Product Description
2x
A chip with 64-bit architecture. A fingerprint identity sensor. A better, faster camera. And an operating system built specifically for 64-bit. Any one of these features in a smartphone would make it ahead of its time. All of these features in a smartphone make it an iPhone that's definitely ahead of its time.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1132 in Cell Phone Accessories
- Size: 16 GB
- Color: Space Gray
- Brand: Apple
- Model: 5s
- Released on: 2013-09-20
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Dimensions: 4.87" h x .30" w x 2.31" l, .25 pounds
- Apple iPhone 5s 16GB (Space Gray) - Unlocked
A little history on my situation. I just upgraded from a Blackberry Storm 2. My wife has an iPhone 5 and previously had a Motorola Droid 2. These are the phones that I can compare to, so keep that in mind when reading my review.
My first impression out of box was that the phone was beautiful. I seriously didn't even want to touch it. I debated between space gray and white silver. I ultimately chose white silver because my wife has a black iPhone 5 and everything electronic I have is black. I though white was refreshing and if I can always put a case on to make it any color I want. I am so happy I chose white. It really makes the phone look fresh - sorry that is the best word I can find to describe it. The colors on the screen pop against the background. It doesn't show finger prints as much as my wives black phone.
I got a clear case for the phone that just adds to the appearance. It also protects it from scratches and drops. In my opinion a case is required for an iPhone 5S. I honestly think that Apple designed it with the intent to use it with a case. Other competitive phones advertise a built in grip or that it feels better to hold than an iPhone, which is probably true. Apple made the phone so thin and light that adding a case just makes it feel better. Where other phones if you add a case it just makes the phone larger and heavier. I personally like putting my phone in a case. It is a way to personalize your phone and protect it. If the case gets dirty or worn, just spent $10 or $20 bucks and buy a new one.
The screen on the iPhone is not as large as some of the Android giants. Android seems believe that a bigger screen is better. For me this doesn't make sense. I carry my phone in my pocket which you can do with the iPhone 5S because it is skinny enough to fit. I also like that I can reach all the screen with one hand. The screen is much larger than my old Blackberry. The retina display is beautiful. The colors and crispness are very pleasing to look at. It seem similar to my wives iPhone 5. Does clarity make a difference - yes it prevents eye strain. I have had no trouble with the moving elements on the display. I have no idea why people are complaining about that, but maybe they have some vision troubles or motion sickness issues. You can turn off the moving screen and I would expect future IOS 7 updates to allow users to disable all features people are complaining about.
I use the phone for work and the speakerphone is in use for several hours a day. The sound quality is great on speaker phone, on handset and with headset. My wife noted an improvement over my Blackberry.
The camera is incredible - even better than my wives iPhone 5. I am getting rid of our Nikon compact camera because the quality is so good. The video modes are so easy to switch between. It takes no time to shoot a phone and upload or send it multiple ways. I am still discovering all the features but some items like panorama and slow motion are just fun to use.
E-mail is way better on the iPhone than my Blackberry. Calendar integration for Outlook is awesome.
The speed of the phone is really fast. There are never any delays on anything and touch response is immediate and accurate. I have not had apps crash, but I don't doubt there are some buggy ones out there. Just nothing I am using.
The touch ID has been getting a ton of attention - good and bad. When I got the phone it scanned my thumb and took just a minute to complete. I scanned it at all angles. It works perfectly. In the last month I have only had a couple times that I needed to reposition my thumb to get it read properly. It was due to me not having it on all the way. It will read your print from many different angles. This feature for me is HUGE. My company mandates a password that has lower, upper, number, special character 8 digit password. That is a total pain to enter in the phone throughout the day. My companies security team has approved touch ID as an alternate. That means no more password. Just to be clear the phone still has a password, so you can optionally use it. For example if your touch id gave you trouble or wanted to get access to your spouse or friend. Plus you can load multiple fingers. I don't know why other people are reporting troubles with touch ID. I assume either their phone is defective or their finger print is damaged by cracked skin. I have some experience with finger print scanners from a previous job and we did have one employee with dry hands that could not be read on a finger print scanner. The issue is that his skin was cracked and cracks kept healing and showing up in new places. In other words the scanner had nothing consistent to read. I am sorry for those people that suffer a skin condition but to blame the phone for not reading it is not really fair. Those people will have to use the password which is no worse than any other phone.
Battery time seems ok. I need to charge it every day but I use it all the time. I am used to charging my phone every night. I purchased an external battery pack for recharge when I travel if I cannot find an outlet at an airport.
I purchased the 32 GB the day after it was released and waited 2 weeks for delivery. Verizon sent it overnight delivery.
Final thoughts - this phone is the best and fastest according to speed tests. It has changed my life my making things easier. That may sound over the top, but it is my first iPhone. After comparing it to the iPhone 5 I would say it is better. I don't have an iPhone 5C but as I understand the hardware is similar to my wives iPhone 5. Honestly I am sure you would be happy with an iPhone 5C if you are trying to decide. You would be missing the touch id and better camera. You gain colors and a more comfortable feel (without case). I chose the 5S because I use my phone all day for work. I need the best tools for my job.By High Plains Drifter "Joe"
