NEW iPHONE 5

First review: New iPhone 5

Out Friday ... the new iPhone 5

FOR once, the rumour mill was right when it came to the iPhone 5 — it is thinner, faster and with a bigger screen.

But the lack of a headline-grabbing surprise did not stop two million preorders in the first 24 hours — double the sales of the 4S.

The Sun was given a device early last week to play with and I can today give my verdict on the best bits of the new iPhone 5 — and some of the new iOS features which will run on it and be free to upgrade across most older iPhone, iPad and iTouch ranges.

The weight

This is the first big surprise. As soon as you pick it up it’s amazing how light it is.

We were told it was 20 per cent lighter but you don’t truly appreciate that until you get one in your hand.

It tips the scales at a tiny 112 grams and certainly sits better in your pocket for that.

New App ... Passbook

The look

You can’t help but notice how much cooler it looks, particularly in black this time around. The glass and aluminium chassis looks smarter than ever and certainly impressed up close.

It wouldn’t normally matter much to users who stick their phone straight in a case but it’s said the new design will reduce breakage levels by 50 per cent so maybe you won’t need one. Needless to say, I didn't try to smash it.

The screen

If you’re an iPhone veteran, it will take a few hours to get used to the stretched screen for viewing your usual pages, but it doesn’t take long and you’ll soon be hooked. It fits into your hand in much the same way as before.

Six lines of Apps is a nice but hardly groundbreaking switch, but viewing websites with the larger face is certainly an improvement.

But of course, films and games are where this one gets the benefit. The 16:9 screen means less squinting when you’re watching movies or clips on the web. And the A6 chip definitely improves the running of both.

The speed

We all know 4G is around the corner and it will make a huge difference, as it will for all handsets which are capable of running it.

At the moment we can only imagine how good it's going to be - but even without it, it's still quicker. Apple say it's up to three times faster thanks to carriers supporting the DC-HSPA standard and you can feel it.

Wireless also works quicker, but obviously it depends what your connection is at home or work.

Quicker camera

The main camera is smaller and noticeably faster to open plus they’ve improved the front facing lens to a 720p version. Hit the button and the App pops straight to shoot.

Again, it’s improving on an already quick-as-a-flash camera but users going from a 4 to a 5 will really feel the difference.

Facebook integration ... you can now 'Like' images

Battery life

Full marks to Apple, they’ve crunched everything down in size, amped up the power but made sure you aren’t left dashing for your charger every couple or hours. Apple say you’ll get “8 hours of browsing on a mobile data connection, up to 8 hours of talk time and up to ten hours of video playback time".

I worked it pretty solidly while taking it for a spin and definitely felt an improvement.

iOS 6

Right, there are 200-odd updates to the new operating system which will work instantly out-of-the-box on the iPhone 5 and as a free upgrade for everyone else from today.

We knew about most of them but seeing them work, along with the bigger screen, has been an eye-opener.

Highlights for me include being able to share Photo Streams for the first time, so you just click on pictures from your albums you want to share, then email an invite to just that selection.

It's very timely being introduced alongside the new Facebook integration of iOS 6 which lets you “Like” and comment on photos. Apple have mixed in Facebook as they did with Twitter through iOS5, keeping you always just a click away from your social networks.

Sharing snaps ... users click on pics then share them with friends

The new Flyover feature in the new Maps is another which people will want to try out and then show their friends - on top of the Panorama App which stitches together wide shots in a similar way the popular free App Photosynth did.

The Apple version works better, though - with much less double jagged edges to your shots or odd bits of stitching.

Meanwhile, Flyover in Maps lets you look down on 3D images of cities like London, giving you a virtual helicopter tour of a city with a pinch of your fingers. It’s superb and a great improvement on Google's Maps which has been given the elbow along with a pre-installed YouTube.

Passbook will also catch the eye, although perhaps not as much as it would have if Apple had included NFC (Near Field Technology) in the iPhone 5 to allow contactless payments via the handset.

Either way, the potential of the App seems endless, as stores will be able to target coupons and discounts at shoppers as they pick up on their phone entering their particular store. Right now it's best for airport boarding passes.

Safari browsing has also been improved, dealing with incoming calls gives you great options like 'remind me later' instead of simply hanging up and FaceTime now works over 3G.

The verdict

Apple devotees will no doubt feel the improvements are enough to justify an upgrade while critics will moan the new iPhone 5 doesn’t move the game on enough.

Apple have given users incremental improvements across the board, but the main attraction will be the 4G network which will kick in later this year from EE.

Once more people are viewing movies and TV on the go the bigger screen will be a bigger deal.