Review roundup: iPhone 5s with iOS 7 best smartphone available, 5c offers well-built alternative

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 110
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    alfiejr wrote: »
    Mossberg, last sentence: "Overall, however, the new iPhone 5s is a delight. Its hardware and software make it the best smartphone on the market."

    Ed Baig, headline: "The iPhone 5s makes the best smartphone even better."

    Techcrunch: "
    With the iPhone 5s, Apple once again wins the right to claim the title of best smartphone available."
    all the rest praise the 5s too. everyone lauds the convenience of Touch ID and already miss not having it otherwise. all agree the camera takes really good low light pix with Dual LED, the slow mo is fun and the burst mode (10 second 999 pix max i learned) is very impressive. they all observe that the 64 bit A7 chip and M7 chip have tremendous potential for important new apps in the future. they all note that battery life is improved too. they all like the many improvements in iOS 7.
    most called the 5s future-ready, with the full potential of these major technical - dare i say? - "innovations" yet to be fully realized.
    on the other hand, most wish the screen was bigger even while acknowledging the smaller size is easier to handle. otherwise there is a wide range of nit-picks and pet peeves.
    none of the reviews are negative. all 4-5 stars.
    then the comments of course are filled with android fan people calling the reviewers whores, idiots, paid off, sheep, etc etc. ah, i love the smell of desperate fear in the evening.
    To be honest I didn't expect anything less than a 4. But some of the 5's surprise me, if only because the media seems to be so anti-Apple these days. Obviously iOS 7 isn't the disaster some were predicting because if it was the phones wouldn't be getting such positive reviews.
  • Reply 22 of 110
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    jungmark wrote: »
    No mention of NFC? Bwasaaaa.

    Is anyone really surprised by the reviews? Apple doesn't release crap hardware.
    I'm not due for a new iPhone but these reviews are making me super excited about the 5th gen iPad. Can't wait to get my hands on that sucker. My 3rd gen is starting to feel a bit sluggish.
  • Reply 23 of 110
    Originally Posted by blackbook View Post

    Siri was definitely a… …more talked about feature

     

    Well… yeah. ;)

  • Reply 24 of 110
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jungmark View Post



    No mention of NFC? Bwasaaaa.



    Is anyone really surprised by the reviews? Apple doesn't release crap hardware.

     

    a few mention NFC as an aside. but i think everyone is finally realizing it's a dead end, while Apple is on the right track with iBeacon, Touch ID, and Pass Book. you know Apple will make sure they all work together seamlessly too. meanwhile Google is flopping around like a fish out of water trying to get Google Wallet into the mainstream. even the telcos are sabotaging them.

  • Reply 25 of 110

    I like how everyone is still swallowing the kool-aid (even Dalrymple) and parroting all this stuff about the 5c being "low end" or "budget" or "cheap" etc. when it's simply not at all.  It's as if they are saying all the things they were prepared to say when they thought it was going to be a mid-range device, even though it's turned out to be the same price as their previous "sell last year's phone" strategy.  

     

    The iPhone 5c is last years phone in a new dress and it's still over $500.  It's not cheap, it's not even "mid-range."  It's the second best smartphone available and it's the second most expensive one available also.  I think it's a great device and it will drive more sales for Apple in the upper middle classes of the rich countries of the world, but to refer to it as a "budget" or cheap device is just wrong and stupid IMO.  Let's be real about what it is at least. 

  • Reply 27 of 110
    alfiejr wrote: »
    a few mention NFC as an aside. but i think everyone is finally realizing it's a dead end, while Apple is on the right track with iBeacon, Touch ID, and Pass Book. you know Apple will make sure they all work together seamlessly too. meanwhile Google is flopping around like a fish out of water trying to get Google Wallet into the mainstream. even the telcos are sabotaging them.

    and also with the recent news of Google getting Bump app... looks like NFC will not flourish as many Android fans thought so...
  • Reply 28 of 110
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Leave to Businessweek to spoil the fun. image



    http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-17/meet-the-new-iphones-same-as-the-old-iphones-rich-jaroslovsky

     

    gol, what a weasel this guy is.

     

    on the one hand he writes: "With its ease of use, enormous wealth of high-quality apps and content and well-integrated online services, the iPhone still provides the best overall user experience of any smartphone." and goes on to note the very good new features. but then he wraps up: "There’s nothing wrong with either phone. But there’s not much that’s pulse-quickening about them either."

     

    go figure.

  • Reply 29 of 110
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jungmark View Post



    No mention of NFC? Bwasaaaa.



    Is anyone really surprised by the reviews? Apple doesn't release crap hardware.

     

    NFC? It's one of the those many stray arrows stuck on the wall. Way off in the corner. Waaaay off.

  • Reply 30 of 110
    alfiejralfiejr Posts: 1,524member

    ok, looking at the reviews i can see already the dog lovers of the world love the new 5s slow mo. and you know the unbearably cute kittens can't be far behind. get ready for an eternal avalanche of 10 second pet clips in your inbox. thank god babies already move slow.

  • Reply 31 of 110
    I absolutely LOVE how everyone seems to be surprised by and praising - of all things - the 5c *build quality*.

    Even though it's secretly a craptastic, cheap plastic, race-to-the-bottom, C-stands-for-Cheap, super high margin, C-stands-for-Con designed for Sheeple, racially-stereotyped/color-crazed Chinese hipsters and preteen girls who prefer shiny colors over quality. /s

    Guess maybe assuming plastic means low quality was jumping the gun just a little...?
  • Reply 32 of 110

    I just saw an ad for the Moto X in different color cases, or something... jeez, they didn't even wait for the paint to dry. Sure, Apple didn't invent colors, but still.

     

    These are great phones, and I believe the 5s upgrade is much more substantial than most 's' upgrades. Can't wait to see what a 6 looks like.

     

    I look forward to seeing how everything sells. In the mean time, doesn't iOS7 come out tomorrow? 

  • Reply 33 of 110
    alfiejr wrote: »
    thank god babies already move slow.

    Most hilarious iPhone-related comment of the day.
  • Reply 34 of 110
    I am absolutely positively certain that Larry and The L Team, Microsoft, and all others have purchased a number of 5C and 5S, sitting in their rooms, looking at it wondering what the heck happened!

    Of course, some with screwdrivers busy trying to open it up and see what's inside! Am I right, Samsung? ROFLMAO
  • Reply 35 of 110
    The best review for me is Anandtech.com's, exhaustive benchmarks and tech insight, like the "benefits of 64bit" question, (its also exhausting to read, a lot of techie details).
  • Reply 36 of 110

    What Dan Riccio (Apple senior VP hardware engineering) said:  "The technology within Touch ID is some of the most advanced hardware and software we've put in any device."

     

    What Dan Riccio was thinking: "Daaah da-da-dum.  Da-dum.  Da-dum.  U can't touch this!  Break it down now!"

     

     

     

  • Reply 37 of 110
    blackbook wrote: »
    I'm going to stand in line Thursday night into Friday.

    I plan on getting a space gray model! I'll post pics IF I can get one before they sell out!

    I wish you good luck and will be looking forward to your comments once you got yours!
  • Reply 38 of 110
    gazoobee wrote: »
    I like how everyone is still swallowing the kool-aid (even Dalrymple) and parroting all this stuff about the 5c being "low end" or "budget" or "cheap" etc. when it's simply not at all.  It's as if they are saying all the things they were prepared to say when they thought it was going to be a mid-range device, even though it's turned out to be the same price as their previous "sell last year's phone" strategy.  

    The iPhone 5c is last years phone in a new dress and it's still over $500.  It's not cheap, it's not even "mid-range."  It's the second best smartphone available and it's the second most expensive one available also.  I think it's a great device and it will drive more sales for Apple in the upper middle classes of the rich countries of the world, but to refer to it as a "budget" or cheap device is just wrong and stupid IMO.  Let's be real about what it is at least. 
    Apple has NOT ONCE said the 5C is a budget phone . EVER!
  • Reply 39 of 110
    I absolutely LOVE how everyone seems to be surprised by and praising - of all things - the 5c *build quality*.

    Even though it's secretly a craptastic, cheap plastic, race-to-the-bottom, C-stands-for-Cheap, super high margin, C-stands-for-Con designed for Sheeple, racially-stereotyped/color-crazed Chinese hipsters and preteen girls who prefer shiny colors over quality. /s

    Guess maybe assuming plastic means low quality was jumping the gun just a little...?

    Well the plastic on the 5c doesn't feel cheap like the light, flimsy Samsung plastic. I held both and you instantly feel the difference
  • Reply 40 of 110
    rogifan wrote: »
    To be honest I didn't expect anything less than a 4. But some of the 5's surprise me, if only because the media seems to be so anti-Apple these days. Obviously iOS 7 isn't the disaster some were predicting because if it was the phones wouldn't be getting such positive reviews.

    Good thing these roundups are written by journalists and not analysts.
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