by: Brandon Edelson
The Apple iPhone 5 represents the pinnacle of design and technology from Apple’s standpoint, and is ultimately their best effort yet. But with an incredible amount of very formidable smartphones offered by competitors, many are probably wondering if this latest attempt at the highly successful line of products is enough. That is, enough to keep Apple on top of the industry as the go-to recommendation for just about anyone looking for a smartphone.
The answer is all a matter of perspective, which as a result gives a definitive response to that query, which is…. no. Unfortunately for Apple, perspective is by definition specific to each and every individual person, thus one device (no matter how fantastic it is) cannot fulfill the needs of everyone. However that won’t prevent the iPhone 5 from acquiring quite the user demographic based on its aesthetics, performance, and general ease of use.
The design of the iPhone 5 is simply stunning, taking cues from previous iterations and improving upon them. Since the iPhone 5 sports a larger 4” display, compared to the 3.5” on the previous models, the resolution has gone up. Thus the screen still looks sharp as ever, with improved contrast, color accuracy, brightness, and saturation to boot. The aesthetics have also made a bold statement.
The front is relatively the same as before, only slightly elongated due to the larger display while the sides have been trimmed down to an even slimmer size. The back is where the most change can be found. Instead of the all glass back plate found on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s, the backside now consists of a piece of aluminum flanked by two small pieces of glass.
Also an aspect of the design not tangible unless used in person is that it feels far lighter than any other iPhone before it, no small feat considering the new components in place. Although the praise on the physical design could continue, the iPhone 5 truly has to be held in the hand in order to appreciate how much time and care has gone into the production of this device, something lacking in many other modern smartphones. Yet all this effort into the physical dimensions of the product has not prevented a significant speed increase.
The performance of the device is absolutely astounding, shattering the benchmark numbers of previous models. In actual use the change is less noticeable, but when more applications are released to take advantage of the new processing power of the Apple A6 processor, that won’t be the case. Also the already great camera has been slightly improved as well, with better dynamic range in low-light situations (which in layman’s terms, means night-time photography is better this time around).
In general, the iPhone 5 is incredibly snappy and fast in everyday use. However all this new technological prowess has not made the device anymore intimidating for virtually anyone to pick up and use with ease. The operating system, iOS 6, although starting to get long in the tooth, still offers the same reliability and fluidity as previous iPhones and is a joy to use, especially for those who are not tech-savvy.
Overall the iPhone 5 is a brilliant device that should do very well in the consumer market place. Yet that still doesn’t make the decision to get this particular device any less difficult. For the consumer seeking a smartphone with a massive screen, enormous feature set, and unmatched versatility, this isn’t it. Instead that buyer should go with something such as the Galaxy S3 or Galaxy Note 2 by Samsung. However for those looking for a smartphone that is meticulously designed, elegantly implemented down to the last detail, and very easy to use, the Apple iPhone 5 is a safe bet.
