Apple iPhone 5 Reviews : Specs, Advantages and Disadvantages

The fifth generation of Apple's immensely popular iPhone mobile smartphone debuted in September 2012, supplanting the iPhone 4S as the company's latest, greatest smartphone device. While the iPhone 5 offers numerous "under-the-hood" enhancements, the most noticeable change over previous-generation iPhones is the iPhone 5's larger size (4" display vs. 3.5" in previous models), coupled with a thinner and lighter profile.

The iPhone 5's 4-inch Retina Display delivers a 1136x640 resolution, and other new additions include a faster A6 processor chip, improved wireless technology (including 4G LTE support), completely redesigned EarPod earbuds, an 8MP iSight camera (with a new Panorama mode) and support for the new iOS 6 operating system.

iOS 6 offers a number of enhancements of its own, including a completely redesigned Maps app that's no longer based on Google Maps and that now features turn-by-turn navigation, Passbook (a location-aware digital wallet app for storing things like tickets, gift cards, boarding passes, etc.), improved iCloud integration, the ability to use FaceTime on cellular connections, more sophisticated Siri capabilities, Facebook integration, AirPlay for wireless streaming of iPhone 5 content to an HDTV via Apple TV, Do Not Disturb call management tools and more.

Specs of Apple iPhone 5 :

• Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G support with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
• LTE support where carriers support it and CDMA support when sold by CDMA carriers
• 4″ 16M-color LED-backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 1136px resolution
• Scratch-resistant screen glass, fingerprint-resistant coating
• 1.2GHz dual-core custom-designed CPU, PowerVR SGX543MP3 GPU, 1GB of RAM, Apple A6 SoC
• iOS 6 and iCloud integration
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and touch focus
• 1080p video recording at 30fps
• 1.2MP secondary front-facing camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity; digital compass
• 16/32/64GB storage options
• Accelerometer, proximity sensor and a three-axis gyro sensor
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated secondary microphone
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth v4.0

Advantages of Apple iPhone 5 :

• A thinner iPhone

It goes without saying, but let’s walk through the dimensional specifics.

The original iPhone was 11.6 mm deep, grew to 12.3 mm with the 3G and 3GS, then shrank to 9.3 mm deep with the iPhone 4 and 4S. The “in-cell” shrink would probably shave off just under 0.5 mm, which isn’t much. the new back piece could shave as much as 1 mm off the total width, dropping the iPhone to just under 8 mm thickness.If the latter turns out to be true, it could mean at least a 14% depth reduction from the current iPhone and a 31% reduction over the original model. Millimeter changes are almost indiscernible to the casual eye, but to the hand? I notice subtle spatial differences in objects like smartphones far better by touch than sight. And a thinner iPhone would mean thinner cases, too.

• Improved screen imaging

The more layers light has to pass through to get to your eye, the less clear the image on the other side of those layers is going to be. Anyone who’s lived with a smartphone screen protector for a considerable period of time, then pulled it off to swap in a new one, has probably noticed how much sharper and clearer the display looks with the protector removed (even a razor-thin piece of plastic can negatively impact how crisp or clear text and images on a display look).

An “in-cell” display wouldn’t solve the screen protector issue, but it would eliminate a significant layer in the light-to-retina equation, theoretically improving the clarity of images and text with or without an optional aftermarket protective layer.

• Reduced (or counterbalanced) weight

Thinner, if Apple adds nothing else, also means lighter, though the iPhone 4S already weighs next to nothing at just 4.9 ounces — about as much as a deck of cards. Chances are Apple will instead use any weight reduction gains to add or augment other components, or possibly just to offset weight added by the rumored larger screen.

All iPhones, from the first in 2007 to the 4S in 2011, have a 3.5-inch diagonal display area, but the new iPhone is said to be the first with a larger screen — at least four inches diagonally, possibly more. Apple’s under some pressure to move to a larger screen given what its rivals — Samsung chief among them — are doing with competing phones like the Galaxy S II (4.3 inch display) or the brand new Galaxy S III (4.8 inch display).

Yes, “nearly 5-inch” displays aren’t for everyone, but 3.5-inches feels almost constrained in a smartphone-verse of at least 4-inch displays. A 4-inch (or slightly more than) iPhone display would pull Apple out of the screen real estate basement and more than justify the slight weight gain.

• More space for a larger battery

Today’s iPhone boasts up to eight hours of talk time on 3G, 14 hours on 2G, up to 200 hours of standby time, up to six hours of Internet use on 3G (up to nine on Wi-Fi), up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. The reality, of course, is wildly different, with many people seeing only a fraction of Apple’s idealistic projections.

Increasing the battery size to squeeze a few precious extra hours of talk time or app use — even if it offsets weight reduction gains in the design — would probably be a boon for consumers. I know I’d much prefer longer battery life than see the iPhone lose any more weight (in fact I’d gladly accept a net weight gain for better battery life at this point).

Disadvantages of Apple iPhone 5 :

• SIM Card Slot

iPhone 5 doesn’t have SIM Card Slot. Apple is working with SIM manufacturer Gemalto to create a unique SIM card, it allows people to buy the iPhone directly from Apple and choose a carrier via the App Store.

• Connector

iPhone 5 features built-in wireless syncing capabilities, inductive charging a la Palm Pre. But it doesn’t include 30-pin connector.

• Headphone Jack

iPhone 5 doesn’t have headphone jack, without headphone jack would suck since none of my vehicles have any kind of Bluetooth capabilities and won’t in the near future.

• Cleverness Slide

iPhone 5 unlikely to let this cleverness slide, it would risk looking too much like every generic plastic Android phone out there.


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