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Apple iPhone 5 (Verizon Wireless) Review

editors choice horizontal
4.5
Outstanding
By Sascha Segan
September 22, 2012

The Bottom Line

With a sublime, but familiar design inside and out, a speedy new processor, fast LTE, and the best apps in the business, the new iPhone is like the old iPhone, just much better.

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Pros

  • Elegantly built.
  • Incredibly light.
  • Bigger, better screen.
  • Fast, fast, fast.
  • Awesome content ecosystem.

Cons

  • No simultaneous talk and data connection.
  • New Maps app needs a lot of work.
  • Many third-party apps are not designed for the new screen yet.

best of the Year 2012 43x85 The iPhone 5 ($199/16GB, $299/32GB, $399/64GB with contract; $649-$849 without contract) is the best iPhone ever. It takes the iPhone's traditional advantages, like the well-designed consistent hardware and interface, amazing apps, and robust retail support, and literally extends them. If you have an older iPhone and you've been wondering, "should I upgrade?," the answer is a clear yes. Everything is better here. Better body, better screen, better camera, better mind. Compared with the iPhone 4S , it's faster, less frustrating, and less fragile. And with even-older iPhones, there's no comparison.

In this review, we're focusing on the Verizon Wireless iPhone 5 (64GB)( at Amazon). We'll test the other carrier's models as we get them. For a perspective on potential differences and what the other carriers have to offer, see, "Which iPhone 5 Carrier Should You Choose?"

If you're a Verizon customer who's smartphone shopping with an open mind, I can confidently say, the iPhone 5 is a very good phone, but it's not always the best phone. The Samsung Galaxy S III and the Motorola Razr M, our other top choices on Verizon, make better in-car GPS units, for instance. I'll get to that decision at the end, but it isn't all clear-cut.

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And if you just want bragging rights, well, this isn't Highlander. There can be more than one.

Physical Features
The iPhone 5 ditches the glass-sandwich design that Apple has used for two years in exchange for a lighter, slimmer quasi-unibody form. At 4.9 by 2.3 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and 4 ounces, it's notably lighter than the last iPhone and one of the slimmest phones on the market, rivaled by the T-Mobile HTC One S. The front panel is still mostly screen: a 4-inch, 1,136-by-640 (326 ppi) display as opposed to the old 3.5-inch, 960-by-640 (326 ppi) panel. That makes the whole phone longer, but no wider. As a result, it's very easy for people with small hands and short thumbs to touch every part of the screen without stretching.

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I found the new screen to be most important when playing games. Sure, it allows more room for everything—more Facebook updates, more Web page text, more calendar entries. But it really shines for games, where I've felt previous iPhones to be almost unbearably cramped and squinty. You're going to be staring at your smartphone's screen a lot; another 20 percent or so of information, with no additional hand fatigue, should be a no-brainer.

The headphone jack has moved down to the bottom of the phone, which is a slight disappointment. It means when you pull your phone out of your pocket by following the headphone cable, it'll always be upside down. Also on the bottom panel are the fairly loud speaker and the controversial Lightning connector.

The pitch of iPhone owners whining about the new Lightning port has become deafening, mostly because of Apple's blockheaded decision to charge $30 for its Lightning-to-30-pin adapter. While Lightning continues Apple's irritating policy of using non-standard connectors so it can profit from licensing, the 30-pin dock connector was nearly a decade old. It was time to go.

The sides and back of the new iPhone are considerably more handsome than they used to be. The matte black, beveled edge of the black iPhone we tested blends smoothly into the black anodized aluminum back; relatively subtle glass panels at the top and bottom of the phone cover the invisible antennas. There's also a snazzy white/silver version. Compared with this nearly unibody design, the 4S looks clunky. The new iPhone looks more durable, too, without that big pane of glass on the back to crack. 

Other buttons and controls are where they usually are. The iPhone's raised, separated volume controls have always been a nice feature, as they're very easy to locate blindly.

RF Reception and Phone Calls
Dispel all memories of the "death grip." RF reception here was excellent in my tests, and the iPhone 5 managed to nail two calls in a weak-signal area where the Galaxy S III couldn't connect. With antennas behind glass panels at the top and bottom of the phone, it's nearly impossible to cover both of them with your hand.

The iPhone 5 isn't the world's best voice phone, but it's good enough. The earpiece is loud enough for most situations, and the sidetone adapts to background noise so you don't end up yelling. Voice quality in quiet areas is well-defined. The noise cancellation isn't nearly as good as the Audience-powered noise canceling in the Galaxy S III—some background noise leaks through, which can create problems for automated response systems, and the iPhone 5 will clip your voice a bit when it's trying to dampen heavy noise. But my voice was clear and audible over the background noise in test calls. The speakerphone is of thoroughly average volume. Just as with the mouthpiece, it does a decent, but not perfect job, of lowering background noise.

My Jawbone Era Bluetooth headset worked just fine with Siri once I figured out the rhythm; you have to wait a few seconds after pressing the voice dialing button, and then wait for the beep before issuing your command. Music, video, and game audio had no trouble making it over Bluetooth in sync, so this phone should work fine with your Bluetooth headsets and speakers.

The Verizon iPhone 5 works on a wide range of networks: according to Apple, it supports CDMA EV-DO Rev A and Rev. B (800/1900/2100MHz), UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100MHz), GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and LTE (Bands 1/3/5/13/25). That's more networks than I've ever seen on a single phone. By default it will roam globally on the fastest 3G networks it can find. Verizon unlocks the SIM card slots after 60 days if your account is in good standing, so you can pop in a foreign SIM card. That is, if you can find the so-far-obscure Nano-SIM format. Nobody else uses it yet, but since Apple's a behemoth, I'm sure it will catch on.

One thing you can't do is move a Verizon iPhone to Sprint or AT&T's LTE network. (It might work with T-Mobile, though.) Sprint has (and uses) the ability to reject other carriers' phones on its CDMA network, and this model lacks AT&T's LTE bands.

3G talk time was even better than Apple promised, at nine hours, 44 minutes. That's not quite as long as the Galaxy S III's 10 hours, 43 minutes, but it's still impressive.

Wi-Fi, LTE, A6, iOS 6, Apps


Wi-Fi and LTE
Stepping up to 4G LTE from a 3G phone is like upgrading from a bicycle to a Porsche. You used to be able to get places, sure, but now you can really get places. Android phone owners have known about this for years, but iPhone owners are finally welcome to the party.

Tested on Verizon's LTE network against the Samsung Galaxy S III, the iPhone 5 held its own but didn't distinguish itself. It got 7.4Mbps down on average, where the GS3 pulled 9.4Mbps down in the same location at the same time. They're both fast. The comparison most iPhone owners will be looking for, is against the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 transfers data seven or eight times as fast.

That translates into much speedier Web page loads, among other things. I loaded four popular Web sites on both an iPhone 5 and a Verizon 4S. The iPhone 5 completed the four page loads in 31 seconds. The 4S took two minutes, seven seconds.

Verizon's LTE network is the broadest in the land right now, covering more than 370 cities. It's also the oldest and most heavily used so far, which is a good thing in this case; it means Verizon is likely prepared to handle the load that's going to come with millions of iPhone users. The carrier did fine with the earlier iPhones on its 3G network, handling the traffic much better than Sprint did; it just has an inherently slow 3G system. (For more network speed comparisons, see our Fastest Mobile Networks feature.)

The new iPhone also juiced up its Wi-Fi connection, a lot. The major boost comes if you have a 5GHz network, which runs on a less crowded band than the older 2.4GHz band. (If you have a recent router, it supports 5GHz. If not, go get one; the Linksys E3200  is cheap and well-rated. I also like the Linksys E4200 .)

The difference is striking. On our crowded 2.4GHz PCMag Lab network, the iPhone 5 pulled 9.4Mbps down as compared with the 4S's 4.8Mbps and the Galaxy S III's 4.1Mbps. Not bad, but check out the 5GHz results: The iPhone 5 got 23.1Mbps down and the Galaxy S III got 27.9Mbps. That means if you're syncing your music via Wi-Fi before a run, you'll be out of the house in less than half the time on 5GHz.

AirPlay is another way that 5GHz comes in handy. Right now, there's no video port or cable for this phone. (Apple says video-out cables are coming soon.) If you want to watch videos on a big screen, you have to use AirPlay with an Apple TV ($69.00 at Groupon), or feed video to your computer with an app like the $14.99 AirServer program for Macs and Windows PCs. AirPlay is dependent on your Wi-Fi speeds. I was able to watch HD video without a problem on a fast 5GHz network, but an HD video paused repeatedly on a 2.4GHz network. If you intend to use AirPlay, this is the only iPhone for you.

Like most recent smartphones, the iPhone 5 functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot with the right service plan. Verizon doesn't offer any unlimited plans, though, so hotspot use could become a costly endeavor.

A6 Processor, iOS 6, and Apps
Apple's new A6 processor is a wonder. It isn't an ARM or a Qualcomm design like most other mobile CPUs; it's an ARM-compatible chip designed entirely by Apple. According to our benchmarks, it's also an absolute screamer. We tested the iPhone 5 against every iPhone ever, along with the Galaxy S III and the Motorola RAZR M. It's safely twice as fast as the iPhone 4S, and a bit faster than the Android leaders. (For more, see our full benchmarks story.)

Just like with LTE, that means no waiting. It also potentially means even better games. The big, heavy, gorgeous Unreal-engine-powered game Lili ($4.99) runs very smoothly on the iPhone 5 using the full width of the screen, for example. 

Speaking of apps, the top reason to buy an iPhone, by far, is the spectacular array of titles in Apple's well-ordered App Store. Coming from Android, I'm still surprised at how many more apps well-known developers pump out for iOS. Focusing on games, an iOS strength, Gameloft has 161 apps for iPhones as compared with 48 for Android; EA has 106 iPhone apps, with only 27 Android apps, and Glu Mobile has 70 iPhone apps and 40 Android apps. Many big-name titles come out for iOS first. With an iPhone, when it comes to apps, you're a first-class citizen.

But you're not quite one yet with an iPhone 5. I installed 94 existing iOS apps on my test phone. At test time, only 27 of them used the full four-inch screen; the other 67 appeared in iPhone 4 format, with black bars above and below them. The bars blended into the black front of the phone so neatly that it just looked like the phone had a smaller screen, but still, you're buying this phone for the bigger screen.

The latest version of iOS takes two steps forward and one step back. Overall, we've rated it highly; for more, read our full review of iOS 6.

I want to call out one major flaw, though, because it seriously impacts the phone's use as a GPS. Apple's new Maps app is much less useful than the Google Maps it replaced. For pedestrians, it lacks Street View and transit directions. For drivers, its mapping quirks have become a meme. Yes, it's better than Google Maps was five years ago, but it isn't five years ago right now. If you're going to use this phone as an in-car GPS, invest in a good navigation program, preferably one like CoPilot Live ($14.99) or Navigon ($39.99) which has offline maps. (For more options, see our list of 10 navigation apps for the iPhone 5.)

The reason you need offline maps is another little downer: Unlike Verizon's other leading 4G phones, the iPhone 5 won't let you transmit data while receiving calls. When you get a call, your data session is paused until you hang up. You can actually watch the network icon flip from LTE to 2G when you're on your call. While this was how Verizon phones worked before LTE, it's a step backward for a Verizon 4G phone.

Cameras, Multimedia, Conclusions


Cameras and Multimedia
Apple phones have sported excellent cameras since the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 5's main camera is very, very close in quality to the 4S's. I found it hard to tell the photos apart sometimes. That's fine; they both take sharp 8-megapixel photos with no apparent shutter delay, and capture swell 1080p video at 29 frames per second indoors and out. Low light performance is a touch better here than on the 4S, with less noise. Both cameras are somewhat better than the Galaxy S III's, which has slightly lower visual resolution and worse low-light and close-up performance. And the iPhone 5 now integrates a panorama mode for easy 360-degree shots.

The bigger change in the iPhone 5 is the front camera, which has been bumped up from a rather pathetic 640-by-480 to a more respectable 1,280-by-960. It lacks the wide-angle aspect of the upcoming HTC 8X, but it now takes adequate, if noisy, self-shots even in low light, and records smooth 720p video at 24 frames per second.

For music and video playback, you're snuggled under the warm and occasionally suffocating blanket of Apple's ecosystem. Yes, you must sync with iTunes, and you'll probably end up buying all of your media from Apple; it's the default, and it's a well-priced and well-stocked store. The iPhone 5 comes with Apple's new EarPod earbuds, which aren't as good as headphones you'd pay for, but are the best free earbuds you'll ever get. I was a bit disappointed to find that my headphone jack created static when I turned the plug in the jack, though.

Conclusions
There's been a lot of ink spilled over the idea that the iPhone 5 somehow isn't "revolutionary" or "radical." It isn't. It's familiar, but better. That familiarity is one of the iPhone's strengths, not a weakness.

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S III has a bigger screen, and the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx  has a better battery. The iPhone's poorly kept secret is that the hardware is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a fine phone, a competitive phone. But it's also Genius Bars and the App Store, Siri and iTunes music exclusives, and lots of great games.

iPhone buyers are getting a phone whose interface doesn't vary from unit to unit, making it easier to share tips, tricks, and experiences between iPhone owners, creating a sense of cameraderie and making everything easier.

Android users (like myself) like to brag about how the platform has more options: more ways to set up your home screen, more app stores, more form factors. But part of the charm of the iPhone is that fewer options can be much easier if the option offered is a good one. And, yes, the option is very good.

Would I want the iPhone to be the world's only phone? Don't be ridiculous. It's right for many people, but not for everyone. The iPhone is better for having competition, and the competition is better for having the iPhone.

Last year, I withheld the Editors' Choice award from the Verizon Wireless iPhone 4S because without LTE, it was fatally stuck in the slow lane. This year's iPhone keeps pace with the competition, suffering a blow here, landing a punch there. Compared with the Galaxy S III it connects calls better, but doesn't cancel noise as well. It has a better selection of games, but maps that need serious work. It's built of better materials, but you can't bring an extra battery. The screen is designed for different hands. No matter how you slice it, both are top-notch phones for different people, so they both earn our Editors' Choice for top smartphones on Verizon.

More Cell Phone Reviews:

Apple iPhone 5 (Verizon Wireless)
4.5
Editors' Choice
Pros
  • Elegantly built.
  • Incredibly light.
  • Bigger, better screen.
  • Fast, fast, fast.
  • Awesome content ecosystem.
View More
Cons
  • No simultaneous talk and data connection.
  • New Maps app needs a lot of work.
  • Many third-party apps are not designed for the new screen yet.
The Bottom Line

With a sublime, but familiar design inside and out, a speedy new processor, fast LTE, and the best apps in the business, the new iPhone is like the old iPhone, just much better.

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About Sascha Segan

Lead Analyst, Mobile

I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I've reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also write a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsess about phones and networks.

Read Sascha's full bio

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Apple iPhone 5 (Verizon Wireless) at Amazon
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