This week saw the launch of Apple’s latest smartphone to the world – the iPhone 5s. Going with tradition each autumn Apple unveiled its new smartphone device with much fanfare and excitement, but is this the new handset the discerning gent will be looking at as his next object of desire? Elysium Magazine takes a closer look at the shiny new gadget.
What’s New?
Perhaps the most radical change of the iPhone 5s over predecessors is the new fingerprint sensor called TouchID that replaces the home button. Simply place your discerning digit over the sensor to be scanned to access the phone. It’s welcomed tightening up in the security stakes seeing that many users never utilised the password feature previously. Now your iPhone is truly bespoke to you.
Snappy Snaps
The camera of the iPhone 5 was good but the one on iPhone 5s is much better. A new flash system which Apple calls a True Tone LED flash will calculate thousands of unique combinations using its white and amber LEDs for better looking photos using its 8 megepixel camera. That blue steel selfie of yours will look even better.
Under the Hood
Powering the new iPhone 5s will be the A7 processor, an upgrade from the iPhone 5’s A6. It’s a 64bit chip to take advantage of the new operating system it will run. It’s said to be 40x faster than the original iPhone. It’s paired with an MM7 Motion Coreprocessor to handle the accelerometer, compass and gyroscope duties and smart enough to tell the difference between when you’re driving, running or walking – reducing the need of multiple apps draining the battery.
The iPhone 5s will come with the new iOS 7 software that’s another major change in shape and form from Apple. It’s more intuitive, colourful and comes with additional free apps like iWork, iMovie, iPhoto and iTunes Radio – a free radio streaming service akin to Spotify.
Stick or Twist?
The arrival of the iPhone 5s was well needed for Apple who has seen its market leading position and share lost to rival Samsung this year. The new handset does offer improvements but only incremental changes rather than anything hugely revolutionary. The iPhone 5s is worth picking up for any discerning gent with anything older than the 4S. With the new iOS 7 upgrade available from the 18th September this refresh is more than adequate except for the keen early adopter.
The iPhone 5s will be available in three colours: gold, silver or space grey, whilst Apple has already confirmed pricing in the UK too: £549 (16GB), £629 (32GB) and £709 (64GB). It’s on sale in the UK from 20th September.
Apple also unveiled the iPhone 5c – a cheaper mostly plastic version that comes in an array of candy colours. The discerning gent is well advised to leave this model to the teeny boppers.