IPHONES THE
BEST CELL PHONES
The excitement of the rumour mill,
the titillation of every leaked photo led to higher than ever levels of
expectation over the iPhone 5 features, and while the announcement was greeted
with some derision at the lack of perceived headline improvements, the record
sales tell an entirely different story.
Given the underwhelming changes to the iPhone 4S, the
iPhone 5 launch really needs to re-energise customers to prove Apple can repeat
the game-changing trick it managed with the iPhone 4.
The iPhone 5 price is predictably high, so consumers will
need to bear that in mind too when looking for their next smartphone.
So is the Apple iPhone 5 the greatest smartphone ever, and
did it finally see Apple ascend to the top spot in our 20 best mobile phones chart?
Or was it a case of too little, too late... and what about those darned Maps,
eh?
Design
We'll begin in the traditional
manner: how the thing actually feels in the hand. With the iPhone 5 there will
be many types of prospective buyer: the upgrader from the 4 (or
more-money-than-sense iPhone 4S upgraders), those tired of their Android
handset and those taking their first steps in the smartphone market and want to
get one of them iThingies their friend/child has.
Well, all of those picking up the iPhone 5 will have the
same reaction: this thing is amazingly light. You've probably heard the numbers
by now (20 per cent lighter than the predecessor, as well as beating most of
the opposition too at 112g.)
It's an odd sensation, but it actually detracts from the
experience when you first pick it up. We've praised the weighty feel of the
iPhone in the past, lending it a premium feel in the face of toy-like phones,
and it's almost disappointing that Apple decided to join that clan.
However, through extended use this problem quickly
disappears, as the overall effect of the phone is still a chassis designed for
strength, it just sits more anonymously in the pocket.
You'll obviously see the change in
height too – the iPhone 5 stands 123.8mm tall to allow for the larger 4-inch
screen. In truth, those not familiar with the iPhone 4S probably wouldn't
notice the difference, which is why it's a good move from Apple to include the
larger screen if it's not going put people off that hate larger phones.
The decision to stick at 4-inches is Apple's admission that
while it recognises people are all over the idea of having more screen real
estate to play with it doesn't want to move away from the thumb-friendly nature
of the device.
Through a mixture of moving the centre of gravity slightly
as well as repositioning the screen within the bezel, it's still possible to
scroll your thumb mostly around the whole display one-handed, which Apple is
clearly keen to keep hold of.
However, we're not convinced of that argument any more, and
the power button was still a little out of reach when using the phone normally,
as was anything in the top left-hand corner of the screen. #
This was no issue in reality, as scooting the phone down a
touch in the palm is a natural action. But if that's the case, then why not
offer a 4.3-inch screen at least?
There's more to a phone than a screen these days (although
increasingly less and less) and the general construction of the iPhone 5 is
excellent to say the least.
We've tested both the ceramic white version and the anodised
black, and the two tone effect on the back of the phone is stunning, both
visually and under the finger.
It doesn't beat the sheer beauty of the HTC One S, with
its micro-arc oxidised back and rounded lines, but it's well-set in second
place.
The two sections of pigmented glass at the top and the
bottom of the phone add a pleasant effect, and the sapphire glass is meant to
be thoroughly durable, to complement the Gorilla Glass on the front.
Apple knows consumers get furious when they drop and iPhone,
and is clearly seeking to stop the smashes before they happen with a tougher
exterior - although it seems the anodised black version is pretty prone to
scratching, with a number of users mentioning chipping on the darker hue.
Phil Schiller, Apple's Senior Vice President of Marketing,
reportedly replied to an email from a user pointing out that aluminium will scratch
and chip in natural use - and we're also hearing that white iPhone 5 models are
being returned through flaking as well.
We kept our black iPhone 5 in a soft pocket in a bag for
much of its life, yet saw the following chip with minimal key / coin contact in
under a fortnight:
For a device of this premium quality, users will expect it
to survive the pocket test, and especially do so for the first two weeks of
life. It's a big fail for Apple to expect users to accept that a product can be
damaged so easily.
The same industrial band around the outside is in effect
again as on the iPhone 4 and 4S, with small sections removed where the antenna
joins.
Apple has gone for a more advanced form of antenna here,
meaning the days of lost signal are gone, and generally increasing the power of
your call connection and GPS lock on too.
There are other big design changes here too: the headphone
jack has moved to the bottom of the phone, and the iconic 30-pin connector has
been retired in favour of the new Lightning port, giving a headache to all
those that have invested in chargers, docks and other accessories over their
iPhone lives.
You can buy an adaptor, but it's going to be pricey: £25 or
$30 when it lands in October. And unless you want to keep it permanently attached
to the bottom of the iPhone 5 you'll need to buy a few, which is far from
ideal.
However, let's not harangue Apple too much for this: a
smaller connector is not only easier to use (you can plug the smaller cable in
either way round, and the connection feels more solid), but you're rewarded
with a thinner and more compact phone to boot.
There's also a small chink of light on the top right hand
side of the iPhone 5 - when the screen is illuminated, you can see it under the
band if you really, really look for it. It's been seen by a number of users,
but is hard to actually replicate unless you mask the screen and hold it at the
right angle.
It's again a sign of slightly under-par machining from
Apple, but in day to day use it's almost completely invisible.
The decision to move the 3.5mm headphone jack to the bottom
is an odd one, as while it allows you to slip the phone into the pocket
head-first when listening to music, which is a more natural action, it's a real
pain in the posterior for some apps that will only work in landscape a certain
way up.
Using it this way means your headphones experience will be
one of having to jiggle the jack around two fingers.
It's not the most comfortable way to hold a phone, and even
when using the phone in portrait mode, the jack gets in the way somewhat. Plus
it's miles away from the volume keys, which makes it hard to change the audio
level in the pocket if you don't use the dedicated headphones.
There are other smaller design changes to the iPhone 5 too,
such as the iSight front-facing camera moving to the middle and the home button
being noticeably more robust to help reduce instances of a broken portal to
your home screen.
But enough about what the phone looks like - the killer
question is how the thing feels in hand. And we'll sum it up by saying: smooth.
It's a little slippery, and we were always worried we would drop the darned
thing.
But that's the only negative thing about the design (apart
from the low weight initially and scratching aluminium) as it sits in the palm
nicely and allows you to do it all with one hand, including hitting the
top-mounted power/lock button with ease.
That lock button is actually still loose, as it was on the
iPhone 4S, meaning when you shake the phone around you can hear it clicking
away, which undoes a lot of the premium feel Apple is going for.
Make no mistake, the iPhone 5 is one of the most beautifully
crafted phones out there - but when you're paying £529 up front for the thing,
we'd hope this would be the very minimum Apple would be doing.
And while it looks nice, from the front it doesn't really
add much to the design of the iPhone - it's certainly not the same as the
jaw-dropping design of the iPhone 4 compared to the 3GS... it's another
evolution in the iLine. It's not bad, but for those that hoped the iPhone 5
would be another step change there's a good chance they'll be disappointed
about the look... until they feel the lovely back on offer.
There was a real chance here for Apple: remove the bezel and
give the front of the screen a look that's similar to the OLED TVs from the
likes of Samsung or LG… but instead we're treated to the same lines as before.
You always
get the feeling that Apple saves what it can for the next iteration of the
iPhone, and while there's nothing wrong with the current construction we can
see the edge-to-edge screen becoming something amazing on the iPhone 6 or
iPhone 5S.