As with last year’s iPhone 5 review, I wanted to spend a full week with the device I would use the most in my life. Now that I have, what are my thoughts, feelings and findings on Apple’s most forward thinking iPhone yet?

To break it all down easily, this review is going to be in three main sections: Hardware, Software and Sensation.

Hardware

‘So it just looks like an iPhone 5 then?’ The initial response from almost everyone when the iPhone 5s was announced. Those of us who keep up on Apple’s release patterns knew this would be the case. I talked at length last year about the hardware of the iPhone 5 and not much visually has changed. Just like the 4S and the 3GS in years gone by. The changes to the 5s are subtle. The new dual flash and the finger print sensor known as TouchID.

Where the hardware really differs on the iPhone 5s is on the inside. The new A7 processor is the first 64-bit processor in a smartphone and is built on the latest ARM processor architecture. When a 64 bit processor is thrown in to the mix, the main reason for this is to have more addressable memory (RAM) for larger and more complicated tasks. Well, it would appear that the 5s comes with the same 1GB of RAM as the 5 all be it newer, faster chips. The real reason behind the A7 seems to be speed. We’ll come to that in the Sensation section. There’s also the brand new M7 co-processor, a dedicated processor for the collection of information from all the sensors in the 5s. The M7 promises to greatly reduce battery drain by apps that use data from the gyroscope, accelerometer, magnascope and GPS to make health and fitness tracking seamless – when the apps get updated.

On the back is a new camera sensor and in true Apple fashion, they have bucked the trend for a Mega Pixels race. Samsung went 13MP earlier this year, Sony have gone to 20MP and, well, Nokia went nuts and took their 41MP pureview sensor and stuffed it in a Windows Phone.

Apple’s statement during the launch, ‘more mega pixels doesn’t make for better pictures, it just makes bigger ones’. This is similar to what HTC said when it brought it’s new ultra-pixel sensor out in the HTC One. Sticking at last year’s 8MP but making the actual pixels on the sensor larger means that more light can get in to an image and gives a better, image. Couple that with a burst mode that fire of 30 8MP shots in under 3 seconds and then automatically chose the best one in the same amount of time it takes to view one shot, show just how impressive that A7 processor is. The new slow-mo feature for video is impressive too. I had been using an app for this but now that it can film 720p HD video at 120 frames per second makes for some great videos.

The replacement to the home button with the Touch ID sensor has been the biggest physical change to the 5s from all previous models. The home button has been a staple of iOS devices since the first the first iPhone, so changing it had to bring something important. The Touch ID sensor is that. The sapphire crystal button is more recessed than a regular home button and the recess is sharper given the stainless steel surround of the button. The action of button presses feels more definite, but I’ve had  to make a slight adjustment to the force I sue on it as it can often wind up being tapped three times rather than twice for the multitasking menu. The way the sensor picks up a print for any coded digit is a revelation to anyone who’s used finger print sensors in the past. It works and it works almost every time.

The Touch ID sensor has not been hacked. I have to clarify this for people. To ‘hack’ the system, you need to get in to the secure area on the A7 chip and retrieve the data of a person’s finger print. That is ‘hacking in’. What has been shown so far is a bypass. All security systems can be bypassed, but hacking in and taking something out is different.

One last point on hardware is colour. Last year, I noted that the Slate / Black iPhone 5 models were very susceptible to slight marks, making them look damaged straight out of the box.  Thus I went white. I loved it, the purity of the aluminium was great and it was a nice change. This year though, Apple ditched black and brought out Space Grey. Its a heck of a shift from the slate black. The metal looks better than the slate in my opinion and the black glass on the screen and on the back appear deeper than the slate versions. I didn’t get my hands on a Gold one, but I would like to see it, although I don’t think I’d buy one for myself.

Software

iOS7 – The fastest take up of any operating system ever. In the space of a week half of the capable iOS devices were running iOS7. That’s the best part of 300+ Million devices. I’ve featured bits and pieces of iOS7 on this site while it was in beta and seeing the gold master release brought all the required stability users demand on the iPhone 5 and other devices. On the iPhone 5s though, there have been two updates already and it suffers from some odd errors. More than once, the device has shifted to a blue screen then rebooted. This may be a result of misbehaving apps, but this didn’t happen on the old iPhone 5 or on my iPad.

iOS7 though, for it’s odd little crashes on the 5s has to be the most important update to any operating system ever. It’s an example of taking something people know, making it more intuitive, quicker and smother rather than throwing out all that was loved about it’s previous incarnation (Yes, I am talking about Windows 8). To quote Sir Jonny Ive, ‘It’s completely new, but instantly familiar’. He’s right, the last 6 years have been spent by Apple teaching the world how to use touchscreens. Buttons, sliders, textures all of these are what skeuomorphism actually were, not just the fake leather. The digital interpretation of physical objects made it easier for users to understand what they did.  Now that users have become used to swiping and dragging, bringing those gestures to the forefront can happen. For instance, little things like moving between levels in settings or other apps used to be done by tapping a button at the top that indicated you bent backwards to the left. Now you can just slide from left edge to right. Small, simple and well thought out gestures and design decisions are all over iOS7 that make it so nice to use. I’m not the only one to think so.

Sensation

New, faster, better camera. Touch ID finger print sensor. A7 64 bit processor and M7 co-processor.

The headlines of the iPhone 5s. These things coupled with one massive change I’ve made have changed the way I now think about these devices. As of last week, I left O2 and moved to EE. This has meant that in the vast majority of places I have been in the last week I have had a 4G signal or at least a fast 3G signal. That has meant there’s been no boundary with how much I use the device and after sitting with a friend and his brand new Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini I have come to a new way of thinking.

Devices are getting so good, that judging them on their specs and software alone is futile. You have to base the judgement on how it feels. It’s often stated by people when buying a car, they chose one over another because of the way it makes them feel.

The S in iPhone 5s could stand for many things; Speed, Sensors, Security, Simplicity. For me the S stands for Sensation. The last week has gone from pure delight of a new device, to wondering why my iPad won’t unlock when I place my finger on the home button. It has taken some complex and annoying things like passwords for free apps and passcodes and made it so that all you need is a tap of your thumb. Taking great pictures has never been so simple and quick. The walls between action and reaction on the 5s have virtually fallen away. This was proven to me when using the S4 Mini and the time it took for the screen to respond to input. It seemed fair, but when you’re used to an iOS device you expect the unbroken, seamless experience. This brand new Samsung still lagged. So do their new massive phones I’ve also used this weekend.

These are just some of my feelings based on the device I use the most in my life. Your mileage may vary. iOS may not be for you. Apple’s walled garden my totally turn you off. That’s your feelings and that is to be respected as we consumers have never had it so good when it comes to device choice.

Conclusion

Last year, I talked about buyers remorse when I went from 4 to 4S. I haven’t felt that this time with the 5s. It’s just so quick and so immersive with iOS 7 that you really feel connected to the device. iOS 8 will bring some further refinement next year and later this month iOS 7.1 will tidy up a few of the bugs. The camera is, as always a great step forward in removing the regret of not taking your ‘proper’ camera with you places. The hardware feels great in the hand and the switch in network has unlocked the true potential of the device for me.

Should you buy one?

• If you’re a techie like me, you probably already have.
• If you’re due an upgrade from a 4 or 4S, absolutely!
• If you’re still in contract and have an iPhone 5, That’s a tough call, as it’s not cheap to move when you’re locked in, that’s your call, but when you see someone buy an app or some music with their thumbprint, that may just make up your mind.
• If you’re looking to move from Android or WoPho – Yes. You will not find an experience this good on either of those platforms.

Next year we can expect a new form factor from Apple with the 8th generation of iPhone, It may bring a larger screen a new body style and all the things we already have in the 5s. The iPhone 5s is the most forward thinking iPhone ever. It’s demoing the technology that will be in the next 4/5 generations of iPhone, Touch ID, 64bit, Co-processors. All of these will evolve with the coming iterations, but the 5s brings today and tomorrow together beautifully.