ALL SYSTEMS GO
The iPhone 5 ships with iOS 6 (see our iOS 6 review, page 60), available for older iPhones and iPads as a free upgrade. In the main, iOS 6 is a tweak to what s gone before, making the iPhone work better in the cloud and with other Apple devices. Improvements are mostly small, but they are handy; for example, Safari now has iCloud Tabs, which means you can see browser tabs currently open on your other Apple devices. We like the way that you can share Photo Streams with people on iOS 6 devices or, for everyone else, via a public website.
We must comment on the new Maps app, which is built by Apple rather than Google. In terms of its interface, it s the same as the old system, but the underlying data and search isn t as good at the moment. There are plenty of omissions (there s no Tottenham Court Road station, for instance), it often struggles to find what you re searching for, and it does strange things such as jumping to the US rather than looking for a UK street address. As it currently stands, using postcodes is the only sure-fire way of finding the address you want.
Apple is working on this problem at the moment, but it s a little sad that Maps currently represents such a wobbly step back. In its favour, Maps introduces turn-by-turn directions. You re given a clear choice of three routes, with traffic problems highlighted, making it easy to choose your own journey. Prompts are spoken clearly by Siri, and we like the way that the next turn indicator counts down the distance, so you know exactly when to make the manoeuvre. We also like the 3D Cities view, which gives you a 3D model of the place you re looking at so you can fly over it virtually. The centre of London is covered, but that s about it for now in the UK, although Apple has plans to expand its content. Siri is faster to respond than before, and you can also post Facebook or Twitter updates using it. Again, Siri swings between scarily accurate and annoyingly wrong, but it s often a quick way to use a feature; we think it s brilliant for setting reminders, for example. Passbook, a brand-new app, is a digital wallet for tickets, store cards and coupon codes. Currently, it s a bit limited in the UK, but we expect more partners to come online in the coming months. When it has full UK support, it could prove really useful. Passbook is location-aware so it can, for example, pop up your airline boarding pass as you reach the airport, so you don t have to hunt through your bag for the old paper version.
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
This phone marks the end of the old Universal Dock connector, which has been in place since the first iPod. In its place is the new Lightning connector. Anyone who has loads of existing peripherals will probably be gnashing their teeth at this news. Apple will sell a Dock-to-Lightning adaptor for the princely sum of 25, but we haven t been able to try it. If you want to charge at home and at work, you ll need to buy extra Lightning cables; Apple sells each one for 15. It s also annoying that the headphone port has been moved to the bottom of the phone. If you buy a Lightning charging dock at some point in the future, you can t charge and listen to your headphones at the same time
SIM PLEASURES
While the iPhone 4 introduced the Micro SIM, the iPhone introduces an even smaller version: the Nano SIM. If you re buying an unlocked phone, you ll need to get your operator to switch your old SIM for the new one. Your operator ought to do this free of charge, and you should be able to make the switch in-store, but phone to check.
JUST HEAR THIS Apple has revamped its in-ear headset and introduced the EarPods. This is good news for commuters; you will no longer be bombarded with irritating, tinny noise coming from people who haven t upgraded their bundled headphones. The slightly strange design of the EarPods sends the audio into your ear rather than letting it leak. It s a big improvement in sound quality, too, because there s more
range, better balance and a real sense of bass. In fact, we d go so far as to say that they re relatively pleasant, although the sound is still slightly muddy, lacking fine detail and the full range that you get from other sets. As such, we d still suggest that you invest in a decent set of headphones, with the EarPods acting as a decent backup pair. As with the old buds, the EarPods have a built-in microphone and responsive in-line remote with volume control and a multifunction button. Call quality is pretty good, with the microphone clearly picking up our voice.
WIRELESS AND 4G
Apple has completely upgraded the wireless technology inside the iPhone 5. First up is the 802.11n dual band, which means it ll connect to 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. The advantage of 5GHz is that there s less congestion, so you ll get better throughputs. You ll need a dualband router, though. This is the first iPhone with built-in 4G, and it will work with the new Everything Everywhere 4G network. From what we ve seen, 4G provides really fast downloads, making the mobile internet experience similar to being on a home network.
AFTER SHOTS
A thinner case has meant that Apple has had to redesign the lens and sensor for the iPhone 5, but it still has the same 8-megapixel resolution as the iPhone 4S. There s little difference in practice between the two models; like the 4S, the iPhone 5 has one of the best smartphone cameras around Shots are bright, vibrant and detailed. For most purposes, you can happily use your phone rather than a compact camera. The iPhone 5 also introduces a panorama mode. Just hold the phone steady and pan up to 270 to create one massive image. Video is shot at 1080p at 30fps, and quality is generally excellent. Footage is detailed with punchy colours; it s easy to see why there s no longer any need for Flip video cameras or the like. Battery life is quoted by Apple as the same as the 4S, which is impressive, considering the iPhone 5 has the larger screen. In our video playback test, the iPhone 5 lasted 12 hours and four minutes, which is pretty much the same as the iPhone 4S in the same test.
TAKE FIVE
The iPhone 5 is a great handset. It s brilliantly made and very fast with a responsive mobile operating system. If anything s missing from the iPhone 5, it s near-field communication (NFC). This technology has appeared in several Android handsets, but Apple hasn t bothered with it yet. We don t see this as a massive problem at the moment, as there isn t the infrastructure to use it, but it s a slightly surprising omission, nonetheless. Furthermore, while previous iterations have been way ahead of the competition, the iPhone 5 doesn t maintain the gap. Maps in particular is a big step backwards, while iOS 6 feels more like a tweak than a development. The biggest threat is that the competition has got a lot better, and it s cheaper; the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the HTX One X have similar features, and both are free on a contract. The iPhone 5 is a brilliant smartphone, and its iOS is smooth and easy to use. However, the poor Maps app and high price mean this phone just misses out on an award.
SPECIFICATIONS
Battery life
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
12hr 4m
See page 76 for performance details
OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 6
PROCESSOR SPEED 1GHz
NUMBER OF CORES 2
RAM 1GB
MOBILE DATA 4G
DISPLAY 4in 1,136x640 LCD
CAMERA 8-megapixel
INTERNAL STORAGE 16GB
MEMORY CARD SLOT None
CLAIMED BATTERY LIFE 8 hours’ talktime, 225 days’ standby
DIMENSIONS 123.8x58.6x7.6mm, 112g
