Apple iPhone 5 Initial impressions

(Credit: John Chan/CNET Asia)

The Apple iPhone 5 went on sale today in nine countries, including Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore in the Asia-Pacific region.
We got our hands on a unit and the first impression is that it's solid. The fit and finish of the iPhone 5 is excellent--we particularly liked the use of aluminum for the back. It is extremely light and thin, and won't weigh down anyone's pocket. While the LCD is larger at 4 inches diagonally, it actually feels relatively small compared with big-screen behemoths such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, S3 and to a lesser extent, the HTC One X.

We like the aluminum back.
(Credit: John Chan/CNET Asia)

Turning our attention away from the physical attributes, there are other factors that are just as important. Attracting the most attention these few days are the deficiencies of Apple's Maps app, which replaces the excellent Google Maps-powered version, in iOS 6.
Taking a quick peek, we noticed a lack of details when it comes to building locations for Singapore. We will be testing this iPhone 5 feature, including its ability to act as a turn-by-turn navigation device for driving in our full review.
What we also want to know is how great the LTE network is when used with the iPhone 5. Our earlier tests told us M1's coverage was good, while SingTel's speed was better. However, M1 has said that it will be making some optimizations to its network, so that's something we need to try out.
If you've purchased an iPhone 5, or played with a friend's, tell us what your first impressions are. And look out for our full review coming in the next few days.
Click here for more of the latest iPhone 5 announcements and news.