Airtel starts pre-orders of iPhone 5 with 16GB model priced at Rs 45,500

The iPhone 5 is being distributed in India through the carriers Aircel and Airtel. The former recently started teasing the iPhone 5 on its official page. Airtel too has put up a pre-order page for the flagship handset from Apple. The mobile carrier has listed the 16GB version of the handset, which is available for Rs 45,500.

Only the black version of the iPhone 5 appears to be available yet and only in this capacity (16 GB). With the launch date scheduled for November 2, we can expect the carrier to list more variations. However, this may be subject to availability as the smartphone is facing supply issues.

Entry level version available for pre-order from Airtel

A unique feature of the iPhone 5 is that it uses the newly formulated nano-SIM cards, which are smaller than the existing micro-SIM cards presently available in the market. Though the handset is available in India through the grey market, this new format of SIM cards is not yet available through carriers. Instead, users of the handset are cutting their SIM cards to size to make it compatible with the handset.

Airtel had recently begun testing samples of nano-SIM cards that can be used with this handset. According to an earlier report, Watchdata is one of the several companies that will provide the SIM cards and related solutions to carriers.

As per an earlier report by BGR, Airtel and Vodafone had placed orders for new nano-SIM cards in early September. The BGR report also states that Airtel is sourcing the nano-SIM cards from Oberthur, and Vodafone from Syscom. Aircel is also said to have placed orders for the new, smaller SIM cards. Apparently, almost every carrier will support the new nano-SIM cards. This could make them more widely available than micro-SIM cards, as users can’t simply snip their existing SIM cards any further without damaging them. However, one would require adapters for existing handsets that only recently (with the launch of the iPhone 4) moved from the standard-edition SIM to micro-SIM.

The iPhone 5 that was recently launched is made entirely out of aluminium and glass, it weighs 112 grams and is 20 percent lighter than the iPhone 4S, and is the thinnest iPhone yet at 7.6mm thick. It’s the same width, but taller. Apple has chosen to debut iOS 6 with the iPhone 5 and the new set up includes Apple's own Maps application, an updated version of Siri and lots more. Overall, the new iPhone has been upgraded in almost all respects.

Apple says it has added more than 200 new features into the new iPhone, such as the ability to control it through a car, and cognizant features such as knowing when to alert you about returning calls, if you missed any.

Here is a quick look at the highlighted features of the iPhone 5:

• 4-inch, 326 ppi Retina display at 1136 x 640 pixels,
• GPRS, EDGE, EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and LTE, Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth, USB 2.0 via new proprietary micro connector
• 8 megapixel camera with 1080p full HD video recording and a 720p
• front-facing camera
• 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions