Hello iPhone 5

It has been more than 2 years since I got my iPhone 4.  And now I am so excited to finally got an upgrade of the 2-year-old phone.

I still think Apple designs the best electronic packaging. It is minimalistic and really highlights the product.

As soon as you open the box, all you see is the iPhone 5.  And it looks like it floats on the box.

The accessories are secondary, but they are also nicely presented once you have taken the phone out.  I really like the fact that the new EarPods now have their own box also.

A totally black phone is a nice change.  It looks more suitable for business.  Of course you can buy the white/aluminum version as well. The white one has the attractive shinny chamfer around the phone, whereas the black one hides a bit of the chamfer by the colour.

Here are some shots comparing the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5.  When they are side by side, you can totally tell how much thinner the iPhone 5 has become.

It is as if the front and back glass of the iPhone 4 have disappeared to make room for the new thinner design.

The taller form factor is also a nice welcome change.  It makes the iPhone 5 looks slimmer.

It is a bit of surprise to see the home button logo of the iPhone 5 is darker than that on the iPhone 4.  Maybe they don’t want to draw much attention to it?

Here are 3 generations of iPhone side by side.  The iPhone 3GS (far right) is my travel phone because it is unlocked.  But it is gradually becoming too slow.  I guess I will have to find an alternative soon :)  And you can tell over the years how the iPhones have become thinner and thinner.

In terms of screen size, the iPhone 5 has a 4″ retina display, the iPhone 4 has a 3.5″ retina display, the iPhone 3GS has a 3.5″ regular display.

Between me and my wife, we pretty much own every generation of iPhones.

The iPhone 5 is my first gadget that has the lightning connector.  It is surprisingly pleasant to use.  Being a reversible connector has added so much more convenience.  Thank you Apple :)

Other than the look and feel, the iPhone 5 is a big step up from the iPhone 4 in performance. The iPhone 4 was starting to show it’s age using iOS 6.  Certain tasks were getting slow to perform. And some apps take longer to launch.  With the new iPhone 5, the wait time has been dramatically reduced.  It is funny how a little waiting here and a little waiting there actually adds to the frustration level of using a device.

I have been using the iPhone 5 for less than a week.  I will post photos taken using the iPhone 5 soon.