Apple Unveils Faster, Taller, Thinner iPhone 5

The endless rumors about Apple’s next iPhone bore fruit this morning, with the company finally confirming the iPhone 5.

As expected, the iPhone 5 comes with a larger screen--it’s now 4-inches. It’s also 18% thinner, 20% lighter, and, defying belief, comes with 44% greater color saturation. Ryan is still blown away.

The extra space makes the device 16:9 when turned on its side, and allows for another row of Apps on the home screen. For existing Apps that haven’t (or won’t) be updated to the larger size, the App is centered on the screen, with black bars on each side.

The iPhone 5 sports LTE network technology, which debuted on the iPad earlier this year.

More importantly for games, the device has an A6 chip. Apple claims it's twice as fast as the A5, which is already pretty great. At today’s press conference, Apple claimed this would translate to “console” quality gameplay, whatever that metric means anymore.

Electronic Arts showed off Fire Monkey's Real Racing 3 on the iPhone to demonstrate what the new technology is capable of.

Besides an upgraded iPod Touch for those sporting another phone already, no other announcements--new iTunes, iOS 6 features, revised iPad Nano--had any real impact on games. That'll come if they move to the TV.

Apple said the phone would go on sale on September 21. Pre-orders start on Friday, September 14.

Tomorrow, it’s Nintendo’s turn in the spotlight.

(And the real question is: white or black?)

It's new! ...again.

I'll stick with my 4S, thanks.

I am not that impressed to be honest

I'm going to finally get my first Smart Phone on Sept. 24th, 3 days after this comes out. If this is in stock I'll pick one up, if not I'll just get a 4S.

Yep, it's an iPhone.

Cool...Might be time to pick up an Iphone and retire this old HTC.

I may actually wait for next years model this time around. I've gone thru the 3G, 3GS, 4 and 4S so it's been getting a bit ridiculous to upgrade every year. . . Though, maybe it'd make more sense to get this one, then pass on the minor update when they reveal the 5S instead. I dunno.. . . . . .

my 2 year old windows phone still rocking along........ yay me???

Wait...FORTY-FOUR PERCENT!?!?!?
 
whoa

@cblanknz said:

I am not that impressed to be honest

I am with you with that, it looks like an iPhone-4s that got a makeover, slightly better CPU, the same camera, better sound and a minor screen upgrade - but why no NFC ?! :-S

I haven't had a phone since 2007. This won't change that.

Uhh neither. Phones are at the stage now where new shiny ones don't impress me. My phone has a good screen and is snappy to use. I'll look into a new one in 2013 perhaps. There's no real need for improved power as apps aren't really evolving anymore or demanding such power, what runs on one phone will run on any other, with the exception of certain games which I do not care about. I do like getting shiny new phones but it's getting ridiculous now, upgrading all the time is draining my wallet for no good reason.

and iPhone/iPad/Android gaming is still pretty lame to me. Yet to find a game that can keep my attention longer than 10 minutes on a touch device...yet I still end up buying a lot. Damn it.

Edit: Indeed that is one iPhone ass-iPhone.

wait, but i just got a 4s like half a year ago.

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

Well, looks like I'll be picking this up for sure.

I'll get one next year when my contract ends.

this already has more comments than tested.com

I'll be upgrading. Its been 2 years for me.

was waiting for the specs.. i'll get me a galaxy s3, will be a great upgrade to my x10 pro

Most boring iphone yet. I think the Steve Jobs roadmap may be coming to an end , and with it innovation.

My dad has been in the market for his first smartphone so I think I may get this and give him my 4S. I've been using the 16 gb 4s and since he has a iPod classic for music I think he'll be fine.

@Master_Funk said:

Most boring iphone yet. I think the Steve Jobs roadmap may be coming to an end , and with it innovation.

Eh, the most boring iPhones are easily the 3GS and 4S. At least this changes the design, albeit slightly.

I don't think there's much room for innovation right now, not until touch feedback evolves. All we're doing is getting better screens and thinner phones, it's boring.

edit: Also getting better hardware specs too, but who gives a shit? The phones are fast enough for everything we use them for, aside from fancier looking games.

I'm alternating generations so I'm due for this one. Looks good. At this point I just want snappy and reliable over whiz-bang.

One could argue that Apple is in the process of drinking Sony and Nintendo's milkshake when it comes to the handheld gaming space. Sony and Nintendo need to take note of two things:

1. Apple is comfortable with iterating hardware without requiring massive re-purchases of old apps and software.
2. Apple has a much lower bar for developers to get software onto their devices.

Videogames?

@derFeef said:

Videogames?

Nope, video games. Two words.

More like the iShit amirite?

@Sooty said:

@Master_Funk said:

Most boring iphone yet. I think the Steve Jobs roadmap may be coming to an end , and with it innovation.

Eh, the most boring iPhones are easily the 3GS and 4S. At least this changes the design, albeit slightly.

I don't think there's much room for innovation right now, not until touch feedback evolves. All we're doing is getting better screens and thinner phones, it's boring.

edit: Also getting better hardware specs too, but who gives a shit? The phones are fast enough for everything we use them for, aside from fancier looking games.

throughly agreed,

@mnzy said:

Yep, it's an iPhone.

Yes, that looks like an iPhone. There are also other phones out there which GB usually does not bother writing about.

Meh. I've avoided Apple products so far and this new phone doesn't really do anything to draw me in.

In the meantime, I'm keeping an eye on that Nokia 920.

The devils greatest trick was convincing the world that they need an iphone. After all wasn't it the consuming of an apple in the garden of eden that resulted in adam and eve being kicked out. Still though... gotta love that colour saturation

Nothing special, specs are pretty much standard comparing it to a broad range of smartphones, some others even make it outdated. But it's an Apple, people will buy it.

Nokia 920 here I come.

I love my iPhone 4, the 5 is basically the same phone but faster, lighter and a bigger screen. What's not to love?

@thefriend said:

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

But what if I despise everything about Android?

@derFeef said:

Videogames?

Right!? The best part is the single sentence mentioning EA in an attempt to make the story seem relevant on a gaming website.

Im getting one. My 3Gs has seen better days.

I understand that they can wow people every year but the 4S was already disappointing and this is just so meh.

Also I get the slight connection to videogames but I think this news has nothing to do in a gaming website.

@PlasmaBeam44 said:

@thefriend said:

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

But what if I despise everything about Android?

Buy a windows phone.

@PlasmaBeam44 said:

@thefriend said:

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

But what if I despise everything about Android?

why do we have to love one and despise another. there all fucking great bits of kit.

Wow for such a big release this is fucking lame. Apple died with Steve jobs.

@crusader8463 said:

@PlasmaBeam44 said:

@thefriend said:

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

But what if I despise everything about Android?

Buy a windows phone.

But what if you want to use more than 2 apps and have music on your phone that doesn't involve using software so bad it makes you suicidal?

No Fart Cat! plug?

Not impressed, this is the same phone they released two years ago. Only a bigger and faster. Maybe the phone market is stagnating?

I'm just waiting for a nice WP8 phone on Sprint.

no thanks i'll stick with androids which had all of that already.

Videogames, amirite.

I need a new phone but dont have an upgrade so i might just get the 4s instead of the 5. nothing too impressive i dont think. dont really need a bigger screen. Am I crazy?

@Extreme_Popcorn said:

@crusader8463 said:

@PlasmaBeam44 said:

@thefriend said:

>2012

>Still buying Apple products

What areyouahipster.exe?

Seriously, with the android out, why would anyone still get an iPhone? Maybe provider is an excuse, but I doubt it. L2Phone people.

But what if I despise everything about Android?

Buy a windows phone.

But what if you want to use more than 2 apps and have music on your phone that doesn't involve using software so bad it makes you suicidal?

You probably shouldn't be using iTunes then