The verdict is out: Tech critics love Apple’s ‘improved’ iPhone 5

Apple’s long awaited iPhone 5 will hit US stores on Friday. The device is already sold out on pre-order and according to Apple it is the fastest selling smartphone ever. So what are the tech pundits saying about the new iPhone 5? It’s mostly rave reviews all the way.

Here’s a quick look at a few:

CNET: The headline says it all about how much they love this phone. iPhone 5 full review: Finally, the iPhone we’ve always wanted. Reviewer Scott Stein says,

The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It’s absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.

For him, the winning point of the iPhone 5 is design, design, design. You can read the complete post here.

New York Times: This one seems mildly restrained as far as reviews go. From reviewer David Pogue, his point of view regarding the iOS vs Android vs Windows 8 debate doesn’t change radically with the iPhone 5.   As far the new screen-resolution in concerned, he says,It’s a nice but not life-changing change.

The new iPhone 5. Reuters

But its clear that the design is impressive and he says A single company, known for its obsession over details, produces both the hardware and the software. The result is a single, coherently designed whole.

You can read the entire NYT review here.

TechCrunch: Once again, the Apple fanboy strikes. ReviewerMG Siegler’s post has the headline With iPhone 5, Apple Has Chiseled The Smartphone To Near Perfection. Need we say more about how awesome they think the iPhone 5 is? You can read the entire reviewhere.

AllThingsD: Walt Mosberg at AllThingsD also feels that still considers, the iPhone the best smartphone on the market, especially with its staggering 700,000 third-party apps and a wealth of available content.

Apple’s design is still what keeps it in favour with many tech experts. Mosberg writes,

Yet unlike many competitors, this isn’t a plastic, insubstantial-feeling device. Although Apple claims it’s the world’s thinnest smartphone—18 percent thinner than the prior model—the iPhone 5 retains Apple’s trademark, solid-feeling, metal construction, with an aluminum back this time, instead of a glass back. Like many Apple products, it’s gorgeous.