The embargo lifted tonight on iPhone 5 reviews, with only a select few outlets having early access to the iPhone 5. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Here are just a few of the highlights, along with links to the associated site.
Update: Read our review of the iPhone 5
“Years of refinement have resulted in a device that exemplifies excellence in product design and execution at its finest. As a result, Apple’s iPhone 5 is the best smartphone available today.”
Engadget
“Visually, much has stayed the same, but the biggest change is impossible to see. Pick up the iPhone 5 and you’re immediately struck by the reduction in weight…..the iPhone 5 absolutely shines.”
Daring Fireball
“It feels great, looks great, has the best display I’ve seen at any size, runs noticeably faster, networks noticeably faster, is way thinner and lighter than any of its predecessors, takes better photos, and, in my six days of testing, gets totally decent iPhone-4S-level battery life.”
CNET
“The iPhone 5 is approaching perfection of a form, not a solution to a problem that isn’t there.”
All Things D
“The minute you pick the iPhone 5 up you notice it’s much lighter—20% lighter, in fact. It’s so much lighter that you wonder if it’s a demonstration mock-up, not the real thing.”
Pocket Lint
“You might marvel at the build and design, but Apple with the iPhone 5 has created a smartphone that is too safe for you: you’ll feel too mollycoddled.”
USA Today
People have always had lofty expectations for the iPhone 5, especially as the competition stiffens. In delivering a fast, attractive, LTE-capable and larger-screen handset, Apple has met those expectations with a gem.
Slashgear
“Right now, the iPhone 5 has the best balance of everyday usability and performance, without the distraction of functionality that is clever but unintuitive. It’s an area in which Apple excels, and it’s the reason the iPhone 5 is one of the best smartphones on the market today.”
The Loop
That has been my takeaway from the design of the iPhone 5 — small design changes that make for big user experience improvements.
NY Times
“If you have an iPhone 4S, getting an iPhone 5 would mean breaking your two-year carrier contract and paying a painful penalty; maybe not worth it for the 5’s collection of nips and tucks. But if you’ve had the discipline to sit out a couple of iPhone generations — wow, are you in for a treat.”
There were some noticeable omissions from the list, which included both The Verge and Macworld. Macworld expects to publish their review on Monday and no word yet on whether The Verge will debut their review after the Josh Topolsky appearance tonight on The Jimmy Fallon Show.
The iPhone 5. People seem to like it.
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