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A report from the detail-obsessed folk over at Anandtech, indicates that Apple’s A6 chip in the new iPhone 5 is probably the first ARM Cortex A15-based processor in a phone, and it should be screaming (40 per cent faster than A9-based chips). Has Apple beaten Samsung, HTC, and everyone else to the A15 punch?
Ironically, Samsung makes the A6 for Apple using the same processes as its own Exynos chips. In fact, Samsung does have a Cortex A15 processor in the wings; it’s, apparently, just not in a phone yet.
So, has Apple beaten the competition in the processor advancement wars? Perhaps. Whether that means the iPhone 5 will actually be faster, or more powerful than the rest, well, we’ll find out soon. Either way, what it could be is more efficient, because it’s probably built on a 32nm process, making it suck down less power and produce less heat. To you and I, that just means a cooler phone and longer battery life, and that can only be a good thing — who doesn’t want a phone that actually lasts a good day or two? [Anandtech via Apple Insider]
For a full list of everything Apple announced at its September keynote, take a look over here.
Finally, a UK Mobile Network Has Done Something Sensible
Agenda Calendar: Get Something Done for a Change
Google Maps for iOS Review: Maps Done Right
If only it didn’t have a tiny battery..
With a bit of luck, the 32nm processor should help alleviate battery woes, but I know what you mean. Make it a bit thicker and slap a massive battery in there. Make it last a week and I’d buy it for sure.
I think I’ve got an old 3210 in a draw somewhere.
ive got a 5110. still works. what a phone that was. keeping it for doomsday just in case i can still get a vodafone signal.
I know. It’s really stupid to boast about how thin it is when by keeping it the same thickness as before (or even adding a millimetre or two) they could get better battery life. Seriously It’s time that a phone manufacturer stood up and said “We aren’t going to try and make phones thinner, instead we are going to make them better”.
Is there anybody out there with an iPhone 4S who think it’s too fat and too heavy? Is there anybody out there with an iPhone 4S who wouldn’t want it to have longer battery life?
I think the only company that springs to mind is Motorola with their “Maxx” variations of the Razr.
True but they did boast about the original Razrs thinness so I discounted them. On balance I shouldn’t have done as they are offering a choice, you can have thin, or you can have mega battery life, beyond that it’s basically the same phone.
Is there anybody else out there who wonders why the screen needed to get bigger?
I want a phone that fits comfortably in my pocket, has gorilla type (non-scratch) glass, has a battery that lasts more than 24 hours, has a decent signal wherever I am (at least in the South-East of England) and has decent apps available.
I don’t care if it’s a few mm thinner than the last version as I’ll probably have some covering around it to prevent it getting damaged, sliding around etc, I don’t care if it’s got a camera that means I can take photos that can be blown upto poster size without loss of resolution and I don’t care if it’s been hand-finished by Tibetan monks in the foothills of Nepal after being designed by Damien Hurst…..it’s a phone, not a work of art and I exist in a world where people judge me by my results and the ability to communicate with me, not the phone I plonk on a table during a meeting. (Rant over)
Lumia 800 my friend
are we the only ones that are trying to promote wp7.8 / 8.0?!
its all tiley and swipey for god’s sake!
I’m still waiting for the cheque from Microsoft..
Nope, I have one too and have been known to promote it on occasion.
I have a lumia 800 and the battery does NOT last more than 24hrs. I’d be luck to get 10 out of it at a push.
I would much rather it be a couple of mm thicker and have decent batterey life. I’ve yet to meet a person who would choose the opposite. Whats the point of having all the features of a smart phone eg location based services, apps running in the background etc, when you have to have them turned off so that your battery lasts more than 5 hrs?
Wow really? I get a day easy out of my Titan with moderate use..
On a normal day it will last from 7am till about 10ish without charge but I always have location turned off, all apps that can run in the background disabled yadda yadda. My point is you should be able to use all the features and get a full day out of it.
I recently went on a night out when I was going straight from work and was not able to charge my phone, I shouldn’t have to worry that my phone won’t last the night.
This isn’t progress.
My 900 last a few days. Though I do use it less than my old droid
The ironic thing about Apple making the screen size bigger is that they no longer cater for people who want smaller phones, whereas Android still does.
Er, the screen was 3.5 inch. 3.5. Can you name a single modern flagship smartphone with a screen that small?
Apple have kept the thing portable by going 16:9, so really it’s a good thing.
After becoming used to my 4.2 inch 16:9 Xperia Arc, using an iPhone 4S feels like looking at my Arc through a letterbox. It might not seem like it now, but once you’ve used one for a while, it will be hard to go back.
I use two 17″ laptops, watch a 42″ TV and have no problem using a tiddly 3.7″ screen on my phone.
I use a 7″ tablet, a 15.4″ laptop, and a 26″ old-shool non-HD TV and have no problem using a 4.8″ screen on my phone.
No company does a flagship phone with a screen that size, it wouldn’t sell. I can name you a bunch of android phones that companies do that are that size for around £100, as a small cheap option for those that want it – pesky customers wanting freedom, choice and options, how fucking dare they?
as dirtymagic86 said – lumia 800. BATMAN EDITION!
You’re just trying to sell yours off to buy a 920 aren’t you?
On that note, anyone interested in buying a 2nd hand HTC Titan?
I will give two of my English pounds for it.
I fart in your general direction..
Isn’t that a Kiwi’s usually method of communication anyway??
Busted!
Well, I like screens somewhere around 4″and 4.5″. For the rest I think a microsd slot would be much more valuable than the new processor or camera. This way iPhone buyers wouldn’t be ripped off for storage space…
I think the 4S too heavy (personal view point of course). But NOT too thick. They could definitely have made it the same thickness and maybe gone with a 130g footprint half way between the two and got a good 2 day battery life out of it. Shame.
Although it’s not an iPhone, the Galaxy Nexus has an official “extended battery” from Samsung (I think the Korean versions of the phone come with this battery). If you’ve ever used a GNexus, you’ll know the back is curved inwards and feels slightly strange. When using the extended battery, the back is flat instead and frankly, it feels better that way. It feels like the phone was originally designed with that size in mind, but they then cut the battery down just to make it thinner in places.
“If you’ve ever used a GNexus” – You must be new here
Proud Galaxy Nexus owner since almost day one (there was that screw up with the first batch). I know what you mean about the samsung extended battery, though I personally have an unofficial monster.
By the sound of it Darrell you are into the big heavy ones, personally I go for the slender build.. .
I’ve been handling big heavy ones all my life mate, so I’m used to it.
think everyone would happily sacrifice a few mm for a better battery, be surprised if many people would
At last, something nearly interesting about the new iPhone.
The issue here is that Apple have not done what technology companies are supposed to do – make a device to improve our productivity. The Samsung Galaxy Note (1 and 2), (of which I have owned the former along with iPhones) is significantly more useful, innovative and robust than any pocketable iDevice. Has anyone tried the stylus driven drawing apps, or ingenious video editor built into the Note as standard? Way more flexible than iMovie. Apple have become a vendor of slick consumption devices only, a far cry from the days of the original Macintosh that was dedicated to human creativity.
Others will step into their shoes…
I agree the Note II is innovation in action, the iPhone 5 is ‘another iPhone’.
To be perfectly honest, there isn’t a single phone out there right now that overwhelms or excites me.
I’m a current Galaxy SII user & have encountered my fair share of the pitfalls of Android (I really shouldn’t have to root/flash in order to get a software update that’s been in the wild for 8 months!). I like having a decent size screen, but I guess it’s a matter of personal preference as to what constitutes ‘too big’… I do want to be able to stick it in my pocket!
The hardware for the Lumia 920 looks amazing (and the camera certainly shows promise) but wireless charging is nothing new (I had it in my Palm Pre in 2009) and WP8 hasn’t yet made its mark (also, a vague November release / exclusivity…).
Similarly, the new iPhone 5 isn’t amazing. Like each of the flagship phones for each of the manufacturers / platforms, it’s undoubtedly the best yet and it does look like significant thought has gone into the build. But there’s nothing wildly innovative or unique about any of them. I’m sure they’re all good phones and they’ll all work and do pretty much what I want them to do…
“To be perfectly honest, there isn’t a single phone out there right now that overwhelms or excites me.”
That is NOT a bad thing!
I agree. Competition is a good thing, so long as we do see some innovation too. It’s great that each of the three major ecosystems has at least one high-end flagship option. It just makes it very difficult to choose my next phone!
I actually meant, it’s a bit sad to get “excited” and particularly, “overwhelmed” by such things! (but only in a light-hearted way)
I agree. I was hoping the S3 would nail it, but fell a bit short especially when it would be with me for 2 years.
So I opted for the lumia 900 on a years contract, hoping for some decent updates next year.
The Snapdragon S4 architecture is very close to the Cortex A15. The A6 is surely a step forward, but it’s not like it’s a giant leap for smartphones.
I love my iPhone4s and I will probably buy the iPhone5 but I think Apple should concentrate more on the specifications that people actually want, instead of making the thinnest phone ever why not make the battery last longer. I would also have liked a better camera, but the panorama feature looks pretty cool especially compared with the apps for the iPhone4s and the panoramas that the GalaxyS3 does.
All Apple have really done is buy the first production of Samsung made 32nm chips. Which is what they do with everything from the Toshiba flash drives in the Macbook Air to the retina screen. They use their massive riches to invest in the factories then get exclusive first use of the components, which is why Apple seems to innovate, while spending less on R&D than any other top tech company while still spending more on advertising than any other to keep you convinced that the R&D spend is not low.
This process will continue while they still have the best selling phone in the world, since presumably everyone has done the math and decided the selling the huge number of parts to Apple, even at the tiny profit margins Apple gives, is worth more than keeping them to themselves. Samsung have been slowly building a worldwide reputation for its smartphones, which has been largely funded by Apple. At some point they may decide to put themselves first in the new parts queue, possibly if Apple were to upset them in some way.
Samsung made beautiful phones back when Apple were nearly bankrupt, I used to own several aluminium flip phones from Samsung in the late 90s/early 00s.
My point still is buying early stock from another company is not technically innovation.
Yeah, first people with a new chip in a dual core form that is under-clocked, how do they do it?
I think Android community had the battery discussion a year ago already – stop making are phones thinner if it means poor battery, sort the battery then follow the slim road – which most seem happy to follow.
We really don’t want slim and small, I for one want a Note II – probably at the limits of as big as we would allow a phone to go. But I really don’t think the Note II is a phone, it is a new form of device that is both tablet and phone, rather than carrying two devices, it works for both calling and media data perfectly, for just that little more bulk – they got all the pressure pen stuff, and extent, mirror and stream stuff with a SmartTV, and best specs. That is real solutions to real problems regarding modern livings, and the iPhone 5 certainly isn’t that – it is a homage to a phone that was innovative and brilliant, a knee jerk from a company that can’t see the woods for the trees, or should I say 100 billion dollars. It is like they are saying we will just throw this out, sell 30-40 million in 12 months to a bunch of deadheads, and that will give us 12 months to think of a plan – and it probably will.