Following the official unveiling of the new iPhone 5 in San Francisco and London by new CEO Tim Cook and senior vice-president Phil Schiller, this article takes a look at some of the latest features users can look forward to. For exampe, the new Apple iPhone 5 comes with a four-inch display – a half-inch increase on the iPhone 4s and an innovative Panoramic picture mode, which stitches a series of eight-megapixel images together to create a 28-megapixel masterpiece. However, previous iPhone owners may have to come to terms with a new, re-designed docking connector which means that old accessories will either be obsolete, or need an Apple adapter to work again.
A more detailed review or comparison of iPhone 5 versus its predecessor, the iPhone 4S is presented below.
iPhone 4S |
iPhone 5 |
| Height: 115.2 mm (4.5 inches) | Height: 123.8 mm (4.87 inches) |
| Width: 58.6 mm (2.31 inches) | Width: 58.6 mm (2.31 inches) |
| Depth: 9.3 mm (0.37 inches) | Depth: 7.6 mm (0.30 inches) |
| Weight: 140 grams (4.9 ounces) | Weight: 112 grams (3.95 ounces) |
| Touchscreen: 3.5in | Touchscreen: 4in |
| Pixel density: 326 pixels per inch | Pixel density: 326 per inch |
| Display: 960 x 640 pixels | Display: 1136×640 pixels |
| Services: 3G phone; music player; video player; internet browser; email | Services: 3G and superfast mobile 4G phone; music player; video player; internet browser; email. |
| Camera: 8MP still camera and HD video camera on back. Second camera on front. | Camera: Smaller, higher spec, faster shutter speed, panorama function |
| Siri: Voice controlled virtual personal assistant allows conversation with iPhone to direct it to answer questions, send texts and carry out other functions. | Siri: Upgraded to allow spoken recommendations for films or restaurants. Possible to update Facebook status by voice command |
| Built in Apps: FaceTime video calls; video editing; Safari internet browser; email; Google maps; YouTube; iTunes; App store; Newsstand; Reminders personal organiser; calendar; contacts; game centre; find my phone; calculator; weather; notes. | Built in Apps: FaceTime video calls; video editing; Safari internet browser; email; Google maps replaced with Apple alternative including spoken directions; no YouTube as standard. |
| Processor: Dual core fast A5 chip, the same as in the iPad 2 | Processor: A6 chip said to be twice as quick as A5. |
| Internal Memory: 16GB; 32GB; or 64GB | Internal Memory: 16GB; 32GB; or 64GB |
| Other Memory: Purchases stored in Apple’s iCloud servers. | Other Memory: Purchases stored in Apple’s iCloud servers |
| Battery: Standby time: Up to 200 hours; Internet use: Up to 6 hours on 3G/ up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi; Video playback: Up to 10 hours; Audio playback: Up to 40 hours. | Battery: Standby up to 225 hours; Internet use up to 8 hours on 3G/4G; video playback up to 10 hours; audio playback up to 40 hours. |
| Operating System: Apple iOS 5. | Operating System: Apple iOS 6. |
| 30 pin connector: To power sources and docking stations on speakers, radios and other devices. | 8 pin ‘lightning’ connector: to power sources and docking stations on speakers, radios and other devices. New adaptor will allow connections to existing 30 pin docking stations. |
| Prices: 16GB – £499; 32GB – £599; 64GB – £699 | Prices: 16GB – $199; 32GB – $299; 64GB – $399 |