14 DAY TRIAL // Recent analyst reports have showed that mobile phone users prefer to have larger screens on their smartphones, mainly so as to have room for more content to be displayed there.
Cupertino-based Apple doesn’t seem to agree with that, and this is the main reason for which they launched the latest iPhone model with a screen size only a bit bigger than that of its predecessor, at 4 inches.
Of course, we’re talking about a Retina display, which can deliver more pixels than iPhone 4S, and which is actually taller than the previous model, for increased ease of use.
The new handset model, iPhone 5, is powered by an all-new Apple-designed A6 chip that should deliver increased performance capabilities and better power efficiency.
Although the viewing capabilities of iPhone 5 have been greatly improved, the same as its performance levels, the overall size of the device was diminished.
“iPhone 5 is the thinnest smartphone in the world, with an all-new 7.6 mm anodized aluminum body that is 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S,” Apple notes.
“Designed with an unprecedented level of precision, iPhone 5 combines an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges and glass inlays for a truly incredible fit and finish.”
The new design is complemented by support for fast connectivity, courtesy of integrated LTE and DC-HSDPA bands, along with dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi capabilities.
On the back, the iPhone 5 sports an 8-megapixel iSight photo snapper that has a sapphire crystal lens cover and which is capable of shooting impressive panoramas. It can also snap still images while shooting videos.
There is also a new FaceTime HD front-facing camera present on iPhone 5, so that users can make better FaceTime calls, make self-portraits and record 720p HD videos.
With this device, Apple also introduced the all-digital Lightning connector, different than the usual 30-pin port, as well as the new iOS 6 platform, with over 200 new features packed inside.
The new iPhone model will arrive on shelves in white & silver or black & slate, with internal memory capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
In the United States, the iPhone 5 will be released on the networks of AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless starting with September 21st, when it will also arrive in Apple’s retail locations. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK will receive it the very same day.
It should be interesting to see how the new iPhone will manage to size up against competitors at the high end of the market, especially since most of them sport touchscreens larger than 4.5 inches, regardless of whether they are running Android or other mobile OSes.