When the iPhone 5 was announced, some critics lambasted it as “boring” and not much of an improvement over the iPhone 4S. Apparently, these critics never got the memo as the iPhone 5 proceeded to become Apple’s most successful iPhone to date, with 2 million being sold within 24 hours of its availability, and 5 million for the first weekend it was available.

Admittedly, we were one of the millions who fell under Apple’s magic spell, and our Technoodling representative fell in line at 4 AM at an Apple store in Paris, France. The unit has since arrived at the TN laboratories and we have used and abused it well enough over the last several days to form an unbiased opinion of it.

*Note: This iPhone 5 was used on SMART’s 3G network. While SMART has yet to sell the nano SIM for the iPhone 5, I was able to successfully trim a SMART micro SIM card down to nano SIM size. It took me two tries to get it right though.

**Note: Before reading this review, you might want to check out our unboxing photos of the iPhone 5

Form Factor

The overall design of the iPhone 5 doesn’t differ much from that of the iPhone 4. It still touts a rectangular form factor with smooth corners, with the camera and flash, home button, volume and mute switches all in roughly the same location as on the iPhone 4S. At a glance, one can easily mistake it for an iPhone 4 or 4S.

But the iPhone 5 is far from identical, and while it retains the overall design motif of the previous two iPhone models, it looks and feels completely different when held. For starters, the iPhone 5 is substantially thinner than the iPhone 4/4S. Looking at the spec sheet, only a few millimeters have been shaved off from the iPhone 5, but it’s substantial enough that the iPhone really feels thinner in comparison. Along with the thickness, gone also is the glass back casing of the iPhone 4/4S, replaced with a material that is more in line with Apple’s design philosophy: brushed aluminum. The change to the new Lightning connector, nano SIM, thinner glass display and the switch to brushed aluminum back casing contributes not only to making the iPhone 5 a much thinner device, but a substantially lighter one as well.

The changes introduced with the iPhone 5 doesn’t stop with the thickness and weight as this new iPhone now has a longer, 4-inch screen, which makes this the longest/tallest iPhone ever built.

Verdict: I’m loving the new form factor! Sliding it into my front jeans pocket was no problem. The brushed aluminum back casing has made look it more in tune with the rest of my Apple-branded gear (MacBook Pro and iPad). The weight is something of an issue for me, as I prefer smartphones that have more heft to them. The iPhone 5 is just too light, although I perceive that the “lightness” is something I’ll get used to in time. Apple’s decision to make the iPhone 5 taller and not wider makes it more handy overall. Unlike other huge screened smartphones, the iPhone 5 is still friendly to one-handed operation.

Display

One of the major changes introduced in the iPhone 5 is the taller screen. A bigger screen means more screen real estate and the iPhone 5’s 4-inch screen definitely provides more information at a glance. Emails shows more text and Safari now displays more images for any given website. Of course, with the bump in screen size, the screen resolution has been increased as well. The new 4-inch screen doesn’t only offer more screen real estate, but color contrast is now more striking and bolder compared to the screen of the iPhone 4S. Colors are now more pronounced with richer and brighter shades.

Another welcome addition to the new display is that it’s less reflective to light, which diminishes glare and makes it a bit more viewable in direct sunlight.

Verdict: At first, I was turned off by the brighter color tones produced by the iPhone 5’s display. After a full day of use, I now find myself warming up to it and I now find the iPhone 4S’ display a bit bland. I do a lot of reading on my iPhone, and the additional information that can be displayed on the iPhone 5 compared to that of the iPhone 4S is quite a boon.

Performance

Powered by Apple’s new A6 processor, the iPhone 5 is touted as the fastest iPhone ever. After several days of actual use, I have to agree with that statement. Apps open faster, the camera boots up faster, photos are displayed faster and even the simple act of swiping or doing a “pinch to zoom” is more fluid than ever.

Verdict: The iPhone 5 performs faster than its older siblings. What’s not to like?

Size difference between the iPhone 5 (bottom) and iPhone 4S (top)

Camera

The 8-megapixel shooter located at the back of the iPhone 5 is supposed to be a huge improvement over the iPhone 4S’ camera. The camera lens is now made of sapphire which makes it literally crystal clear and scratch proof. Coming from an iPhone 4S, the photos produced seem to be of equal quality. I’ve taken a bunch of photos and the difference aren’t obvious unless the photos are closely scrutinized. The only area where the iPhone 5’s camera is better compared to that of the iPhone 4S is during low light photography. Noise is less obvious on the photos produced by the iPhone 5, although not by a wide margin.

Verdict: Just like the iPhone 4S, the new iPhone 5 possesses one of the best cameras in the smartphone category. Its shutter speed is excellent and the photos it produces are good enough that it makes carrying a separate point & shoot camera redundant. In my eyes, the iPhone 5’s camera edges out the iPhone 4S’ camera only in low light conditions. Would I upgrade to a iPhone 5 from a 4S on the merits of the new camera? Most likely not.

An iPhone 5 placed on top of the Galaxy SIII. The whites peeking at the sides are of the Galaxy SIII

Wireless standards

The iPhone 5 is equipped with the faster LTE standard and takes advantage of the 5GHz spectrum on WiFi. Unfortunately, as of this review, we haven’t been given a chance to test out either Smart’s or Globe’s LTE network. We’ll be making a separate review testing the LTE and 5 GHZ spectrum WiFi of the iPhone 5. Stay tuned!

Verdict: While we can’t vouch for the actual LTE and WiFi speed of the iPhone 5, it’s nice that the phone is equipped with the next generation wireless standard which makes it a bit more future proof.

It's hard to see it from this picture, but the iPhone 5 (middle) is thinner than the iPhone 4S (top) and the Galaxy SIII (bottom)

Battery Life

With always-on data connection, persistent 3G connection, Facebook/Twitter updating, lots of email and lots of RSS reading, I’m quite the heavy user. I start my day at around 9 AM, and my iPhone 4S’s charge would last me until around 2 PM on any given day. With the iPhone 5, I’m experiencing the same run times, which is both bad and good. Good that the thinner form factor of the iPhone 5 didn’t compromise battery life, bad that there’s no improvement in battery life. BoostCase for the iPhone 5 can’t come soon enough!

Verdict: Although battery life remained the same compared to that of the iPhone 4S, I was secretly hoping that Apple made some advances in battery technology. Alas, this is not the case.

Rant time

There’s one thing that really bothers me about the iPhone 5, and that’s the new Lightning connector. While I understand that the change to a smaller connector is necessary to make the iPhone thinner, the new Lightning port is just such an inconvenience. I have this setup where all of the rooms in my condo unit, my car and office have a dock connector on standby where I can quickly charge my iPhone 4S. With the iPhone 5, I have to buy a totally new set of cables and adapters to replicate my iPhone 4S setup. The problem is not with the cash I’m going to spend (and it’s going to be a lot, since cables go for $19 and adapters for $29), the problem is the availability of the new Lightning cables and adapters. As of now, I only have one Lightning cable on me (the one included with the iPhone 5) and I have to remember to carry it with me everywhere I go.

I hope this is just an early adopter problem and the availability of the Lightning cables and adapters will improve, with the cost even going down in the next few months.

EDIT: Most of the rants currently online from US reviewers have to do with Maps. Since turn-by-turn has never been available in the Philippines, whether for iOS or Android users, it’s a bit of a non-issue. Suffice it to say that there’s tons of local detail lacking from the Apple map which they promise will improve as time goes on.

Sample photos: iPhone 5 (top), iPhone 4S (middle), Galaxy SIII (bottom)

Is it worth upgrading to the iPhone 5 coming from an iPhone 4S?

I wouldn’t go as far as saying that iPhone 4S users MUST upgrade to the iPhone 5. No. I think this is a situation where it’s nice to upgrade to the iPhone 5 IF budget permits. The bigger screen, the thinner silhouette, the overall faster performance are all worth the upgrade. It’s just a question of are you willing to spend for it.

Should I buy the iPhone 5 or a Galaxy SIII?

This is a hard question to answer and it’s a question that I’ll typically say it all boils down to  the user’s preference of OS (iOS or Android). But to put it simply, I think the iPhone 5 is the better phone. Why? First of, Apple’s iOS offers a more complete and robust ecosystem. From business apps, social networking, games, music and movies, iOS has it all with the iTunes store. Personal Information Syncing is also present in iOS with the Apple’s iCloud service. Android has their own ecosystem as well, but it lacks music and movie purchases plus it’s not as easy to use as Apple’s. Now in terms of hardware, I prefer the iPhone 5 over the Galaxy SIII, the iPhone 5 is easier to use one-handed, iOS runs much faster and sleeker than Android and the iPhone is overall a much better looking and well-designed phone altogether. I guess I’m completely over my Galaxy SIII infatuation, especially when the iPhone 5 arrived.

Sample low light photos: iPhone 5 (top), iPhone 4S (middle), Galaxy SIII (bottom)

Bottomline

Believe it when Apple says that this is their best iPhone yet. The iPhone 5 is a stunning achievement design and usability wise. The iPhone remains as the most expensive smartphone in the market and every iteration of it has proven that it deserves to command that high a price tag. The iPhone 5 is such a well-made phone and Apple clearly understands which part of the phone to improve without sacrificing the user experience. I know I’m sounding like an Apple fanboy, but once you get to play with the iPhone 5, you’ll start seeing things my way extremely fast. Admittedly, the short battery life and inconvenience caused by the shift to the new Lightning port is sure to frustrate long time iPhone users.

Howard

Gadgets and video games are what Howard loves and he was fortunate enough to have dabbled in both worlds professionally. A former Editor-in-Chief of a local gaming magazine, Howard is currently busy jumping from one industry to another, analyzing and writing about all of the electronic toys he loves. His favorite noodles: Pork Leg Bihon.

email: howard@technoodling.netwebsite: http://www.technoodling.net