Photo: Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons · source
iPhone 5
Taller, thinner and lighter, with LTE and Lightning.
Overview
The iPhone 5 was the first iPhone with a screen larger than 3.5 inches. Instead of making the phone wider, Apple made it taller, which kept one-handed use comfortable while adding a fifth row of icons and a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio.
A new aluminum body with chamfered edges and glass inserts on the back made it 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than the 4S. The A6 processor, the first Apple-designed CPU core, doubled performance again, and LTE finally brought fast cellular data. The small reversible Lightning connector replaced the 30-pin dock port that had been used since the iPod.
The launch had a rough edge in the form of iOS 6 Maps, which Apple had built to replace Google's service, and it drew widespread criticism. Even so, the iPhone 5 sold five million units in its first weekend.
Why it mattered
It introduced the taller screen and the Lightning port that Apple would use for over a decade.
At a glance
- Announced
- September 12, 2012
- Released
- September 21, 2012
- Discontinued
- September 10, 2013
- Launch price
- $199
- Chip
- Apple A6, dual-core 1.3 GHz
- Display
- 4"
- Storage
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 4-inch Retina display, 16:9
- Lightning connector debut
- LTE on the iPhone
- A6 chip with custom Apple cores
- 7.6 mm all-aluminum body
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Display
- Size
- 4-inch
- Type
- Retina IPS LCD
- Resolution
- 1136 x 640 pixels (326 ppi)
- Refresh rate
- 60 Hz
Chip
- Chip
- Apple A6, dual-core 1.3 GHz
- GPU
- PowerVR SGX543MP3
Memory
- RAM
- 1GB
- Storage options
- 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Camera
- Rear cameras
- 8MP, f/2.4, LED flash, sapphire lens cover
- Front camera
- 1.2MP, 720p video
- Video recording
- 1080p HD at 30 fps with video stabilization
Battery
- Video playback
- Up to 10 hours
- Charging
- Via Lightning connector
- Talk time
- Up to 8 hours on 3G
Connectivity
- Cellular
- LTE, HSPA+ 42 Mbps, GSM / EDGE (CDMA on some models)
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz)
- Connector
- Lightning
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 4.0
- SIM
- Nano-SIM
Design
- Dimensions
- 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
- Weight
- 112 g
- Materials
- Anodized aluminum back with glass inserts, glass front
- Water resistance
- None
Security
- Authentication
- Passcode (optional); hardware data encryption
Software
- Launch OS
- iOS 6
- Final OS
- iOS 10.3.4
