Apple iPhone 5: 5 Things You Need To Know Before You Cop [GALLERY]

Let’s face the facts. In the gadget geek world, Apple’s iPhone has been killing it in the smartphone arena for the last five years. Although some balk at the almost yearly update to the hardware—considering the iPhone 4s just came out last fall—the schedule never seems to slow down folks from snatching up the devices with glee. The arrival of the new iPhone 5 was announced yesterday, and needless to say the Apple stans were drooling over the upgrades and possibilities that await as soon as they get one in their hands.

Some are wondering what exactly the new details on the iPhone 5 are—besides the usual “it’s lighter and faster” talk, which it is. Hip-Hop Wired is here to break down why you should, or should not, shell out dough to add yet another iPhone to your collection when it’s available worldwide, September 21st.

Check out the details in the gallery.

MORE ON HIP-HOP WIRED!

• 10 Flicks Of Kanye West Looking Whipped For Kim Kardashian [PHOTOS]

• Chris Brown Says New Neck Tattoo Is A Sugar Skull Not Rihanna [PHOTOS]

• Behind The Scenes Of Fat Joe, French Montana & Lil Wayne’s “Yellow Tape” [PHOTOS]

• Bangin Candy “Birthday Song’s” Big Booty Girl: Delianna Urena [PHOTOS]

• Rick Ross Shoots “Diced Pineapples” Video In Anguilla [PHOTOS]

• Bape x UNDFTD x adidas Campus, Stan Smith & ZX 5000

• Wired 25: Hip-Hop’s 25 Favorite Athletes

• Streets On Fire: 10 Victims Of Chicago’s Violent Murder Spike [PHOTOS]

Photos: Apple

The iPhone Slimmed Down A Taste – The iPhone has been getting smaller since its inception in 2007, but the latest version is the thinnest and lightest model yet. Measuring at 123.8 x 58.5 x 7.6mm and weighing 112 grams (that’s about less than four ounces), the iPhone 5 won’t weigh down your pockets or stretch them out either. Skinny jeans are the trend these days and this phone should fit into your compartments with ease.

Bigger Screen, Bigger Things – The iPhone 5’s older sibling, the 4, had a 3.5 inch screen – big enough to do all the things you needed on the smartphone. The 5 kicks it up a notch and boasts a four-inch screen, perfect for reading texts from your boo or, you know, reading up on the latest news at Hip-HopWired.

Strike Like “Lightning” – The newest versions of the iPhone and its more musically-inclined handheld device, the iPod Touch, gets rid of the older 30-pin Apple Dock connector. The “Apple Lightning” connector boasts just eight pins and is all digital. This way, you can zip all your favorite songs and other media to the device faster than you can say, “Mom, can you buy me an iPhone 5 for my birthday?”

The Eyes Have It. So Do The Pixels – Apple continues with its brand marketing scheme and returns with the “retina display” for the iPhone 5’s slightly larger screen. Although the pixel density was slightly improved to 1136 X 640, Apple claims you will be able to tell the difference if you have properly working eyeballs.

Who Got The Juice? – The iPhone 5 has another welcome upgrade in network connectivity, now able to link up with 4G networks unlike its predecessors. With its dual facing cameras, FaceTime with a loved one should be more of a snap. Using a standard Li-lon battery, the phone will give you 225 hours of standby time, 8.5 hours of talk time, 10 hours of Wi-Fi calling and up to 10 hours of video playback time. Music is where the times get really generous with up to 40 hours of playback. This device packs in a lot of usage for a lot of hours.