Apple iPhone 5 (Americas GSM)
Phone Scoop Review
Sep 23, 2012 by Eric M. Zeman
The Apple iPhone 5 is without a doubt the best hardware to reach the market this year in terms of design, engineering, and manufacture. It is an incredible smartphone that pleases from nearly every angle. Even still, it's not perfect. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
A Totally Awesome Phone
An Iphone is a Iphone. An Android is a Android. I can't figure out why many choose to slam either phone because it lacks what the other doesn't. I have used the Iphone, Iphone 3GS, Iphone 4/4S, HTC One X, and Galaxy S3 and must admit in my opinion none of these phones work as seamless as an Iphone 5. I tried Android because of all of the hype but even Androids have limitations as to what you can or cannot do and the battery life was not even close to any of my Iphones. That being said in my opinion the Iphone 5 is the most Awesome phone. Email is seamless. Works outstanding with my exchange email (far superior than others I have used). Itunes and the music player is seamless and the best (I must admit I was skeptical in the beginning but over time I have come to appreciate it all the more). Web browsing again seamless and Siri is the icing on the cake. I have had Iphones with both Verizon and AT&T and must admit that my experience with AT&T is far superior. I have not experienced any dropped calls in my long history with using AT&T's service (and no I do not work for AT&T). This was not the case with Verizon. And being able to Talk and Surf has come in handy (I did not realize what I missed until I could not do this with my Verizon Iphone 4). One has to choose the phone that better fits their style and usefulness. In my opinion you can't go wrong with the Iphone 5 if it meets most of your useful needs. I am happy to say that my experiment with other smartphones as ended. The Iphone 5 has met all of my needs and exceeded others. It is truly an Awesome Phone.
Pros: Battery Life, Web Browsing, Siri, Email, iTunes, Camera, Video, iCloud
Cons: None
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Excellent phone ...
I upgraded from the iPhone 4 to the 5 & am very pleased. Significantly noticeable performance gain, camera is 10x better; love the panorama feature too. And it works much much better in low-light surroundings; best one I've seen thus far out of this year's new phones.
I personally like iOS since I am used to it, comfortable with it, and it works very well. I'm not a fan of Android OS cause the UI is a mess, but I do like the customizability of that OS. I do wish iOS would come out with much more user customization; without having to jailbreak. Jailbreaking is fine and all, but it tends to be tedious redoing it every time an update or new version comes out.
Speaker is much nicer on this new iPhone too; louder & clearer than my 4. Speaker phone works very good too. I
I haven't had the chance to test out the 4G LTE yet; 4G is quite limited in my area til AT&T gets off their butts and adds it to our area more indepthly.
:::Pros:::
Excellent screen
Great speed/performance
Comfortable & easy-to-use OS
Excellent camera; best one lately IMO
Like the 64gb hdd size
Sturdy & beautiful construction. Doesn't feel like a plastic toy like many Android phones :p
Comfortable screen size; wider doesn't mean better. This size fits perfectly in any hand.
:::Cons:::
Apple Maps is kind of blah ... Google needs to put out an individual Maps app.
Battery is sufficient, but could have been improved a lot.
Lack of accessories; I understand though that they will come along eventually.
Change from old dock connector to this new one was kind of mundane. They should have went with a common Mini-USB connector for syncing/charging.
I see some 'complained' about no NFC haha. NFC is pointless unless you're a teenager; whom they're more prone to utilize that. I see no real value of it nor give a damn about it.
All in all, very pleased with this new iPhone, and I hope Apple takes notice of some of the concerns/desires their customers have made clear for future wants/changes.
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Wow is all that i can say!!!
Let me start off by saying WOW! I am a smartphone guru and I have had them all from the Note to the S3. People are always trying to bash the iphone and most of them don't own one. So let me give you my review... This is by far the fastest smartphone to date hands down! Very snappy, not heavy, and the black/slate is an awesome looking color. If you're considering getting one, then what are you waiting for!
Pros:
Retina display is gorgeous!
More contrast and the display looks real!
Super fast internet!
Apps download really fast!
A6 1.3Ghz processor is a dual core BEAST!
Camera is absolutely amazing!
Battery life is better than the 4S no problems here!
Lightning connector charges the phone really fast!
Loud speaker is a great upgrade.
Siri is great!
Turn by turn is great. I've had 0 problems with it!
Cons:
........... Still no T-Mobile 4G yet!!!
........Not a lot of accessories.
Overall the iphone 5 is a major upgrade to any other iphone. Still have a few bugs which will be taken care of on future updates! I highly recommend getting the 5!
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The Best Screen on the Market.
Carrier: AT&T
Started with 3GS best hardware of any phone, then went to Galaxy 2, had some problems with that phone. Now Iphone 5. Its not perfect but it could be if Apple wanted to be perfect like jobs did.
Pros-
Best Screen- bright and clear especially for games and great viewing angles.
Loud Sound.
Fast especially the internet on Google Search.
Good Camera but needs time to focus.
Fast recharge with Lightning connector.
Reliable in terms of Wifi and OS. Phone switching between wifi and 4g works flawless unlike android.
Cons-
Odd Aspect Ratio Screen is taller.
Body - Hard to hold its too thin especially when texting needs a case to protect and add some heft so you can grip unless you have small hands.
Same old IOS. No real multitask have to exit programs. No customizing.
Notification bar is weak compared to android.
Small screen while others phones are 5 inches.
Main reason i like this phone is the way the games look on the screen they look just as good as consoles.
I will keep it for now until Windows Phone 8 drops. Android and WP8 are making great strides while IOS just adds Notifications.
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Phenomenal phone, But...
Honestly, I came into this with pretty low exceptions after all the leaks and rumors. But still I decided to give the iPhone 5 a shot and I couldn't be more satisfied.
First off this thing is gorgeous! The build quality and weight here are unreal. Sure the screen isn't as large as the Galaxy S3 for instance. But it's a joy to look at and a much needed update for apple.
The Beauty is also a Beast. The iPhone 5 blazing fast and never hick-ups! With LTE, web pages load with blink of an eye. Apps and everyday tasks seem to run and open a lot quicker. And based of early benchmarks test ran on the bad boy from tech sites out there, the iPhone 5 is a marvel in the smartphone world.
Well here come the "But"... While the iPhone 5 is great and all, IOS is getting a little stale and boring for me. Though it does get the job. And Apple Maps are underwhelming, but turn by turn works very well. But these things really don't put a dent in the overall experience with the phone.
PROS: Pretty much everything here is a 'PRO". But LTE, the screen and design stand strong here.
CONS: iOS is a bit date and stale. And Apples Maps could definitely use some work.
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The best iPhone ever
every thing is good in phone5, not matter what people say about Samsung galaxy s3 the galaxy is freezing often day by day, iphone 5 never freeze..
the only thing apple most have to work is the battery
of all iphone.
pros: better image, better camera, better sound, fast processor A6, call never lost.
cons: need better battery
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IPhone 5 = Greatness!
Pros : Display is beautiful (retina display), battery life, lightweight and slim, build quality, performance, Camera
Cons : Not many, One would be the lack of led notifications (the flash notification on the back is a bit much) Would love to see an updated OS.
First off i would like to say that I work in the wireless industry, and am trying out new phones every few months. I hope you guys enjoy my 2 cents of input.....
Overall : I picked up the iPhone 5 16gb black and slate on the day of launch. The phone is pretty much as perfect as you can get. The build quality is superb! The performance is excellent and it works the way a smartphone is suppose to work. Simple things on the phone load up instantly. Things like the camera, calendar, and messaging load up within a second. On past Samsung and HTC phones that I've used , simple things like the above listed have loaded up with lag and taken 3-4 seconds. (HTC One X, Samsung Skyrocket) Everything about the phone works mostly perfect from texting on the keyboard to browsing on the web. I give it a 5 out of 5 for sure!
Display : Absolutely beautiful! Retina display is superb. You need to see it to truly enjoy it. 5 out of 5.
Camera : Fantastic! 8mp camera takes stunning photos. 1080 video recording is outstanding as well. 5 out of 5.
Peformance : Excellent performance. Superfast with 4g lte. The new processor makes things load up even faster and mulitasking is great! Playing games on the iPhone 5 is a very enjoyable experience! Absolutely no lag and simple things like loading up the camera and messaging takes no more than a second. 5 out of 5.
Wrap up : The iPhone 5 is an absolute beast! Everything works great! This is the 1st iPhone that I would recommend. I am usually an android guy, but Apple got it right with this phone. You will NOT be disappointed with this phone after you buy it. 5 out of 5!
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i am happy with this device
OVERALL A GREAT DEVICE
Build quality is solid (other then scuffgate), I do recommed people getting a while one.
iOS 6 seems to be really great, even though maps need to be updated with subway directions (a great feature of googlemaps)
Feels really nice in hand (i use it without a case)
Battery life is a bit dessapointing, hard to get a day out of it. (have to turn notifications, location services, and lower the screen brightness to get more hours out of it) I am guessing this is because of LTE.
Picture and camera quality is insanely good, very happy with this.
Overall pretty happy about this annual update in hardware and software.
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Overall Great Phone
PROS:
Piece of Artwork - No other phone or perhaps electronic device in general looks as sharp as the iPhone or is built as nicely.
Battery Life - having come from the original HTC Evo 4g this is hands down 3x better battery life. Everyday I'm more and more impressed with how long it lasts, no reason to ever turn off LTE which is great!
Size - Perfect for a "pocketable" phone. Unless you have bad eyesight, 4" is just enough.
Display - Obviously great...
Simplicity - having come from Android with so many options and endless customization it's pretty refreshing to have a clean and simple operating system. Android has had a few too many small hiccups and issues for me in the past, iOS just works perfect
Speed - it's fast, internet browsing is ridiculously quick with LTE, WiFi and 4g (hspa+). You can pull up mobile websites in 1-2 seconds flat. My computer can't even do that.
Apps - Android has some very "shady" apps that will require permission to access my personal information when there is absolutely no reason to need to access it. I have much more confidence in Apple's App Store.
iCloud / iTunes sync - reassuring to know I have a backup that doesn't cost me money like Android apps like My Backup Pro. Also great to have a seamless music transfer between iTunes instead of needing a program like DoubleTwist on both my computer and Android device.
Apple - They don't sell anything that they don't 100% stand behind. Overall extremely confident in the company's products.
CONS:
Lack of Customization - although this was kind of a "pro" for me it's also a slight drawback of iOS. Comon Apple, give me a quick wifi widget/toggle or homescreen weather!
Google Maps - wish they had it, I'll get over it though.
Email Setup / Push - still havent figured out how to push gmail through the native email app, wish it was a lot easier to figure that out. Also, only able to "fetches" data at 15, 30, 60 min intervals... don't need my junk mail refreshing every hour.
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iphone 5-disappointed
I pre-ordered my iphone and anxiously awaited the new arrival on Friday. My excitement quickly turned to disappointment. First of all, I had the volume all the way up and couldn't hear when on speaker phone. Secondly, the touch is not near as sensitive as previous versions of the iPhone. Thirdly-if you have a case on it, it is very hard to hit some of the keyboard letters that are right up to the edge of the screen. I didn't even attempt to use the maps after seeing all the reviews about it. The screen is taller, but when you put it side by side with the 4S, really not much of a difference, or not enough to justify upgrading. As for the speed, I couldn't see much difference at all(I live in an area with 4G but not LTE). And last but not least, the expense of having to replace all the cables or get adapters is crazy!
I have already returned to using the 4S and will wait to see what next year brings. I'm a die-hard Apple fan but this one left a bad taste in my mouth.
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