iPhone 5 (CDMA China)

iPhone 5 (CDMA China)

iPhone

Discontinued
Released: December 14, 2012Discontinued on: September 10, 2013
United States: N/A

Overview

Available exclusively for the mainland China market on the China Telecom network, the iPhone 5 (CDMA China), model A1442, has several distinctions from the global iPhone 5 (CDMA). Most significantly, this China-specific model lacks support for LTE and 2100 MHz CDMA EV-DO. Instead, it supports a UIM module (a CDMA-equivalent SIM card) and has been modified to comply with the "WAPI" Wi-Fi standard required by the Chinese government.


All iPhone 5 models, irrespective of their network compatibility, feature a 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch IPS LED-backlit "retina display" with an 1136x640 resolution (326 ppi). They have dual cameras—a rear 8-megapixel, 1080p "iSight" camera and a front 1.2-megapixel, 720p "FaceTime HD" camera. These models are housed in a slim, 0.30-inch aluminum "unibody" case with a glass front, available in dark gray "slate" with a black front or silver with a white front.


The iPhone 5 is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core "Apple A6" processor, has 1 GB of RAM, and is available with 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB of flash storage. It also supports dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, three noise-canceling microphones, a bottom-mounted headphone jack, and the new USB 2.0-based Lightning port.


Apple's battery life estimates for iPhone 5 models include up to 40 hours of audio playback, 8 hours of 3G talk time, 8 hours of 3G internet use, 8 hours of 4G/LTE internet use (note that this China-only model does not support LTE), 10 hours of Wi-Fi internet use, 10 hours of video playback, and 225 hours of standby time.

Evaluation

The iPhone 5 demonstrated Apple's strategic adaptability in addressing diverse global markets, with the China-specific variant showcasing the company's willingness to accommodate regional requirements while maintaining core design excellence. Despite lacking LTE support, reviewers acknowledged the model's solid performance foundation and build quality that matched international variants. The device represented an important step in Apple's expansion into the Chinese market, proving that premium smartphones could succeed even with certain technical limitations. Its implementation of WAPI standards illustrated how global technology companies could balance local compliance with maintaining product integrity.

Product Info

Product Info Table
Model IDiPhone5,2
Apple Model NoA1442 (EMC N/A)
Apple Order NoME039CH/A
Apple SubfamilyiPhone 5 (CDMA China)

Price

Price Table
Original PriceN/A
United StatesN/A
ChinaRMB 5,288, 6,088, 6,888

Pricing Extras

Pricing Extras Table
Est. Current RetailN/A

Body

Body Table
Form FactoriPhone 5
Case TypeHandheld
Housing ColorBlack & White
Dimensions4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in / 123.70 x 58.67 x 7.62 mm
Avg. Weight3.95 oz / 112 g

Platform

Platform Table
Processor TypeApple A6
Processor Speed1.3 GHz
Processors1 (2 Cores)
Onboard RAM1 GB
Geekbench 2 (32)1577
Geekbench 3 (32)1279
Geekbench 4 (SC)754
Geekbench 4 (MC)1208

Storage

Storage Table
Storage Capacity16, 32, 64 GB

Display

Display Table
Built-in Display4" Retina
Display Resolution1136x640 (326 ppi)
Camera8.0 Megapixels

Media Support

Media Support Table
Audio SupportApple reports that the iPhone 5 supports "AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV."
Video SupportApple reports that the iPhone 5 supports "H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second, High Profile level 4.1 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; [and] Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format."It also supports AirPlay Mirroring to Apple TV at 720p as well as AirPlay video streaming to the Apple TV (3rd Gen) at up 1080p and the Apple TV (2nd Gen) at up to 720p.
Photo SupportApple does not formally specify photo formats for the iPhone 5. However, it can sync photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats, from iTunes and iCloud.

Wired Connectivity

Wired Connectivity Table
ConnectivityUSB
PortsLightning, Headphone
USB SupportSync & Charge

Wireless Connectivity

Wireless Connectivity Table
Cell NetworkCDMA
Standard Wireless802.11a/b/g/n
Standard Bluetooth4.0

Power

Power Table
Battery TypeLithium Ion
Battery Life (Music)40 Hours
Battery Life (Voice)8 Hours
Standby Time225 Hours

Software

Software Table
Pre-Installed OSiOS 6.0 (10A405)
Maximum OSiOS 10.3.4
Mac SupportMac OS X 10.6.8
Windows SupportWindows XP SP3/Vista/7

Accessories

Accessories Table
ControllerMulti-touch
Incl. AccessoriesShipped with "Apple EarPods [headphones] with Remote and Mic, Lightning to USB cable, [and] a USB power adapter."In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells inexpensive headphones, cases and other accessories for this iPhone.Also see: What is the best external keyboard for the iPhone?