Apple's next iPhone.
Apple's
new iPhone is very nearly here, and even with a
nearly two-hour keynote out of the way, and a Web site full of specifications, there are plenty of questions that need answering.
CNET has put together this FAQ to help get to the bottom of some of
them. These range from what's new to where you can get the phone to the
differences between what you get with each carrier.
This is a living document and is likely to be updated through next week
and beyond. If we missed any big questions, please drop them in the
comments and we'll do our best to get them answered.
What's different about the iPhone 5?
On the outside, the iPhone 5's
main difference
is its taller, thinner design. The display now measures 4 inches
diagonally (up from 3.5 inches), which gives you an extra row of icons
and more space for browsing, apps, and movies. Inside there's a faster
A6 chip, camera improvements, and an extra microphone. You can read all about it in our
iPhone 5 hands-on.
Apple's Lightning cable, up close. Unlike with USB, there's no up or down to the plug.
(Credit:
Apple)
What about that new dock connector?
What Apple calls Lightning is a new proprietary connector that's 80
percent smaller than the old 30-pin connectors. Its main feature:
there's no top or bottom, so you can plug it in either way. The older
plugs needed to be oriented correctly.
Of course, this change means your old cables and things like docks and
third-party audio systems won't work with your new phone (yeah,
that's annoying). To get around that, Apple's got an adapter that
you'll have to buy
(naturally), and it ain't cheap. It's $29 per adapter. Alternatively,
Apple will sell a Lightning-to-USB cable for $19 and a
Lightning-to-30-pin cable for $39. Expect cheaper third-party adapters
to surface in the future, but for now your options are very limited.
The glass on the back is gone?
Yes and no. The back of the new device is mainly metal, though there are
glass windows on the top and bottom of the phone to let the various
antennas communicate. Apple's done something similar on past versions of
the
iPod Touch, and even the
iPad with 3G.
Does this mean it will be more durable, or less prone to breaking when dropped?
That remains to be seen.
And the SIM is even smaller?
Indeed. The iPhone 4 brought us the smaller micro SIM card (first seen
in the original iPad), and now we're getting an even smaller nano SIM.
Unfortunately, larger SIMs won't work in the iPhone 5 even if you try to
shave them down. The newer spec isn't just smaller in shape, it's
thinner too.
Will the battery life change?
There's no change in battery life between last year's model and this year's mode when it comes to talk time. Like the
iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5 is rated for 8 hours of talking over 3G.
The iPhone 5 has an edge on battery life when it comes to other features
though. The iPhone 5 gets 8 hours of Web browsing over LTE, up from the
6 hours the 4S gets over 3G. When on Wi-Fi, the iPhone 5 also gets 10
hours of browsing on Wi-Fi, up an hour from the iPhone 4S' 9 hours.
Standby time has improved to 225 hours, according to Apple, up
from the iPhone 4S' 200 hours. Both are significantly shorter than the
300 hours the iPhone 4 is rated for under Apple's testing standards.
CNET, of course, will have its own testing results out when we get our hands on the device.
When will it be available and which carriers will get it first?
The iPhone 5 goes on sale September 21 at 8 a.m. Pacific Time at Apple's
retail stores. Major U.S. carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint
are
also selling the device in their retail stores on September 21. So T-Mobile is left out of the loop again.
Will smaller carriers like U.S. Cellular or MetroPCS get it?
U.S. Cellular and MetroPCS have not announced any plans to carry the device yet.
However C-Spire, GCI, Appalachian Wireless, and
Cricket will all get the device on September 28. Cricket notes that it will be available only in "select" markets.
White and black iPhone 5s.
(Credit:
Apple )
How much will it cost and what sizes and colors will be available?
Just like the iPhone 4S, the iPhone starts at $199 for the 16GB model,
then goes up to $299 for the 32GB model, and tops out at $399 for the
64GB flavor. All of those are with a two-year contract from the carrier.
Colorwise, there's still just black and white. Gone from the new model
is a single-colored glass back. Instead, you get colored aluminum, which
sits between two small panes of colored glass.
Will carriers require a specific plan for the iPhone 5?
No. Like with any smartphone, though, you'll have to select both a voice
and a data plan. Keep in mind that AT&T and Verizon both have
tiered-data plans, so your usage will cap out at a certain point (the
limits vary, but as a general rule the more data, the more expensive the
plan). Sprint, however, is sticking to its unlimited plans for the
iPhone 5. That makes it the only major carrier to have that option.
Cricket is still finalizing its iPhone plans. We'll know more before the
September 28 release.
If you're planning to use FaceTime over the cellular network (that's a feature even iPhone 4S users will get with iOS 6), your options will vary by carrier. AT&T customers
will need Mobile Share plans
to use the feature. Verizon and Sprint, on the other hand, will make no
restrictions. A Sprint representative told CNET today that customers
"will be allowed to use FaceTime with Sprint's current unlimited data
offers while on the Sprint network."
I bought an iPhone 4S. Will I be able to upgrade at the subsidized price?
If you quite literally just bought an iPhone 4S, there are options that
let you return the phone and pick up the newer model when it's out next
week. In Apple's case, there's a 30-day return policy. However, you need
to work out the contract part with your carrier, meaning that if you
just signed up for a new two-year contract to get the phone, you'll need
to call them up and try and broker an iPhone 5 purchase without losing
your number if you've ported it from another carrier.
Each carrier has differing return policies. For AT&T, it's 30 days
plus a $35 restocking fee. Sprint and Verizon both have 14-day return
windows. Sprint will refund you your activation fee if you've purchased
the phone within the last three days, otherwise you'll have to eat that
cost. Verizon, meanwhile, charges a $35 restocking fee.
For non-Apple or noncarrier stores: Target has a 90-day return policy, Best Buy is 30 days, and RadioShack is 14 days.
If you bought an iPhone 4S when it came out last October (or any other
handset in the last year), your upgrade options will depend on your
account status. Carriers limit how many times per year you qualify for a
subsidy, even if you agree to extend your contract. So it's best to
check with your carrier individually. If you purchased an
iPhone 4
when it came out in June, 2010, then you should be able to upgrade and
get the subsidy without a problem. You can check your status with all
three U.S. carriers who carry the iPhone by clicking
here.
What do I need to know about LTE? How do I know if I get it in my area?
LTE is a 4G technology that carriers started pushing out in the United
States over the last couple of years. As you might expect, it's faster
than 3G, with exact speeds depending on your carrier. The result for
you, though, will be faster downloads and uploads, faster streaming, and
faster Web browsing.
HSPA+ on AT&T's 3G network. The iPhone 5 has 4G LTE.
(Credit:
CNET/Josh Lowensohn)
To confirm whether you have LTE in your area, you'll have to check with
your carrier. The color-coded maps you find online or at the store are a
start, but there's no substitute for real-world testing. If you know
someone with an LTE phone (it can be any model), ask to borrow it and
see how LTE reception is at home, at your workplace, and in between. If
LTE is really important to you, you should absolutely test it before
buying the iPhone 5. There's also an issue with LTE roaming overseas,
but we'll get to that in a specific question below.
The AT&T and Verizon LTE networks are pretty widespread, with
coverage
touching the major urban and suburban areas. For the moment, though,
Sprint is at a disadvantage since its LTE network covers only 19 cities.
It's growing, but Sprint will play catch-up for a while.
It's also worth noting that up until now, Apple and the carriers have
played fast and loose with the definition of 4G. If you remember,
AT&T iPhone 4S owners
suddenly saw a 4G icon on their phones when they upgraded to
iOS 5.1.
That was because AT&T was calling its HSPA+ network 4G even though
there was disagreement about whether the technology really qualified.
I don't get LTE coverage where I live. Will the phone still work?
Yes, the phone defaults down to a 3G connection, just like it goes back down to EDGE when there's no 3G available.
I've heard 4G LTE can be a battery hog, can I turn it off when I'm not using it?
Yes, unlike the iOS 5.1 update earlier this year -- which took away 3G
toggle (and never brought it back) -- you can manually switch down to
the 3G network only.
Will I be able to transfer an iPhone 5 between different carrier networks in the United States, like T-Mobile?
Any iPhone you buy from a carrier will be locked to that specific
network, which makes interoperability a no go. But for the most part,
even unlocked phones won't be transferable between carriers. Though the
Verizon and Sprint iPhone 5s use the same CDMA bands, transferring a
phone between them is a tedious process, if you can do it all. Not only
do you have to unlock the phone (no easy feat), but the other carrier
would have to agree to activate it on its network. That's a long shot.
LTE interoperability is equally problematic because, as CNET's Maggie Reardon
told us earlier this year, LTE roaming between multiple networks generally isn't possible.
If you were able to unlock an AT&T iPhone 5, you could use it on
T-Mobile (provided, of course, that you had the appropriate SIM card),
but only on the carrier's 2G voice and data network. T-Mobile has yet to
deploy an LTE network and the iPhone 5 doesn't support T-Mobile's
unique brand of 3G.
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