SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Apple

iPhone 5 review: The 2012 redesign — taller screen, aluminium body, Lightning port.

SpecEagle Editorial·Sep 2012·$649
Overall
30/100
Class rank
#2 of 3
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The 2012 iPhone that brought Lightning and a taller screen.

The iPhone 5 introduced the Lightning port and the 4-inch display. It is firmly a vintage device — a milestone in connector history more than a usable phone.

01Display

44/100

44/100 puts it above the 42-point average for flagship phones of 2012.

TypeRetina IPS LCD
Size4.0 inches
Resolution1,136 × 640 px (326 ppi)
ProtectionIon-strengthened glass

02Camera

38/100

38/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

Main8 MP, f/2.4
Selfie1.2 MP
Video1080p @ 30 fps
FeaturesPanorama mode

03Performance

22/100

22/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

ChipsetApple A6 (32 nm)
CPUDual-core
GPUPowerVR SGX543MP3
RAM1 GB
Storage16 GB / 32 GB / 64 GB

04Battery

36/100

36/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

Capacity1,440 mAh
Wired~5 W (Lightning)
WirelessNo

05Build

60/100

60/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

06Value

30/100

30/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2012.

What works
  • Introduced the Lightning connector, replacing the 30-pin dock.
  • First taller 4-inch iPhone display.
  • Light, all-aluminium unibody.
  • First iPhone with LTE.
What doesn't
  • Tiny 1,440 mAh battery.
  • Stuck on iOS 10; no Touch ID.
  • Known for chipped anodised edges.
  • Discontinued — a vintage device.

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 3-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .