Nearly a month with the iPhone 5

The relationship we have with our smartphones nowadays, like the standard mobile phone before it, is the most important we have in terms of devices running our lives in connectedness with the modern world, western industrialised or not.  Mail and collaboration, productivity, utilities, games, music, video, books and the web itself mark the cornerstones of what has changed in terms of we expect to have since Apple launched the iPhone to great intrigue and derision back in 2007.  For me, and most other smartphone converts in the industrialised world, we’ve not looked back.

My old 4S was a very, very good smartphone, but when I got Google’s Ice Cream Sandwiched Nexus S, I really appreciated and wanted the larger screen in an iOS smartphone.  The question then became when that would happen and would it force Apple to make design trade offs, based on their previous statements that 3.5inch screens were designed optimally for one-handed use.

Ordinarily, I could have and perhaps should have waited since I only had the 4S for seven months.  Problem is, smartphones lose value very quickly as the ante is upped with the latest model.  Losing £200 resale value on an unlocked mint condition unit, happened in an alarmingly short time.  I suspect the larger screen is the main value differentiators in most people’s eyes (like mine).  Most notably, and as we’ll come onto, each iteration of iOS software is designed to work optimally with each new generation of hardware.  What does this mean?  It means that you see signs like seeing how a little bit laggy the Apps Store loads on a 4S and knowing that in a another 12-months, it will may well be the basic entry model and the minimum requirement for iOS 7.0 (though to be honest, I expect the iPhone 4 to still be the very minimum).

So after, a month, was my £200 net cost increase for the same phone (albeit larger) worth it?  I have to look it at that a number of ways.  Let’s take the basics which I have to admit to:

1. I’m a geek and spend a disproportionate amount of income using, playing and learning technology.  Implicitly this mean a regular nature upgrades of favoured products
2. I really wanted a 4 inch iOS device to bump up the screen usability compared to what I have on the Galaxy Nexus – which I preferred in screen estate.  Have I said that already?

Of course that does not say in the main what I think of the device, so in predictable fashion here are my bullets:

In your hand use – very light as you will know.  I mean it feels crazy light.  Feels more like a slippery bar of soap than the previous 4/4S.  If you’re prone to drop, get a case immediately.  But do I like, yes.  The taller dimension is actually a better hold in my relatively large hands.

Speed – yes, definitely snappier.  It’s the small things like the Apps Store opening up so much more quickly.  Add to that my son and I opening Football Championship Manager 2012 on the new device for the 1st time and being surprised how much quicker than the 4S it was.  I mean, fast.  Add to that the ICS’d Galaxy Nexus, is starting to feel slow.

Screen – freakishly sharp.  While still Retina display, they’ve enhanced the vividness of the colours, blacks and contrast, which always looked washed out to my the preferred image on the Nexus with its OLED display.  Parity, by my eyes, restored.

Camera – faster.  Much better in low light.  Nuff said.  Photographers rejoice.

Wireless – being in the UK, have yet to early adopt when it comes to Everything Everywhere (T-Mobile and Orange) as the first UK 4G service rolls out imminently.  That said, 3G performance feels quicker possibly due to the CPU, GPU, RAM combo on the new hardware.  5Ghz wireless N is now on board with the new Broadcom chip.  This baby now connects around my home access point at 150Mbps.  Bear in mind the iPad mark I, connects at 65Mbps on 5Ghz wireless N.

Battery – based on my own profile of use, it seems to be less than par with the 4S which is disappointing.  Not a lot, but noticeable.  Check the Ars review on that.

Each iteration of iPhones brings further superlatives. I mean packing that much better tech in a model which is larger (but more miniature inside), lighter and faster.  True Moores Law stuff, Intel must be weeping.  As an end-user with limited appreciation of other smartphones (i.e. 2 previous Android models), the iPhone 5 is stellar.  If you don’t believe me, grab a cup of coffee and read the mind-boggling detail AnandTech goes into in terms of its review.