Just my thoughts on the iPhone 5

[Brounmoney]

So I was reading the post about returning the iPhone 5. A lot of people on the forum were talking about how bad the 5 was and the 4s was much better. So am I just not getting it or what. I do not find the phone be bad at all.

I have been using an android phone for about 2 years now. I had the iPhone 3 an then the 4. I really liked both off them just got tired off iOS. Wanted to be able to customize my home screen. Well my last android was the galaxy nexus. I really do love that phone and can not decide if I like the iPhone 5 or the Gnex better. After coming back to iOS after such a break I find it to be just the same as before. A solid OS that has not changed to much, but really does not have to. The iPhone 5 seems to run iOS 6 just fine. The only problems I have seen are iOS 6 being kind of glitchy a bit. The iPhone 5 is so fast with LTE. I am on AT&T and really am enjoying the thing. I if any body should not like this because I like android, but I find the phone really good. Does anyone find this phone to just awful, and really what has change that is so bad?

 

[Bahroo]

So I was reading the post about returning the iPhone 5. A lot of people on the forum were talking about how bad the 5 was and the 4s was much better. So am I just not getting it or what. I do not find the phone be bad at all.

I have been using an android phone for about 2 years now. I had the iPhone 3 an then the 4. I really liked both off them just got tired off iOS. Wanted to be able to customize my home screen. Well my last android was the galaxy nexus. I really do love that phone and can not decide if I like the iPhone 5 or the Gnex better. After coming back to iOS after such a break I find it to be just the same as before. A solid OS that has not changed to much, but really does not have to. The iPhone 5 seems to run iOS 6 just fine. The only problems I have seen are iOS 6 being kind of glitchy a bit. The iPhone 5 is so fast with LTE. I am on AT&T and really am enjoying the thing. I if any body should not like this because I like android, but I find the phone really good. Does anyone find this phone to just awful, and really what has change that is so bad?

No, i think this phone is incredible, leagues ahead of the 4S and i like it much better then my old Galaxy S3..as for glitches the only glitches i have encountered so far is the screenshot glitch when i turn on the screen sometimes it does a screen shot and the other glitch is the dim screen. Sometimes i will turn on the screen and the screen becomes really dark but a simple on and off will fix that

 

[Apollo 13]

You have to watch what you read on these forums too. This forum is flooded with android fanboys pretending to own iphones and making false claims. I came from a iphone 4 and it was worth the upgrade. Everything is much faster and the extra screen size does help without me even having to use 2 hands.

 

[braddick]

^
This I honestly wasn't aware of.
That's a shame.

Having owned the 4S since launch day and now the iP5 I agree it is an overall better product.

Not quite as big of a jump as going from the 3GS to the iP4 was- but enough to make the experience worth it.

 

[apprunner]

Those claiming 4s is better are ****. Coming from a 4s, 5 feels like a 2 generation upgrade. Better in every conceivable way possible.

 

[Mxbzz]

You have to watch what you read on these forums too. This forum is flooded with android fanboys pretending to own iphones and making false claims. I came from a iphone 4 and it was worth the upgrade. Everything is much faster and the extra screen size does help without me even having to use 2 hands.

This being an Apple forum, there are tons of Apple sheep here as well who will defend an Apple product no matter what. They spew out false claims just as much as the Android fanboys.


I enjoy my iPhone 5. My only gripes are on the software side. iOS 6 is a disappointment for me. There is no radical change from iOS 5, or even 4 in that regard. The notification bar continues to be an afterthought (how hard would it be to have a Sports ticker similar to the Stocks one?). I've got a lot of qualms about the aging OS, but I am still content with my iPhone 5. It's fast, has good battery life and very sleek.

That being said, I can't wait until an untethered JB is out

 

[Brounmoney]

I kind of thought so too. LTE alone is just so much better. Like I said I like android a lot, but I have to say this phone is pretty awesome. I mean I matches up with all the other phones on the market spec wise that is.

 

[joshwithachance]

The complaining is just something that happens whenever a product is new, because nothing ever lives up to it's hype.

The people saying the 4S is a better phone are completely delusional because the 5 isn't only the best iPhone ever, it's the best smartphone ever.

Sure the S3 has a bigger screen and some added gimmicks, but the iPhone 5 still slays.

 

[Dolorian]

A lot of people on the forum were talking about how bad the 5 was and the 4s was much better.

If they were saying that then such people have no credibility. The iPhone 5 is better than the 4S in all areas specs wise. You could argue that you don't like the new design or the bigger screen or that it comes with Apple Maps as opposed to Google Maps and what not but to say that the 4S is "much better" is nonsense.

 

[Mxbzz]

I kind of thought so too. LTE alone is just so much better. Like I said I like android a lot, but I have to say this phone is pretty awesome. I mean I matches up with all the other phones on the market spec wise that is.

I think that's a big reason for all the complaining around here. Back when the iPhone 4 was released, Apple was setting the standard on superior specs (remarkable screen resolution, etc). Since then, Samsung has created a monster of a phone (Galaxy S series) and people are starting to feel that the tables have turned-- now Apple is playing catch up.

I'm not going to say I haven't thought about getting the GS3, but I enjoy my iPhone enough. Sure, I wish it had NFC, wireless charging, etc. but I can live without it..for now at least!

As for the 4S, I'm actually surprised so many people think it is superior to the 5. I came from the 4S and no way would I go back to it. It by no means is a inferior phone, but the 5 is just so much more enjoyable because it's so much damn snappier!!

 

[Dolorian]

...people are starting to feel that the tables have turned-- now Apple is playing catch up.

And they would be right in feeling that way. Apple is playing catch up both at the OS and the hardware level. But when it comes to the iPhone 5 specifically, it is the OS that has let down the great hardware that Apple has made, as the review on The Verge points out.

 

[John T]

Those claiming 4s is better are ****. Coming from a 4s, 5 feels like a 2 generation upgrade. Better in every conceivable way possible.

My faithful 3GS must be replaced in the near future because the battery is showing its age

Do I go for the 4S or the 5? Both are obviously an improvement on my existing phone. I appreciate the iPhone 5 screen is slightly larger than the 4S and the processor is faster. However, I'm not really impressed by having a screen 1/2in wider and an even faster processor gains exactly what?

The iPhone 5 is lighter in weight - I must admit I like to "feel" my phone in my pocket. I thought the aluminium construction would be an advantage (the plastic back on the "3" series cracked) and now I read that it is susceptible to scratches etc.

All in all, I can see no real advantage in buying an iPhone 5 over an iPhone 4S. However, when I read comments such as the above I am somewhat confused.

What does "Better in every conceivable way possible" really mean? What great and meaningful advantages am I missing?

 

[miragebg]

Nothing, just the guys who have 5 will always protect it and fight with the others, same for the ones having 4S.
You know - "Mine is the best" syndrome ..

 

[tsduke]

I don't have a 5 yet, but if it wasn't for LTE I wouldn't be exited about upgrading at all. I don't dislike the 5, but I really like 4-4s style and feel better. Granted I've only held the 5 at VZW where is has a huge security thing on it so hard tell how I would like it.

 

[apprunner]

My faithful 3GS must be replaced in the near future because the battery is showing its age

Do I go for the 4S or the 5? Both are obviously an improvement on my existing phone. I appreciate the iPhone 5 screen is slightly larger than the 4S and the processor is faster. However, I'm not really impressed by having a screen 1/2in wider and an even faster processor gains exactly what?

The iPhone 5 is lighter in weight - I must admit I like to "feel" my phone in my pocket. I thought the aluminium construction would be an advantage (the plastic back on the "3" series cracked) and now I read that it is susceptible to scratches etc.

All in all, I can see no real advantage in buying an iPhone 5 over an iPhone 4S. However, when I read comments such as the above I am somewhat confused.

What does "Better in every conceivable way possible" really mean? What great and meaningful advantages am I missing?

I have an ipad 2 and 3. The iphone 5 is faster than my ipad 3 which is good enough for a laptop replacement for general media consumption. I surf waaaayy more on my iphone 5 vs. when i had my 4s because i am getting 20 mbps download with 15 upload due to the LTE. Also, HSPA claims 5-10 download but the latency is waaay worse.

I am also getting about 2 hours MORE with my iphone 5 vs. my 4s. 2 hours is a whole lotta time in smartphone usage hours! BTW, the screen is waaay better than the 4s. You can tell. less glare, better colors, better contrast...everything about the display is better.

Lastly, the extra real-estate on screen does make a difference. I gave the 4s to my wife and i HATe going back to it for anything. I can't stress enough that you shouldn't get the 4s. Its a lesser product in today's competitive smartphone market.

 

[itjw]

My faithful 3GS must be replaced in the near future because the battery is showing its age

Do I go for the 4S or the 5? Both are obviously an improvement on my existing phone. I appreciate the iPhone 5 screen is slightly larger than the 4S and the processor is faster. However, I'm not really impressed by having a screen 1/2in wider and an even faster processor gains exactly what?

The iPhone 5 is lighter in weight - I must admit I like to "feel" my phone in my pocket. I thought the aluminium construction would be an advantage (the plastic back on the "3" series cracked) and now I read that it is susceptible to scratches etc.

All in all, I can see no real advantage in buying an iPhone 5 over an iPhone 4S. However, when I read comments such as the above I am somewhat confused.

What does "Better in every conceivable way possible" really mean? What great and meaningful advantages am I missing?

It's:

Thinner
Faster
Lighter
LTE
Bigger and better calibrated screen
Louder/clearer speaker
Better Camera
Better FaceTime Camera
1GB RAM
Better Battery Life
5Ghz Wireless N
Better in drop tests
Better microphones for video
Pictures during video
Lightning charges twice as fast
Lightning is the future standard

I could go on...

Some is subjective, but no, I cannot think of one superior aspect of the 4S.

"I know we've been asking for a thinner and lighter phone..."

They do it, and people complain about it being too light for their pockets. Really? LMAO.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Lastly, the extra real-estate on screen does make a difference. I gave the 4s to my wife and i HATe going back to it for anything. I can't stress enough that you shouldn't get the 4s. Its a lesser product in today's competitive smartphone market.

This ^

The screen may only be 18% larger but it makes a huge difference in usability. The keyboard no longer gets in the way and reading is so much nicer. Videos look huge in landscape because they fill the entire screen. It really is a massive improvement.

The phone not only feels über responsive but the 1GB of RAM really helps. I have yet to see messages have to reload. It's like all my apps, once loaded, are always up and running.

I upgraded because it made financial sense (I was off contract with a 4S that I am selling to fund the 5) and that was the only reason, as I was completely satisfied with the 4S.

Even I am impressed with the 5. It really is that much better. Huge leap.

Lightning charges twice as fast

It really does. You can stand there and watch the percentage rate go up.

 

[Brounmoney]

It's:

Thinner
Faster
Lighter
LTE
Bigger and better calibrated screen
Louder/clearer speaker
Better Camera
Better FaceTime Camera
1GB RAM
Better Battery Life
5Ghz Wireless N
Better in drop tests
Better microphones for video
Pictures during video
Lightning charges twice as fast
Lightning is the future standard

I could go on...

Some is subjective, but no, I cannot think of one superior aspect of the 4S.

"I know we've been asking for a thinner and lighter phone..."

They do it, and people complain about it being too light for their pockets. Really? LMAO.

I think all of those are +s for sure. I think it does make it way better than the 4s. Now my only thing is unless you loved iOS before this phone will not change your mind. I think this is the one thing that apple did not improve on. I know from the outside the phone looks great and is much different, but I think iOS really does need a facelift. Why did they not give us a new feature for the 5 that none I the other iPhones had? Like what Siri did for the 4s. That is one thing that does bother me. If you are not going to change iOS then why not give us a new feature that is exclusive to the iPhone 5.

 

[scyap]

It's:
Lightning charges twice as fast

Really?
I still take some 1hr 30mins to charge from 1% to 100%

Ugh

Using power socket, not USB

 

[AAPLinc]

Those claiming 4s is better are ****. Coming from a 4s, 5 feels like a 2 generation upgrade. Better in every conceivable way possible.

2 generation upgrade? Hardly. Physically its different, since the 4S design was two years old, it FEELS radically different, especially with the weight. Internals/performance? Not that ridiculously different, unless you're a liar.