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5S build quality seems best yet

G

gtmac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
676
116
While I know people are debating if the 5S is a worthwhile upgrade I think the build quality is top notch. I haven't kept the first iPhone out of the box for a long time. I have owned every version of the phone and will say I'm quite impressed with the 5S.

I don't have interlacing, no yellow screen my level works perfectly and the power button does rattle if I shake really hard!!

Adding pages, numbers and keynote to the deal makes it a compelling upgrade or at least one I consider worth while.

Yep, boring happy customer! Look forward to next year the 6 should be pretty fantastic. Hope the strong resale value continues it's been quite fun getting a new phone for relatively low spend each year.
 
gtmac said:
While I know people are debating if the 5S is a worthwhile upgrade I think the build quality is top notch. I haven't kept the first iPhone out of the box for a long time. I have owned every version of the phone and will say I'm quite impressed with the 5S.

I don't have interlacing, no yellow screen my level works perfectly and the power button does rattle if I shake really hard!!

Adding pages, numbers and keynote to the deal makes it a compelling upgrade or at least one I consider worth while.

Yep, boring happy customer! Look forward to next year the 6 should be pretty fantastic. Hope the strong resale value continues it's been quite fun getting a new phone for relatively low spend each year.
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Agree. Upgraded from the 5, which I loved, and I think the 5s is much better.
 
The building quality of 5s cannot be better than 4s. 4s with its stainless steel frame and glasses is a piece of art.
 
realchimera said:
The building quality of 5s cannot be better than 4s. 4s with its stainless steel frame and glasses is a piece of art.
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The 4S was good for its time, and still looks pretty good for a free-after-contract smartphone today. But to me a white 5 or silver 5S looks a lot nicer and feels better in my hand than a 4S.

As far as sturdiness goes, they feel about the same to me, which is actually a positive in the 5/5S design, as I never though something this light could still feel and be sturdy. The sturdiness of the 4/4S came largely from its heft.

Also, no one's complaining about scratching up their 5/5s camera lens compared to how people did about the 4/4S.
 
For some reason, I feel like the texture on the 5s feels a little more rough, in a good way. It seems like it will resist scratching better than the 5. The only area I'm curious about is the chamfers. My black iPhone 5 has zero scratches anywhere but the chamfers look like crap for some reason. And I'm VERY easy on my phone.
 
mittencuh said:
For some reason, I feel like the texture on the 5s feels a little more rough, in a good way. It seems like it will resist scratching better than the 5. The only area I'm curious about is the chamfers. My black iPhone 5 has zero scratches anywhere but the chamfers look like crap for some reason. And I'm VERY easy on my phone.
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I can feel it too, seems a bit more grainy compared to the iPhone 5. I believe they changed the process used in the anodising making the pores to fill the paint in the aluminium a bit bigger to prevent the paint from easily scuffing off.
 
"Build Quality" means something different to everyone. The 4S was an awesome phone, but there were plenty of people that had yellow screens and rattles... Not to mention the usual battery issues.

The 5 was insanely well crafted, but because a handful of people couldn't live without a "flawless" phone out of the box, teeny tiny nicks "scuffs" that you could only see if you held the phone at the right angle, and at the right lighting it had a few folks whine about build quality...

Then, after they damage the phone through use, they blame Apple.

My friend shattered the glass on his 4S

I used a 5 for over a year naked, and when I sold it last week, the buyer only found one "flaw" (a tiny mark by the volume button probably from my wedding ring).

No "scuffs" no "nicks" but the one flaw was not due to "build quality" it was because of ME. He was amazed because he too had heard the horror stories...

Every iPhone has been the top in class for build quality. The MATERIALS for the 4/S made it less idiot prone to cosmetic damage, but that doesn't mean it was built any better just that you had more leeway to be careless with it.

I shudder to think if Samsung had to try and deal with Apple people... Besides not having stores to go bitch at, they'd be out of business faster than you could say scuffgate. Be happy you chose the finest built phone in the mass market. It's pretty much inarguable, even by fandroids.
 
While I really enjoy the 5s and have no complaints when it comes to build quality the 4s wins.
 
I agree. The 4S build quality is amazing. I have seen the 5 and the 5s and I think the 4S definitely has a sturdy body and such.
 
scaredpoet said:
The 4S was good for its time, and still looks pretty good for a free-after-contract smartphone today. But to me a white 5 or silver 5S looks a lot nicer and feels better in my hand than a 4S.

As far as sturdiness goes, they feel about the same to me, which is actually a positive in the 5/5S design, as I never though something this light could still feel and be sturdy. The sturdiness of the 4/4S came largely from its heft.
Click to expand...

I like the 4S build quality more than the 5. The 4S is still being sold as new, too. The 5S is to the 5 that the 4S was to the 4
 
Warcake said:
this. im chalking this up to the "omg i has the new iphone" syndrome. :rolleyes:
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He may be proud of his new iPhone. But he's right. The out of box build quality is excellent. As well...the lack of complaints and threads about my '7th...8th, 12th return and STILL can't find a scuff free phone with a display without light leak and yellow blotches with a....' You get the idea. He or she (OP) is right. The 5s is very well built and as the 4s was...a piece of engineering art definitely improved over its predecessor.

itjw said:
"Build Quality" means something.....
(Snip)
Every iPhone has been the top in class for build quality..... Be happy you chose the finest built phone in the mass market. It's pretty much inarguable, even by fandroids.
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Absolutely. Correct. We've been blessed, IMHO with the finest design, durability, class, power and fluent UI mobile has to offer. With each generation. Time will tell if Apple's 5c decision was a good one...but their flagship product each year has been top notch...and only recently approached cosmetically by the HTC One.
iOS 7 is polarizing (I love it, but realize its subjective)---& with the 64bit update to the SoC as well it's like a child in diapers. It'll need some changing but it'll grow up quick. Levels will be fixed. Blue screens will disappear AND App developers will continue to learn and take advantage of the new XCode update ---- and their transition to a working and functional, dependable piece of software in conjunction with iOS point updates...it'll be a really good phone for a LONG time.

I don't think anyone disregards the merits of the 4s. An excellent phone. For its time. Once you've switched to 4" (I upgraded to the 5s from the 5--gave my wife the 5 and we sold her 4s for incredible cash within an hour of posting on Craigslist.

The 's' updates are THE update to take advantage of. If you're a two year contract holder. That said, again...subjective and with the caveat and internet cliche IMHO...the 5s is the finest 's' update TO date:)

J
 
Wish i could agree, 5th iPhone 5s now, power button that rattles, camera that rattles, this one is sort of the best compromise, camera doesn't rattle unless tapped, the power button still rattles, home button is loud.

4s is much better quality although i got it last year which i guess was a bit later in it's cycle.
 
What you talking about "The 5 was insanely well crafted"? 5 is a failed Apple product, and that's why they made it out of production. It is the only Apple product which went out of production in such short time. And you can't blame people for complaining about scratches on their black iphone5. The black color coating procedure is not well developed. It peels off so easily, and that's why Apple started to hire materials scientist with expertise in sol gel process a while ago to develop better pigment and coating recipes, and now the black color is replace by space grey.

itjw said:
"Build Quality" means something different to everyone. The 4S was an awesome phone, but there were plenty of people that had yellow screens and rattles... Not to mention the usual battery issues.

The 5 was insanely well crafted, but because a handful of people couldn't live without a "flawless" phone out of the box, teeny tiny nicks "scuffs" that you could only see if you held the phone at the right angle, and at the right lighting it had a few folks whine about build quality...

Then, after they damage the phone through use, they blame Apple.

My friend shattered the glass on his 4S

I used a 5 for over a year naked, and when I sold it last week, the buyer only found one "flaw" (a tiny mark by the volume button probably from my wedding ring).

No "scuffs" no "nicks" but the one flaw was not due to "build quality" it was because of ME. He was amazed because he too had heard the horror stories...

Every iPhone has been the top in class for build quality. The MATERIALS for the 4/S made it less idiot prone to cosmetic damage, but that doesn't mean it was built any better just that you had more leeway to be careless with it.

I shudder to think if Samsung had to try and deal with Apple people... Besides not having stores to go bitch at, they'd be out of business faster than you could say scuffgate. Be happy you chose the finest built phone in the mass market. It's pretty much inarguable, even by fandroids.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
realchimera said:
What you talking about "The 5 was insanely well crafted"? 5 is a failed Apple product, and that's why they made it out of production. It is the only Apple product which went out of production in such short time.
Click to expand...

The best selling phone ever made is a failed product. You heard it here, folks!
 
realchimera said:
What you talking about "The 5 was insanely well crafted"? 5 is a failed Apple product, and that's why they made it out of production. It is the only Apple product which went out of production in such short time. And you can't blame people for complaining about scratches on their black iphone5. The black color coating procedure is not well developed. It peels off so easily, and that's why Apple started to hire materials scientist with expertise in sol gel process a while ago to develop better pigment and coating recipes, and now the black color is replace by space grey.
Click to expand...

The 5 was a "failed product"??? (Checks sales numbers...) OKIE DOKIE...

No one had "peeling". No one had their phone spontaneously bend. "scuffgate" is a myth circulated by the handful of OCD users that lose sleep at night over the cosmetics of a PHONE. Just because a few hundred people on the internet scream "OMFGZ! My precious is like totally scuffed and I swears it didn't happen because of me, promises!!!" does NOT mean anything, sorry.

I used a launch day Slate 5, for a year, NAKED, and not one "scuff". No "peeling" (LOL!), no issues at all. And you know what? That was the NORM. I'm not special, I'm just careful with my devices, and wouldn't blame the "pigment" (LOL again!) if I damaged it myself.

But then again, as soon as you said the 5 was a "failed product" you lost all credibility anyway. Unless your definition of "failure" is "massive success", in which case I apologize :p
 
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