As what we normally do, we buy most of the highly-anticipated gadgets so we can give you a more in-depth coverage and help you decide along the way. That includes the iPhone 5 which we got for an outrageous sum of money. Check out our unboxing and first impressions after the break.
We’ve been very eager to unbox this phone since yesterday morning but since I was still on a summit in Cebu, this just has to wait. The unit came from Singapore and hand-carried to Manila right after its release in Singapore last September 21.
Photo of the iPhone 5 box right beside the older iPhone 4S. Same material, just a bit taller/longer than the old one.
We got the white model with silver backplate at the back. The unit feels lighter on the hands despite its larger size (I kind of miss that bit of heft from the old iPhones).
The EarPods now comes in a small plastic box of its own which gives it a more premium look compared to the old earphones that come with the iPhone (as if the earpods were bought separately actually).
We can also (slightly) feel that the iPhone 5 is slimmer, the controls are buttons are in their usual places. The nano-SIM cradle on the right side is much smaller. The speaker grills at the bottom are much more prominent and the proprietary cable and data port reminds me of the ones in the Macbook Air, only smaller.
We managed to cut a microSIM to fit the nano SIM cradle on the iPhone 5 and we also had to download iTunes 10.7 in order to activate the phone (we will update once all that has been done).
From afar, the iPhone 5 doesn’t seem to be any different from the older iPhones (4/4s) but once you’ve held it in your hands, you will definitely notice the oddly taller (or elongated) size of the phone. I feel it’s a bit out of proportion.
More photos and video to come once we break in the iPhone 5 along the way. We felt a bit underwhelmed after the unboxing, not sure if there’s something we’re missing here.
Apple iPhone 5 specs:
4.0-inch IPS LCD display @ 640×1136 pixels, 326ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass
Apple A6 1.2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX543MP3 (triple-core)
16GB, 32GB, 64GB internal storage
1GB RAM
DC-HSDPA 42Mbps, LTE 100Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.0
8MP autofocus camera, LED flash
180p video recording
1.2MP front-facing camera, 720p @ 30fps
GPS w/ aGPS support, GLONASS
iOS 6
You can also read our full overview of iOS 6 here.
We reported earlier that the iPhone 5 will probably be released by Smart and Globe some time in November. This gives the grey market sellers ample time to offer the phone at a much higher price. Initial reports on the ground saw prices of the 16GB iPhone 5 shooting up to Php50,000 a pop.
lol kung 50k lang naman bili na lang ako ng bagong laptop. pinahaba lang naman ang iphone5 at pinanipis. Meron namang S3 jan
I thought you couldn’t use your old microsim on an iPhone 5? The metal contact would be too big.
Wish you could’ve gotten the black one as the white version do anything to differentiate itself from the 4s in the photos IMHO
*doesn’t do anything is what I meant
May hardware issue na agad, Iphone 5 users complaining about alluminum chipping.
http://www.gsmarena.com/certain_black_iphone_5_reportedly_come_with_dents_out_of_the_box-news-4844.php
Ipaint available now at $3.99..
very disappointing specially to people who shed a lot of money for this, I thought iphones has the best build quality materials. :(
BB user ako pero parang S3 pa rin ang pinaka the best sa kanila…
nothing brilliant about it.. i won’t be updating to this one.. will wait for Galaxy S4 on February! ^_^
My 4S is still capable, will be skipping this one. But will be getting one for my wife who’s still sporting a 3GS with a damaged home button
Boring. I’d be much excited if this was the S3 or Lumia 920.
yuga pls do a scratch test haha. based on your impression, do u feel it will get scratches if not using a case? kasi sayang naman if one gets to spend fifty thousand pesos but no one would notice it kasi nga lalagyan ng case haha
@Abe
I’m eager to know how then LTE fares in globe and smart. Please post it too. :-)
Wahh luma na agad iphone 4s ko :( , less than 2 years pa contract ko
You should’ve waited for the iPhone 5.
Yan ang advantage pag bumili ka ng unlocked, kesa umaasa ka sa free phone ng postpaid. Ugh.
50,000 pesos for 16 GB? ahahaha…ahahaha…ahahaha…then awkwardly silent
Would love to see a black unit and see how it compares with the white one. Read a few not so good reviews with the anodized aluminum of the black & slate model as the coating somehow rubs off…
at 50,000?! no deal!!
i better wait for nokia lumia 920!! that really gives me what i want even though i like apple’s iDevices! i’ll just get myself an iPod touch! only at 16k and its already 32GB and im pretty sure there’s a version with 3G/4G connectivity!
coz this pricetag is crazy!!!
If you put 3g/4g connectivity on an iPod Touch, that would make it an iPhone, right? That would be quite absurd.
I’m pretty sure 3G/4G on an iPod Touch would make the device as confused as you obviously are.
^ agree. I don’t know if that includes the excessive use of exclamation points. Sorry I just noticed. ;)
@boo1987
well the 3G/4G connectivity for the iPod will make it like an iPad…so its not really a bid deal! only data, but no phone function!
@RaGe
hahha!! i just love adding more !!!! and …. :)
Yawn is right…
Another way to rob consumers. haha. :)
Thats why the box is longer because of the bulky earpods case.
I’m already contented with my iphone 4s. If apple would only make it easier to put media files on your phone much like android were you dont have to use itunes well that would be a different story.
Still waiting mode
Yawn