I have had my iPhone 5 for a few weeks and thought I would share my thoughts with you. Over the last two weeks I have read and listened to probably close to 50 reviews, and I agree with most of what I have seen and heard (I linked to a few at the bottom). I did upgrade from a 4S so it wasn’t as dramatic an upgrade as some, but I figured I would give you a review based on what I have had to get used to with the iPhone 5. I will try to keep it to just to the phone and talk about iOS6 later.

Size of Phone
The 5 does have a taller screen, but the overall height change isn’t too dramatic. The thing I really noticed is the thinness and lightness of the phone. Like many others have noticed, it almost feels fake. To think of all the amazingness packed into this package blows my mind.

Look of Phone
The design is similar to the previous models, but that is almost a disservice to this new phone. This thing is beautiful. The back has a new look, the sides have a new look, the colors are better, and the screen looks amazing.

Speed of Phone
Now I didn’t think I would notice much of a difference coming from an 4S, but this thing is fast. I read that the new processor is up to 3 times faster than a 4S and it shows. Everything is just faster, smoother, better.

Speed of Data
The iPhone 5 has LTE capability built in. LTE is the latest and greatest cell phone data technology supported by the major carriers. Let me tell you it is fast, it is actually faster than most people’s home wi-fi. It is still pretty limited on coverage but luckily AT&T turned it on in Portland the night before I got my phone.

The New Dock Connector
This one has been an adjustment for me. After 11 years of iPods, iPhones, and an iPad, I had gotten quite used to the 30 pin connector. But I also realized it was time for change. The new connector is tiny, which helps when making a thinner phone. My favorite thing about it is the fact that it can be plugged in either direction, pure magic. I always managed to take at least two tries to get the old one plugged in before bed. I am also getting used to not be able to use the dozen cables I have around the house. I currently have one and carry it with me at all times to make sure I don’t end up with a dead phone.

New Earpods
These things are great. I think they are a huge improvement. You should grab these even if you don’t have a 5.

Headphone Jack on the Bottom
I use headphones with my phone a lot. I listen to podcasts all day at work and most of the time in my car. The headphone jack is now on the bottom of the phone which has been a change. I keep my phone in my shirt pocket and I now have to put it in upside down instead of right side up, not a huge deal but took some getting used to.

Battery Life
It’s better than the 4S, which is great because LTE is supposed to really drain these things.

No Jailbreak…yet
As I have talked about before, I like some of the tweaks available with a jailbreaking your phone. I wasn’t going to let it stop me from getting the new phone, but I am hoping it doesn’t take too long. One nice thing is with the taller screen you can fit another row of apps on each screen and in any folder, which helps with my app hoarding problem.

I think that is about it for now. I love this phone. If you want a more analytical approach, the Mac Observer posted their review iPhone 5 In Depth: A little Bit Longer & a Lot Stronger, they use numbers and charts and stuff. Here is another one with the heading The iPhone 5 is a miracle, a good read. Don’t want to take some tech bloggers word for it? Here is an article from a little site called Consumer Reports.

What are your thoughts?