Apple iPhone 5 – hands-on review round-up
Apple has revealed the iPhone 5 to the world – but what's the verdict?
The dust has settled on the iPhone 5 launch, and the first hands-on reviews are trickling in – including Stuff.tv’s own iPhone 5 hands-on review, first look video and hands-on video preview. So what’s the verdict? We’ve sifted through the net to bring you choice nuggets of tech opinion on Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone.
UPDATE: Read our in depth iPhone 5 review.
Over at TechRadar, Patrick Goss reckons that the incremental upgrade will be worth it for Apple fans: “Practically speaking this probably isn’t enough to make you want to leave a 4S unless you are a hardcore fan, but it will convince many iPhone 4 users to stick with the Apple ecosystem for another generation.”
MacWorld.co.uk‘s Karen Haslam notes that, as with Siri, the UK seems to be lagging behind in iOS 6 features: ” There were 3D maps available for the few areas in the UK that we looked up, but the flyover maps were only available for the very centre of the cities we tried.”
SlashGear‘s Vincent Nguyen noted that, “It’s the significant refresh many were hoping of the iPhone 4S.”
T3 editor Luke Peters ponders whether the iPhone 5 is different enough from the competition: “It comes with a raft of cool new features (mostly via iOS6), but fans of Samsung and HTC smartphones will cry that many of the features are already available on their devices.”
Engadget‘s Darren Murph admires the iPhone 5’s premium feel – “In typical Apple fashion, even the finest details have been worked over tirelessly. The metal feels downright elegant to the touch, and the same line we’ve said time and time again applies here: there’s no doubting the premium fit and finish when you clutch one of these things.”
Reviewing the iPhone 5 for TechCrunch, John Biggs notes that the iPhone 5’s A6 processor offers a welcome speed boost, commenting that, “Maps and photos flew by and the various apps popped up in a few seconds… It’s not as earth-shatteringly different than the iPhone 4S, to be sure. While the real benchmarks and games aren’t quite available yet, folks who haven’t used the 4S will notice a bump.”
The Verge‘s Joshua Topolsky was wowed by the new iPhone’s reduced weight: “The 7.6mm, 112-gram chassis is incredibly sleek, and exceptionally light… it feels almost too light in the hand. This isn’t just in comparison to the relatively heavy iPhone 4S — sure, the iPhone 5 may not be the thinnest phone out there as Apple claims — but this feels incredibly light against smartphones in general.”
Wired.co.uk‘s Nate Lanxon was similarly impressed by the iPhone 5’s build quality: “Put weight and screen size together and what you get is a phone that looks and feels refined. It’s bigger, but it’s lighter; it’s thinner but still maintains a premium aesthetic.”
Wired.com‘s Christina Bonnington loved the iPhone 5’s bigger display: “The 4-inch, 326 PPI display is just as dazzling as it was when it was first introduced on the iPhone 4 two years ago, but the extra screen real estate gives you more room to appreciate it.”
The Guardian‘s Charles Arthur reckons that the biggest selling point for UK buyers will be super-fast 4G connectivity: “Two groups of people will be delighted to snap this up: anyone with an iPhone from before September 2010 (so the iPhone 3G, 3GS, or 4); and anyone who wants to get 4G superfast mobile broadband speeds.”
The Telegraph‘s Shane Richmond feels that the playing field has leveled somewhat between Apple and its rivals. “There is nothing here that leaves the Galaxy S3, the HTC One X or the Nokia Lumia 920 looking dated or out of touch. Equally, there is little that the rivals offer that Apple hasn’t covered.”
New video! Apple iPhone 5 hands on
New video! Does the Apple iPhone 5 live up to the hype?
Apple iPhone 5 – hands on review
