iPhone 5 Photos and Hands on Impressions

After the media event, Apple allowed the attendees to use the new iPhone 5 in a hands on area. Many of the early impressions seem to be focused on how light and thin the new iPhone feels. Despite the decrease in weight, the iPhone 5 appears to be sturdy due to its aluminum design.

sidebyside

Here are a roundup of some of the early impressions:

TechCrunch
- "Build quality is quite nice and the solid aluminum is quite unique and quite solid. Hopefully this will reduce some damage if it falls on a hard surface."

Telegraph.co.uk
- "The biggest change, literally, is the larger screen. Here, I'm thankful that Apple opted not to go wider. Samsung's Galaxy S3 is too big for my taste and I think Apple is right to say that the width of the iPhone is right for the average hand."

thin
Slashgear
- "Gripping it, your thumb is able to navigate the full length of the display without stretching, just as promised, and while it’s undoubtedly a light handset it doesn’t feel delicate."

Engadget
- "Much like the speed increases between the iPhone 4 and 4S (and before that, the iPhone 3G vs. iPhone 3GS), they won't take you by storm right away. But, use it for half an hour and you'll have a hard time going back to a slower chip. The transitions are smoother, switching between apps is a bit quicker and everything just generally feels incrementally faster."

Anandtech
- "The phone feels very thin and light (obviously), and the improvement in performance is very noticeable compared to the 4S."

They shot a nice video showing the speed of the device and features:

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
maxresdefault

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Macworld claims to have access to an ...

Top Rated Comments

Caliber26 Avatar
173 months ago
My heart is yearning for the black one!!!

Despite it being called iPhone 5. :rolleyes:
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Simplicated Avatar
173 months ago
White...once you go white, you're always right.

Once you go black, you can't go back. :D
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dlewis23 Avatar
173 months ago
I don't know which one to get now. White or Black. :confused::confused:
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WeegieMac Avatar
173 months ago
This is what apple should have shown off.

Wow.. just wow!!

Galaxy note 2 - Next month!! Insane!

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DcgZum8M1o

Galaxy Notes are hideously big.

Takes me back to the days when I walked around looking like a complete fud with the N-Gage by my ear.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Taz Mangus Avatar
173 months ago
Thinner, Lighter, Faster. More of the same. iPhone 4SS.

Zzzzzzzzzzz

Let me guess you wanted fatter, heavier and slower ;)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ryth Avatar
173 months ago
My heart is yearning for the black one!!!

Despite it being called iPhone 5. :rolleyes:
Every version I've preferred the black one...except this one. I think the White one is the superior looking one this time around. Reasoning...I think the silver back and sides will show less scratches therefore you can go case-less or even just a small bumper around it.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)