Apple’s iPhone 5 is more eye-catching than ever before, and thanks to solid under the hood improvements, the new iPhone 5 makes for a much better upgrade than the previous 4S (review).
The latest iPhone feels like the scrum-half to the lock that is the Galaxy S3 (review) and the prop that is the Lumia 920 (review). In fact, number 5 is Cupertino’s lightest (112g; 20% lighter than iPhone 4S) and thinnest (7.6 mm) smartphone yet, resulting in the best device to use one-handed out of all the recent smartphones we’ve managed to test.
Its premium dual tone (black and slate) anodized aluminum body looks amazing and feels solidly constructed, drawing in envying gazes from onlookers wherever we laid it down.
More screen real estate
Apple equipped the iPhone 5 with a new Retina display that measures 4" (640 x 1136 pixel resolution; 326 ppi) compared to 3.5" (640 x 960 resolution; same ppi) found on the 4S. Not only does it boast vivid colours (though not as good as on an AMOLED display) and fine details, but it outmatches most rivals (excluding the Lumia 920) when used outdoors in direct sunlight.
Also onboard is a trustworthy-as-always 8 MP rear-facing autofocus camera which performs well in all lighting conditions, helping users snap excellent looking stills and lag-free full HD (1080p) videos. You are now also able to capture stills whilst recording video, and take panorama shots, but both of these features have been available to Android users for a while now.
The iPhone 5 is dwarved by most of its rivals including Nokia's Lumia 920 (right) and the Galaxy S3 (left).
Maps and music
The arrival of Google Maps to the App Store has played a huge part in mitigating the Apple’s beleaguered new Maps. Cupertino’s Maps app may sport turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation, but its cartography isn’t nearly as comprehensive as that found in either Google’s or Nokia’s offerings.
Beyond the new OS, Apple also finally launched the full music section of the iTunes Store locally, making a huge library of more than 20 million songs available to local users. Single tracks go for around R7, with full albums coming in at R70. Additionally, you are also able to rent movies on iTunes for between R30 and R40 or buy these at approximately R130 - R150. All of your multimedia content and apps can be stored on the iPhone’s 16 GB worth of internal storage, although only 13.5 GB is user-accessible and this cannot be expanded upon due to the lack of a microSD memory card slot.
For a more personal music listening or movie watching experience, Cupertino includes its new Earpod earphones in the retail box. According to the company, these have been redesigned to provide a more natural fit and now boasts a acoustic quality that is typically only found on higher-end headsets.
We found that these do fit more comfortable than almost any other in-ear earphones, while they also sit more securely when jogging for instance. However, they aren’t noticeably better in terms of quality or sound power than your average headset.
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