The front of the iPhone 5 is not flush with the frame

Neither side is flush on the 4/4S. By making only one side flush on the 5 it's easier to tell which side you grabbed as you pull it out of your pocket/purse/bag so you know to flip it the correct orientation before you ready the device in front of your chest/face.<p>Every Android phone I've owned is similar in this respect (as are the 3GS and below) but my 4S not so much. This move is for the best.

Sigh, a nickel for everyone who owns an Apple product suddenly thinks they are a world class designer.

&#62; Kind of like when you see a fake Rolex from 20 inches away and it looks pretty good, but then you look up close and suddenly one little flaw makes the whole thing fall apart.<p>The crystal on a Rolex sticks up above the bezel as well.

Blaming issues (which most would consider a non-issue) like this on Steve Jobs not being around is insulting to all of the hard-working designers and engineers at Apple that worked 80-hour weeks to get this thing into your hands. They didn't do something wrong--you just don't like a decision they made.

That's there to make sure the screen completely shatters if you bump it against anything.

I was at the Apple Store yesterday and also noticed the front glass isn't flush. Was a bit disappointed but reasoned that it's still a beautiful phone. I think it's a stretch to say Steve Jobs would have not allowed it. There could be other factors doing into the design.<p>On another note, the four iPhone 5 commercials Apple just released were horrible IMO. I definitely think Steve Jobs would have been pissed off at those commercials. The just don't communicate clearly and border on tastelessness.

"Now I know everyone must be tired of people asking 'Would this have happened if Jobs was around' …"<p>Personally, I hate hearing things like this because "my concept of Steve Jobs wouldn't have allowed this" isn't an argument. It's an attempt to use a dead man to bolster an argument's credibility. But how are we to know what Jobs would and wouldn't have allowed?<p>Besides, the iPhone 4 came out on his watch, didn't it? Is the iPhone 5's design a step backwards somehow?

This isn't a problem for me. It's still built with extreme precision and not liking a minor design decision doesn't make it any less finely crafted. And it's still a big improvement over the previous version.<p>iPhone 4S side: <a href="http://www.iphone4sreview.org/wp-content/gallery/iphone-4s-review/iphone-4s-side.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.iphone4sreview.org/wp-content/gallery/iphone-4s-r...</a>

Regarding the Jobs would-have-wouldn't-have done this, there's actually a decent chance that he DID this.<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-worked-closely-on-the-next-iphones-redesign-report-2012-5" rel="nofollow">http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-worked-closely-on-...</a>

What's the problem with the front not being flush? I noticed this from the first time I saw the iPhone 5 and immediately thought it was an aesthetic decision that ties the iPhone 5 back to the iPhone 4/4S. FWIW, I like the design (ftr I'm a Nokia E6 owner).

It's a fucking phone.

My fine swiss watch has damn near the same profile.