NOTE: This article is a contribution and do not necessarily represent the views of IBTimes.

Key Features:

  • 4in IPS Display (640 x 1136)
  • A6 chip with 1GB RAM
  • iOS 6
  • 7.6mm thick; weighs 112g
  • 8 megapixel camera
  • Lightning connector
  • 4G LTE
  • Price as reviewed: £529 (16GB, SIM-free)

The launch of a new iPhone is usually greeted with the kind of mass hysteria reserved for the arrival of a deity - or, more recently, a new haircut from Justin Beiber. The iPhone 5 has been no different, except for the first time, we pretty much knew what was coming, a long time before Tim Cook unveiled the new phone earlier this month.

While the iPhone 5 may look a lot like the iPhone 4 and 4S, it feels completely different. Apple has reduced the weight by 20 percent - mainly thanks to the removal of the glass panel on the rear - and this is the first thing you notice about the new iPhone when you pick it up.

Other changes include the introduction of the smaller 9-pin Lightning dock connector, the placement of the headphone jack on the bottom rather than the top and a slightly redesigned Home button below the screen.

The screen is half an inch bigger than all previous iPhones to date and has a resolution of 640 x 1136 and a Retina pixel density of 326 pixels per inch - there's 44 percent more colour saturation than the iPhone 4S, too.

Apple claims that the A6 chip offers twice the processing power and twice the graphical power of the A5 chip which powered the iPhone 4S.

The iPhone 5 is a beautiful, stunning piece of industrial design. It is thinner, lighter and larger than previous iPhones. The 4in display may not be able to match the latest Android smartphone in terms of sheer size, but its resolution is still the best available, and the width remaining static means one-handed use is still a possibility.

On first glance, the iPhone 5 looks only a slight evolution of the iPhone 4 and 4S. However, pick it up and you will instantly see that it is a completely different proposition. Add to this 4G LTE, and Apple has produced its most complete smartphone to date.

iOS still has its limitations and the Maps debacle could put some off, but if you are looking for the most complete smartphone on the market, then the iPhone 5 is the answer.

You can read the full review here.

Written and presented by David Gilbert.