Mossberg likes the taller iPhone 5, which he says is more natural to hold in one hand than some of the wider Android models. What's more, Apple adds a sixth row of icons to the screen for added convenience, given people are growing their must-have apps list.

The Wall Street Journal columnist concurred with USA Today's Baig that the phone is faster, in part due to the new A6 processor but also because it can access LTE networks. He says that while using the phone on LTE networks in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., he experienced 10 times faster download and upload speeds than experienced on 3G networks using the iPhone 4S.

One downside of the new phone is its support for Apple's own maps app, a changeover from support for Google Maps. While new turn-by-turn navigation is a plus, Mossberg writes that the Apple Maps app lacks the groundview you get from Google Maps, and dishes you off to third-party apps for some information, such as public transit routing.

calls the iPhone 5 "every bit the device that people were asking for when the iPhoen 4S came out."

The lightness of the phone, which is 20% lighter than the 4S, is the most noticeable physical aspect of the iPhone 5, Stevens writes. Although he also gives kudos to the screen quality, citing the higher pixel density vs. the iPhone 4S.