iPhone5

Is the iPhone 5 Different to The IPhone 4s?

How is the iPhone 5 different to The iPhone 4s is what many people wanted to know. 

One of the biggest disappointments for many who owned the previous model of the iPhone 4S was its lack of design change. This time, Apple has boosted the screen size for the first time ever. Though the width will be exactly the same, the height has been increased, taking it from 3.5 inches to 4 inches.

What does this mean? It gives you room for an extra row of apps on the home screen, and an aspect ratio that's much nearer the 16:9 widescreen sweet spot for watching movies, that's the experiance you get at home. Colour saturation has had an upgrade too, so colours will be more vivid and life-like.

iPhone 5 pictures from the launch


Ignore the fact that the iPhone 5 is in fact the sixth-generation iPhone - this is Apple's way of saying that this is a big step away from the iPhone 4S which was cosmetically near-identical to its predecessor. And it's certainly strikingly different from the look of earlier iPhones, though just as clearly related to them all.

As for overall size, this screen boost takes the height from 4.5 inches to 4.87 inches, and the resolution to 1136x640 - all in the stunning 326ppi Retina display introduced on the iPhone 4.


The Home button is still there, the grid screen of app icons, and the curved corners of earlier iPhones. But it looks odd - the proportions are different, as though it's been stretched like a piece of toffee. The display, for the first time, has been increased from the 3.5in diagonal measurement of earlier models. This one is 4in, but as the phone is the same width as before, it just looks strangely elongated.

Front on, that's the only visual difference, except the glass frame that protruded from the metal band is replaced by an aluminium bezel with smooth angled edges, Apple points out.

The screen isn't the only physical change. Apple has also made the iPhone 5 18% thinner and 20% lighter than the iPhone 4S. This takes it from 140g to 112g and from 9.6mm thick to 7.6mm thick, making it the thinnest smartphone in the world.


And the look is only half of it. Pick it up and you realise just how slim, exactly how super-light it is. Sure, the stats bandied around at he keynote were clear about this ('At 7.6mm it's the thinnest smartphone in the world,' executive Phil Schiller boasted) but in your hand it's a whole new game. It feels shockingly thin, as though you've accidentally misplaced a whole level of the phone.


And along with the remarkable lightness of the phone there's the feel of the aluminium back  It's an elegant, stylish handset.

The glass back is no more, and has been replaced by an aluminium design. You can get the iPhone 5 in a choice of black and white - the white will come with a raw aluminium back and the black will be complemented with a black anodised back.

Say goodbye to the 30-pin iPhone connector you know so well, and hello to 'Lightning'. Apple's new connector is 80% smaller than its predecessor and features an all-digital eight-signal design that promises to be more durable. Plus it's reversible, so you can plug it into your iPhone either way.


There's a lot more to the iPhone 5, with hugely improved Siri, the voice recognition program, for instance, panorama shots on the camera and HD video on the front camera. But the biggest step forward is the inclusion of 4G LTE for fast data transfer. There's no NFC, the contactless data system used in Oyster cards, as had been predicted. One other omission: the 30-pin connector.


The new Lightning connector on the base means a lot of docks are now redundant without an adaptor - though Apple has made a bunch of these to suit naturally. Apple says it reflects the way things have changed in the world of tech - so much is updated wirelessly now, the 30-pin connector was too big. Sounds like an industry standard explanation why last models accessories are replaced.

The downside? Accessories, like battery cases and music docks you've already got, won't work with the iPhone 5. There'll be a Lightning to 30-pin adapter, but they'll cost around a rather steep £25 each. Ouch.














The iPhone 5 debuts the A6 processor, which Apple says will operate up to twice as fast as the A5 chip in the 4S. This means you should see a speed boost in pretty much everything you do on the phone. This includes gaming, thanks to an improved graphics performance. Expect faster frame rates for smoother game play of even the most graphic-intensive games.

 



Then there's the Maps. Google, supplier of the mapping until now, is Apple's main rival in the phone world, so Apple decided to turf it out in favor of its own app.

The new maps are supplied by TomTom and look elegant and clean. You can spin the maps round on the display using two fingers, so they're facing where you want them to. The street names turn as well, so they're always the right way up. You can set it to 2D or 3D views (though the latter is really just a slightly angled effect). And that's not all.

 You can switch to a satellite view (nothing new there). But in some cities, like central London, Sydney, San Francisco, a small icon of 3D buildings appears. Tap this and you're in Flyover, not an elevated bypass but a gorgeous, photo-realistic overhead viewpoint of a particular area.

 Exactly how useful this is may be open to debate, though it could help you get your bearings in the places it covers. Mostly, though, it's just eye candy. Nothing wrong with that, though.The Maps also show more on this larger, longer display than on the earlier iPhone, though the Maps app is available on every phone where the new iOS operating system is available. This means the iPhone 3GS or more recent, and the iPad 2 or new iPad, plus recent iPod touch models.(upgrade)




Oh yes new design on the headphones makes them look very sleek.


With all this extra power you might be concerned that the battery life will suffer. Not so says, Apple. In fact, it's been improved, with up to 8 hours of 3G talk time or browsing, and up to 10 hours video playback

 


While the main camera stays at a respectable eight megapixels, there are a few changes worthy of note. The new A6 processor improves imaging performance too, with 40% faster shutter speed and improved low-light performance.

The front-facing camera has been boosted from VGA quality to 1.2MP for stills and 720p for video, while video on the main camera now includes improved image stabilization and the ability to take stills while recording.

Finally, the new panorama mode, which produces a 28-megapixel final image, means there's no longer any need to download a third-party app to get a wide-angle view when the standard one just won't do. The phone's camera has a sapphire crystal lens cover to protect it and a panorama option which allows the user to take panoramic pictures


But the biggest step forward is the inclusion of 4G LTE for fast data transfer. Following on from EE's (formally Everything Everywhere, and otherwise known as the partnership of Orange and T-Mobile) announcement yesterday that it would be bringing 4G to the UK within the coming weeks, Apple has - surprise, surprise - announced the new iPhone 5 will too pack 4G connectivity.

What does this mean? Well, ultimately mobile data speeds up to five times faster than the 3G speeds we're used to at the moment. So for most of us that will be almost instant.










And finaly the price in the US. Cheeper, in the UK £529? and the exchange rate is better in pounds.
If you are going to the States in the near future, you have a choice.






A view across the water

Review

So should you upgrade? Yes, If you like light and thin, with a weight of 112g and 7.6mm thick, making it the thinnest smartphone in the world (at this moment in time). But the additional features are pretty nice, especially 4G. And Apple promises that battery life has actually gone up, not down (though they have squeezed in a much bigger cell).


 Many of the improvements will work on existing phones thanks to the iOS 6 software, but the faster processor will make everything work better and quicker here. The A6 processor, which Apple says will operate up to twice as fast as the A5 chip in the iPhone 4S.

 There are new, improved headphones, the panorama shot effect looks good and neat extras like swiping down the screen to refresh the email list are all good to have on this bigger screen. Try one in your hand or view one online - we think you'll like it.


As of 19 September, all iPhone users with a 3GS or above will get the iPhone 5's iOS 6 operating system upgrade for free, which brings with it new features like the new Apple Maps and an improved Siri (4S and above)


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