Specifications

Model name: iPhone 5 Dimensions: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm Weight: 112 g Display: 4.0 inches, 640 x 1136 pixels, LED-backlit IPSTFT (retina display, 326 ppi) Storage: 16, 32, and 64GB (model dependant) OS: iOS 6 Processor: Apple A6 dual-core 1.2GHz with PowerVR SGX 543MP3 GPU (triple-core graphics) RAM: 1GB Connectivity ports: 9-pin connector (Lightning), 3.5mm audio jack Networking: GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, HSUPA, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n and wireless hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP Camera: 8MP, takes stills at 3264x2448 pixels, video at 1080p (30fps), autofocus, LED flash, take photos while recording video, tap to focus, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama, HDR. 1.2MP front-facing iSight camera (for FaceTime), takes video at 720p (30fps) Colours: Black/Slate, White/Silver Battery: Li-Po 1440 mAh, lasts around two days on average use, over four days on standby Price: Around Rs.104,000 to 145,000

Taller, thinner, lighter, faster, better: the five things that give Apple’s latest iPhone its name – iPhone 5. It’s undeniable that no other phone has gained so much attention or created as much hype as the iPhone. This year, Apple has brought iPhone 5 to the world, and it truly stands up to the many, many expectations.

Apple calls it “the biggest change to iPhone since iPhone”. When the iPad was announced, it was labelled by critics as a giant iPod Touch. But soon people realised that it’s much more that. History repeats itself. Then the iPhone 5 came, and got criticised for being only taller.

I have to tell you, if you haven’t seen and used it, you cannot even imagine how different it actually is. Let’s dig deep into it and explore the new stuff it has to offer.

Design changes

Let’s start with the obvious. Although the iPhone 5 might look like an elongated version of the iPhone 4S; it isn’t just that. It is a brand new product with a design similar to that of the iPhone 4S, but with some very fine, beautiful changes.

After five generations of iPhones and a lot of waiting by the customers, Apple has finally increased the screen size. It now measures four diagonally, instead of the same old 3.5” screen; it’s taller, and not wider.

Technically speaking, the display has a resolution of 1136x640, and a perfect 16:9 aspect ratio. Yet, it features Apple’s signature ‘retina display’, and watching widescreen movies on this screen is an amazing experience. Even though the technology is still the same, the screen looks better compared to the screen on the iPhone 4S.

It looks spectacular even when the screen is off as the front would be completely black in contrast to the previous generation iPhone in which you could easily decipher where the display is. The software handles the screen length change pretty well.

Increased length (and the screen) is only one aspect of this new product. The iPhone 5 is noticeably thinner and lighter as well. As a matter of fact, I underestimated how light it was until I picked it up for the first time. It feels significantly lighter compared to the previous generation iPhones.

Although the design of the iPhone 5 is reminiscent of the iPhone 4S, it has been completely rebuilt from the ground up, and features some changes as well. The headphone jack is now moved to the bottom, the speaker and microphone/speaker grill perforations are wider, there’s a new port instead of the classic 30-pin connector port, and this iPhone has three microphones (for better noise cancellation).

The back of the phone is now made of Apple’s high quality aluminium that feels great in the hand; and on the top and bottom, there are two strips of glass.

The white (White and Silver) model looks like a 4S, but the black one (Black and Slate) is really special; the silver antenna band that runs around the phone is now black, with chamfered edges, and these minor changes bring the combined effect of an exquisite design improvement.

I second what some reviewers have said about the iPhone 5 – it is like an expensive ornament or a jewel. It has to be touched, seen, and used before you can comment about it.

Another minor hardware change is the camera. It still has an eight megapixel sensor, but don’t be disappointed, because you can’t judge a camera by its megapixels.

The camera hardware has been slightly changed, and if you compare the camera result of the iPhone 4S and 5, you can really see how much better the photos from an iPhone 5 look. There’s another minor yet important change to the hardware: the iPhone 5 uses a nano-SIM, which is essentially a SIM card even smaller than the micro-SIM.