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Can't Believe How Light the iPhone 5 is

tardman91

tardman91

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Oct 21, 2009
1,170
398
Tampa Area, FL
I went to the Apple store today and was so excited to see the new iPhone. It looked so nice and sleek and thin. Then I picked it up. I was shocked at how light it was, and then was immediately disappointed. It felt like the old dummy phones they used to use back in the day.
I might be in the minority, but I really liked the heft of the older models. It made them feel solid, like they were built of quality materials and that they would last. The new one just felt so cheap. How do you guys feel about the weight of the new model?

On another topic, I really didn't feel like the screen size was all that bigger than my 4S. The whole phone didn't give me the "I have to get this" feeling. I guess I'll keep my 4S and my Verizon unlimited plan for a while longer.
 
tardman91 said:
I went to the Apple store today and was so excited to see the new iPhone. It looked so nice and sleek and thin. Then I picked it up. I was shocked at how light it was, and then was immediately disappointed. It felt like the old dummy phones they used to use back in the day.
I might be in the minority, but I really liked the heft of the older models. It made them feel solid, like they were built of quality materials and that they would last. The new one just felt so cheap. How do you guys feel about the weight of the new model?

On another topic, I really didn't feel like the screen size was all that bigger than my 4S. The whole phone didn't give me the "I have to get this" feeling. I guess I'll keep my 4S and my Verizon unlimited plan for a while longer.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine was shocked too, and he wasn't a fan of how light it is.
Any changes take time to get used to, just get a case to add some weight to it if it really bothers you. :D
 
Agreed. I pulled it out and it felt like a phone without a battery. That being said, I absolutely love it. It's fantastic haha
 
Think of it this way: An iPhone 5 with a decently protective case will be about the same weight as an iPhone 4/4S without a case.
 
Guess, I can understand threads like this but am gonna give up on this forum if I see a thread with "iPhone 5 is insanely fast ... I prefer the slow ones because my brains can't keep with the iPhone 5" Too big, too light, ... lol :D.
 
When the ups guy came to deliver my phone he asked me if this was the iPhone 5 or a case, because the box was so light... For 1 min I thought apple delivered the wrong item, i quickly checked and it was the phone indeed :)
 
I felt the same way after playing around with one at the galleria apple store today. Definitely going to get a heavy case
 
I too was a fan of a heavier phone. I'm very happy with the 5 and the build quality is solid without a doubt. Typically, though, I favor a heavier phone. Glad to see I'm not in the minority.
 
I kind of get it. The 5 feels toy-ishly light, while the 4S had a good density that made it feel like a quality product.

But, we'll all get over it!
 
Well we see how the super light phone is working out already. Thin aluminum means easier to damage. Really glad I stuck with the 4S.
 
If you do a lot of Skype or FaceTime you'll appreciate be weight drop. It's amazing how much of a difference a few grams make!
 
Has anyone seen any type of durability or strength "tests" on YouTube or anything comparing the 4/4S and 5? It just feels so much more fragile than previous generations.
 
tardman91 said:
Exactly! It felt just like it was missing the battery.
Click to expand...

It's definitely a change from the 4S. However, I think that's mostly the effect of replacing the glass back with aluminum. True, the 4S' heft gave it a premium feel, but after using the 5 for 2 days I don't think I could go back to a 4S. LTE is nice, the beveled edge looks sharp, the extra screen space is good, and it is still highly usable single handed. The feel of the aluminum is nice (much like the feel of a MacBook Air).

Think of the new iPhone as the "iPhone Air" and maybe you'll react a bit differently to the light weight. Both the 4S and the 5 feel premium to me, but in different ways. The 4S weight is well balanced. However, the beveling and sparkle of the white 5 (and the austere look of the black 5) are equally nice, IMO.
 
It occurs to me the lighter weight will reduce damage when dropped. Less momentum. Might be part of the reason the phone does better in drop tests.
 
Not a fan of it being so light? The lighter the better. I understand that you want it to have that high quality feel to it and so weight helps gives it that premium phone feel but I think it's because you are used to the weight of the iPhone being heavy.

The lightness is amazing in my hand and still look at the phone as a premium phone, just got to get used to it. Apple is all about things thinner and lighter so adjust fast. :)
 
I totally agree with everything you said. Yes! it feels like a dummy phone; excellent description. I sure miss the heft.. The weightiness of the 4/4s made one handed manipulation much easier. Now twirling the phone one handed, it feels like it will fly off my hand


tardman91 said:
I went to the Apple store today and was so excited to see the new iPhone. It looked so nice and sleek and thin. Then I picked it up. I was shocked at how light it was, and then was immediately disappointed. It felt like the old dummy phones they used to use back in the day.
I might be in the minority, but I really liked the heft of the older models. It made them feel solid, like they were built of quality materials and that they would last. The new one just felt so cheap. How do you guys feel about the weight of the new model?

On another topic, I really didn't feel like the screen size was all that bigger than my 4S. The whole phone didn't give me the "I have to get this" feeling. I guess I'll keep my 4S and my Verizon unlimited plan for a while longer.
Click to expand...
 
may be apple could have increased the battery capacity and made it little heavier than the current weight

but again, higher battery capacity will take more time to FULL CHARGE (100%)
 
shanmugam said:
may be apple could have increased the battery capacity and made it little heavier than the current weight

but again, higher battery capacity will take more time to FULL CHARGE (100%)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't care if they just put some lead weights in there somewhere. lol
Picking it up, it immediately just gave me the impression that it was cheap. I guess the real weight savings comes from ditching the glass back and the single-layer front, no?
 
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