Confirming
all the rumors detailing its appearance, internals, and bundled earbuds, the iPhone 5 launch was very predictable. But
lack of shock-factor aside, the new handset still has a lot to offer.
Apple’s newest iPhone has been slimmed down, suped up, and redesigned. If you
want to know more about the iPhone 5 then you’ve come to the right place.
Advanced Retina Display
With the iPhone 5, Apple changed the size of the
iPhone screen for the first time ever. The new screen is elongated, with a
widesceen aspect ratio to 16:9. The new 4-inch, Retina display is described by
Apple as “panoramic” and boasts 44 percent more color saturation than the
iPhone 4S, making it full sRGB (aka: it’s gorgeous).
Apple also introduced new touch technology to the
display of its latest smartphone. Rather than having two layers, the pixels in
the screen and the touch sensors have been integrated into a thinner, single
layer. The pixels actually sense the user’s touch all on their own, without the
need for separate components. What does this mean for you? Much better viewing
angles, a clearer image, a lighter device, and a thinner profile.
Updated Design
The design of the new iPhone was no surprise as
Apple has obviously lost control
of its secrets in a post-Jobs era. The iPhone 5 looks exactly as it was
portrayed in many leaked images. Lead designer Jony Ive said Apple has “never
built a product with this extraordinary level of fit and finish.” Made with a
glass display and an aluminum unibody, the iPhone 5 comes in the standard color
options: black or white. Thanks to its new touch-integrated display, the iPhone
5 is the thinnest LTE smartphone in the world at just 0.29 inches. It’s also 20
percent lighter than the 4S at 112 grams or 3.95 ounces.
A6 Processor
A new iPhone means a faster CPU. This one’s called the A6 — following the established numbering system — and Apple claims it is two times faster than it’s predecessor, able to load web pages 2.1 times speedier.
iOS 6
One advantage of buying the latest Apple product
is having a device designed specifically for the latest and greatest software
version. iOS 6 brings a lot of new features to the table, and builds on many of
those introduced in iOS 5. For instance, Siri will now play nice with Yelp,
Opentable, and Fandango. It’s also able to launch apps (finally). Facebook is
now integrated into the OS alongside Twitter, and Safari has an offline reading
list. Apple’s thrown in its own version of Google Maps with Yelp support and
turn-by-turn navigation. Passbook is a new feature as well, essentially a
wallet app that can store your boarding pass, Starbucks card, and more. Read
our full
breakdown of iOS 6 for extra details.
Connectivity
“Ultrafast Wireless” is the moniker Apple’s
chosen for its latest wireless chip. The single chip supports standards
necessary to operate on all carriers, according to Apple. It can handle HSPA+
(20Mbps), DC-HSDPA (42Mbps), and LTE (max 100Mbps). The iPhone’s Wi-Fi has been
beefed up as well, sporting 802.11N (dual-channel, 2.4GHz and 5GHz) and a max
speed of 150Mbps. The iPhone can, like most modern routers, switch between
connections for the best results.
Sadly, Verizon said recently that the iPhone 5
will not support simultaneous voice and data connections, even on LTE. This is
in direct contrast to the rest of its LTE phones, which can all handle voice and
data. The feature won’t be supported by Sprint either. AT&T, however, has
confirmed with The
Verge that its customers can simultaneously access voice and data over
HSPA+ or LTE.
Improved Audio
Wanting to make its iPhone refresh as thorough as
possible, Apple made sure its audio components underwent a makeover as well.
The iPhone 5 features three microphones: one on the bottom, back, and front. As
a result, the sound quality of recordings and voice calls will be improved. In
a truly impressive move, Apple has managed to include noise cancelling without
the need for external hardware. In real world use, this means background noise
should be muted as much as possible during voice calls. And with what Apple
calls, “wideband audio,” the iPhone 5 will use more bandwidth to transmit
higher-quality audio over your network. This feature will depend on carrier
support, however.
The internal speakers are now 20 percent smaller
and yet have grown from three to five magnet transducers for a richer
sound.
Last but certainly not least, the EarPods
are Apple’s latest bundled earphones for its new mobile devices. Designed to be
much more comfortable and better-sounding than the current unwieldy earphones,
the EarPods are also more ergonomic and meant to fit comfortably in the ear. We
look forward to trying these out.
Camera Features
Apple spent a lot of time talking up the iPhone’s
camera improvements in its live event, putting the strongest emphasis on its
new panorama mode, though it blissfully ignored the fact that most high-end
smartphones already have this feature. It works much the same here, you simply
pan the phone across an area and the software will stitch the images together
for you. The iPhone 5 will even correct blur from your shaky hands and remove
any moving objects.
The back camera keeps the five-element optics and
8-megapixel sensor (3264 x 2448) found in the 4S. It also has backside
illumination, an f/2.4 aperture (slower than the F/2.0 aperture on the HTC One
X and Evo 4G LTE), and a hybrid infrared filter. A few video features have been
tossed in as well: still photo capture while recording, improved image
stabilization, and face detection.
The iPhone 5 also ships with a dynamic low light
mode. The new image processing chip picks out the areas of a photo in need of
noise reduction and leaves the rest alone. Because of this, Apple claims
photography in low light is much improved. In addition, photos can be taken 40
percent faster than the 4S, which already has a super fast shutter. Even the
lens has been revamped, this time made with a sapphire crystal (the next
hardest material to diamond).
FaceTime is now in 720p HD and, as long as
carriers play nice, video conversations will be available over a user’s
cellular network. Like the rear-facing camera, the front-facing one has face
detection built-in. According to The
Verge, Verizon has recently stated users may run FaceTime over the network
with no extra charge, regardless of which data plan they have. Sprint has also
said it won’t be charging for the service, while AT&T will only allow it if
you sign up for a new Mobile
Share data plan.
Lightning Connector
Here’s where Apple’s going to frustrate a lot of
Apple users who have undoubtedly amassed a large collection of 30-pin
connectors. Luckily (or unluckily, depending how you look at it), the new,
smaller 8-pin connector can still be used with older cords by purchasing a $30
adapter. A neat feature of the Lightning connector is its reversible
orientation, it will plug into your device no matter which side is up.
Battery Life
The battery life of the iPhone 5 is nowhere near
the impressive numbers shown earlier this month in Motorola’s
newest RAZR line, but for the average user, it will do. Apple states the
official numbers as 225 hours on standby, 8 hours of 3G talk, 8 hours of
browsing with LTE, 10 hours on Wi-Fi, and 30 hours of video.
Availability and Pricing
On September 21, the new iPhone will be available
in the United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Hong Kong,
Singapore, and Japan. Availability will extend to the remaining countries on
September 28. Pre-orders began at midnight on Sept. 14. If you’re trying to get
an iPhone 5 at launch, keep informed with our “How to Find
an iPhone 5” article, which we’re updating with availability information as
we get it.
The iPhone 5 will come in three different storage
sizes and price points: 16GB for $200, 32GB for $300, and 64GB for $400. These
prices include a two-year contract, however. At full price, the phone starts at
$650 for the 16GB model. And since the iPhone 4S is old hat now, it will be
offered for $100 on a two-year contract with the iPhone 4 costing zilch, nada,
nothing after signing on the dotted line.
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