What’s not to like about this new hypersonic iPhone 5S? When you look at it across the room, you won’t see any difference between the 5S and the 5 (its predecessor). But when you start using it, you will see a difference and you will be amazed. Powerful and fast is the name of the game in this iPhone 5S product review.
Yes, everything is where it was on older models, but that makes for a nearly non-existent learning curve. No-contract cell phone company Aio Wireless provided a loaner phone for me, so a special thanks to their team.
Even with the new iOS7, you will be able to navigate on a system very similar to your old phone. You will, however, notice that you have many new wallpapers, fonts, colors, graphics, icons, etc. to use. There is also a new Control Center that will help adjust your settings and get you where you need to go quickly without toggling through several different settings menus.
All in all, it doesn’t change the way you use the core apps for business.
Some Technical Specs for the iPhone 5S
The iPhone 5S is the first smartphone to incorporate 64-bit architecture with the new iOS7 designed to accompany it, of course. The A7 processor is coupled with an M7 co-processor to make it super-fast. The A7 is reportedly two times faster than the A6. It is so fast that Apple says it offers you the equivalent of a processor found on gaming computers.
These two processors allow the 5S to push major functions, the background grunt work to the M7 chip. This leaves the A7 processor free for anything you need it to do from taking pictures to running one of the new apps that come with the phone.
What I Really Like:
The Fingerprint Scanner
Most intriguing is the fingerprint scanner. The phone can learn up to five thumbprints or fingerprints in minutes. It takes multiple scans of the selected finger at different angles. The scanner is incorporated directly into the power button, but you still have slide-to-unlock and password features.
The password is a backup in case the scanner can’t read your print, the phone has been rebooted, or it has remained inactive for 48 hours or more. The fingerprint scanner also allows you to purchase iStore items without typing in your password.
The Camera
Another improvement over the iPhone 5 is the camera. Both the iSight rear camera and the FaceTime HD front-facing camera now take better pictures in low light than what they used to be able to do.
When it comes to movies, the FaceTime camera has a cool new feature. In addition to producing video at 120 fps (frames per second), but also you can record your film and choose which parts of it you want to have in slow motion. Mission critical – no – but fun.
Battery Life
Here’s the major improvement for business users – battery life. The iPhone 5S does a terrific job of conserving battery power. Not only do the dual processors help reduce the load on the battery, but the battery itself has increased in capacity by an estimated 10%.
What I’d Like to See:
It is hard to find the negatives with this phone. Stylistically, there are only three metallic colors to choose from which are supposedly more scratch resistant. The slow-motion footage will only stay that way if you directly upload it to YouTube, but disappears if you route it through your computer. And, the Control Center isn’t customizable.
The iPhone 5S (and 5C) have been out for a couple of months now, but I decided to wait before testing it out. If you are already an Apple fan, then you were sold when it launched. But if you’ve been on the fence of iPhone vs. Android, the iPhone 5S is a powerful phone and device. The screen is smaller than many Android-based phones, but the app store and the iOS ecosystem more than make up for it.
There are still many great applications that are iOS only. iPhones are elegant, rock solid and you rarely, if ever, hear horror stories with Apple customer service. If you have not walked into an Apple Store, you are missing out on what retail can be – when done right.
Are you using this powerful new phone in your business?
Images: Apple
I still have the 5 and decided not to upgrade to the 5S yet. There are some nice new features, but not enough to blow me away. I really feel Apple is slowing down and getting beat to the latest technology trends by others, especially Android/Samsung. I really hope the iPhone 6 (or 5SII, lol) will make a giant leap for mobile devices, not just make the screen a little bigger, a little brighter, etc.