iPhone 5 review

The iPhone 5 re-energized Apple's smartphone, but it's now long in the tooth

iPhone 5 review
The definitive iPhone 5 review

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Apple has always been about simplicity when it comes to viewing your photos, and the iPhone 5 is no exception.

It's a simple trip into the photos section to view your snaps (and videos, confusingly) where you can pinch to zoom or create albums of your favourite cat with ease.

iPhone 5 review

There's also the option to see geotagged photos on a map, which can really help take away the post holiday blues when you can see all the fun you had in hot climates...as long as you didn't go holidaying in Luton.

Photo Stream is also on offer, meaning any photo taken with a device logged into the same Apple account will populate here instantly. It's a neat touch, but something many might not understand unless they get others to show them how to set it up properly.

Gaming

Gaming on the iPhone 5 is more of a priority than ever, thanks to an enhanced graphics chip compared to both the iPhone 4S and the new iPad (well, it would need to be an upgrade from the predecessor to handle the increase in pixels at least).

In practice it's easy to see why the iPhone 5 is a real competitor to the handheld console market, as gameplay on even the most intensive titles is fluid and responsive.

You've got access to the accelerometer and gyroscope as before, and while these aren't new features it was on the iPhone 4 that we got our first taste of being able to whirl around a room and shoot bad guys, so it offers a pleasant trip down memory lane.

There's a wealth of gaming content that's mostly inexpensively available on the App Store, so we recommend you check it out no matter if you're a seasoned gamer looking for the latest version of NOVA or someone that likes to play New Star Soccer on the train.

iPhone 5 review

We've tested a few more games now that take advantage of the larger screen size, and it's definitely a better experience, especially when using the accelerometer-based controls.

Going forward we can see a really great level of use from the developers with that extra real estate... just think how much further you'll be able to fling those birds now.

YouTube : http://youtu.be/_SYSkvQLQss

New earphones

Apple's new EarPods made (some) headlines when launched with the new iPhone 5 - Apple is claiming they're designed 'from the sound up'.

In reality they're nothing more than a justified upgrade from the pitiful white options that have been hanging around with the iPod and iPhone for years now.

Apple earpods

You can read all about our in-depth findings with these buds in our Apple EarPods review, but they may stop some people upgrading to a better set of ear buds at least.

The new headphones are rounded and while won't be noise isolating (clearly Apple's employees don't take a lot of trains, else this would have been the first feature designed in) they are more connected to the ear canal.

The sound is a little muddy and bass heavy, but again is a big improvement on the previous models.

The fit feels like it's going to fall out of your ears at any time, and if you've got more 'expansive' ears, they certainly will.

We tried out some RHA MA450's with the iPhone 5 and instantly the sound quality was much improved, and they only cost a fraction more than the £25 you'd have to pay for the Apple offerings should you break them.

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.