iPhone 5 hands-on: The sixth generation iPhone touches down

The most relevant comparison for many is with its predecessor the iPhone 4S and, for those on the now common two year contracts, the iPhone 4.

The new phone certainly feels different – and although there will be the odd naysayer, the overwhelming majority will feel that the iPhone 5’s design is a good step on from the now ageing chassis of both the 4S and 4.

The move away from glass is a welcome one, and the aluminium manages to bring a premium feel in a notable lighter device.

A new chip definitely brings a snappier feel. Many with an iPhone 4 will be all too used to the lagginess when tyring to do anything even slightly complex with the devices, and the iPhone 5 manages to take things on as far as you would expect in more than two years.

What perhaps is more suprising is just how much snappier this feels than the iPhone 4S. The A6 chip clearly has significant amount more grunt under its smaller hood – but what is surprising is that you can immediately tell when you use the device alongside its predecessor.

Practically speaking this probably isn’t enough to make you want to leave a 4S unless you are a hardcore fan, but it will convince many iPhone 4 users to stick with the Apple ecosystem for another generation – and you get the impression that this is goal number one for the company.

The added length could have made the phone unwieldy, but the loss of thickness ensures that it maintains its balance and premium feel.

Those people who have got used to the iPhone 4 and 4S will certainly notice the difference that the design brings. It served to make the device more modern feeling, and the materials used keep that premium feel that Apple has put so much stock in.

Thinner, lighter and more screen were always on the cards, and the fans’ desires are understandable.

The aluminium backplate feels lovely – just textured enough to feel very different from its predecessors and, to our taste, preferable to the glass.

The screen is bright and colourful, although it’s difficult to truly appreciate the small upgrade that Apple has made in the bright lights of the show room.

The camera is also more difficult to test properly, but it certainly seemed faster to take a photo, something that can be a frustration on older iPhones.

From a software perspective, iOS 6 brings with it a wealth of new features that will certainly make a major difference to not only the way the iPhone 5 feels, but also its predecessors the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S when they get the updated software.

Maps, for instance, is significantly altered after Apple ended its longstanding agreement to use Google Maps and pushed forward with its own offering, in conjunction with sat nav giant TomTom.

The new maps certainly look the part, with some beautiful 3D renders and snazzy looking new vector graphics, although we would like to really take some time to tell you just how well the new offering performs in the wild.

The showcased flyover mode was great for the riverside of London, but at you would expect fell flat pretty quickly as you left the tourist districts and got to residential areas.

Early indications elsewhere are good, however, as the ‘Apple designed’ tag is pushed to the fore. The tilt and rotate view functionality looks gorgeous and the turn-by-turn navigation is likely to attract plaudits with a simple and intuitive interface.

Siri has been given a major, and frankly much-needed, overhaul with the voice ‘companion’ functionality extended into new languages and new territories in an attempt to turn the iPhone 4S’ overhyped and under-featured personal assistant up to a useful level.

It coped better with the noise of the press room than its predecessor – presumably due to the new microphone set up in the new device, and could answer the two or three stock questions we asked it.

Given the obsession with Facebook, the need for better integration was a key addition for Apple in its latest OS, and the iPhone 5 and its older brothers will benefit from a major overhaul of the way in which the social network links up with your handset.

The Facebook (and Twitter) functionality feels much more central to the experience this time around, and having the ability to post form the notifications screen feels like an obvious inclusion that works well.

Early verdict

Given the level of hype around the iPhone 5 it’s almost inevitable that phone itself ends up feeling a little underwhelming when it is launched, but Apple is a past master at ticking the boxes, and giving its growing legion of fans enough to justify an upgrade.

Is it going to sell like hot-cakes? Of course. Will it send shockwaves shuddering through the tech world and turn competitors back to their drawing boards? No.

Not having NFC is a real misstep, as it would have made the Passbook application in iOS 6 much better (and in keeping with its Android and Windows Phone rivals) and it certainly would have been nice to see something remarkable in addition to some nice, but not startling, upgrades.

But, in truth, Apple will be well aware that it doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel to succeed and, in this case, it has yet again provided a fine phone that will keep it battling at the top of the charts for another year.