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Dogged by controversy over the shortcomings of iOS 6 - and, in particular, the woeful state of the maps app at launch - the iPhone 5 didn't get much of a break during its initial weeks on the market. A solid device with excellent games performance and a logical refactoring of the screen, the phone was clearly another quality product from Apple, but game frame-rates and OS fluidity aside, it was difficult to see much of a reason to upgrade as enhancements to basic functionality weren't quite compelling enough. The iPhone 5S puts things to rights.This review has been a long time coming - the insane schedule of next-gen console and GPU press events in addition to our usual workload combined to shunt back our appraisal of this new Apple offering, but on the flipside, the opportunity to take it on as our daily runner across the duration gives us a broader, wider view of the 5S from the perspective of a new owner with several weeks experience of the device under our belts - a valuable experience in addition to 'just' reviewing it.
On first glance, it's safe to say that there isn't much to differentiate it from the outgoing iPhone 5 - an observation you can level at any of the "S" devices Apple has produced. The chassis is virtually identical, the screen is the same, and the weight is like-for-like - there's still that almost unnatural lightness to the device that almost makes it feel insubstantial compared to the reassuring presence of the 4S. The only major difference on the front side comes from the home button, housing the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. While the four-digit PIN remains as a security feature if you want to use it, the way to access a locked phone is now to press the finger of your choice against the sensor and wait for around a second for it to unlock.
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