News & Reviews:   Apple iPhone 5 Malaysia

Maxis recently confirmed what many Apple iPhone 5 and some iPad users in Malaysia are now finding out. Those who were on the Maxis 4G LTE plans now have LTE speeds for their devices. Maxis officially confirmed this recently along with an update of their new LTE coverage areas as shown below:

Great Design, Drops Better than the iPhone 5

While the HTC One managed to beat out Apple's iPhone 5 in drop tests recently it should be noted that it is a lot harder to repair. The HTC One recently got a teardown at iFixit (a site which takes apart smartphones and tries to put them back together). In that particular iFixit teardown, the HTC One is the only smartphone to get a repairability score of 1/10, which means it is next to impossible to repair (the Apple iPhone 5 has an iFixit repairability score of 7/10). Tearing down the HTC One the folks at iFixit found:

• Most of the components are covered with copper tape for shielding which when removed looks like used aluminum foil (almost impossible to fix back)
• The battery is attached to the midframe and covered by the motherboard, making it very difficult to replace.
• To replace the display you have to remove the rear case which may require taking apart the entire HTC One.

For quite some time now, Apple's iPhone has touted it's toughness and endurance based on it's aluminum unibody carved from a single block of aluminum. However, it is no longer alone in the smartphone arena as from the horde of plastic Android smartphones comes the HTC One, one of the first Android smartphones to have an aluminum unibody as well. Both have aluminum unibody casings and both have not nearly as tough glass screens. Which one would survive drops better?

iPhone 5 Pros:

Larger screen - Going from a 3.5-inch screen to a 4-inch screen isn't that big a jump but the extra screen means more icons on the home screen, more navigation options in apps and HD movies shown without the black bar "letterbox" effect.

Better battery life - Apple managed to give the iPhone 5 better battery life than its predecessor. Battery life is Apple's stock and trade: The company will sacrifice features to keep battery life long, but in the iPhone 5, there doesn't appear to be a real downside.

Thinner and lighter - This may not be apparent from the presentation, but when you hold it, the phone feels impressively thin and impressively light, especially given the larger screen and longer battery life.

Apple iPhone 5 Malaysia Release Date (26 Oct 2012 Delayed - Apple Confirmed on 14-December-2012) and Price!

Updated (4-12-2012):

Apple Press Info - iPhone 5 Arrives in Malaysia (14-12-2012) & More Than 50 Additional Countries in December!

CUPERTINO, California—December 3, 2012—Apple® today announced iPhone® 5 will be available in Malaysia on Friday, December 14 and South Korea on Friday, December 7, with more than 50 additional countries being added in December, including Brazil, Russia and Taiwan. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless*—all while delivering even better battery life.**