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[beast786]

I have decided.

Black with Verizon LTE.

 

[Ken Masters]

From gruber:

Is it worth devoting the first 750 or so words of this piece to the iPhone 5’s surface appeal? I don’t know how else to convey the niceness of this thing. This iPhone 5 review unit is the single nicest object in my possession. I own things that cost and remain worth more (e.g. my car). But I own nothing this nice. It sounds hyperbolic to put it that way, but I offer this observation with no exaggeration.

because it is

 

[jcm]

because it is

Well, something he owns has to be the nicest. I think the nicest thing I own is a watch. We'll see if the iPhone 5 can top it.

 

[Tobor]

I don't see how the larger screen can't be a negative for one hand use. Ultimately it's just a trade off we're making for more screen real estate.

By not increasing the width.

 

[AstroNut325]

By not increasing the width.

And the reduction of the thickness of te device.

Good reviews so far. I will ignore the verge. Too opinionated and biased for my taste.

 

[TheGreatDivide]

By not increasing the width.

But you're increasing the height, which obviously increases the distance your thumb travels.

I'm sure for most usages it's fine, but I can certainly imagine it being a little uncomfortable to hit the back button in its traditional spot or to bring down the notifications.

 

[Tobor]

But you're increasing the height, which obviously increases the distance your thumb travels.

I'm sure for most usages it's fine, but I can certainly imagine it being a little uncomfortable to hit the back button in its traditional spot or to bring down the notifications.

According to the Engadget review, the screen has been lowered a few millimeters to help offset the length increase. That should help resolve any one handed issues.

 

[nib95]

Can someone summarise what the reviews are saying about the rear camera (video/stills) and battery life? Especially compared to the 4S and other Android devices.

 

[kehs]

In about three months your guys will question how you ever lived with a smaller screen for so long. It does take a little adjustment to deal with the bigger form factor, but its totally worth the small inconvenience.

 

[TheGreatDivide]

According to the Engadget review, the screen has been lowered a few millimeters to help offset the length increase. That should help resolve any one handed issues.

Gruber's review mentions it as an issue. In general I've always found his stuff to be fair. We'll see I guess. Not cancelling my preorder or anything.

 

[Marty Chinn]

According to the Engadget review, the screen has been lowered a few millimeters to help offset the length increase. That should help resolve any one handed issues.

Gruber thinks otherwise though:

The bigger display is a total win while using the iPhone 5 two-handed. But navigating the full screen while holding the iPhone in one hand is worse, for exactly the one reason why, even one year ago, I did not expect Apple ever to increase the size of the iPhone display: my thumb no longer easily reaches from corner to corner. (My hands are at least somewhat larger than average. Perhaps, counter-intuitively, this issue will not be noticed by the smaller-handed, whose thumbs don’t easily stretch from corner to corner even on a 3.5-inch iPhone display.)

 

[KtSlime]

Gruber thinks otherwise though:

I think there will always be some level of differing opinions when it comes to screen size-one handed reach accessibility, considering the variability in human hand sizes.

 

[NYR]

ATTENTION UNLOCKED PHONE BUYERS IN CANADA:

Looks like apple has changed the wording on their website. They might be selling unlocked phones In-store on launch day now!! Check with your local store for more info.

http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/iphone/


Buy iPhone 5 at your favourite Apple Retail Store beginning at 8:00 a.m. on September 21. We can help you choose the right rate plan and get you up and running.



Used to say:

 

[Tobor]

In about three months your guys will question how you ever lived with a smaller screen for so long. It does take a little adjustment to deal with the bigger form factor, but its totally worth the small inconvenience.

We'll see. I'm just glad it's not wider.

Gruber's review mentions it as an issue. In general I've always found his stuff to be fair. We'll see I guess. Not cancelling my preorder or anything.

Yeah, I feel the same. Hopefully it's not annoying in daily use, and the benefits are worth it.

 

[numble]

Can someone summarise what the reviews are saying about the rear camera (video/stills) and battery life? Especially compared to the 4S and other Android devices.

Battery life.

Naturally, we'd be telling just half the story if we only talked performance. There's an important question that's left: what kind of battery life can you expect? Power is nothing without longevity and, shockingly, the iPhone 5 copes amazingly well. In a day of heavy usage with LTE, GPS and WiFi all enabled, we managed 14 hours and 18 minutes before the phone succumbed to the elements.

On our standard battery rundown test, in which we loop a video with LTE and WiFi enabled and social accounts pinging at regular intervals, the iPhone 5 managed a hugely impressive 11 hours and 15 minutes. That's just 10 minutes shy of the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx.

It's not just about speed though, as the new A6 processor also helps to conserve power, something all modern chipsets claim. Trying to use the phone similarly to an iPhone 4S over the course of our testing, the iPhone 5 lasts longer every time. That's very handy, although we would have liked a battery saving mode like in the Windows Phone OS to ensure the iPhone lasts even longer.

Apple's claimed battery stats are 8 hours on 3G, 8 hours on LTE, 10 hours of Wi-Fi, 10 hours watching video, and 40 hours listening to music. The iPhone 5 has a standby time of 225 hours. In our tests we were easily able to get through the day, although not beyond that if we used it heavily on the go with location settings turned on.

The battery offers the same talk time as before (eight hours), but adds two more hours of Web browsing (eight hours), even on LTE networks. In practical terms, you encounter fewer days when the battery dies by dinnertime — a frequent occurrence with 4G phones.

The iPhone 5′s battery lasted between 9 and 12 hours every day, in mixed use. For most people, the phone would last the day without recharging.

In our testing, real-world battery life doesn’t seem to have changed much since the iPhone 4S, which could be seen as a good thing considering the iPhone 5 is a more advanced product, but you’ll still need to charge it every night to give you enough juice for the next day.

You can watch a couple of films on a flight or listen to hours and hours of music on one charge, but talking and 3G surfing take a heavier toll, and 4G connectivity could be even more of a drain.

The phone's lasted roughly the whole day each day, unplugging around 8 a.m. and engaging in a mix of calling, Web surfing, video playback, downloading, game playing, FaceTime calling over Wi-Fi and LTE, and even a little 4G LTE hot spot use via my MacBook Air. I unplugged the phone at about 7:30 a.m. one day, and it lasted until around 11 p.m. Another day, I unplugged at 7:30 a.m. and the phone lasted until nearly midnight. The battery life percentage tended to parallel the battery life of my iPhone 4S most of the day, while using the iPhone 5 a little more.

Would this battery last over a day? I doubt it. However, it seems to be handling a little better than the iPhone 4S, which is already impressive considering the weight reduction and faster LTE network. Stay tuned for our full benchmarking and battery tests.

It feels great, looks great, has the best display I’ve seen at any size, runs noticeably faster, networks noticeably faster, is way thinner and lighter than any of its predecessors, takes better photos, and, in my six days of testing, gets totally decent iPhone-4S-level battery life.

In terms of battery, the iphone 5 is stronger than the 4s but most sites indicate it to be weaker than the S3. I find that to be pretty pretty lame.

 

[Kibbles]

ATTENTION UNLOCKED PHONE BUYERS IN CANADA:

Looks like apple has changed the wording on their website. They might be selling unlocked phones In-store on launch day now!! Check with your local store for more info.

http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/iphone/


Buy iPhone 5 at your favourite Apple Retail Store beginning at 8:00 a.m. on September 21. We can help you choose the right rate plan and get you up and running.



Used to say:

I wonder if they are selling them unlocked launch day in the US too? :S edit: bah can't see anything on their site.

 

[Bgamer90]

Temple Run just got an update for the iPhone 5.

 

[golem]

Nice...

Unfortunately sounds like Anand didnt get their own review sample.. going to be a while for the review

 

[def sim]

pfft black electronics are still better guys

 

[bodyofanamerican]

Temple Run just got an update for the iPhone 5.

YESSSS.

Just checked the app store. The following apps have also been updated for the iPhone 5; Instapaper, Ted, and Process, the photo app.

 

[kehs]

We'll see. I'm just glad it's not wider.

You're gonna need a RAZR M after you realize the lie you've been living.

 

[CharminUltra]

Then there was nothing but to wait,
And she would fall,
So soft,
So young,
So lost,
And oh so beautiful.

 

[Tobor]

You're gonna need a RAZR M after you realize the lie you've been living.

I already own a tablet.

 

[kehs]

I already own a tablet.

iPods XL don't count as tablets.

=)

Then there was nothing but to wait,
And she would fall,
So soft,
So young,
So lost,
And oh so beautiful.

I ain't gonna front...that looks nice.

 

[Vyer]

I see you numble

 

[Tobor]

iPods XL don't count as tablets.

=)

5" tablets don't count as phones.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

My 4s is feeling pretty sad right now after reading reviews

ah well. I guess I'll wait for the 5s. I am broke and couldn't justify it anyway.

 

[richiek]

Got damn, I can't believe I have to wait until October before I can upgrade my iPhone 4. Grumble grumble...

 

[Bgamer90]

Got damn, I can't believe I have to wait until October before I can upgrade my iPhone 4. Grumble grumble...

This month is almost over dude.

Not that far away.

 

[LordCanti]

Got an e-mail from AT&T... phone *should* arrive by September 21st.

I can't take this pressure.

 

[plainr_]

My order still says processing.

FFS AT&T.

 

[Ollie Pooch]

Then there was nothing but to wait,
And she would fall,
So soft,
So young,
So lost,
And oh so beautiful.

Looks stunning, as expected.

 

[oc]

Got an e-mail from AT&T... phone *should* arrive by September 21st.

I can't take this pressure.

Same.

We wanted to confirm that your order is reserved and should arrive as soon as September 21, 2012.

there's hope.. ;_;

 

[Slurpy2k20]

because it is

Based on your extensive use with it, right? At least he's basing it on actually using the thing. Who are you to say it's hyperbole? From the photos and impressions I've read, it certainly looks like one of the nicest, most precise mass market devices ever created, if not THE most.

 

[Gary Whitta]

BLACK OR WHITE IT BEGINS AGAIN

 

[LordCanti]

Same.



there's hope.. ;_;

I set my alarm for 2 PM instead of 2 AM (like an idiot), so I didn't get my order in until 6am local time (4 pacific). I'll be pleasantly surprised if I actually get a phone on launch day.

BLACK OR WHITE IT BEGINS AGAIN

Black.

Spoiler

Or maybe White...

 

[Husker86]

BLACK OR WHITE IT BEGINS AGAIN

Black black black

Spoiler

white looks better than I thought, but got damn that black

 

[sangreal]

I'd get a case, just because anodized aluminum scratches incredibly easily

Hey, I was right for once

 

[Ollie Pooch]

Based on your extensive use with it, right? At least he's basing it on actually using the thing. Who are you to say it's hyperbole? From the photos and impressions I've read, it certainly looks like one of the nicest, most precise mass market devices ever created, if not THE most.

It really does look that way - they've polished this phone to such a high degree. The design has stayed so familiar over the years but changing with technology so well - just shows how good their original vision was to begin with.

 

[def sim]

White looks great, but this black for electronics is always best.

 

[Slurpy2k20]

why does Apple even employ a PR department? they should end it and continue feeding Gruber and Siegler's narcissism with early access and the requisite glowing (glowing!) posts.

The guy likes Apple, sure, but he always completely justifies what he says, he's fair, and his writing is insightful and intelligent. I don't know what you're complaining about. You want him to bash Apple for the hell of it, or invent criticisms? His review so far is the best I've read, because he actually answers questions bluntly, instead of being vague, talks about specifics, and goes in depth. I welcome criticisms when they have merit, but much of it that I see online feels like it's forced or contrived for the sake of equivalency. Yes, he states the phone has the best build quality and screen in the industry. Is that far fetched? No, it seems quite plausible.

On another note, the low-light shots vs the 4S are insane. Massive improvement there. Would be interesting to see 1:1 comparisons to the 920 when its out, as I wonder if the 920 in low is much better -if at all. It IS the most marketed feature of that device.

 

[Blackhead]

ATTENTION UNLOCKED PHONE BUYERS IN CANADA:

Looks like apple has changed the wording on their website. They might be selling unlocked phones In-store on launch day now!! Check with your local store for more info.

http://www.apple.com/ca/retail/iphone/


Buy iPhone 5 at your favourite Apple Retail Store beginning at 8:00 a.m. on September 21. We can help you choose the right rate plan and get you up and running.



Used to say:

I welcome criticisms when they have merit

haha

 

[snack]

BLACK OR WHITE IT BEGINS AGAIN

GET BOTH

 

[fse]

I have my unlimited data on att still, would upgrading to an iPhone 5 mean unlimited LTE? O_O

 

[kehs]

On another note, the low-light shots vs the 4S are insane. Massive improvement there. Would be interesting to see 1:1 comparisons to the 920 when its out, as I wonder if the 920 in low is much better -if at all. It IS the most marketed feature of that device.

Link to the low light pictures?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

I have my unlimited data on att still, would upgrading to an iPhone 5 mean unlimited LTE? O_O

You're soft-capped at 5 GB (3 GB on 3G). They will throttle you when you hit that. It is not unlimited. They're shitheads.

 

[fse]

You're soft-capped at 5 GB (3 GB on 3G). They will throttle you when you hit that. It is not unlimited. They're shitheads.

Oh well.

 

[LordCanti]

Link to the low light pictures?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gruber/8001951885/in/set-72157631571152368/

Hit previous to see the 4S equivalent. I said got'damn.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

OH MY. This changes everything. Again. Resolutionary.

4S:

5:

 

[fse]

OH MY. This changes everything. Again. Resolutionary.

4S:



5:

WANT