iPhone 5 Review: What You Need to Know About the Latest Apple Smartphone

Culture

There have been many rumors circulating about Apple's new iPhone 5, with all its (supposedly) leaked features making the rounds on the net. But is what we’re seeing so far really worth all the hype? In addition to photos supposedly depicting features of the iPhone 5, this video also supposedly shows Apple's latest product:

If these are legitimate, at first glance the iPhone 5 doesn’t seem to be that different from the iPhone 4/4S. Unlike the radical shape change between the iPhone 3 and iPhone 4, the newer shape change is relatively minor. The new iPhone is slightly thinner with the glass back removed. The width of the phone is the same as its predecessor but the height is significantly increased. The screen is proportionately larger to the 4S in terms of the height of the screen. The front facing camera is positioned right above the headset rather than at the side.

Apple has also changed the docking system from a 30 pin connector to a 9 pin connector. This significantly reduces the size of the docking station and also increases for the speaker systems and the headphone jack. Plus the new iPhone comes in four different colors: black, grey, white, and silver. 

The new iPhone comes installed with IOS 6 and has the quite a few updated features. Apple Maps has been completely revamped with vector graphic images to keep the maps precise and clear. This was an excellent move by Apple to keep things interesting between the iPhone and its main android competitor, the Samsung Galaxy S3, because of the excellent reception that people have had to Google maps.

One of the most promising changes in the iPhone 5 is the change from 3G to 4G. The announcement that the 4S didn’t have 4G was a bummer to all Apple users, but with this update, Apple is back in the race.

IOS 6 also comes with Passbook, which is a similar concept to Google Wallet. It allows for users to go completely paperless, keeping their coupons, gift cards, and movie tickets on the phone. Passbook also allows the user to keep boarding passes for various methods of travel such as airplanes and trains. All that needs to be done is to scan the code and the tickets, passes or coupons can be redeemed.

There are several other changes in IOS 6 such as an updated Siri that can support even more languages, a clean and redesigned mail interface, and guided access feature that allows for any user with seeing, hearing, and mobility disabilities to customize the device to work for them.

Overall the iPhone 5 looks like a promising addition to Apple’s plethora of products. The release date is September 21, nine days it will be unveiled at a press conference in San Francisco on September 12.