iPhone 5 is Here! “The Best Phone We’ve Ever Made”

[Maura]

Following on from all the live launch excitement, which thomasjtsi did a fantastic job of live blogging, here’s a round up, along with all the official specs and all the details of the incredible new iPhone, which is, in the words of Tim Stevens, “the best phone we’ve ever made.” It’s taller, it’s 18% thinner, it’s got LTE, an A6 chip. It has the new, 9-pin Lightning dock connector, which shows that someone at Apple is a Queen fan (Thunderbolt and Lightning, anyone?!). Here's a comprehensive list of specs thanks to dgstorm:

• 326ppi Retina display, 4-inches. 1136 x 640 resolution - Taller but not wider
• Weighs 112 grams. 20% lighter than the 4S.
• 7.6mm thick, 18% thinner than before
• Screen closer to 16:9 now when turned sideways
• 44% better color saturation, full sRGB rendering here
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE
• HSPA+ is 21Mbps, DC-HSDPA is 42Mbps, and LTE is a max of 100
• Single chip for voice and data, and a single radio chip as well - Dynamic Antenna
• Sprint, AT&T and Verizion. All will support LTE. - "LTE can actually be faster than the average WiFi connection at home."
• 802.11a/b/g/n, and it's dual-channel, up to 150Mbps
• New chip, the A6! 2X faster CPU and 2x graphics compared to the A5 - 22% smaller, too, and more energy-efficient
• "What [our team] has done is not only match but exceed the battery life of the iPhone 4S." - 8 hours of 3G or LTE talk time or browsing. 10 hours on WiFi browsing.
• Eight megapixel, 3,264 x 2,448 backside-illuminated sensor, five-element lens and f/2.4 aperture. Same as the iPhone 4S but thinner - dynamic low light mode. It evaluates nearby pixels to give up to 2 f-stops greater low-light performance - sapphire lens crystal cover
• New image processor in the A6 to reduce noise and includes a so-called "smart filter" to do better at color-matching - 40% faster image capture!
• Shared Photo Streams and Panoramic Photos - that result in a 28MP image
• 1080p with better video stabilization, and there's facial recognition. You can grab photos, too
• The front-facing camera is now 720p, backside illuminated
• FaceTime over cellular networks
• Three microphones: Front, bottom, and back - for voice recognition and noise cancelation
• The speaker has a 5-magnet transducer
• "Wideband audio" - wider spectrum for audio (requires carrier support)
• Bluetooth for audio, WiFi for AirPlay or syncing to iTunes, "and best of all with iCloud we can download all our content wirelessly."
• New Connector is called Lightning - You can plug it in either way, it's all digital, 80% smaller - Bose, JBL, B&W, B&O and others are already working on new docks and speakers - Got old docks? "We're creating a bunch of accessories to help you with that." - thinner and more durable. Double-sided
• iOS 6 - New Maps App (3D maps and flyovers) - New Search Function - Safari has new full screen view - you can share your tabs from your desktop to your phone. It's called iCloud Tabs
• iOS 6 (continued) - You can flag messages for follow up - Passbook with coupons and movie tickets - Shared Photo Stream feature
• Siri is improved - can now launch apps by voice - Siri is as humorous as ever - You can find restaurants and then choose to make reservations, which pops you right into the Open Table app - update to Facebook by voice, too
• "There are some great enhancements to the phone app, including the ability to send an SMS or iMessage back if you can't take the call."
• Black or white front. - The white version has a raw aluminum back. The black one has the black anodized backing.
• Same price as the 4S. $199 for 16GB. $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB (on contract) - iPhone 4 is now free on contract! 4S is now $99.
• No NFC - No micro-USB compatibility

Release date? September 21, pre-orders start Friday 14th.

Source: Apple, Engadget

[Ads]

[cursor system]

Welcome iphone 5!!!!

[SL]

My verizon upgrade couldn't come soon enough!!!

[AirPlayit]

Fantastic! Really like these improvements

[davidc]

I can't wait till the 14th I'm ordering ad 12:01

[Thomasjtsi]

I can't wait till the 14th I'm ordering at 12:01

So will several million other people... :-D

[diesel]

I am disappointed by iPhone 5. All the features are something other phones already have for almost an year now. There's no innovation in iPhone 5. I miss the times when Apple used to innovate rather than just upgrading their products way later than competitors.
I think I will keep my iPhone 4.
I have been an Apple lover/fan since I was 14 and I am 23 now. But I can't be biased about what's happening. I just can't be another sheep. The truth is Apple needs to get back to doing something original and innovate. I see Windows Phone and Android going ahead in a much faster pace. Like seriously guys this is sad.
I wish things change.

[Thomasjtsi]

While I understand the whole "innovation..." and "Apple being behind everyone else..." ideas that people are throwing out. My only opinion on this is... who cares what the other manufacturers have. I'm in it for the Apple product... not having something BIGGER & BETTER than the other guys. I just love the Apple experience... not sure if that'll ever wear off.

[diesel]

Just my opinion mate. I would obviously buy something better in the same price range. But that's my opinion.

[Thomasjtsi]

Just my opinion mate. I would obviously buy something better in the same price range. But that's my opinion.

I know it's just opinion... and I'm not singling you out I promise. I promise I'm not an Apple fanboy. Well... maybe an iPhone fanboy!! LOL!!!