On September 17, 2022 at 20:00 Moscow time, iOS 12, a new version of the mobile operating system for Apple devices, was released.
To be honest, I didn’t expect that my iPhone 5s would ever work on anything newer than iOS 10. After the release of the eleventh version of the system, the Internet exploded with a flurry of indignation: iOS 11 managed to slow down and drain the battery even on the latest models of iPhones and iPads, and It really brought the “old people” into a deplorable state. When it seems like you can use it, but it’s very sad.
In general, I never decided to upgrade from “ten” to “eleventh”. I regularly deleted the iOS 11 installation files from my memory, which the iPhone downloaded at night in order to joyfully notify its owner the next morning that he was ready to install the new system right now, and thought about staying on iOS 10 until replacing the current iPhone with a more recent model.
It was all the more surprising to learn two circumstances.
Firstly, after WWDC 2022, it became known that the new iOS 12 will also support the iPhone 5s and the first generation iPad Air, released in 2013. More than 5 years of updates from the manufacturer - I wonder if any Android-based devices can boast of something similar?
Secondly, after the release of the very first beta version of the new system, intriguing reviews appeared. It turns out that even in beta, the new system works much faster and smoother than iOS 11. And on older devices it generally works wonders.
So I decided to take a chance and installed the update immediately after it appeared on the evening of September 17th. And in this article I will briefly describe how a five-year-old iPhone feels on the latest operating system of 2022.
Installing the update
The iOS 12 distribution weighs 1.8 GB, downloading and installing over the air, without the need to use a PC. Of course, you can install the update through iTunes, but as a rule this is not necessary.
Uploading files takes about 10 minutes. The installation itself lasts another 15-20 minutes, during which the iPhone heats up to some wild temperatures.
Then a reboot, a prompt to enter an unlock password - and we are presented with a twitching and slowing interface of the new version of the operating system.
These brakes should not be misleading. You need to reboot the device several times in a row - during reboots, iOS restores order in the file system, removes garbage and carries out some other self-service operations.
You must reboot after installing updates!
Application changes
I’m not going to describe all the changes in the new version of iOS, the number of which currently exceeds 50, especially since reviewers from specialized sites sorted everything out a few months ago, shortly after the release of the first public beta. If anyone is interested, you can type “ios 10 review” into Google and read detailed articles by other people on this topic.
Here I will mention a few changes in iOS 10 applications that clearly caught my eye.
"Cards"
The standard Maps app has received a slightly updated design and is finally responsive to two-finger pinch and rotate gestures.
Previously, any attempt to change the direction of the map display in the application of the same name was pure hell - the map seemed to resist the twisting gesture with the fingers and rotated extremely slowly and reluctantly. Now everything rotates perfectly.
But “Maps” never became useful in Russia, given the low detail of Russian maps and the presence of a powerful competitor in the person of 2GIS.
"Music"
The interface of the Music application has been completely revised.
Love the new playback screen. I didn't like everything else.
I already mentioned above about the clumsy font and the inscription “Mediate...” that does not fit on the screen.
There was also a feature that was unpleasant for me - when you connect wireless speakers, the iPhone automatically starts playing music through it.
A specific example: I listened to music from my iPhone through a Xiaomi Square Box Bluetooth Speaker. Then I paused the playback. Then he went to the store, taking the iPhone with him. Naturally, the Bluetooth connection to the speaker was interrupted. When I returned home, the Bluetooth connection was restored and the iPhone started playing music on the speaker without asking me.
Now imagine that you are returning home late at night, and your iPhone hooks onto the wireless audio system in your bedroom that is turned on and, on its own initiative, starts playing music through it. And among the audio recordings on your iPhone there are not only soothing lounge and trip-hop, but also brutal metal.
"Health"
The Health application has acquired a large number of various indicators for logging and tracking.
The interface has also changed a bit.
"Clock" and "sleep mode"
The Clock app has added a new feature called Sleep Mode. This is an advanced version of a regular alarm clock, created to normalize sleep patterns and monitor compliance with them. When activating the mode, you need to set the desired wake-up time and indicate the number of hours required for sleep - and the iPhone will sound a reminder signal every evening about the need to go to bed, taking into account the planned rise and the required number of hours of sleep. And when you connect wearable electronics (smart watches, fitness bracelets) to your iPhone, the application will be able to adjust the calculations of the required amount of sleep based on the taken indicators and keep track of the quality of your sleep.
It looks interesting, but you have to understand that miracles don’t happen, and without the Apple Watch, the functionality of the application is not far from the functionality of a regular alarm clock.
"House"
iOS 10 comes with a new pre-installed Home app, which is used to organize your smart home system using HomeKit-compatible devices.
It’s also interesting and promising, but for me it’s still useless due to the lack of smart gadgets compatible with the system.
What's new?
I updated the iPhone 5s from iOS 10 directly to iOS 12, skipping iOS 11. Therefore, it is difficult for me to assess what changes were introduced by version 12 of the system, and not 11.
But let's try.
Updated system interface
The iOS 10 interface looked like this:
Same screens after updating to iOS 12:
Most of the innovations came in iOS 11: in particular, the text names of programs in the lower dock disappeared.
The fonts have changed, becoming thinner and neater.
The icons of some applications have changed, the “Files” application has been added (also in iOS 11).
Updated Music interface
The music player also received minor cosmetic changes.
Music app in iOS 10:
Music app in iOS 12:
The most noticeable change is the new player widget on the lock screen. Now it is designed in dark colors and, in my opinion, looks prettier than the old one.
Updated Books app
The iBooks book reader built into the system has been significantly redesigned.
iBooks app in iOS 10:
Books app in iOS 12:
The name of the application itself has changed. From "iBooks" it was renamed to "Books" (or "Books" in Russian localization).
The interface has been refreshed and looks more modern. The bookshelf is divided into two tabs - the “Library” itself with all the books available on the device and the “Reading Now” tab for quick access to recently opened books.
But integration with the iTunes bookstore, on the contrary, has shrunk from just three tabs (“Selections,” “Top Charts,” and “Shopping”) to a single “Book Store.”
Unfortunately, for Russian-speaking users, the iTunes bookstore still remains useless: Russian publications are still absent from it, apparently Apple considers it unprofitable for itself to enter our market for electronic book distribution.
Also, the Books app now has a dark interface that automatically activates at night.
Grouping notifications
Notifications of the same type from the same application are now stacked in cards, taking up less space:
It’s very convenient, especially for those who constantly receive notifications from a bunch of different messengers on their phone.
Various little things
- Application "Teams" ("Shortcuts") . Apple bought and made the Workflow application free for users, which allows you to write scripts to automate routine actions. Workflow has now been renamed Teams, has improved Siri integration, and is available for free download on the App Store.
- Screen time . A new tool that allows you to control the amount of time spent on your smartphone, both in general and broken down by individual applications or their groups. For example, you can control the amount of time spent on social networks every day and set a limit on the use of certain applications.
- Updated battery usage statistics . Now it not only shows the use of battery power by various programs, but also builds graphs of charge-discharge and screen activity by time of day.
- A trackpad for everyone . Previously, the iOS on-screen keyboard had a trackpad feature for devices with 3D Touch support (that is, iPhone 6s and later). You had to hold down the virtual spacebar and swipe across the screen in any direction. This activated the cursor with the ability to move freely across the entire screen, which was very convenient for working with text. Now the trackpad function has become available to owners of all devices - including old iPads and iPhone 5s.
- New wallpaper . The set of preset wallpapers for the default screen has almost completely changed. Picture sets from iOS 9 and previous systems have been removed and replaced with new images.
- Lots of cosmetic changes . Almost all system applications have received minor changes. The Safari browser has acquired a rounded outline for the address bar, the Maps interface has changed slightly, the interface of the Stocks information application has been redesigned, and more details are now displayed in the Weather application. In general, the system interface began to look nicer and fresher.
New notifications and new unlock mechanism
It was - it became.
On the left are screenshots of the iOS 9.3.5 interface, on the right is the updated iOS 10 interface.
For some reason, the developers from Cupertino changed the unlocking mechanism from the usual swipe to double-clicking the Home button (the first press turns on the screen, the second goes directly to unlocking). And by swiping, you now go to the screen with notification widgets, which were previously located in the top curtain.
Inconvenient is not the right word.
Poor bold fonts. Horrible widget design that doesn't fit into the basic iOS style.
It's like I'm back on Android with its traditional mishmash of styles from developers who lack a sense of beauty.
There were some problems
In the release version of iOS 12 you can find small layout mistakes. For example, this is how fonts move out in the updated App Store:
And this is what the bottom of the screen for switching between tabs in Safari looks like:
Something similar happened after the release of iOS 10 and was corrected in subsequent minor updates.
The reason for this is the low resolution of the iPhone 5s/SE screens, which does not fit typical layout elements. This will almost certainly be corrected in future system updates.
iOS 10 is buggy
Unfortunately, several months of open beta testing did not have a positive effect on the stability of the final version of iOS 10.
It's buggy. From time to time there are some incomprehensible moments with the screen blanking out - this especially often happens when interacting with the new top “curtain”.
I have no doubt that this will be fixed in the next updates. But at the moment the system is quite crude.
UPD : after a couple of reboots (to reboot the iPhone, we press the power key on the top edge and the Home key at the same time), the glitches with blanking the screen disappeared for me, so, perhaps, I take back my words about the glitches of this system.
Performance
The performance of iOS 12 on the iPhone 5s simply shocked me. In a good way.
After updating the operating system and several reboots, during which somehow the processes occurring in the depths of the system were finally settled, the old iPhone began to simply fly.
The speed and smoothness of operation have improved significantly even compared to iOS 10. What can we say about the sufferers who at one time risked updating to the eleventh version of the system.
The device simply found a second life. In principle, using it was already quite comfortable, but after installing the update, it felt like you were holding another smartphone in your hands: like the same iPhone 5s, only slightly updated.
Take my word for it. I don’t see any point in inserting a video measuring the response time of an iPhone on different versions of the system, since they absolutely do not reflect the real user experience after installing the update.
The bottleneck of the iPhone 5s is the small amount of RAM. The smartphone cannot keep several more or less heavy applications open at the same time and almost immediately dumps unused ones into the cache. In all other respects, the device feels quite cheerful.
Description of the advantages and disadvantages of the iPhone 5s
The dimensions of the Apple iPhone 5s are 58.6 mm wide, 123.8 mm long and 7.6 mm thick. With such dimensions it is convenient to operate the device with one hand. In addition, the weight of the device is about 112 g. Even if you operate the device with one hand, its weight is almost not felt.
If we evaluate the overall ease of use of the phone taking into account the size and weight, then there will be no problems with everyday use.
The smartphone is equipped with a 2-core Apple A7 APL0698 processor, which is made at 28 nm. technical process.
The smartphone has only 1 GB. RAM, which is quite small. Instances of low RAM will occur regularly, so even when using light applications you will experience instability in operation.
The device's data storage capacity is 16 GB, and while this is enough for photos, it may not be enough for video shooting and a large number of games.
Since the phone does not support SD cards, you need to ensure that the device has enough memory for your needs.
iPhone 5s has a medium-sized screen, 4 inches. It's fine for general use, but if you want to view photos, videos, and play games, it may not satisfy you.
The smartphone has a high-end display and any graphic content you display on it, including videos and games, will be displayed clearly.
The main camera of the phone has 7.99 megapixels, which should be enough in most cases. However, you may be slightly unsatisfied with the quality of the photos.
Also, the smartphone has a 1.23 megapixel front camera, which is low. If you care about the quality of your photos, you should consider a higher-end smartphone.
The battery capacity of the Apple iPhone 5s is 1560 mAh, which is a typical capacity indicator. Compared to other smartphones, the battery life of the Apple iPhone 5s is average. You don't have to worry about anything during daily use. However, if you spend time surfing the internet or playing games, you might be a little underwhelmed by the battery life.
Summing up
Is it possible to update iPhone 5s to iOS 10? Will it slow down on the new version of the system?
Yes, you can. No, it will not.
But it’s better to wait a while with the update. It's not worth it.
I didn't like . Yes, several good features and useful improvements have appeared in the programs. But all this outweighs the negative from the new method of unlocking the iPhone and the clumsy design of notifications, as well as system glitches.
While writing this post, I had a hard time refraining from making a lot of comments about the current CEO of Apple, Tim Cook. Which, instead of controlling the work of Cupertino designers and programmers with the zeal of Jobs, obviously thinks more about how to wag his senile butt at the next pride of alternatively oriented ones in San Francisco.
In my opinion, at least in the next 3-4 months, it makes no sense to upgrade to iOS 10, and then everything will depend on how quickly Apple releases updates for it.
So if you doubt the prospects of switching to the “ten”, continue to sit quietly on iOS 9.3.5. At the moment she is undoubtedly better.
