The iPhone 5 is more than just Apple's latest high-end smartphone. In a world of huge slabs of phone the iPhone's thin profile makes it different to the Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z, HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 925 and the rest of the high-end phone lineup. For more comparisons see Group test: what's the best smartphone?; iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S comparison review and Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Apple iPhone 5 comparison review.
In our iPhone 5 review we test the iPhone 5 performance, look at iPhone 5 build and design, and check out the iPhone 5 cameras. We also check out new iPhone 5 features and the iPhone 5's software.
iPhone 5 review: Performance
Confirmed by our lab tests, everything about the iPhone 5's performance has been augmented from its predecessor the iPhone 4S, in this contrarily smaller mobile phone handset.
It's not just a bit faster – it's 100 percent or more quicker in processor speed. Similarly in the graphics room, gamesters or anyone that needs grease-lightning visuals will be beaming from ear to ear at the step-change in sheer speed.
iPhone 5 review: A6 Processor
We can't honestly say that on any day we picked up an iPhone 4 or even 4S and thought ‘this is a great phone – but I just wish it could be a little bit faster'. Yet the new-found double-speed action does end up bringing you a device that's really just more moreish to use.
Apple is playing coy in the numbers game for the new A6 chip, although technicians who have dissected the phone are pointing to a much bigger breakthrough than may be obvious.
The A6 appears to be Apple's own in-house chip design, still using the ARM architecture but not as prèt-a-porter as most smartphone makers typically specify. It's still a dual-core processor, like that in the 4S, but memory is double the iPhone 4S' at 1GB.
Crucially, the architecture may be more like the as-yet unreleased ARM Cortex-A15 reference design rather than Cortex-A9 that has been staking out the ground for leading smartphone designs. The graphics engine now appears to be a tri-core processor too.
Clocked at 1.3GHz, the A6 chip may appear old-hat against the 1.4GHz quad-cores required for Android phones to feel slick. But in synthetic benchmarks, it was the fastest mobile chip you could purchase, when the iPhone 5 launched. It remains in the highest echelon alongside the Samsung Galaxy phones, the HTC One and the Sony Xperia Z.
iPhone 5 review: Benchmark Results
Apple says the new A6 processor is up to twice as fast as the A5 in the iPhone 4S. Our benchmarks of processor and memory performance with Geekbench 2 suggested that Apple was being economical with the truth – by understating the staggering increase in speed.
The iPhone 5 scored 1650 points in Geekbench 2, compared to the 4S' score of 632. That's over 2.6 times faster.
When it came to gaming performance, the iPhone 5 ran the Egypt HD test within the GLBenchmark 2.5 test at 38fps, which is exactly twice the framerate of the 4S' which scored 19fps.
Browsing the web was super speedy. When tested for JavaScript rendering speed, we found the iPhone 5 to again be around twice as fast – scoring 903ms in the SunSpider test, against 1891ms for an iPhone 4S; both using iOS 6.
In general use, the iPhone 5 feels incredibly snappy, opening apps and loading websites quicker than ever before. We haven't tried EE's new LTE service yet, but even web browsing over 3G feels appreciably faster.
And in our tests, it was. Not just JavaScript, but 3G cellular is much quicker – almost twice the speed.
We took a series of network speed tests over a short time period from the same location, using the same Three nano-SIM card. The iPhone 4S averaged 7.92 Mbps download, and 2.34 Mbps upload from our office location in London. Peak speed recorded in any single run was 8.78 Mbps.
The iPhone 5 is helped along by not just a faster processor but a more modern RF chipset for cellular data. It averaged 13.3 Mbps download and 2.52 Mbps upload. Peak speed hit a giddy 16.91 Mbps.
We have been seeing in excess of two days' battery life, suggesting that all the extra power is not having a major effect on runtime.
iPhone 5 review: Features
The stand-out outward attribute of the iPhone 5 is its larger screen. Not a huge expanse of space in both directions as Google's hardware friends have uniformly decided is the way to sway tech-loving buyers – notably the Samsung Galaxy S3 with its extravagant 4.8in display. The iPhone 5 raises its screen estate by simply extending the screen's height by 14mm, keeping the width identical.
The new 640 x 1136-pixel display is still IPS, only even richer in colour saturation while still looking more natural than the slightly cloying OLED alternatives. And importantly the Apple iPhone 5's screen still has the pixel-hiding Retina resolution of 326ppi.
Operating the iPhone 5 with its longer screen is a doddle. Unlike the semi-tablet sized phones with 4.5in or larger screens, you really can reach the whole screen to operate it easily still with just one hand. Pick up an iPhone 5 though, and you'll notice a new featherweight quality. Down at 115g against the 4S' 141g, it feels wafer-like, almost too light in fact. Beautifully balanced, its mass is evenly distributed to offset any bias toward top or bottom.
The build quality has been described as jewel-like with reason. Swiss watch is another inescapable analogy, echoed from Apple's sound bite at the iPhone 5's launch.
The move to aluminium construction may be a step in the right direction though; and not just by helping to lose headline grams from the all-up weight. It provides a more handleable object for the fingertips. Hardened glass front and back didn't just lend the iPhone 4 chic obsidian bling – it could make the handset a slippery slab. The iPhone 5 is now built around an anodised aluminium backplate that allows a tad more purchase in the hand. Durability may suffer a little though. In the case of the black model especially, daily use is likely to create small nicks in the anodised coating, so to keep the iPhone 5 pristine a case is as useful as ever.
In white, the iPhone 5 looks less juvenile than the 4S blanc; diamond-polished bevelled edges and a satin aluminium back make it much more unisex now. In black, it's pure stealth bomber, mixing brushed metal slate-anodised back with mirror polished front bevels and gleaming black glass front.
This tech user is not so convinced by the drive for thin though. Given the still all-too short runtime of today's handsets – and that includes the iPhone, despite it out-lasting every average fizzling Android – we would rather keep with something like 9.5mm and 141g if it meant using the space and weight budget wisely, with a battery to comfortably last three rather than two days.
A phone as light as the iPhone 5 also seems to leave no sensation of its presence in the pocket. It's a a matter of taste whether you like this idea or prefer to have some subtle clue that the phone is still there... or not. The iPhone 5 carries the flag for the newly born iOS 6 operating system, and this gently tweaked system creates continuity from the user experience of previous iPhones. Alongside the metal-banded frame, the now-familar interface is a key point of reference for the mainstream audience, copied the world over with varying degrees of accuracy and resulting litigation.
iPhone 5 review: Video
NEXT PAGE: iPhone 5 cameras, Lightning connector, new SIM and Apple Maps >>
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Comments
canoeingcamel9 said: That is 199 on a 2 year contract You can can similar deals here in the UK
Steve C101t2 said: Yes thats the rip off Britain for u
Yotap said: LOL youre actually for real arent you
Andreas Schroeter said: My wife also calls a Galaxy S3 her own and sorry but I couldnt disagree more It had to be replaced 2 times within 9 weeks Microphone error and non responding power button While a lot of Android software copes up with iOS programs there is still a lot of unintuitive and sloppy stuff around On Android U also better install an antiviral software if you intend to avoid mad surprises Competition is good and healthy and not everything Apple is automatically superior But the iPhone 5 has at least momentarily no competitor in sight If I was a student on a tight budget the story would likely be different
Matt Egan said: The day we are pressurised into changing our opinions you wont find me here to answer comments Not because we are great guys although we are - but because our entire business model is based on providing objective and unbiased buying advice We turn over six figures a month - so no-one can afford to buy our objectivity
Bobbybiscuit10 said: I should add and I think it needs to be said that PCAdvisor and its employees are just as entitled to their opinion as anyone else and I would hate to see a situation where their objectivity is being stifled due to outside pressure Whether that pressure be from advertisers the readership or even the general zeitgeist is irrelevant they must always be allowed the freedom of their own objectivity And on that basis whilst I dont agree with the above review necessarily that does not mean that it is wrong or biased its just not what I think It certainly doesnt mean either that I will not continue to look to PCAdvisor for technological advice in the future because whilst I might not always agree with them I do know that they will always provide an honest opinion
Matt Egan said: Its interesting Three years ago the iPhone was indisputably the best high-end smartphone as was the BlackBerry six or seven years ago Now it does come down to personal choice Which is best out of the iPhone 5 Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3 It depends as you say on how into technology you are But also frankly it depends on which you prefer for purely subjective reasons The bottom line is the choice for consumers has never been better Theyre all great
Matt Egan said: Its interesting Three years ago the iPhone was indisputably the best high-end smartphone as was the BlackBerry six or seven years ago Now it does come down to personal choice Which is best out of the iPhone 5 Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3 It depends as you say on how into technology you are But also frankly it depends on which you prefer for purely subjective reasons The bottom line is the choice for consumers has never been better Theyre all great
Bobbybiscuit10 said: Thanks for acknowledging what I said about maps I figured it was probably an oversight as you have mentioned it elsewhere on the site in fairness Of course flying in the face of some other technological publications views does not suggest that your opinion is wrong that is very true It could even be argued that it is they that are wrong moreoverIn my opinion however I do feel that the above review is a tad generous For me there is far too much weight attached to how easy the iPhone is to use Yes this may be a boone to those slightly older or less technologically minded than the average but to be honest I dont think those people buy or read PCAdvisor I certainly cant see many people not in the know as it were even realising that PCAdvisor reviews smartphones at all Therefore recommending a product at least in part to people whom at least have an interest in these things on the basis that it is easy to use seems a bit odd A synonym for simple after all is basic and to my mind that is exactly what iOS is these days And therefore I personally could never recommend the iPhone to anyone really interested in technology
Matt Egan said: Good point about Maps Well address that Genuine oversight simply because we have so much coverage elsewhere As for smartphones being our blind spot I happen to think we offer about the best coverage in the UK today I would say that obviously We dont base our judgements on other sites - and that doesnt mean we are wrong
Bobbybiscuit10 said: I have to say that while the accusations of bias are a little harsh I can understand the sentiment underpinning that feeling Ive been quite amazed to see PCAdvisor place the iPhone 4s ahead of the Samsung Galaxy III in its smartphone top five recently despite the fact that the majority of tge rest of the technological press completely disagree My feeling is then that PCAdvisor is maybe just out of touch wheb it comes to smartphones maybe its their blind spot we all have them Clearly though in my opinion at least something does seem to be amiss because the above review doesnt seem to be very well considered overall The writer doesnt even mention the ios maps debacle something I think is important to mention even if it certainly isnt a deal breakerIts little mistakes like that that lead people to believe some PCAdvisor reviews are bit biased in my opinion
Vincentrmk said: In the US that seemingly bargain price includes a 2 year contract In the UK youre paying for an unlocked phone with no contractual obligations whatsoever
nosmada54 said: I have just been on the apple websites and seen the iphone 5 for 199 approximately 125yet in the UK it is 529 Apple wouldnt rip off its customers would it