iPhone 5 (AT&T, Sprint & Verizon) Review

iPhone 5 Review of Reviews by Wireless and Mobile News

The iPhone 5  is the best iPhone so far, with many improvements including a bigger screen, LTE, double antennas, more Wi-Fi spectrum, slimmer and lighter design. Reviewers  found most of the improvements worthwhile but noted a few minor problems.

• Most Liked Features: slim design, larger 4"screen, louder speakers and super fast processor.
• Least-Liked Features: lacks Google maps, few changes to iOS, Verizon and Sprint models do not have simultaneous voice & data, non removable battery, proprietary connector, no NFC and warm back-side when games/GPS are used.
• Overall Average Ranking: 4.25 out of 5.
• Network:  AT&T Good LTE coverage, Verizon excellent LTE coverage, Sprint limited LTE coverage .

We distilled several iPhone 5 reviews to find a consensus. Reviewers loved the improved body, screen and camera of the iPhone 5.  They note that overall it can be easier to use the iPhone 5 than Android smartphone  They also liked the new aluminum back face and super fast processor. The battery life is good.

The slimmer body with longer 4" Retina touchscreen with 20% more visible text makes documents, webpages, books and other media easier to view.

Two antenna makes for better signal strength.  The iPhone 5 makes good voice calls.

One reviewer noted that the noise cancelling not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S III.

There is an addition of  Wi-Fi in the 5GHz spectrum allows for more advanced Wi-Fi connections.

While Android smartphones may connect to HD TVs with DLNA, the only option for connecting wirelessly to TVs with an iPhone 5 via Airplay with Apple TV.

The new lightning connector is smaller and makes old docks and accessories unusable. Audio speakers are louder than previous models.

iOS 6 adds Passbook that keeps tickets and coupons. Social media is integrated. The camera is better than past iPhone cameras in low light.

The iPhone 5 lacks NFC for wireless payments. The iPhone 5 runs hot and feels warm after 10 minutes of heavy use.

A major fault is that Apple maps are not as accurate as Google maps, lack street view and local transit directions.

Most reviewers rated the iPhone the same across carriers, however, because Sprint has not fully deployed LTE across the country, it brought down the score of the Sprint iPhone 5 by a half of a point by some reviewers.

Sprint, T-Mobile  and AT&T are all selling the iPhone 5 starting at $199 for 16GB models in white or black with a two-year contract.

Some AT&T customers have found extra "ghost" data charges on their phone bills.  Verizon Wireless iPhone 5 users with similar data problems will not be charged for the data.  In November Apple issued an update to iOS 6.01 that fixed some problems.

The iPhone 5 will surely show up in the top best smartphones of 2012, with many competitors.  iPhone users tend to more risque than Android users.  Kids and teens both want iPhones over the holidays. 4 out 10 teenagers own an iPhone.  If you already own an iPhone here are the dumbest uses for your old iPhone. Over the fall before the iPhone 5 launch, more Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones were sold.  See test comparison of iPhone 5 vs. Samsung Galaxy S III.