At a media event in San Francisco this morning, Apple CEO Tim Cook took to the stage to reveal the iPhone 5. Much of what was rumored about the device is now fact: the iPhone 5 is slightly larger than iPhone 4S, boasting a taller – though not wider – 4 inch screen, and uses a new, smaller dock connector, referred to as Lightning. Pre-orders kick off on September 14th, and the phone will be available worldwide on September 21st, 2012.
Read on for in-depth details on the new smartphone but don’t forget to check out our iPhone 5 liveblog for our full coverage of today’s event – including a look at the new iPod models.
Made entirely of aluminum and glass, the iPhone 5 offers the expected leap in power over its predecessor, the iPhone 4S. The A6 chip at the heart of iPhone 5 is said to be twice as fast, and offer twice the graphical performance, of iPhone 4S’s dual-core A5 processor. That said, the jump between iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 appears, on paper, to be far less than the jump from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S, and some features – talk time, camera resolution – are essentially unchanged between the two devices.
Of course, the iPhone 5′s major selling point is its larger screen. With a 326ppi Retina display and a resolution of 1136 x 640, the iPhone 5 is said to offer 40% more color saturation than the 4S, and Apple has updated its stable of Apps – including Garage Band and iWork – to take advantage of the new screen’s dimensions. Apps that have not been updated for the new phone will be letterboxed.
iPhone 4S was the first iPhone to include an 8-megapixel camera – a huge step up from earlier models. iPhone 5 sports the very same camera, though some features have been tweaked. For starters, the iPhone 5 captures images 40% faster than the iPhone 4S , and its camera works much better in low-light situations. Another cool feature is that iPhone 5 supports panorama photography right out of the box – no need to invest in a separate App. All stitched together, panorama shots will be 28-megapixel images. High-definition video recording, meanwhile, will benefit from improved image stabilization and facial recognition.
Despite its larger screen, iPhone 5 is 18% slimmer than the 4S, and weighs less, too – 20% less, in fact. iPhone 5 support HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE, with talk time that is almost identical to iPhone 4S: 8 hours on 3G. Internet browsing gets a bit of a boost, with Apple promising 8 hours over 3G and LTE (compared to iPhone 4S’s 6 hours) and 10 hours over Wi-Fi (vs. 9 for 4S). The system’s Wi-Fi supports speeds of up to 150 Mbps.
Rounding out the phone’s new features are improved earbuds, dubbed Apple EarPods, a 720p front-facing camera for making high-definition Facetime calls, and a trio of microphones for improved voice recognition and speech quality. The iPhone 5 will be available in 16GB ($199), 32GB ($299), and 64GB ($399) configurations, with either black or white faces, and silver aluminum or black anodized backs.
For a complete list of the iPhone 5′s tech-specs, continue to page 2.
Along with iPhone 5, Apple unveiled iOS 6, and though most of the details had already been made public at WWDC 2012, that doesn’t make the operating system’s September 19th debut any less exciting.
Highlighted by a new, Apple-developed Maps App that promises full turn-by-turn navigation and a Flyover view, iOS 6 packs over 200 new user features. Siri will finally be able to launch Apps and post Facebook updates, iCloud Tabs will keep track of the all web pages that are open on any of a user’s Apple devices, and Passbook can manage everything from airline boarding tickets to giftcards. Though iOS 6 doesn’t include any new features that are likely to have the impact of Siri, it’s a robust update nonetheless, and will be compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, 3GS, new iPad, iPad 2 and iPod Touch.
Ranters, what are your first impressions of the iPhone 5? Is it the device you were expecting? What features are you most excited about, and which are you most disappointed by? Let us know in the comments below.
iPhone 5 releases September 21, 2012.
iOS 6 releases September 19, 2012.
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this announcement is beyond laughable apple sues the competition and then release an inferior product
It should be called the iPhone 4ss or 4s2
It should be called the iPhone 4ss
Apple gets sadder and sadder with every product.
The sheep that buy this stuff will eventually catch on to the money wastes. Eventually, and they’ve already driven away all their sensible customers.
Looks like Apple is starting to lose it.
And they’re suing everyone because they know it.
How is it inferior? (not a fanboy question, i’m legitimately wondering)
everything they have announced is stuff the competition did last year
this new phone is just reaching the level of my galaxy s2
which is a year and change old
And no explanation just “it’s inferior”. U r a laughable Apple troll
i just gave reason why it is inferior
all give two more reason Samsung galaxy s3 Motorola razr hd
and i find the fact that you are trying to defend apple after all they have done and now what they have announced i find you laughable
Still nothing just more BS trolling. Give me factual reasons of why this is an inferior product. Lol. Calling u out on trolling is defending Apple? I said nothing to defend Apple. You obviously don’t have the comprehension to correctly answer a question. Either that or you are blindly hating on something just bc you think it’s cool.
erm bs how ?
it is inferior because one it has a 4 inch screen again galaxy s2 had this from last year galaxy s3 is out now 4.7 inch screen resolution 72op
a front facing camera that can record 72op and this is on a device released last year
stop sniffing clue!
*glue*
You are getting some where. Yes Samsung Galaxy 3 has better screen resolution. Screen size doesn’t matter to me bc that’s what tablets are for. You got anything else?
You sound upset.
Shall I get the anti-butthurt ointment?
Hey guys. I know that you’re all hating on apple up there ^ but if you aren’t impressed don’t buy it. I for one, am very excited about installment 5. It took me a long time to save up and buy an iPhone 4, and since I’ve been waiting for one that will replace it. I think that apple knows its consumer base, and responds to their base, loyal customers. Not to any “sheep” who wish to trash the product for the sake of another company. I had android products long before my first apple product, and I’m glad to say i’ll never be going back there. Totally excited about the new maps, new camera and the new siri abilities. Can’t wait to try it myself
the truth is iphones are for the technically challenged
i disagree. I love my iPhone. I’ve had the galaxy and hated it. Te iPhone to me is the perfect phone. It’s easy to use yet innovative and I enjoy it. The best phone ive ever had and I am looking forward to getting this in January when my upgrade is available. Phone looks awesome can’t wait to have a 5.
I think you may have the term “sheep” really confused.
It’s meant for the people who consistently herd to a new product from the same company when something new is released, regardless of what you’re actually buying. This herding leads to the term SHEEP, because it’s like a flock being led by the nose from a farmer who only wants them for their meat (money in this case) and doesn’t actually care about the consumer too much.
If you want to be a sheep, then by all means go ahead. But you’re only fooling yourself, you have an iPhone 4 already, and unless it’s broken, there shouldn’t really be a need to buy a new one because it’s just about the same thing in the long run.
Hey guys. I know that you’re all hating on apple up there ^ but if you aren’t impressed don’t buy it. I for one, am very excited about installment 5. It took me a long time to save up and buy an iPhone 4, and since I’ve been waiting for one that will replace it. I think that apple knows its consumer base, and responds to their base, loyal customers. Not to any “sheep” who wish to trash the product for the sake of another company. I had android products long before my first apple product, and I’m glad to say i’ll never be going back there. Totally excited about the new maps, new camera and the new siri abilities.
Rhi you’re a straight up fan boy and pretty much stated it in your argument, disowned.
how is that being a fanboy. Rhi just said if u don’t like it dont buy it. And then said what he likes about it. Everything u wrote has troll written all over it. Fanboys trash everything else an praise one thing. She/He did neither.
For sending texts, making calls + web browsing i-Phones are a total pleasure to use. (way easier than Android)
However if you are a techy person or you want to fiddle with your phone in any way, Android is the way to go.
Also I thought the i-Phone 5 would be the Galaxy S3 killer and wipe the floor with it, epic fail Samsung wins this round
Agreed. (Sjf)
hi there soo what nintendo wii u tablet has more technolgies inside compared too iphone 5 go nintendo
My friend told me the other day “Just wait till I get my iphone5 when it releases, its gonna kick the crap out of your galaxy S3″, I wonder if he’s seen this yet, haha. I dont know why he buys iphones all the time, when he likes all the features my phone has. He’s always talking how he wishes iphones would implement alot of the features that andriod has and when I tell him to just get an android he just says that apple is better……i dont get it
Now, I’m not a fanboy of Apple, or Android as I have had both. My wife has the S3 and I’ve noticed it has tremendous battery issues. Also, it lags more than the 4S. That may very well have been that one time though. However, the A6 chip that Apple has developed is supposed to be better performance than what is out there now. Geekbench released their benchmark for the 5, and it ranked in at 1601, which is the highest of any phone out there right now. Of course, that’s just them. I do think the iPhone 5 will be better than the S3 in some aspects, but I really wish they implemented NFC. I do not view it as inferior, both are/will be great phones.