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coldjeanzzz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 4, 2012
655
17
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.

It depends on what you mean with outdated. If you're talking about comparing specs to other high end phones - every high end phone being released makes it more and more outdated.

But if you're talking about how it handles software, you have to realise that there isn't really any apps out there that would run smoother on faster hardware, making better specs pretty unnecessary so to call it outdated would be pretty strange.

Then there's the fact that the phone doesn't become slower - the software becomes more demanding. People who complain about their iPhone 3GS being slow are talking nonsense, it's not slower than it was when they got it - they've just updated it to a point where the software demands more than the 3GS has in order to make the apps run smoothly.

If you're the kind of person that wants the latest and greatest, the iPhone 5 is outdated. But for most people my guess is the performance difference between the iPhone 5 and the 5S/6/whatever it's gonna be called won't even be noticeable.

Or... Well, I play a lot of heavy games, and for instance Infinity Blade II sometimes is a bit jerky when opening it, but never in gameplay. But that's because iOS is releasing RAM that was previously taken up by other apps.
 

coldjeanzzz

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 4, 2012
655
17
It depends on what you mean with outdated. If you're talking about comparing specs to other high end phones - every high end phone being released makes it more and more outdated.

But if you're talking about how it handles software, you have to realise that there isn't really any apps out there that would run smoother on faster hardware, making better specs pretty unnecessary so to call it outdated would be pretty strange.

Then there's the fact that the phone doesn't become slower - the software becomes more demanding. People who complain about their iPhone 3GS being slow are talking nonsense, it's not slower than it was when they got it - they've just updated it to a point where the software demands more than the 3GS has in order to make the apps run smoothly.

If you're the kind of person that wants the latest and greatest, the iPhone 5 is outdated. But for most people my guess is the performance difference between the iPhone 5 and the 5S/6/whatever it's gonna be called won't even be noticeable.

Or... Well, I play a lot of heavy games, and for instance Infinity Blade II sometimes is a bit jerky when opening it, but never in gameplay. But that's because iOS is releasing RAM that was previously taken up by other apps.

So given what we know about ios 7 do you think the iPhone 5 would handle it well? If some of the functions would be limited due to not having the hardware in the next iPhone I think that might be a deal breaker for me
 

The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
16,290
23,994
Wales, United Kingdom
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.
I don't think the hardware race between Android supplied manufacturers really has any relevance to the iPhone. Android devices are packed with specs that become more powerful by the month but the OS demands this. iOS is optimised for iPhone and runs very smoothly giving a decent amount of performance. Its more efficient on this basis and lets face it, nobody gives a toss about whats inside the phone as long as it performs at the standard you expect and I think the iPhone handles its tasks extremely well.

----------

So given what we know about ios 7 do you think the iPhone 5 would handle it well? If some of the functions would be limited due to not having the hardware in the next iPhone I think that might be a deal breaker for me
Considering the iPhone 5 is the current iPhone on the market, I would say the new software will have been developed with this in mind and the next hardware release (iPhone 5S or 6). Why would Apple release a new OS that doesn't run on their present flagship product? Lets think about this for a second.
 

hafr

macrumors 68030
Sep 21, 2011
2,743
9
So given what we know about ios 7 do you think the iPhone 5 would handle it well? If some of the functions would be limited due to not having the hardware in the next iPhone I think that might be a deal breaker for me

I'm sure the iPhone 5 will be able to handle the public release of iOS 7 just fine.
 

LaunchpadBS

macrumors 6502a
Nov 11, 2008
653
5
iLondon/iDurban
hahahaha yes it get's "destroyed" when you compare processor speed and ram...but have you tried Android? :eek:

When the iPhone as a whole end to end experience is matched then I'll consider it beat but until then the competition will continue to play catch up with YEAR OLD tech. Well done HTC :rolleyes:
 

3rd Rock

macrumors 6502
Aug 10, 2012
459
1
Over here
The iphone 5 will handle not only the upcoming iOS, but a few more updates to the iOS as well. Its just silly thinking that it won't, and silly as well thinking that it will be outdated in the next couple of years if not longer. If the phone functions as it should (and it will), handles apps, and saves/plays your music/games/YouTub stuff, it will serve you well for a number of years.

If you are a kid that likes the latest/greatest/ and want bragging rights, the phone you get will be outdated just a soon as the newer ones are announced, and that is just the immaturity of some. Many keep their phones for two/three or more years, just as long it works, not caring about whether its just a tiny bit faster than the newer ones. iPhone 5 is very fast for anyone, but the fanatics out there and those will waste more of their money upgrading each and every year just for the bragging rights.
 

Applefan4

macrumors 6502a
May 6, 2013
541
511
iPhone is outdated? Strange, it loads apps and games faster than flagship droid phones that were released a couple of months ago
 

barkomatic

macrumors 601
Aug 8, 2008
4,518
2,821
Manhattan
For some reason, some people are really attached to their iPhones--so saying their iPhone is " outdated" is akin to calling their only child "ugly" in front of them.

However, although the iPhone 5 works great (mine does) its coming on a year since it was released--and of course it's outdated. If you care enough to post here about this issue, I wouldn't get one now.
 

osofast240sx

macrumors 68030
Mar 25, 2011
2,539
16
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.
You should get the HTC one, this is the only way to get an understanding of what apple brings to the table.
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Given:
outdated [ˌaʊtˈdeɪtɪd]
adj
old-fashioned or obsolete

By that, not even the iPhone 4 is outdated, and it's 3 years old now.

I wouldn't expect the iPhone 5 to be considered outdated until late 2015 or maybe even into 2017.
 

MonkeySee....

macrumors 68040
Sep 24, 2010
3,858
437
UK
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.

How does the HTC One run iOS?? Faster than the 5?
 

ucfgrad93

macrumors Core
Aug 17, 2007
19,522
10,810
Colorado
The specs might be behind newer Android releases, but specs aren't everything. The iPhone 5 runs smooth as silk and that is all that really matters to most people.
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,374
5,222
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.

I'm curious what the HTC one handles computationally that the ip5 couldn't? I'm honestly curious as I'm not a technically oriented person. I know I've owned a Note 2 which is pretty beefy and played some of the high end games on there, and in comparison the iphone 5 plays some very beefy games pretty much perfectly.

My point is that I don't think there is much out there, if anything that will really tax any modern smartphone out there, sometimes specs are just meant to be put on paper to attract consumers with little real world benefit.
 

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
Hardware specs are only as important as the software specs they are trying to run.

There's no need to use some super high end computer to run Windows 3.11. For the most part iOS is about the app and usually just a single app at a time.

Plus iOS is optimized better/differently then Android. iOS focuses a lot on UI smoothness and will stop most processes while its being utilized. Android phones for example won't do that and you can get stuttering and lag on occasion.

The iPhone 5 is more then powerful enough to be used for a few versions of iOS. Most people will want to upgrade prior to hardware limitations when its related to speed.
 

DB14ify

macrumors newbie
May 23, 2013
8
0
Whenever you compare an android phone to an iPhone, please do not look at the processor, the RAM or whatever chip it uses. An iPhone with a dual core chip and 1.2 ghz is faster than a octa-core 1.9 ghz android because iOS is optimized for it and it runs so smoothly. Android phones arent stable. Hardware wise iPhone designers are top of the line and the only good looking android phone out there is the black HTC one. (iPhone 5s will come with same hardware).
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
If one buys "by the numbers" I guess.

If number is so important, then why aren't people robbing the 8-core Galaxy S4? That thing must leave everybody in the dust right. I don't see anybody here bragging about it.
 

taedouni

macrumors 65816
Jun 7, 2011
1,117
29
California
It won't be outdated. iOS is really efficient when it comes it comes to performance. As for gaming on iOS devices (with the exception of the iPad 3), the current hardware on the iPhone 5 and iPad 4 is more than enough to handle graphic intense games at least until the iPad 6 and iPhone 6 is released.

Android devices come with different internals, OS, aspect ratios, and resolutions. Therefore it's hard for android apps to perform as good as iOS Apps. iOS Apps are coded to work on a handful of devices (not 100+ different ones). So optimizing iOS apps are not an issue.
 

ValerieDurden

macrumors 6502a
Feb 3, 2010
673
70
Philadelphia, PA
Whenever you compare an android phone to an iPhone, please do not look at the processor, the RAM or whatever chip it uses. An iPhone with a dual core chip and 1.2 ghz is faster than a octa-core 1.9 ghz android because iOS is optimized for it and it runs so smoothly. Android phones arent stable. Hardware wise iPhone designers are top of the line and the only good looking android phone out there is the black HTC one. (iPhone 5s will come with same hardware).
Correction the 5 has a 1.3GHz Dual Core CPU. :p
 

Bahroo

macrumors 68000
Jul 21, 2012
1,860
2
When you compare it to the HTC One it gets destroyed so badly it's kind of sad, in terms of processor power, RAM, and drive size (HTC one comes with 32 gb).

However with that said I like the form factor of the iPhone 5 more (a big screen is nice but the HTC One seems a little too big for use with one hand), I like iOS better, and I have a MBA so it would work nicely together.

I ask because I plan to upgrade soon but can't decide which one to get. I don't really want to wait for the 5s/6 since I don't want to pay $200 or wait another 5 months. I'm just a little worried I will regret getting the iPhone 5 a year from now because its specs might be way behind everything else.

How do you figure the HTC one destroys the 5? The iphone 5 has faster browsing speeds(loads websites faster), shoots better photos (One is better at night though), apps load just about the same on both devices

The iphone 5 also has noticeably better gaming and graphics performance over the competition right now (including the s4 and these other new android phones)

The i5 was ahead of its time when it came out.. Beauty of optimization for fixed set hardware
 

bigchrisfgb

macrumors 65816
Jan 24, 2010
1,453
639
Not in terms of Apple no. Lets look back at the iPhone 4, when the iPhone 4s came out with iOS 5 the major and significant upgrade when iOS 5 came out was Siri and only the 4s carried that, but the 4s suffered from a poorer battery life to the 4.

Look at iOS 7 now compared to 6, it's offering quite a few new features all of which will run on the 5. It is unlikely that any software out there with any significance will be on the 5s exclusively. The 5s points to hardware upgrades and at the moment in time it seems to be pointing to a slightly better camera (can live without) and NFC and possibly finger print technology which we can pretty much live without.

With iOS 7 the 5 is due to run it's 2 year cycle pretty well and far better than how the 4, and 3gs did.
 
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