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iPhone 5 vs 5s

C

Cloud3y

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 7, 2015
10
0
Hello.

I currently own an iPod Touch 5, running iOS 7, and was recently thinking about purchasing an iPhone, and I was interested in either the 5 or the 5s (while the 6 is out of my price range). I am switching from Android after a few years of using it, as I tend to find the Android platform loose and disjointed, and usually irritating.

My reasons for being torn between the 5 and the 5s were that the 5 was the last model to come with iOS 6 pre-installed, which is my favourite operating system for the device. However, I am worried by using this I will be too limited in terms of compatibility with the apps etc, especially with iOS 9 on the horizon. It is likely that iOS 9 would cause the iP5 to run slower (much like iOS 8 did for the 4S). This is why I am also slightly leaning towards the 5s, as this will most likely perform a lot better if I choose to upgrade. I'd like to get some opinions and advice about the above, hopefully I am posting in the right section.

Cheers
 
Cloud3y said:
Hello.

I currently own an iPod Touch 5, running iOS 7, and was recently thinking about purchasing an iPhone, and I was interested in either the 5 or the 5s (while the 6 is out of my price range). I am switching from Android after a few years of using it, as I tend to find the Android platform loose and disjointed, and usually irritating.

My reasons for being torn between the 5 and the 5s were that the 5 was the last model to come with iOS 6 pre-installed, which is my favourite operating system for the device. However, I am worried by using this I will be too limited in terms of compatibility with the apps etc, especially with iOS 9 on the horizon. It is likely that iOS 9 would cause the iP5 to run slower (much like iOS 8 did for the 4S). This is why I am also slightly leaning towards the 5s, as this will most likely perform a lot better if I choose to upgrade. I'd like to get some opinions and advice about the above, hopefully I am posting in the right section.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Pros for the iPhone 5:

32Bit. More free RAM. Less browser and app reloading than the 5S/i6/6+
iOS 6 if you're lucky, or 7.1.2 if you're lucky.
Cheap-ish.

Cons for the iPhone 5:

No 4G capability in the UK.
Poor battery life unless running iOS6.
Likely to run into some app compatability issues further down the line if using iOS6.
No Touch ID.
Small screen compared to the i6.
 
If iOS 6 is your deciding factor then your only choice is the iPhone 5. The 5s came with iOS 7.

That said, I would consider you to be very lucky to find an iPhone 5 that still had iOS 6 on it. My own iPhone 5 would have remained on iOS 6 had I not had to get a warranty replacement (which came with iOS 7).

As far as apps, the App store is smart enough to install a version of an app for your version of iOS (should it still be available). I only use my iPhone 5 for calls, iMessage, texting and Facebook. The FB app for iOS 6 was still plenty capable at the time I had to give up iOS 6.

So, unless you really want or need the latest versions of apps iOS 6 is still very viable.
 
eyoungren said:
If iOS 6 is your deciding factor then your only choice is the iPhone 5. The 5s came with iOS 7.

That said, I would consider you to be very lucky to find an iPhone 5 that still had iOS 6 on it. My own iPhone 5 would have remained on iOS 6 had I not had to get a warranty replacement (which came with iOS 7).

As far as apps, the App store is smart enough to install a version of an app for your version of iOS (should it still be available). I only use my iPhone 5 for calls, iMessage, texting and Facebook. The FB app for iOS 6 was still plenty capable at the time I had to give up iOS 6.

So, unless you really want or need the latest versions of apps iOS 6 is still very viable.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply.

If I have no luck finding an iP5 with iOS 6 preinstalled, I will probably go with the 5s.

Thanks everyone for your feedback.
 
sunking101 said:
Pros for the iPhone 5:

32Bit. More free RAM. Less browser and app reloading than the 5S/i6/6+
iOS 6 if you're lucky, or 7.1.2 if you're lucky.
Cheap-ish.

Cons for the iPhone 5:

No 4G capability in the UK.
Poor battery life unless running iOS6.
Likely to run into some app compatability issues further down the line if using iOS6.
No Touch ID.
Small screen compared to the i6.
Click to expand...

my 5 has terrific battery life and its blazing fast on ios8
this being said, the 5s is still an amazing device
 
C DM said:
What's the terrific battery life like?
Click to expand...

92% efficiency after 2 years, hardware-wise
1% battery drain ever 2 3 hours during the night on wifi, during the day i have around 5.30 hours screen on, usually i leave in the morning at 8 and come back at 8 and i have around 30%
 
Cloud3y said:
Any thoughts on what iOS 9 will be like on the 5?
Click to expand...

Nobody has any idea. Historically though, and judging by how iOS7 affected the iPhone 4 and iOS8 affected the iPhone 4S, it wouldn't be prudent to install iOS9 on the iPhone 5...
 
From my usage I feel the speed difference between the 5 to 5S is more noticeable then the 5S to 6. I also get better battery life even though I had a brand new battery in my 5 and did a restore from backup to the 5S.

Max I could ever get out of my 5 was ~5.5 hours. Now I regularly see 7+ hours. Which is about the same I saw on my 6 before I sold it.

Point is, I'd go with the 5S if you can afford it. If not the 5 is still a good phone which should see at least one more version of iOS (which probably won't run that great on it judging from history).
 
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