We’re starting a new Rewind Series that will put emphasis on iconic legacy Apple products. Come sit down and travel back to the yesteryears of Apple. In this first episode of the Rewind Series, let’s all remember one of the most prominent and legendary mobile devices ever to have taken shape – the timeless iPhone 5.
A brilliant piece of engineering!
The release of the iPhone 5 dates back to September of the year 2012. Back in those days, we were (and still are) avid readers of GSMArena.com and fondly recall their coverage on the same. Anyways, the iPhone 5 was launched after Steve Jobs’ era unfortunately ended. Under the leadership of Tim Cook, Apple decided to choose aluminum over stainless steel of the previous iPhone 4S.
The screen was stretched from 3.5″ to 4.0″ making the device a tad taller and narrower. The classy glass back was traded in for a soft aluminum one. However, the top and bottom parts were covered in glass. The sides featured chamfered edges which screamed an all-premium design. The overall aluminum build felt opulent and had one of a kind feel that’s just not there in today’s iPhone models.
iPhone 4S vs. iPhone 5 | Source: GSMArena 
Glass build of the 4S vs. the soft aluminum of the iPhone 5 | Source: GSMArena 
The shift to Lightning helped Apple reduce its footprint considerably | Source: GSMArena 
The massive 30-pin connector compared to the tiny Lightning connector | Source: GSMArena
Coming to the camera department, the interesting change was the sapphire crystal lens for the new 8MP camera. Connectivity-wise, a major shift happened which to this date is being carried over. Yes, you got that right! We’re talking about the Lightning port.
Up until the iPhone 4S, Apple employed their 30-pin connector to sync and charge their devices. The shift to the Lightning connector for one helped Apple reduce the footprint of their devices which allowed them to cram in more components. Speaking of which, the iPhone 5 was the first device ever to make use of the nano-SIM card standard.
iPhone 5 in White | Source: GSMArena 
Chamfered edges | Source: GSMArena 
sleek aluminum build | Source: GSMArena 
Simple camera arrangement | Source: GSMArena 
iPhone 5 in Black | Source: GSMArena 
In-box accessories | Source: GSMArena
What’s all the talk without the software part of it. iOS 6 was pre-installed on the iPhone 5 at launch. It was the last release from Apple before they switched to a flat design with iOS 7 which is still present in iOS 15 today. To be honest, nothing really drastically has changed since iOS 7. People longing for a redesign were disappointed at WWDC 21.
Coming back, iOS 6 was also the most controversial iOS release ever, all thanks to the Apple Maps fiasco. The relation between Google and Apple was tensed back then which made Apple cook their own navigation solution. Scott Forstall aka the father of iOS had to leave the company eventually with regards to the Apple Maps controversy. Apple Maps made iOS 6 the most infamous release ever due to the latter failing on several aspects with the two of them being incorrect directions and monuments appearing in undefined places.
Overall to wrap up, we feel the iPhone 5 was one of a kind device to ever come to the smartphone scene with evergreen and industrial design that captured millions of hearts yesterday and still remains an unforgettable piece of tech in millions of hearts today.