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5/ They'll add more to the list as they become available.

31 points by casschin 14y ago

It's sad that every time the authors chose to compare the phone they compared it with iPhone 4S instead of comparing it with any of the newer phones out there in the market such as Lumia 920 or GSIII. That is like taking a page from Apple's marketing book. Of course it is going to be better than the older version released last year. How does it compare to the phones of this generation? That question is left unanswered. May be that is because the audience won't like the answer...

Steko 14y ago
This is simply false they compared the Sunspider mark (924) to SG3 (1400) and HTC one (1700) and the battery life (11:15 rundown) to industry leading Droid RAZR Maxx (+10 min longer).
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
bryanlarsen 14y ago
Sure, comparisons with the 920 or GSIII are interesting to those who are watching the market, but frankly only comparisons to previous iPhones are useful. Nowadays iPhones and flagship Androids have gotten good enough that the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems.
- Steko 14y ago
  All comparisons matter I think but Engadget is not a benchmark heavy reviewer. They don't even give overall grades anymore.
  - potatolicious 14y ago
    > "They don't even give overall grades anymore." Thank heavens. Because we all know how judging phones by letter grades, percentage points, and benchmark scores is so useful.
    - Mythbusters 14y ago
      yeah 45% thinner than the previous one! OMG!!! 45!!! that is a big number.
- aik 14y ago
  >> the pain of switching ecosystems far outweighs any benefit to be gained by switching ecosystems. Not sure I agree. Most people I know ended up with their phone because that's what was popular at the time, or because it was pushed into their face, or it was reasonably inexpensive, or it was what their company handed out. They use it, play games, might use a specific app here and there, and might use the more advanced ecosystem features but more than likely those confuse them. They use it because they're used to it by this point, and not much more. Meaning changing wouldn't be the end of the world. Personally I have an iPhone (and iPad) and have a good number of apps, though I regularly use very few of them and am enamoured with even less. I'm not necessarily invested in the ecosystem -- I wouldn't mind throwing away most apps I paid for since they were $1 and because I don't even use most of them any more, and the ones I do care about are most likely available on alternative ecosystems. It also doesn't help that my backups in iTunes fail 90% of the time and the bulkiness and slowness of iTunes does not often lead to a positive experience. I'm not saying alternative ecosystems would be all roses, just that this is my experience and that it prevents me from becoming overly attached.
  - bryanlarsen 14y ago
    I'm also thinking in terms of familiarity. For me, I get frustrated whenever I use an iPhone because there's no back button. I also get frustrated whenever I need to change any sort of setting on my wife's iPhone.
- josephcooney 14y ago
  I disagree. After using and enjoying my iPhone 4 for quite a while my next phone is going to be android, to see how the other half lives. $10 in the play store and a few hours making sure all my settings are synched should be sufficient (and the synching I would have had to do anyway to go from iPhone 4 -> iPhone 5).
  - SoftwareMaven 14y ago
    I've been in the ecosystem since the original iPhone. Switching would involve a significant time and money outlay as I figure out what apps I should replace my current apps with and outlay the money to do so. It would easily wind up costing me as much as the phone.
    - Mythbusters 14y ago
      It depends on how many applications you use very regularly. Games pretty much get old as you complete them. When it comes to the rest of the apps, I doubt an average person buys more than a few bucks worth of non-game apps. smartphone costs a few thousand dollars to own over a couple of years. Cost of apps is bust a small portion of that cost.
  - jamesrcole 14y ago
    but how long in the play store to find good replacements for your iOS apps? (btw, I'm not at all saying there aren't good replacements, just that you have to learn about which ones these are. The same argument could be made with regards to switching from Android to iOS).
jasonlingx 14y ago
It's cos that would be like comparing apples with oranges...

Steko 14y ago

Roundup of links to early reviews: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57515524-37/initial-iphone-5-reviews-arrive-critics-praise-new-screen/ http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57515524-37/initial-iphone... I found David Pogue's early review hilarious if only because, reading between the lines, it boils down to: David Pogue has spent thousands of dollars on third party Apple dock gadgets and does not appreciate compatibility being broken.

hack_edu 14y ago

The more I see that Lightning port, I can't help but wonder why they didn't just do the obvious and go for micro USB. I'm wholly confident Apple could design the highest of quality micro USB connector to satisfy even the biggest of haters that claim its too flimsy while silencing the constant gripe of obsolescence.

macrael 14y ago
Another reason might be that they pipe analog audio out of it? I don't know much about hardware, would it have been possible to use the standard micro USB connector and still provide those features? From the article: > the adapter will provide the power and analog audio that the vast majority of docks and accessories (and cars) in the world need
- inportb 14y ago
  With an adapter, sure. My G1 has a small adapter that accepts a 3.5mm jack and plugs into the phone's micro-usb port.
- wahnfrieden 14y ago
  They don't. They no longer pipe audio out through the dock connector, you have to plug in a headphone cable, or the external device has to have its own DAC (ala the giant adapter they have now).
mtgx 14y ago
Yeah, and they could've waited a year longer to switch directly to micro-USB 3.0, especially considering their new laptops are also supporting USB 3.0, and it would've improved the transfer speed for iTunes files anyway. http://www.pcworld.com/article/247507/usb_30_to_reach_smartphones_tablets_by_year_end.html#tk.rss_news http://www.pcworld.com/article/247507/usb_30_to_reach_smartp... Apple didn't use Lightning for the users, they did it for the lock-in with the accessories (in the future).
kyleslattery 14y ago
This post explains that a little bit: http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/ http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/ Essentially, his conclusion is that micro USB can't support everything Apple wants the connector to do.

w1ntermute 14y ago

> But, [Maps] isn't nearly as comprehensive as Google's offerings on Android. The biggest drawback is the unfortunate lack of public transportation directions. If you haven't quite mastered New York City's subway system, you won't get any help from your iPhone 5. Curiously, the app offers to give you public transportation directions, but should you choose that option it pops you straight into the App Store with a search for "Routing Apps." Right now, there are zero results. By itself, no public transportation directions in Maps should be a deal-breaker for anyone living in a big city. How Apple could have allowed such a huge feature regression from the 4S/iOS 5 to get into the final version of the iPhone 5 is beyond me.

mburshteyn 14y ago
So, everyone who downloads iOS6 onto their iPhone 4/4S will have to live with this "upgrade"?
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  From what I understand, yes, that's correct. You will probably be able to jailbreak and replace the Maps app with the older version. That may not come out for a month or two though.
- wahnfrieden 14y ago
  Yes.
- dakrisht 14y ago
  Yes. However, Google will be releasing a Google Maps app shortly to replace the crap that is Apple Maps.
  - w1ntermute 14y ago
    You won't be able to designate that as your "default" Maps app though, right? So if there's an address in another app, you can't just tap on it to go straight to the Google Maps app.

dakrisht 14y ago

Pre-release iPhone 5 name: "iPhone 4Stretched." Tim Cook: "Couldn't go with that one, they're stupid, but not that stupid."

fingerprinter 14y ago

I have zero desire to upgrade to iPhone 5. At this point, I can't see anything that would compel me to plunk down any money for the device over what I have now (iPhone 4). That being said, if I had a free upgrade, I'd take it, but I wouldn't pay any money for it. I'd actually be more interested in a new iPad (please call it the iPad 4...'The New iPad' is a ridiciously stupid name) with a better processor for playing Madden NFL type games. BTW..the most curious thing I saw out of the Apple news the day the iPhone 5 was announced was the new Nano. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_nano http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_... I can't believe they are using those round icons. Does that strike anyone else as odd? It doesn't fit with anything else they are releasing and, IMO, looks pretty terrible.

dakrisht 14y ago
@fingerprinter - couldn't agree more with your comments. I'm surprised they didn't release a smaller iPad to compete with the new Kindle Fire HD, which looks pretty damn good actually. Check out my post above this one on my thoughts on Apple.
sixothree 14y ago
The iPhone 4 and 4s are pretty nice phones and hard to top. The only reason I might upgrade is to gift my 4 to a parent.
dmishe 14y ago
Developing with 4/4S everyday I just can't help but notice the difference in performance between them. Now, 5 is 2+ times as fast as 4S it seems, so I would argue that for 4 owners it's a pretty good upgrade. For 4S, well, maybe it's not that exciting

IanDrake 14y ago

I don't understand why the back isn't all glass or all aluminum. The two seams on the back don't appear to be functional or visually appealing. Can anyone explain what the deal is?

w1ntermute 14y ago
Just a guess, but could it be to alleviate previous reception issues?
- dakrisht 14y ago
  Interesting point. I fully agree with the OP here, the back looks bad. I don't get it. The all-glass back on the 4S was really nice. Had a certain allure and design sense to it. Apple this time around: Tim Cook: "Hey Jony, let's make the back uglier by anodizing the steel and let's see how many we can sell before we release the 5S next year." Jony Ive: "Alright Tim, I bet we'll sell more than the 4S with an uglier case, you're on"
dmishe 14y ago
Here's a good write up http://thetechblock.com/the-unibody-iphone http://thetechblock.com/the-unibody-iphone. It's for WiFi/GPS.
deveac 14y ago
The two glass sections contain various antennas which have signals that cannot pass through the aluminum well.
yskchu 14y ago
Some have said it may be to improved antenna/wireless comms performance

greenmountin 14y ago

I find it interesting that everyone is talking about the screen size instead of the screen technology. The CNET review[1] and I'm sure others often show them side by side with the iPhone 5 brighter!, when of course it's like the before/after pictures on TV and could very well just be the slider setting. I'm also waiting to hear better estimates for battery life -- why is talktime the best standard when no one I know talks for 8 hours on a bill, let alone a charge? I love the data/cpu usage shackles Apple has put on apps, but iOS 6 better let me turn off LTE with less than 6 taps!! [1] http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/ http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/

SoftwareMaven 14y ago
iOS 6 better let me turn off LTE with less than 6 taps I wouldn't count on that. It wouldn't even surprise me if they didn't provide a setting to do that at all, after all, there is no way to turn of 3G in the settings. You might have to jailbreak to get that capability.
- __chrismc 14y ago
  > after all, there is no way to turn of 3G in the settings There is on my 4S running iOS6 (and I'm sure it was there on my old 3GS...) :- Settings > General > Mobile > Enable 3G (toggle switch)

endlessvoid94 14y ago

I'm pretty surprised the lightning connector isn't thunderbolt. Didn't the original iPod come with a firewire cable?

endlessvoid94 14y ago

Interestingly, lightning was the previous name of Hyper Transport (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperTransport http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperTransport), which was used in Powermac G5 machines.

vibrunazo 14y ago

If you specifically don't like engadget's review. Here's gdgt's aggregated reviews list: http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5/ http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5/ They'll add more to the list as they become available.