I've had a range of iPhones and the iPhone 5 is just great. Yes it maybe just a spec bump with minimal new designs but instead of thinking of the iPhone 5 and a new iPhone, think of it as a polished iPhone 4/4s. In terms of looks, specs and just about everything else the iPhone 5 is miles ahead of the rest of the iPhone family.

Typical Good Looks

The iPhone 5 looks very similar to the iPhone 4/4s apart from the size. The phone is taller to accomodate the bigger screen. But not that much taller becasue the top and bottom bands have been made smaller so it does not feel that much bigger. The thickness of the iPhone 5 is amazing as is the weight. It is really slim and light. It makes the already light iPhone 4 seem heavy and fat in comparison. The new metal finish on the back reminds me of the original iPhone. It is really sleek and nice to touch but a tad slippery. easily solved by adding a case but it should get better over time as it starts to ware.

Bigger and Better Screen

The new bigger 4 inch screen retains the Retina display and the quality of the screen feels so much better over the iPhone 4. The colours seem sharper and brighter when compared to the iPhone 4 at the same brightness. The extra real estate is a plus, its nice to have and make using the phone better in portrait mode when SMSing or using the email client since I can see more. Using it in landscape mode is about the same as before. watching movies in lanscape mode is just perfect, since it has nearly a 16:9 aspect ration which reduces the letterbox effect of the old iPhone.

Super Speedy

The speed of the iPhone is really something to note. I;ve has the iPhone 4 and i thought it was quick. Apps loaded up fast and performed quite well. But ever since I used the same apps on the iPhone 5, the iPhone 4 looks sluggish. Apps open as soon as you tap it with minimal loading time. Apps like Fieldrunners 2 that usually took some time to load up on the iPhone 4 loads up in less that half the time on the iPhone 5.

Battery Life

So far after 2 weeks of using the iPhone 5. i have not had any problems with the battery life. It charges up quickly and I have about 50% left at the end of the day. I could use it for 2 days without charging if i was careful with the battery. That is more than most phones in this category.

Niggles

As always there are some niggles with gadgets and the iPhone 5 is no different. The Earphone jack is not at the bottom of the phone. so its something that you will need to get used to. The Apple Maps is basically rubbish. Not totally unusable but I would not rely on it. Get some alternatives from the app store. most of the apps still have the iPhone 4/4s resolution and aspect ratio so these apps will run in a letterbox mode.

Apart from that, This phone is truly the bet iPhone so far. with time it can only get better.