Apple iPhone 5 – what we wanted, what we got

The iPhone 5 has landed. But since it didn't land on its own jet thrusters, were you disappointed? Although it didn't turn up in any bars ahead of its release, plenty of details for the iPhone 5 turned up early – so how many of the rumours turned out to be true? And does it measure up to our expectations?

What we wanted: a bigger 4in 16:9 screen
What we got: Exactly that, and while maintaining that high Retina Display resolution at 326ppi. We also got the added bonus of improved colour saturation of a whopping 44 per cent. Thanks Apple.

What we wanted: a faster A6 quad-core processor
What we got: Well Apple got the A6 part right, it just forgot to add the quad-core. But since Apple prefers to avoid specs wars in favour of producing great working software we're not surprised.

What we wanted: Lightening port connction
What we got: We certainly got a new port, plus the expensive adapter that must be bought separately if you want to use your old dock. Other than it helping Apple and its partners sell more products, it offers little else – a smaller form and an ability to slot it in either way up.

What we wanted: better battery with wireless charging
What we got: In spite of a bigger, more colourful screen the battery still manages a solid eight hours of 4G web surfing and a standby time of 225 hours. It sounds good but we'll reserve judgement until we've done a long-term test. Oh and no signs of wireless charging.

What we wanted: a better camera like the Nokia Lumia 920
What we got: While the main snapper remains an 8MP iSight camera and adds panorama (landscape only), the front-facing camera is now 720p and records at 30fps. Video stabilisation has improved although not at an innovative level like the Nokia Lumia 920.

What we wanted: an improved OS
What we got: iOS 6 offers plenty of improvements including better Facebook and Twitter integration, superior Maps, super Siri, and some great new call features. There’s also Passbook that turns your phone into a wallet, Lost Mode to help you find your device, tab synchronisation across devices in Safari, Photo Stream sharing, and improved Mail. Check out our iOS 6 need to know guide for full details.

What we wanted: fingerprint reading and NFC
What we got: No sign of either sadly – it would seem Apple isn't willing to share payment systems with Visa via NFC. Not yet anyway.

What we wanted: new headphones

What we got: We got the new EarPods which actually were impressive. These are Apple's improved in-ear earphones that have been designed to snuggle in comfortably while distributing air perfectly for the best sound. Plus they're bundled with the iPhone 5 for free.

Read our in depth iPhone 5 review.

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