Apple Announces the iPhone 5

Image: Apple

After all the rumors, after all the hype, and after a year of waiting for the one named "5", Apple finally announced the sixth generation iPhone today at an event in San Francisco. Sporting a larger screen, LTE connectivity and more powerful processor, Apple rests its hopes on the mobile category for the next year.

But let's go to the specs. The iPhone 5 has a 4-inch Retina Display screen with 1136x640 resolution, 326 pixels per inch, an aspect ratio of 16:9, and 44% more color saturation.

Image: Apple

We have a much larger iPhone, but the design is similar to that of the iPhone 4S, with a larger screen, but not wider. It measures 7.6mm thin (18% thinner than the 4S), weights 112 grams (20% lighter than the 4S).

It will run on LTE, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and Wi-Fi has been upgraded to 2.4GHz and 5Ghz on 802.11n with download speeds up to 150mbps.

The processor is the A6 (22% smaller), 2 times faster CPU and 2 times faster graphics. Even though Apple didn't state it, it is believed that this processor is dual-core.

The camera, now called iSight, still at 8 megapixels, records 1080p video and you can take pictures while taking that video. The Face-Time camera (front-facing camera) takes still photos ay 1.2mp and video at 720p HD, 30 frames per seconds.

Something interesting, the lenses are now made of sapphire crystal, which makes it even more resistant.

In terms of the battery, it has up to 8 hours browsing on LTE and 3G, up to 10 hours on Wi-Fi and 225 hours on standby.

iPhone 5 with Earpods | Image: Apple

Earpods | Image: Apple

The new iPhone will be sporting iOS 6 and new, redesigned headphones (earbuds) called earpods, that look pretty futuristic. 

Also new is the dock, no more "30-pin" dock. Now is one much smaller, smarter and durable, called "Lightning". An adapter will be offered for those accessories we all have lying around that have the "30-pin" dock connector. Also important to note, the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom, next to the new "Lightning" connector.

iPhone 5 with "Lightning" connector | Image: Apple

The iPhone 5 will ship in black and white on September 21, with pre-orders start on Sept 14. The prices stay the same as always, 16Gb for $199, 32Gb for $299, and 64Gb for $399. The list of carries offering the iPhone 5 with LTE in the US are AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

 

Image: Apple

Apple announced that they will no longer offer the iPhone 3GS, and will be offering the iPhone 4 8GB for free, and the iPhone 4S 16GB for $99.