The 1GHz dual-core processor is what is expected to power the iPhone 5, but could Apple’s next model falter because it is so late to the party? We say this because there are now smartphones coming to the market that will offer between 1.2GHz and 1.5GHz, so the fifth-generation iPhone might need an even greater spec bump — especially if rumors of the HTC Vigor turn out to be true.
The Vigor has not been officially announced yet, but from what we know it will be the most powerful handset to date, and is expected to replace the ThunderBolt. So one of the fastest LTE handsets is all set to become even faster. You have to wonder if HTC are bringing out the Vigor to counter the faster Galaxy S II?
Whatever way you look at it Apple could be in real trouble here, as they could be launching a new phone that will already be out of date. This could certainly affect sales, as some Verizon customers might not want to pay the price for an iPhone 5 that is considered to be almost 6 months out of date. Apple is expected to use the 1GHz A5 chip, but that has been in use in the iPad 2 since March.
From what we know Apple do not have an alternative, so they are in a catch 22. The reason for this is because they have no choice to release the iPhone with an inferior processor, but then we know how good iOS 5 will be, and should be able to make the iPhone 5 more powerful than other 1GHz dual-core phones on the market.
We know that it is not always down to the CPU, as Apple has other tricks up its sleeves to counteract what the likes of the Vigor and the newer faster Galaxy S II can throw at it. One key area where the iPhone 5 could excel is the battery performance, as it does not matter how powerful your handset is, if your battery lets you down then the handset is toast. This was the whole issue with the HTC ThunderBolt, which has to be the reason why the phone maker is rushing out the release of its successor.
For years we have been hearing of an iPhone killer, and just maybe the Vigor could be it. The likes of HTC have not been able to do it so far, but coming up with hardware that is 6 months or more ahead of the iPhone 5 might just be the answer.
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