iPhone 5 hands-on: Slim is in

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16 hrs.

Wilson Rothman

While the iPhone 5 rumors were popping, I couldn't help think this was just some kind of stretched out iPhone 4S. During the keynote presentation, I was impressed by the features but couldn't help continuing on this path: Would it just be the same??

Well, when I finally got the thing in my hand, even for a few minutes,?I was delighted to discover how different it is.

Yes, the iPhone 5 is thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4S, but not in a plasticky way that would suggest some of Samsung's smartphones. If the iPhone 4S represents the?heft and?machined precision of a handgun, the iPhone 5 has the impossible physique of a laser blaster. It's light and thin in the way that the future should be.

The matte finish on the smartphone's back is a blessing and a curse. I like that there's a lot less glass here for me to shatter, but the way it looks takes away from the pure elegance of the iPhone 4 design: Two panes of shiny glass, separated by a steel border. I find that the white iPhone 5 (above) looks a little washed out, less bold, where the black version (below)?is smarter, if perhaps more masculine than its predecessor.

The taller screen is not as gangly as I has thought, and when I saw a clip of "The?Avengers" on it, I could appreciate why the design decision was made. Movies aren't my No. 1 activity on my phone, but the 16x9 ratio is a major standard for movies and more, so it just makes sense.

There's a springiness to the phone's?interface that suggests the stomping A6 processor, but I couldn't load up anything that let me really see the polygons fly. Also, part of that smoother operation could be iOS 6, because much of it?? for instance, the Music app?? has been retooled to better interact with iCloud and iTunes.

What was a fun thing to test out, even if I never use it in real life, is the camera's?Panorama feature: You just hoist the phone aloft and pan across your field of view, and you end up with a seamless panoramic image, suitable for framing (if you're any good at photography, that is ? alas, I am not).

Wilson Rothman is the Technology & Science?editor at NBC News Digital. Catch up with him on Twitter at @wjrothman, and join our conversation on Facebook.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/iphone-5-hands-slim-995384

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