iPhone 5

Is the iPhone 12 mini too small? Or too big? Coming from the iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and the iPhone SE (2016)

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Ignore the cling wrap please LOL

Having seen the iPhone 12/Pro in person, I am pretty convinced that without a case, the size of the 12/Pro is probably just nice for many people. Which bring the questions;

  1. Will the 12 mini be too small?
  2. Is this the real successor to the iPhone 5s size phones that 5s and SE (2016) users have been wanting since 2018?

Too Small?

What constitutes ‘too small’? Is the iPhone 5s too small? Is the iPhone 4 the right size? Everyone’s idea of the perfect size for phones has been changing through the last decade, no thanks to the ever growing sizes of phone displays, as phone manufacturers find ways to justify increasing their product prices.

One way to determine if it is too small is obviously through the physical dimensions of the phone. Take note that a “5.4 inch display” really does little to inform you of how the iPhone 12 mini will feel in your hand. It is, after all, physically even smaller than the iPhone 8 which had a 4.7 inch display.

Apple’s site states the following dimensions for the iPhone 12 mini – height 131.5mm, width 64.2mm and depth 7.4mm, with a weight of 133 grams.

The iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone SE (2016)’s dimensions are – height 123.8mm, width 58.6mm and depth 7.6mm, with a weight of 112/113 grams.

Looking at the numbers we can see that the iPhone 12 mini is a little taller, a little wider, and actually a little THINNER than the iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone SE (2016).

True Successor to the iPhone 5s?

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Here is a photo of the iPhone 12 mini case in my asian size male hand.

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Comparing it with the iPhone 5s in a case, the additional height and width is barely noticable. If you are coming from an iPhone 5, iPhone 5s or iPhone SE (2016), you are barely going to notice a difference in the feel of the iPhone 12 mini (in a case) in your hand. Unless of course, if even the iPhone 5s is too big for you, you probably need a feature phone (if you can still find one).

Singtel, Starhub, M1 Prices for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c revealed!

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Finally the last two telcos revealed their prices for the new iPhones. Below are the price comparisons at the various plans. Images sourced from HWZ. Click on the images to view in full size.

Got questions about iOS 7 and the new iPhones? Visit sgmac.net today!

The Mystery of the iPhone 5C placement in Apple’s lineup

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Apple Event 10th September 2013

As recent rumors have pegged, tonight’s Apple event will introduce two new iPhones – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

We have seen enough leaks to know everything there is to know about the iPhone 5C’s five colors and construction, and how they are really just iPhone 5 innards in a new plastic housing.

That said, the exact placement of the iPhone 5C in Apple’s iPhone lineup remains a mystery up till now.

In a previous post, I had revealed that the iPhone 5C had a 4-inch screen and a Lightning port (thanks to my friends) and speculated that the iPhone 5C will replace the iPhone 4S at the lowest end of the iPhone lineup and complete the transition of the iPhone line to Lightning ports and 4-inch screens this year, leaving the iPhone 5S at the top and the current iPhone 5 in the middle of the lineup.

I still think that this will be the arrangement, but rumors (from idiotic analysts nonetheless) suggest that the iPhone 5C will replace the iPhone 5 completely, leaving only the two new iPhones (and the old iPhone 4S) in the iPhone lineup.

This is weird for various reasons.

Firstly, it will leave a big gap between the pricing of the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C, assuming that the iPhone 5C will be quite a bit cheaper than the iPhone 5S. Previous years, the mid-range iPhones have always been about 100USD cheaper than the top-of-the-line models, and people who are intending to buy mid-range this year will not be happy that they are paying for something that are not last year’s models, at the same top-range-minus-hundred price point.

Secondly, it will not be feasible to have the iPhone 4S remain on the lineup, for the extra effort Apple needs to maintain the dock connector accessories and the assumed extra cost of making the iPhone 4S’ metal and glass housing will outweigh the benefits of just letting the same production lines making the now lesser in demand iPhone 4S continue running.

The only reason/way I can see it (iPhone 5C replacing the iPhone 5) is if the supply yield of the delicate aluminum and glass housing of the iPhone 5 still remains small today even after one year of production, due to the care needed to prevent scratches on the soft aluminum on the assembly lines.

If that is truly the case, it will make sense for Apple to divert all current iPhone 5 housing production lines to the production of the iPhone 5S, to ensure maximum supply of the iPhone 5S on launch day (20th September) and in the months after that, especially with the rumored increase in color choice.

Plastic housings are extremely cheap and easy to produce (ask Samsung), and will be produced fast enough to meet iPhone 5C launch demand, and a big supply of iPhone 5Cs is need if China is going to be part of the first launch countries this year.

Apple will still have to adjust their prices accordingly, and there will still be a gap, unless of course they just went ahead with the old top-range-minus-hundred pricing assuming that people will pay for the "newness" of the multi colored iPhone 5C lineup.

Can’t wait for tonight! Will love a blue 5C.

Visit Sgmac.net, the new fb group (still in tweaking mode until mid-Sep, but open for joining) for devoted Mac users today!

M1 and Singtel Price Plans for iPhone 5 in Singapore

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Ahhhh… After a horrible day yesterday I am now sure I am switching from Singtel to M1. Why? You ask. Cause I just can’t stand Singtel’s ways anymore. Everything wrong with Singtel reflects everything that is wrong with this country.

And here are the M1 prices.

And here are the Singtel prices, sourced from Lester Chan’s site. As usual, Singtel has the HIGHEST prices with the WORSE service. Singtel’s mobile internet is completely unusable in many places in town, even if there are full signal bars being shown.

iFlexi Plans

iFlexi Lite – SGD$39.90
2GB Data
100 Mins Outgoing Voice
800 SMS
iPhone 5 16GB Price: SGD$478
iPhone 5 32GB Price: SGD$598
iPhone 5 64GB Price: SGD$758

iFlexi Value – SGD$59.90
3GB Data
200 Mins Outgoing Voice
900 SMS
iPhone 5 16GB Price: SGD$198
iPhone 5 32GB Price: SGD$308
iPhone 5 64GB Price: SGD$468

iFlexi Plus – SGD$99.90
4GB Data
500 Mins Outgoing Voice
1,000 SMS
iPhone 5 16GB Price: Free
iPhone 5 32GB Price: SGD$48
iPhone 5 64GB Price: SGD$198

iFlexi Premium – SGD$205
12GB Data
2,000 Mins Outgoing Voice
2,500 SMS
iPhone 5 16GB Price: Free
iPhone 5 32GB Price: Free
iPhone 5 64GB Price: SGD$58

Launch date for iPhone 5 in Singapore and other iPhone 5 tidbits

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Just a few hours left to the iPhone 5 introduction tomorrow early morning, so let us run through some information that we already know as fact.

What we already know as fact;

1. iPhone 5 will be released in the States on the 21st. (WSJ)

2. iPhone 5 will be released in Singapore on the 21st as well. (Hardwarezone thanks DHL for leaking the info, lolol, and some other sources)

3. iPhone 5’s screen resolution is 1136X640, features 5 rows of icons instead of the usual 4 (multiple sources)

4. iPhone 5 has a brand new, 9-pin, UNI-DIRECTIONAL (this is freaking cool, you can plug it in both ways and it will work!) dock connector that will be featured probably on the new iPods as well (iLounge, you can count it on them for such news)

5. iPhone 5 will look like these two devices in the picture;


Picture from 9to5Mac obviously.

When 9to5Mac broke the news months ago about the above being the new iPhone 5 designs, I personally checked with supply chain sources who gave me the “erm… I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING!!!!” reply which basically means “duh…”, yet many didn’t seem to believe me or 9to5Mac’s pictures. But then, as more and more leaks appear, I guess people finally know.

What we have no idea of;

1. If SPG’s iPhone 5 screen protector is precise and accurate, since Apple doesn’t seem give device dimensions to third party manufacturers in advance

2. If Apple will be the only one selling the new dock cables/adapters, thus making cheaper low quality-controlled cables impossible to buy for the time being.

3. If M1, currently the only telco in Singapore with 12GB iPhone data plans remaining, and the telco I am going to switch to thanks to shitty service and shitty coverage from Singtel, will kill its 12GB plans the very day iPhone 5 launches on M1. Or if Starhub and Singtel will backtrack and offer 12GB just for a limited sign-up period in order not to lose hundreds of customers to M1. Edit: M1 already dropped their plans to 2GB, 3GB, 5GB and 12GB. Too late.

4. iPhone 5 has LTE that works in Singapore. may work in Singapore. (As pointed out by Ivan in the comments!) However, some sources closed to the telcos say LTE on the iPhone WILL work in Singapore, so we’ll see.

The new iPhone part

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The new iPhone back case machined out of a single piece of solid aluminum, I wonder if the black means it’s anodized.

What a beauty.

Take this and compare it to the pebble-shaped, faked “metal” plastic shell of the recently-released Samsung Galaxy SIII running the ugliest version of TouchWiz ever, and I seriously wonder if anyone can still tell themselves that the SIII is even a choice.

Then again, lots of commoners have no taste.

As I have previously stated, I truly believe this is legit.

The New iPhone – Scoop by 9to5mac

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9to5mac (through ifixyouri) has a big scoop on the exterior look of the new iPhone. Metal backs, new dock connector, movement of the headphone jack to the bottom of the phone, and an overall thinner profile.

Get in on the details on their site now. This stuff is legit. A little birdie chirps that from what he/she knows, the parts posted by 9to5mac are legit. And the little birdie is often right. Unless of course, this is yet another “teardrop prototype drawing leaks into the wild and manufacturers start making cases off the leaked document” incident. Only this time there were actual parts made, parts that 9to5mac can order from a real iPhone parts OEM.