Apple’s iPhone 5, worth the hype?

Before any of you jump down my throat and start accusing me of being some pro-Windows, pro-Google, anti-Apple, hater, nerd, anti-mainstream freak, let me preface this whole article with this…. I LOVE APPLE!  I have owned almost every Apple product since the PowerMac desktops of the early and mid 1990s.  I love the style, design, intuitiveness, and functionality of their products.  And as long as it’s worth it have one, I will.

However, from an innovation stand point, I think the company is starting to run out of gas and running on fumes and gimmicks.  This is especially true of their latest in-demand product, the iPhone 5.  I’m not mad at Apple, and I don’t blame Apple either.  They have a cult following.  One I used to blindly follow.  And when the public expects demands a new product annually, you have to produce something. But when the genius visionary leader suddenly passes away, and technology reaches such an advanced point where it can’t rapidly be improved upon, you get one marginally improved product after another a la the iPhone 5.

Before this summer had begun, I was holding on to my upgrade, waiting on the next iPhone to blow me away and make me forgot the 3GS I had been using for so long.  But by the time my birthday had come around at the end of June, I was sick of waiting. I’d had a BlackBerry for years in high school (if that even passes for a smartphone, I don’t know). I had been on an iPhone for the first 3 years of college, and was ready for a change. Instead of blowing my upgrade on the 4S knowing a new model was on the way, I decided to go with the latest and greatest Android offered by AT&T.  Hello HTC One X.

After Apple revealed the specs of their latest iPhone, among other things, at their release conference (which Engadget wonderfully covered) a couple of weeks back, every major tech blog immediately began to compare it to the previous model, as well as its other smartphone competitors.  Although I’m just going to directly compare the iPhone 5 to my phone, Gizmodo drew up a chart comparing the iPhone 5 to its predacessor as well as the other top players in the smartphone game.

Physical

The new iPhone; it’s bigger, thinner, and lighter.  The width hasn’t changed, but it’s taller to accommodate the “revolutionary” new screen (which we’ll talk about next).  The exact dimensions are 4.88 x 2.30 x 0.30 in (height x width x thickness).  This larger frame only weighs  3.95 ounces, which is very light … except who exactly was straining to hold up the previous models, or any smartphone for that matter.

My phone (released on May 6, 2012) is the first in its series so it doesn’t directly compare to any previous models from HTC.  The HTC One X measures 5.31 x 2.75 x 0.35 in, and weighs 4.55 ounces.  It’s bigger in every dimension.  Who has the better size is obviously a matter of personal preference, and how big your hands are.  I have a ‘large’ hand and can hold it comfortably and move my thumb across the screen with no problem, as long as there’s no case on the phone.

Screen

Both of these phones are so large and so popular because of one glaring feature (pun intended), the screen.  Apple once again claims to have set the new standard which all phones are to be measured by with their latest 4″ creation.  This screen is 640 x 1136 and has a resolution of 326 pixels-per-inch (the most important spec).  The thing users will appreciate most about this screen is the change to true widescreen 16:9 ratio.  No more cut-off images or black bars lining the screen when streaming video.

The One X has a 4.7″ screen measuring 720 x 1280 pixels.  It’s resolution is 312 PPI.  So on a screen that’s .7″ bigger diagonally, you’re losing a whopping 14 pixels per inch, an amount so miniscule you wouldn’t be able to tell without the use of a powerful microscope.  It’s also worth noting that most Androids have been on the 16:9 widescreen standard for years.  Apple finally decided to stop being so stubborn and catch up with the times.

Camera

Now let’s talk about the camera Apple DIDN’T improve!  It’s made thinner simply to fit in the thinner phone.  That almost-hard-as-a-diamond sapphire crystal lens being raved about, simply to improve durability because the back glass on the previous models scratched so easily and ruined photos.  What about Panaroma (Apple’s new feature allowing you to take HD landscape photos with almost a 270 degree rotation)?!  You all can’t seriously believe there hasn’t been apps to do that for years.  They did improve the front camera though! It from a .3 megapixel VGA early 2000s quality camera, to 1.3 MP and capable of capturing 720p HD video.  Facetime & Skype users beware, we can REALLY see you now.

I’ll keep this relatively short.  My phone shoots 1080p video on the back from its 8 MP camera.  720p video on the front through the 1.3 MP camera.  Some of the features include image capture while recording video, and a rapid fire mode (hold the shutter button to take up to 20 simultaneous photos), panorama, facial/smile detection, many different shooting modes, filters, etc.  It beat the iPhone 4S camera in previous tests, and with minor improvements in the new phone’s camera I can’t imagine it being far behind if at all.

Hardware & Software

One thing I’ve learned about technology is to not judge something by its raw specs.  What’s inside counts a lot!  Apple’s new A6 chip is the dual-core 1.066 GHz brain of the iPhone 5 with 1 GB of RAM (about 33% faster than the last one, not the 2x claimed in the release conference).  But the most anticipated improvement is the new operating system iOS6, with TWO HUNDRED new features and improvements.  I can count three worth mentioning: Passbook, Siri, and Maps.  Passbook let’s you purchase tickets, make reservations, and more.  What it doesn’t do is act as a mobile wallet, which is one of the biggest disappointments of the new iPhone.  Many were certain this new phone would come with NFC (near field communication) allowing you to swipe your phone packed with your credit, debit, and banking information to pay for things.  Siri’s understanding has been improved, and her capabilities expanded.  The most exciting improvement in my eyes was Maps.  Apple FINALLY has turn-by-turn navigation (a feature Android has had for at least 4 years).

Raw specs of the HTC… 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor… running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)… 1 GB of RAM… NFC.  It has voice control, navigation, BeatsByDre audio, etc. I can’t lie, after having an iPhone for 3 years then suddenly switching to Android, there was a slight learning curve.  However after a couple of months with it now, I feel just as comfortable with it as I did with iOS.

Price

The Apple iPhone 5 (with new contract or upgrade) is $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB. Available in white or black.

The HTC One X is $100 (with new contract or upgrade) on AT&T for 16GB of storage.  Available in white or dark grey.

Now it’s your turn.  My purpose in writing this article was to prove that, although it’s a greatly put together product, Apple did nothing but play catch-up with the newest iPhone.  To be completely honest, if I had an upgrade and was in the market for a phone today, I’d more than likely get the iPhone 5.  However do I regret not waiting and getting my Android?  Not in the least bit.  And now that you all have had almost a week to play with your new iPhones (which was released to the public Friday, September 21), I welcome you to join the debate.  What do you like or dislike about your iPhones, and be honest?  Android uses please chime in too.  Which phones are best, and why?  COMMENT AND DEBATE BELOW!

Below are a few links from various places on the internet relating to the iPhone 5 and its competitors.  Feel free to post your own for others to check out in the comments.

• Engadget – LiveBlog from the Apple Release Conference
• Gizmodo – iPhone 5 Comparison to the Competition
• Mashable – iOS 6 Maps Glitches Around the World
• Gizmodo – Smartphone Camera Battle
• YouTube – Siri vs. Google Search (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean)
• Engadget – iPhone 5 Full Review
• YouTube – Banned iPhone 5 Promo (Parody)
• GO-Gulf – Smartphone Statistics