What is the New iPhone 5 Like?

The iPhone 5 is certainly an evolutionary improvement on its predecessor the iPhone 4S; however it is far from being revolutionary. It places Apple up there with the big guys in terms of smartphone technology, and arguably ahead of them in terms of style, but it really doesn’t seem to quite live up to all the hype that has been surrounding it over recent weeks.

Make no mistake; Apple has done an excellent job in creating the iPhone 5. The technical challenges that Apple has overcome and the manner in which it has done so, is very impressive. Although thinning the phone by just 1.4 mm may not seem to be very much, to do that while also improving so many other features is amazing, and to also increase battery life is awesome.

The display is larger due to an increased aspect ratio, and the width is the same as on the iPhone 4S, but the increased length increases the diagonal dimension from 3.5 inches to 4 inches, but there have been additional improvements too and the whole appearance is better, though still a little short of that of the best Android phones.

The faster processor means faster graphics and the improvement is noticeable. The new processor appears to be twice as fast as the previous one, and it is more or less equivalent in bench mark tests to those found in top range Android phones.

The camera is a little better, but only marginally. The reason is due to the shrinking thickness and Apple has done well, but obviously compromises have been made. For what most people want to use a phone camera for it is quite adequate, but falls far short of the camera in the latest Nokia phones sold by Dialaphone.co.uk.

Where the iPhone really scores, and why people are willing to queue for days to get their hands on one, is its style and the mystique that Apple have built around it; to date no other smartphone has been able to match that and it is unlikely that any will.