Wednesday 12 September 2012, Apple announced a slew of new products including a new iPod Nano and iPod Touch, a new version of iTunes and, most importantly, the iPhone 5.

Unlike ‘the new iPad’, however, Apple have retained the traditional numbered naming convention that was previously used for the iPhone line of products.

The iPhone 5 will be available from the 21st September 2012 in the following countries: United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The iPhone 5 will be available in a further 20 countries from October 2012 and is is estimated to arrive in South Africa by the end of October to the middle of November 2012.

Due to Apple’s immense popularity, there is no shortage of news coverage concerning Cupertino’s newest products (check Engadget for some of the best coverage). As a result, instead of regurgitating the same information here on Vamers, I have decided to focus on only the main changes and differences when comparing the iPhone 5  to the iPhone 4s.

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The iPhone 5 surpasses its predecessor as follows:

  • Processor: A6 SoC – overall performance is said to be twice as fast as the A5 chip in the iPhone 4s.
  • Cellular: UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz); LTE (Bands 1, 3, 4, 5, 17). CDMA specifications may be viewed here.
  • Connectivity: WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4Ghz & 5GHz for ‘n’) and Bluetooth 4.0.
  • Body: Glass and aluminium unibody enclosure, available in black or white.
  • Display: 4-inch retina display, up from 3.5 inches, with a resolution of 1136 x 640 (326 pixels per inch).
  • Height: 123.8mm – 12.5% taller, but not wider, form factor for continued ease of use with one hand.
  • Depth: 7.8mm – 18% thinner (one of the thinnest smartphones in the world).
  • Weight: 112g – 20% lighter.
  • Audio: Three, instead of two, microphones for better voice recognition and noise cancellation as well as an improved loudspeaker and comes bundled with Apple’s new ‘Earpod‘ headphones.
  • Camera: Sapphire camera lens along with being able to take panoramas natively and a new dynamic low-light mode.
  • Software: iPhone 5 will come preloaded with iOS 6, Apple’s latest mobile OS. The new OS will be available for older devices from 19th September 2012.
  • Other: Apple introduced a new 8-pin all-digital connector called Lightning. The iPhone 5 is one of the first devices to embrace Lightning.

The iPhone 5 is not revolutionary. Instead, it is merely the next evolutionary step in the iPhone brand. I look forward to getting my grubby paws on the iPhone 5 once it is released in South Africa.

What do you think of Apple’s newest iPhone? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.

[Sources: Apple, Engadget, YouTube]

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Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.