Apple iPhone 5 Review: Thinner, Lighter, Faster

Seems like a decent phone, the only real issues I can see is the aluminum scratching and the maps problem. Scratches come with time regardless of what material is used (plastic, glass, stainless steel) and the maps issue is software which can be fixed in time, but there are also other resolutions to it (google maps online, third party apps, etc.). The only thing I don't get is why some people think it's a failure because it has a lot of the same things that other phones have.

This phone deserves a 90. It is a great phone. Not revolutionary like the original iPhone but evolutionary in almost all the right ways (speed, size, screen, weight, OS, fixability, durability, and future-proof ability).

It is sad that most android-based phone users will be stuck with the OS version their phone came with or be lucky enough to have access to maybe a single update. This will make your phones feel very old very fast. And most of that great hardware on the newer Samsungs etc. will never ever get a chance to be put to real use.

That's an interesting point except for the fact that I had an iPhone 3g and an iPhone 4 and guess what? When the updates came out I didn't receive the new features. The updates only slowed down my phone and made the response slower. Personally I'll take no more updates as long as it runs smooth vs new updates without it running smooth. That point is invalid.

Just for the record, the review phone wasn't sent by Apple. It was purchased by TS. Believe it or not, someone can have a different opinion than you without receiving questionable compensation. Constructive criticism is welcome, as are your own opinions, but I'll be deleting shallow nonsense like "derp, how much money appelz paid u?" from here on.
So do you buy every kind of new phone that comes out? A family member of mine had an iPhone 5, I picked it up, looked at it very closely to see if there were any "Major design changes" that your review noted...there wasn't. At all.
Next I asked, why did they get this phone? And she went off to ramble a whole LIST of issues that her iPhone 4s had, which she only bought...less than a year ago? I kindly let her know that my 2+ year old Droid is still working fine, and after I bought my Droid 4 I sold it to a good friend of mine. So over the past 2 smart phones that I've had, I paid a total of $50 out of pocket. Yet my family member has been spending $300 for each iPhone, due to the whole "You should definitely buy THIS iPhone" style advertising, two of my family members run out and buy it as soon as it comes out, ALWAYS complaining about the "Tons of problems the last one had"...
...If the last one had problems, why do you keep buying the same thing.
...But it's white instead of black! Terrific, too bad the majority puts a case over it anyway.
Every iPhone ad reads "So much more" "Best iPhone yet" "Worlds most advanced OS"
What's the "So much?" "Lets hope it's better than the last" "If it was advanced, then it wouldn't be simple to use, which is why people buy it". The amount of false advertisement spewing from Apple and it's "Reviewers" should be illegal, they're robbing people by making false promises.
Someone mentioned Droids not getting many updates. I just got one on mine, my whole user interface has been updated and looks completely different. I didn't cry about it, I adjusted to it.
I've been told by an iPhone 5 user that Christopher Columbus had better navigation than the new maps system does.
All I ask is for a fair review!
P.S. Techspot...other than this review...I'm addicted to every other aspect of your site.Bravo

I think its also worth mentioning iPhone works great with VoiceAssist service, for those that must check and respond to Txts,emails, and FB or Twitter updates while driving. Far more robust voice control than anything siri or similar voice apps have to offer.

Are you referring to a more thorough, objective perspective? Because that is something also I would appreciate. Would you say techspot should now be seen as a somewhat one-eyed design fanzine?

I must admit I did find this review rather shallow. And I mean no disrespect to the reviewer.

I do believe a more in-depth review of both hardware and software should have been made. This is more of a long impression than an actual </I>review</I>.

For those looking for a review of the device, I recommend Ars Technica's review.

I also would like to add I agree with almost everything said in this piece, I just think the execution was hindered by the effort of timeliness.

Reply to techspot:
Hey people. I was referring to a more objective and comparing view. Not a superdry technical one. We have the specs, don't we? But by judging this phone without considering what the competition is offering, review value is lost. So to speak. The verge have written a very thorough and interesting review:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/21/3363238/iphone-5-review

"Apple also leaves developers empty-handed on widgets. It provides the minimally useful weather and stock widgets for the notification drawer, but isn't opening up that space to anyone else. And I must mention this ? the fact that the weather icon continues to read 73 degrees and sunny when it is clearly possible to have icons update with at least some information (see the calendar icon) is now laughable at best, and sad at worst."

"And what about actionable notifications? Notifications in Jelly Bean can be acted on without having to jump into an app, which is a fantastic addition to Android. I use them all the time. I would have loved to see Apple innovate in this area ? especially considering the fact that iOS multitasking still doesn't represent an "always on" experience.

Don't get me wrong, iOS is a beautiful and well-structured mobile operating system ? but it's begun to show its age. It feels less useful to me today than it did a couple of years ago, especially in the face of increasingly sophisticated competition. I always have this sense now in iOS of not knowing where I am, what my status is ? constantly having to load things and reload them. It feels tiring."

@One2three:

the link (review) you provided still not thorough enough

Try the Ars Technica review.

After using the iphone, I think this review is actually quite a bit biased.

The iphone is just now catching up to the S3 and besides things like LTE and a speed boost, it's still has the same feel as the 4s. I guess if you have all apple products, and you have an itch to upgrade; go for it. However, if you really want some quality, wait it out. The Nokia looks like it might be a game changer for Windows. Also, with the iphone 5 still comparable to the S3, you'll definitely get a better phone by waiting for the next big Android to come out.

And as for the new headphones I was looking forward to: The earpods aren't anything special. They don't fit any better than regular earbuds and the sound quality is just what you'd expect from cheap headphones. If anything it might not even fit right in a lot of people's ears, as they're not adjustable in any way.