The new iPhone 5 is here and it’s a powerhouse!
Well, finally after all this time the new addition to the iPhone family is here! And what do you know, it’s a true powerhouse! Not only the hardware and design have changed but also iPhone 5 is running on the new iOS 6. All this together managed to create a beast of a phone and a true competitor or even a new king amongst quad-core smart phones! That is right! It is running with a new quad-core chip, designed by Apple, bearing the name – A6 chip. But wait, the RAM was increased, the phone is supporting the LTE mobile connection which may actually be faster than home wi-fi connections (As stated by Apple) and the display is even bigger! Now the phone uses the new 4″ Retina display especially designed for this phone and like it or not, the phone is even slimmer! You’d think that all this new hardware and display would make it thicker and in the best scenario the same thickness as the iPhone 4s but no, the new design is proof that Apple can create even slimmer devices and we will surely be waiting for them in the future.
iPhone 4s (left) iPhone 5 (right)
Lets get into the design and hardware.
All right then, the iPhone 5 is just 7,6 mm thick and weighs just 112 grams! Apple have ditched the SIM card and the 30-pin connector for the 44% smaller micro SIM and the Lightning connector which is 80% smaller and is double sided so that the 50/50 chance of plugging it correctly is eliminated, now there is a 100% chance of success. The Retina display is currently the thinnest on the market but thin does not mean worse! The quality and the battery life have been improved by this action and because of the bigger screen the resolution has been increased to the whopping 640 x 1136! That means 326 pixels per inch! So again there will be no pixels visible by the naked eye. The 8mp camera is now protected by a sapphire glass which makes it extremely hard to scratch! There will be people testing that but i for one trust the statement and will not try to scratch it. The new touch about the camera software is the option to capture panoramic photos which can make a photo look like it was taken by a larger mp camera, not a phone. Lets not forget the chips! The A6 chip is 2x faster and 20% smaller then the A5 chip and the two chips responsible for the voice and data transfer have merged into one. That is the new Apple LTE design! All this to conserve the much needed space for the goodies!
Ok then, lets talk about the Lightning connector. Apple did state that it’s more durable and faster than its current connector. Plus, as mentioned before, the plug is double sided. But people have integrated the iPhone and iPod in their lives and it is used daily for a car sound system, now they’ll need to place an adapter over the previous dock to be able to play music since most cars offered an iDevice dock integrated in the dashboard that is not replaceable. Well we have to make some sacrifices, but come one life didn’t end did it? We can make room for something new now, can we?
This is the connector and the new iPhone 5 port
The display is the same Retina we know and love but longer and with a bigger resolution! Apple has designed the display so that the width of the phone doesn’t change and when you hold the phone it’ll feel like your holding the older models, still feels good in your hand! Oh, and of course it makes watching movies and clips a lot easier and enjoyable! And if you want to know how thinner it is from the iPhone 4s’s screen, well 18% thinner, 20% lighter and 12% less volume! That is thin i can tell you.
So, how much faster is it?
Well my friends for starters it is a quad-core, we all know what quads are capable of, but you also know that every iDevice running on iOS runs smooth, so add a powerhouse processor with a smooth operating system and you get a portable nuclear reactor! Just kidding. You get a portable computer capable of almost everything a household computer can and in some cases even better! Ok then now that we got out that out of the way, the A6 is 2x faster than the A5, so apps, internet pages etc. launch almost instantaneously without any lag which also means the graphics capabilities are improved for a more realistic and beautiful gaming experience. Oh, and because everything is smaller and optimized the whole phone uses less battery than the previous despite the larger display and better processor.
There is the proof of what I’ve just said
The 8mp camera is the same as the iPhone 4s’s camera but with a sapphire glass and better software courtesy of iOS 6. Now because of the LTE capabilities Facetime can now make video calls trough carrier networks, there, another use for the camera but the best new update is the panoramic photo option. With it you can make great landscape photos or capture a large groups of people, unlike other cameras where you have to go back and back to fit them all in the shot.
I’ve mentioned LTE a couple of times. Let’s clarify. LTE, also known as a 4g network, is the future of mobile networking and most new smartphones have this connection type built in because the speeds are almost double, if not more than that, the speeds of 3g networks. And iPhone 5 offers all the best types of connectivity: HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA, LTE and all standards of wi-fi, but with the 802.11n wi-fi network the phone has the best speed of up to 150Mbps.
Lets talk about iOS 6. Well the first big update is Siri. She now offers American sport scores when asked. She gives the results, times, places and all you’ll need to know if you are missing a game. Do you need to find a restaurant or make a reservation fast? Or just want information about a restaurant, she will give you the answers and make you a reservation without any trouble. If you want to make one of course and the best option for me is the IMDB integration! Now you can simply ask about a movie and Siri will give you the reviews, ratings, the cast, release dates and even screening times. That is just awesome in my opinion. Speaking of integration, Facebook is also integrated into iOS 6. You can login trough settings and you are good to go my friends and just as with Twitter, you can post straight to Facebook from Safari and post directly from the notification center. Replies have never been more simple. The maps app also integrates with Facebook, letting you share locations like favorite places and cafes. Well now your friends will not be lost driving to your place, just send them the maps location and you are done! By the way the new maps are designed for the A6 processor since they now offer 3D mode which requires a lot of graphical capabilities and CPU power. That sounds bad to you? well take a look at the quality of the 3D maps. There will be further info if older iDevices will get the 3D maps.
Here is the Statue of Liberty trough iOS 6 maps
The iCloud and the photo sharing capabilities are improved as well. you can post pictures in the cloud and then send them to other people around the world. Well, that sounds just like a cloud. Well…yes but before iOS 6 sharing with friends was forbidden, now you only need to upload and send. Well these are the best updates up to date, there are more but alas i think we’ll all know what it’s capable of the day it’s released.
In conclusion
Apple have outdone themselves again by releasing such a great device exceeding every expectation we have…well we still want a laser layout keyboard displayed on our desk…but hey, there is still the near future, so fingers crossed!
And here is the official Apple trailer for the iPhone 5: