VERDICT
The best iPhone yet - but given the power of the competition and the high price, not the best smartphone.
PROS:
- Great design
- Larger screen
- Quality camera
CONS:
- High price
- Poor maps
- Ageing OS
The excitement of the rumour mill and the titillation of every leaked photo led to higher than ever levels of expectation over the iPhone 5 features, and while the announcement was greeted with some derision at the lack of perceived headline improvements, the record sales tell an entirely different story.
Given the underwhelming changes to the iPhone 4S , the iPhone 5 launch really needed to re-energise customers to prove Apple can repeat the game-changing trick it managed with the iPhone 4 .
The iPhone 5 price was predictably high, but it's now four generations old and Apple has stopped manufacturing and selling the handset. You can still pick it up, although you're likely to only find second hand or refurbished - but if you're desperate for an iPhone on a budget it's still not a bad shout.
Design
I'll begin in the traditional manner: how the thing actually feels in the hand. With the iPhone 5 there will be many types of prospective buyer: the upgrader from the 4 (or more-money-than-sense iPhone 4S upgraders), those tired of their Android handset and those taking their first steps in the smartphone market and want to get one of them iThingies their friend/child has.
iPhone 5 review
Well, all of those picking up the iPhone 5 will have the same reaction: this thing is amazingly light, especially compared to the supersized Andrid phones you get nowadays. It's 20 per cent lighter than its predecessor, and tips the scales at 112g.
It's an odd sensation, but it actually detracts from the experience when you first pick it up. I've praised the weighty feel of the iPhone in the past, lending it a premium feel in the face of toy-like phones, and it's almost disappointing that Apple decided to join that clan.
However, through extended use this problem quickly disappears. The overall effect of the phone is still a chassis designed for strength, and so it feels solid, if somehow a little hollow; pleasantly, though, it sits more anonymously in the pocket.
This is a major failing for such a service, and Apple has asked for 'patience' as it perfects the art of mapping, with crowd-sourcing helping to iron out these glitches. It's not as big a deal as some news outlets are making out, but if you're a company that lives and dies by consumer hype, then you need to aim for near-perfection before launch if you want to avoid this kind of thing.
We tested this extensively over the last two weeks, and while it was still mostly correct, there were too many errors for us to enjoy it. For instance, when looking for a restaurant we needed to meet people at, in a side by side test with the Samsung Galaxy S3, the two phones said it was at opposite ends of a very long street.
Thankfully we trusted Google Maps, and were rewarded with a shorter journey as iOS Maps was many many metres out.
iPhone 5 review
Apple is slowly fixing things, and we've no doubt Apple Maps in the future will continue to improve as issues are dealt with on the server side of things. Still, it wasn't a great way to launch what Apple claimed was a new pivotal app. Additionally, the graphic style Apple's used might be fine for the US, but there's no distinction between different road types in the UK, making Apple Maps inferior to Google Maps for at-a-glance navigation.
But let's not be all about the problems - the navigational side of things is actually very good, at least when using turn-by-turn in a car (assuming the locations are correctly set).
Siri's voice is clear, there are always a number of routes suggested, and it will even run on the lock screen with the phone lighting up when you're coming close to your next turn.
The app is bright, colourful and has loads of shops and restaurants listed throughout the world - it's just a shame many of those shops are now shut down or in the wrong place, so Apple needs to update its database pronto if it's to make Maps into the awesome app it could be.
The fact Apple has told users to try alternative means to map themselves around is proof enough there's an issue here - basically, Apple has done a big wrong on the world by launching a product before it's ready, especially when there was a more accurate on before.
Now that Google Maps has launched as a standalone app things are back to normal for iOS users, but it still a damning indictment on Apple's efforts in the mapping space, consigning the Apple Maps app to the same folder as Stocks, Compass and myriad other things you'll never use your iPhone for.
Apple should have ensured Maps was far more robust before releasing it. Until it's significantly improved, we strongly recommend using Google Maps for planning routes and on-foot navigation, and breaking out Apple Maps for turn-by-turn in the car, where it's a slightly superior system.
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
iPhone 5 review
Is the iPhone 5 a good phone? Of course it is... But is it enough to warrant the fervour of the claims of record sales and 'the best thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone'?
To some people it may seem like it's just the iPhone 4S with a longer screen and some fancier earbuds... but to others it's more like the tweaks they've been waiting for to finally warrant upgrading or moving to the iSide.
Now though, in 2016, the iPhone 5 is more of a last resort for budding iPhone owners. If you want a small iPhone get the SE, those looking for a big screen check out the 6S Plus and 6 Plus and for the mainstream iPhone experience you've got the 6 and 6S.
The 5 is now the phone to get on the cheap if your current iPhone breaks, or you simply can't afford the newer models but just have to conform to Apple's ways.
iPhone 5 review
We liked
It's quite hard to dislike an iPhone, no matter whether you love or disdain Apple's ethos. It's just so simple, with a quality screen and a real effort made into the design.
And it's fair to say, rather obviously, that this is the best iPhone ever made. That doesn't mean it's the best phone we've seen, but it's a jolly good effort.
The screen improvement is a real step forward, and the overall speed of the device has been increased to a blistering speed that matches the best the opposition has to offer.
We love the two tone back, and the pigmented glass effect, although the chassis is a little sharp at the edges.
The web browser is as fast as anything we've seen too, as well as the audio performance - and the larger screen makes video viewing better. There's also the very good camera on offer, with speedy pics and great quality of snaps... in short, there's not a lot we can fault on the specs, as we're fine not having a quad core chip just for the sake of it.
We disliked
The iPhone 5 isn't without its faults though - it's a handset that suffers from an ageing OS that doesn't look overly different from when it was launched five and a half years ago.
There are so many tweaks Apple could make to its OS to turn it into more of a powerhouse - icons that update with information, or extending the widgets in the notification bar beyond weather and stocks.
If only developers could add that functionality to apps so you could see updates in the notifications bar (seeing as it won't add anything to the home screen) - but Apple is taking things very slowly on this front, and we're really looking forward to seeing what iOS 7 brings.
We're not saying 'make it like Android' as there's a reason people buy iPhones - but there is a middle ground that Apple could inch towards.
The closed garden nature of iOS is also irritating, as it means you can't share items other than photos to Dropbox without connecting up to iTunes or send files to your mates via Bluetooth without installing special apps on both phones.
And then there's the lack of NFC, although we do see Apple's reasons for omitting the technology. It's not quite there yet in terms of market penetration for payments, but the world's largest network of accessories could definitely have made use of it for making ever cooler docks and cases.
Maps was poor on launch and is only improving relatively slowly. No doubt it will get better, but right now it's just not good enough when walking or for finding businesses, although it's fine for driving. Still, iOS does have plenty of alternatives you can use, including Google Maps.
Verdict
Is the iPhone 5 the best smartphone ever? If you're an iPhone lover and won't ever leave, without question. It's got a larger screen, a superb new design and generally all the moves required to make it into a worthy evolution.
But as ever we can't get over the price of the iPhone 5, with very little reason to prove that spending all that extra cash brings a tangible benefit.
That larger screen is a little too large to operate properly with one thumb, so we think there was room to make the screen even bigger. If you've played with a 4.5-inch or above phone, you'll get used to the greater space very quickly, so we don't think the iPhone 5 has the optimum screen.
Ultimately, this is an iPhone that underwhelms in terms of specs, but packages it all together in a way that works. The most annoyance has come in the way that Apple hasn't re-invented anything on the interface or hardware front.
But that's Apple's job, not ours. This is a company built on enchantment and magic and excitement over raw spec lists - something like a Liquidmetal body or separate screen on the back would have wowed over 'it's a bit thinner'.
In terms of our rating, we were torn between 4 and 4.5 stars, as the mixture of poor Maps, sky high price and aged OS is quite a long way from five stars. But there's still something about the way Apple puts together a smartphone that just works in a way that most of the competition can't match. It's a little bit creaky compared to the iPhone 4 heyday, but the iPhone 5 is still a brilliant phone in many ways.
If we could, we'd give the phone 4.25 stars, and we're sticking at this level for now - after months of use we still love the phone as we have other iPhones, which helped offset the poorer case design and continuing Maps nonsense - but there's still a sense that it could be better.
The iPhone 5 is the phone that's the minimum users would want in terms of an upgrade, and finding the balance there is something Apple is more adept at than ever. It's a very, very good phone, but there are plenty of other equivalent devices out there that will suck much less cash from your bank account each month that we think you should check out too.
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