The presence of 4G LTE networking is a step
forward, although at the moment only subscribers to new network EE (Everything
Everywhere) formed by the merger of Orange and T-Mobile will be able to access
the 4G services offered by this version of the iPhone.
4G
LTE in the UK
Customers will need to sign up with the new
network, and get a special EE nano-SIM to use the service. EE has no
information on when its 4G network will be ready, or how much it will charge.
But do you need 4G networking? The iPhone 5
also supports the new DC-HSDPA standard for 3G and we are getting a download
speed of 13.49Mpbs on the Three 3G network from the Macworld offices in London.
That’s faster than many 4G LTE users are reporting from the US. For the time
being city dwellers will find the 3G connection good enough.
Camera
Apple has made improvements to the camera
of the iPhone 5, and it shows in the quality of the shots. The 8-megapixel
count remains the same, but the 45 tops out at ISO 800, which gives pretty poor
images in low light conditions. The iPhone 5 goes up to ISO 3200 for better
pictures in darkened environments.
The
iPhone 5’s A6 processor has made a big difference to the speed of taking
photographs.
The surface of the lens is made of sapphire
crystal, which Apple says helps protect your lens and makes your images clearer
and sharper. In addition, Apple claims the iPhone 5 offers improved noise
reduction, all of which add up to better low-light photos. Images certainly
appeared to be better in low light and were less noisy. We compared the iPhone
5 and 45 and it was better, with one exception: the 4S seemed to do a better
job in our low-light video test.
The iPhone 5’s A6 processor has made a big
difference to the speed of taking photographs. Both the focus and the shutter
work much faster in the iPhone 5. Taking pictures is noticeably faster, even
with poky HDR captures. The front-facing FaceTime camera now snaps
1.2.megapixel images and records H D video.
One thing that we were keen to observe was
whether the Camera and Photos app would take shots and record video in the new
16:9 ratio, or stick to the 3:2 mode of earlier phone models. It turns out that
photos are captured in the regular iPhone format (the button sits at the side
of the snap, rather than overlaying the photo) but video is captured in 16:9
format, which makes sense. One new feature is that you can now take photo snaps
while recording video, and these are snapped in the new 16:9 format.
iPhone 5 audio and speaker test
There are several improvements to audio,
including multiple microphones to cancel noise and make you sound much better.
The iPhone 5 also supports H D voice (see page 56 for details).
The audio quality of the iPhone 5 is really
good, but you are more likely to listen via earphones. The good news is the new
EarPods (shown right) are significantly better than the iPod earphones they
replace. The new look is designed to fit into the ear more comfortably, which
they do, and also provide improved audio quality. They also reproduce more bass
than the models they replace.
Lightning Dock vs 30-in cable
Apple has introduced a new connection
standard called Lightning with the iPhone 5, replacing the 30-pin cable and
dock connection that’s been present on every iPhone for over 10 years.
Lightning
Dock vs 30-in cable
It’s smaller and thinner, and you can slot
it in facing either side up. There’s no tangible speed increase, however, as
it’s still USB 2.0 and not the faster USB 3.0.
There’s no gain for the customer here, in
fact on the contrary, the downside is that all those dozens of legacy iPod,
iPad, and iPhone cables and accessories no longer work unless you buy a pricey
adapter from Apple.
Some have questioned why Apple didn’t go
for a Micro-USB. We’ve heard that the Lightning port offers Apple more
functionality than standard micro USB connectors, including the ability to
directly control accessories from the iPhone 5creen, which is good for
third-party accessory makers. We also understand that Apple wants to earn money
from licensing its system to these accessory makers. But it’s still a pain
having to replace cables and accessories we have accumulated over the years.
