On September 21, Apple launched iPhone 5 in 9 countries around the world and I had the opportunity to participate in the launch in the USA, where I also purchased the iPhone 5 terminal that I have been using ever since. Here you can read my experience in the USA, but in this article I will talk about everything that brings new iPhone 5 and I will answer the question that is on the lips of many: is the new iPhone worth buying? As usual, I will structure the news into several categories, all the videos are visible on the iOS platform and I am sure that when you get to the end you will be much more informed about the new device.
Design
The first thing you notice about the iPhone 5 is the design, a design that although on the surface does not seem to be different from that of the iPhone 4/4S, contains quite a few changes that have been discussed in the last week. We start with the case, which is now made of two materials: in the central part, a scratch-resistant aluminum, and in the upper/lower parts, the same glass that you know from the iPhone 4/4S. I could not say that I am pleasantly surprised by the design of the case, I would have liked a uniform design, but the choice of Apple's is a practical one, because that aluminum frame increases the rigidity of the device and if you drop it, there are chances much smaller than any piece of the casing to crack. Aluminum and glass are not resistant to strong impact, do not try to use the iPhone for who knows what activities because it will give way quickly.
We move from the case to the side edges, which are painted in dark gray for the black version of the iPhone 5 and silver for the white version. Although at first glance these side strips seem trivial, their edges are cut with a special device that makes them "shine" in the sunlight and to a certain extent generates the idea that you are holding a premium product. The side strips are very nicely defined, they look good from a distance, but being made of aluminum, they scratch easily, and Phill Schiller said this is perfectly normal. I managed to scratch one of the side strips in the first days of using the device, after that I was careful not to make a similar mistake, but I warn you from now on to be careful with them because they are fragile.
After you look at the iPhone from a distance and take it in your hand, and at that moment you realize how light and thin it is, all the people to whom I showed the device made the first remark about these two characteristics. It's not the larger screen or the case that will amaze you from the start, but the fact that you're holding a terminal of only 112 grams, a very thin terminal, very pleasant to use, a terminal that probably few will forget too soon. The iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever made by Apple, these features are extremely important and for many defining in terms of a purchase. Although at first glance the terminal seems fragile, in reality it is somewhat more resistant than the iPhone 4S, for example.
An important thing that I noticed about the iPhone % has to do with the edges of the screen and the case. If on the iPhone 4/4S Apple had slightly raised edges to protect the screen and the case when they are placed on the table, on the iPhone 5 we do not find edges of the same size, and placing the device on any surface can generate scratches without moving it actually on her.
All in all, the design of the iPhone 5 will make you stand out in the crowd, many people looked carefully at mine when I used it in public spaces, and the repositioning of the FaceTime camera above the speaker, its thickness and weight will make you think 2 times if you still want to return to your old iPhone. If you are the type of person who expects a new smartphone to have a different design from the old one just to stand out, then the iPhone 5 will satisfy this requirement.
Screen
Yes, iPhone 5 it finally has a bigger screen, and yes, size matters! I said since last year that I would like a 4 inch screen iPhone 5, Apple took the big step and implemented it, and I for one am extremely satisfied with it. Apple tells us: that the new screen has a resolution of 1136 x 640 pixels (18% more than in the old terminals and displays 176 more pixels), so it is only higher than the one in the iPhone 4/4S; that it is still Retina and has 326 pixels per inch, and that color saturation is 44% higher thanks to a new technology used by the company starting this year.
The technology is called in-cell and basically it allowed those from Apple to implement the touch sensors of the screen directly between its pixels, eliminating the touch layer that normally sits on the LCD and reduces the quality of the images displayed on it. A test done using a microscope demonstrated that the terminal screen iPhone 5 it is clearly superior to that of the old devices and you feel this when you use the device. Everything is seen much clearer and more natural on the new screen, everything is seen in a different format, the larger number of pixels allows developers to display more useful information for users and this is one of the main reasons on the basis of which I would recommend anyone an iPhone 5.
The 4-inch screen does not make use more difficult, does not turn the iPhone into a "remote control", does not affect the terminal or the user in any way, but brings benefits for those who wanted more from an iPhone. The iPhone 5 is 9 mm taller than the iPhone 4/4S, but it is not wider, and by maintaining this feature, Apple managed to keep the functionality of the terminal. Steve Jobs once said that a good smartphone can be used with one hand, and the iPhone keeps this feature, offering users more space to carry out activities. Of course, nowadays some people want screens as big as possible, but for that there are other manufacturers with other operating systems and I think that this 4-inch screen will be present in the iPhone for another 2-3 years.
Hardware
In the iPhone 5, Apple has hidden an A6 chip that contains a processor designed by the company from Cupertino, a triple-core graphics chip, 1 GB of RAM, and that's about it for the important things. The processor of the iPhone 5 terminal is designed based on the intellectual property owned by the ARM company, it is similar to those of the Cortex A15 series, but it is thought by Apple engineers. The processor can dynamically change its frequency depending on the load and theoretically it runs at frequencies of 550 - 1.3 GHz, this feature giving it the ability to save energy when it is not in use, but also to offer maximum performance when the user needs it. Until now, this processor, in combination with the 1 GB RAM, has positioned the iPhone in the top of the fastest smartphones on the market, and even in front of some tablets, all Android terminals having quad-core processors.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/OCKGeFC7CFM[/youtube]
Regarding the graphics processor, we are talking about a PowerVR SGX543MP3 that has 3 cores specially configured to deal with any kind of game installed in the terminal. For now, in games, you won't notice very big differences in terms of graphic elements if you compare iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, but I'm sure that Real Racing 3 or a future version of Infinity Blade will prove the opposite. So far, no game has been specially designed for the iPhone 5, but the existing ones run without any problem on it.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/mB3pgil8xtA[/youtube]
The experience of using iOS is as good as in the past, iPhone 5 operates everything extremely quickly and if you own an iPhone 4S you will notice the differences between the two devices. They are not extremely large, but they are noticeable and although the iPhone 4S handles very well with iOS 6, in games, in document editing applications, in photo/video editing applications you will notice the biggest differences in performance. iPhone 4S has performances comparable to those of the iPhone 5, but they are halved in most cases, the double RAM and the much faster processor speaking in favor of the new iPhone.
In case you ever wondered if the new iPhone gets hotter during use due to the implementation of this new hardware, well I tell you that the terminal iPhone 5 it doesn't get hotter than iPhone 4S, in my tests, it actually doesn't heat up that much, no matter if you use it as a GPS, for web browsing, or for games. I tested it in every way, the case heats up quite well, but it no longer generates that feeling of discomfort that I had when using the iPhone 4S. I assume that the new case plays a decisive role in this reduction of the temperature felt by the hands of the users and I am glad that Apple has found a method to solve a problem present in all smartphones available on the market today. Of course, my experience may be different from yours, so I'm asking how your iPhone fared.
In conclusion, the hardware in the iPhone 5 turns the terminal into a "racing car", if you allow me to make such a comparison, and I think that anyone will be extremely satisfied with the way everything runs.
4G LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity
As you already know, iPhone 5 is compatible with EDGE, HSDPA/DC-HSDPA networks with speeds up to 43 Mbps, with LTE 4G and has a Wi-Fi chip that allows it to connect to 5 GHz networks. In the case of 3G networks, I don't think there are any unknowns for you, the image above shows the maximum speed recorded by me in Romania on the Orange network, and you can expect the same thing if you have an internet option that offers such high speeds . In the case of networks LTE 4G things are more complicated, so complicated that Apple made 3 (or 2 according to some) versions of the iPhone 5.
I'm talking about the A1428 GSM and the A1429 CDMA/GSM models, each of these devices being compatible with a set of 4G LTE frequencies from around the world. The first model is only sold in the USA/Canada and is compatible with 3G networks worldwide, but only with 4G LTE networks there (AWS/700b MHz); the A1429 CDMA model is compatible with 3G networks worldwide, but only with 4G LTE CDMA networks in the USA and probably other areas around the world (700c MHz, 850 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz); and the A1429 GSM model is compatible with 3G networks from all over the world and with 4G LTE GSM networks from Europe, Asia and other areas of the world (850 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz). Practically in Romania only the GSM A1429 model should be compatible with the 4G LTE networks that are to be launched, but for now no operator has confirmed this.
Orange Romania announced they already intend to launch a 4G LTE network by the end of the year if they receive the agreement from ANCOM, Vodafone followed their example, but Cosmote is not saying anything for now. Orange has not tested iPhone 5 on its frequencies and cannot confirm compatibility, those from Vodafone are in the same situation, and absolutely nothing can be heard from Cosmote, as usual. We will learn more about compatibility with 4G LTE networks in the coming months, but initially there will only be data subscriptions for everyone.
Regarding compatibility with 5GHz Wi-Fi networks, and thanks to this you will be able to transfer files or surf the Internet at speeds of up to 100 Mbps. To benefit from this technology you must have a compatible router and I think that few of you have such a thing at home and if the situation applies, I inform you that for the time being it is not necessary to run out and buy one because the only notable difference you will feel in what regarding Wi-Fi synchronization with iTunes.
Also in the connectivity chapter, I will tell you that Apple boasted that in the iPhone 5 it implemented several microphones and wideband audio to improve, among other things, the quality of calls and I was very curious to see if this was reflected in real life. Well I can say that voice calls made using iPhone 5 they have a very good quality, the interlocutors hear you better, in some courts you can hear them better (depends on what terminal they have), and if you make a call with another iPhone 5 realize how much Apple has improved everything. A few days ago I made a call with a friend to whom I brought an iPhone 5 and I can say that I was amazed at how well I could hear him, and this is because I had actually made an HD call through Orange Romania. iPhone 5 can make such calls with other compatible terminals, the important thing is that your interlocutor has one.
Finally, I leave the FaceTime function via 3G/4G that Apple included in the new one iOS 6, but only for certain devices. Using iPhone 5 you can use FaceTime via 3G, the quality of the calls will depend on your internet connection, but if you have a subscription with high speeds, you shouldn't have any problems. The new HD front camera of the iPhone 5 consumes more bandwidth during calls, you have to be very careful how and when you use them, but the good part is that you may see the interlocutors much better, if they have a good connection and a custom room.
rooms
In the iPhone 5, Apple has implemented an HD front camera that is capable of making FaceTime HD calls, but there are also improvements regarding the main camera. I assume that many of you are interested in the main camera, so I will focus on it and tell you that from Apple I found out that a new image sensor has been included, and in general the camera should be able to take better pictures in of low brightness, but otherwise you will not have a different experience compared to the one offered by the camera of the iPhone 4S terminal. Some praise the terminal's camera as exceptional, but you will mainly notice the relatively important differences if you examine the EXIF data of the pictures.
Apart from the pictures taken at night, I don't think you will notice any difference regarding the recording of pictures, and you will probably have a better audio quality for video clips because Apple has implemented an extra microphone in the new iPhone. Although Apple praises the main camera of the new iPhone, in reality there are no big differences compared to the one in the iPhone 4S, you should not expect to take much better pictures because you will be disappointed and from this point of view Apple could do more for your new terminal.
Although the quality is not good, Apple included in the iPhone 5 the option to take pictures during video recording, a function that other terminals had for a long time but iDevices did not. The Camera application now has an extra button in the video recording mode, it appears exclusively on the iPhone 5, and the photos taken in this mode are of lower resolution/quality than those taken in the normal photo capture mode. If we are still on this subject, I will tell you that the iPhone 5 is so fast that it is able to take a "burst shot", but only if you have the will to constantly and quickly press the photo recording button.
In the end, I leave the job Panorama which is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPod Touch 5G, and with its help you will probably be able to take some great pictures on your travels. The function is available directly in the Camera application in iOS, it is easy to use, and the pictures taken with it have a resolution of 28 megapixels. The quality of the pictures is relatively good, but to use the Panorama function you have to have a little patience because the terminal must be directed throughout the recording of the picture, but I don't think you will have many problems from this point of view.
That's all about the cameras, the main one doesn't offer much news, the front one is without a doubt better, and through software Apple tried to bring users some functions that could make them forget that the pictures they took are not great.
Battery life
I use one iPhone 5 for more than a week as the main phone and I think it's time to talk a little about battery, as this is one of the most important aspects of this device. Apple stated that the battery of the terminal iPhone 5 it is better than that of the iPhone 4S terminal, theoretically offering more time for browsing the Internet via 3G/4G or Wi-Fi. In my tests, I noticed that Apple's claims are not really supported in real life, the differences between the autonomy of the two devices being approximately zero, under normal use conditions.
I didn't leave the phone for hours playing video clips or voice calls, but I used it for: internet browsing via Wi-Fi/3G, GPS locations, photos and movies, games, I talked on it, I did everything it is possible and on average I got a maximum of 6 hours of usage, something that also happens on the iPhone 4S. On both terminals I got between 5-6 hours of usage, with a little standby, because I used the new iPhone continuously to see what it can do and to test as many aspects of it as possible. I don't know what results you can get in terms of standby, but on the iPhone 4S I got almost two days, so even more than that I don't think you will be able to reach it, so if you don't use it much.
I expected the autonomy to be somewhat better than the iPhone 4S, but the larger screen and the new modem speak for themselves, 3G consuming a lot of resources under normal use conditions. The brightness of the screen is managed by iOS, so theoretically it should have saved some energy, but the results may change when I can use it. Look at this information without cataloging it as a standard, because usage and autonomy differ depending on how each of you uses the terminal, so the usage times may be shorter or longer depending on the tasks you perform undertake.
For me the autonomy is slightly disappointing, I expected more from Apple, but considering that the terminal was thinned, it was hard to believe that a better battery could be implemented.
The new Lightning connector
In the iPhone 5, Apple changed the port through which we connect the device to the computer, charge it and synchronize the data from it. Many people considered that this change should not be made because it forces users to purchase new accessories because many of the old ones become incompatible with the terminal, but in the end the decision must be praised. The new connector is smaller, it brings a smaller cable for charging and from this change we have more benefits. To begin with, I will tell you that you can insert this Lightning cable in any orientation in the port, he dynamically arranging its pins depending on the mold in which it is inserted, so you no longer have to check how you use it. cable lightning it has an authentication chip based on which the iPhone recognizes it and starts uploading/transferring files, and so far no one has managed to clone it.
A second benefit lies in the fact that more accessories will become compatible with the iPhone 5, Apple offering through this dock more functionality for various products, but it remains for the manufacturers of third-party accessories to bring to the market something useful for consumers. A third benefit lies in the fact that the iPhone now charges a bit faster and the same will happen with the iPad 4 tablet which will probably have a battery as big as the iPad 3 and will require a good few hours of charging at a snuff. In the end, there remains the impossibility of the Chinese to clone the Apple cable, at least for now, and this prevents you from purchasing some bad accessories that could damage your device from the moment you plug it in.
In conclusion, the change is auspicious, although Apple wanted to close its ecosystem even more, although users will have to spend some money to buy new accessories. Most manufacturers often change the charging ports of the terminals, Apple used the 30-pin port for 9 years and this Lightning dock will be available for many years to come.
iOS 6
Together with iPhone 5, Apple also released iOS 6, the latest and most "evolved" version of the operating system for iDevices. If in the past in the important versions of iOS Apple included many special functions for the new iDevices, in the case of iPhone 5 things were not quite like that. Most of the important functions from iOS 6 are also available on the iPhone 4S terminal, so if you are looking at an upgrade strict from this point of view, I tell you from now on that the investment is not worth making because you will be deeply disappointed. If you look at the upgrade based on the rest of the news implemented by Apple, then things change radically.
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Going back to iOS 6, in this article we presented all the news brought by Apple and I won't go over all of them now, but I will talk a little about the user experience and about the really useful functions in Romania. Of course, I start with the famous Maps application, which has been the focus of many users' attention lately, and I tell you that in Romania it is mostly useless. In the video clips above you have a short comparison between it and Google Maps from iOS 5, but you also knew a large part of the differences. iOS 6 Maps is not a replacement for Google Maps, it is only partially useful in big cities and the only point of attraction is the turn-by-turn navigation system. You will not find in iOS 6 Maps an application that you will want to use, Apple recommends you to use various alternatives available in the App Store and I do the same. Until the moment when Apple succeeds in producing detailed maps of the cities, until the moment when Apple succeeds in implementing enough points of interest, I recommend you to choose something else because apart from a few big cities in Romania, the application is useless.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/FloXqpcMc2k[/youtube]
From iOS 6 Maps, I switch to Siri because the assistant has become a little smarter starting with iOS 6. In this article we have presented all the commands that can be run through the Siri assistant and among them the most important, and usable in Romania, are those for opening applications and writing messages on social networks. Saying a command like Open Room, you will convince Siri to open the Camera application; by saying a command like Tweet Good morning, you will convince Siri to write a tweet on Twitter and by saying a command like Send a text to Facebook Good morning, you will convince Siri to update your Facebook status. In the USA, Siri is a bit more useful, but in Romania we are content with just that for now.
We leave Siri behind and talk a little about the Passbook application that Apple thought of as an intermediary until the implementation of NFC or another payment solution using mobile terminals. Passbook is an application in which we can store boarding passes, coupons, discount vouchers, plane tickets, train or bus tickets and any other kind of tickets of this kind, the application still having to be supported by merchants in stores, but and in the App Store. Passbook is not a payment system, but it is a kind of wallet in which you can store all kinds of papers that would normally increase your pocket and you have to look at it as such. In Romania, the Passbook should be useful in the coming months, but for now you don't really have anything to do with it.
These are the most important news of iOS 6, and you can read about the rest in the article recommended by me. Dwelling a little on the subject of the experience of using iOS 6, I will tell you that iPhone 5 everything runs extremely fast, it's probably the fastest iDevice ever released by Apple and I know you don't believe me now, but when you hold it in your hand and use it, you'll probably prove me right. iOS has kept all its features until now, it's simple, it's easy to use, it responds quickly to commands and it's intuitive. iOS 6 still comes with a series of problems that you find in any new version of an operating system, some of these problems are quite annoying, but when you use a new software you have to expect anything and you have to have the conviction that the problems will be solved quickly. iOS 6 is not a great version of iOS, but even so, the iPhone 5 "shine" running it.
EarPods
Yes, in the iPhone 5 Apple also included a new set of headphones called, not very inspired, EarPods. The headphones were specially produced to fit almost perfectly in the ear canal of any person, they were produced to offer very good quality sounds and of course they were thought to have an iconic design that anyone would recognize and to assign it to an iPhone. The headphones really reproduce the sounds clearer, stronger and better, they really have an interesting design, but they still fall out of the ears and generate discomfort if they are used for several hours without stopping.
The EarPods represent a step forward made by Apple from the old headphones offered with its iPhones, but don't expect them to offer you much because a pair of 150-200 RON headphones are perhaps even better. The headphones are included in the package of each iPhone 5 terminal, they work with the old devices and with other electronic products, but if you have a set of headphones from other manufacturers, it would be good to compare them because you may not need to replaced.
Conclusions, price and availability
From my point of view, iPhone 5 represents an important upgrade compared to iPhone 4S and everything is in performance, screen plus design. When you hold an iPhone 5 in your hand and return to the iPhone 4/4S you will wonder how Apple was able to release those devices in the past years and why it didn't release an iPhone 5 earlier. The screen offers images of extraordinarily good quality, and the size and additional information displayed on it will change your opinion about how an iPhone should be used. All in all, the iPhone 5 is worth the money even if you own an iPhone 4/4S, and with that you have an answer to the question: is an iPhone 5 worth buying?
The price of the iPhone 5 terminal in Romania varies from store to store, some online stores sell it for 3100/3200 RON, in the 16 GB version, on auction websites you will find it at slightly higher prices and the problem is that only at dear friends, you can find more units available. For the time being, mobile phone operators do not know when/at what price they will sell the iPhone 5 in Romania, probably by the end of the month they will have them available and if you don't want to spend €700 on a terminal sold by an online store, then you can still wait 2 weeks.
In conclusion, I can say that I do not regret the purchase of an iPhone 5, I hope I never regret it and when the terminal appears in stores, I recommend that you go and test it to convince yourself whether it is worth buying or not. Before I finish, I must thank Orange Romania for giving me the opportunity to participate Orange Bloggers Bus Tour because that's how I ended up experiencing a launch of an Apple product and purchasing the iPhone 5 terminal that I talked about today!
