Well, now that the iPhone 5S is in stores, how does it stack up against the competition?
There will much writing about this, but one of the big improvements on the 5S is the 8 megapixel camera. Its 8 megapixel sensor has 15 per cent larger photo cells, translating to the same size photo as the iPhone 5 but about 15 per cent visibly better quality.
How does this camera stack up against what the current competition has to offer? I tested it against the Samsung Galaxy S4 which has a 13 megapixel camera. Here is how they compare on quality picture taking:
Macro close-up photography: Galaxy S4 wins hands down going in twice as close
Picture detail and quality on a sunny day: Galaxy S4 wins by capturing more detail with its 13 megapixel camera
Picture detail in low light without flash: The iPhone 5S with a smaller megapixel camera beats out the Galaxy S4 in a dimly lighted room, without flash. iPhones have a history of better designed and performing cameras.
Although the 5S does not have nearly as many options as the S4, the ones it does have outperform. Shooting 10 frames per second for example, by simply pushing the shutter button down longer, not only shoots fast sequential frames, but it is ready for the next burst or single frame photos almost instantly, compared to the slower 6 fps S4.
The S5 also has a small advantage on reproducing reds and deep pinks better, a challenge for any digital camera.
I like the slow motion feature of the 5S, easy to use. The colour effect filters are also easy to get to and the square format option is cool for mug shots. I found the video colour to be muted compared to the S4.
Obviously, the fingerprint reader is very handy as is the easily accessible window, by swishing from the bottom up, with settings like airplane mode, wireless settings, quiet mode, screen brightness and more…stuff you previously had to go to settings to get.
My quick take after using the iPhone 5S for a few days:
Current iPhone 5 users will not benefit that much. Wait for the next major release version hopefully with a larger screen.
iPhone 4 and 4s users will notice a big difference.
The iPhone 5C, $70 cheaper than the iPhone 5S 16GB, using plastic and colourful shells and covers, is still an iPhone 5 inside. Cellphone stores I talked to, said no fella up to date has asked them for one, but many young women have.
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