The build quality of iPhone 5 is a real let down, the 4 & 4S were much better but it performs much faster on almost all applications.
Technically it may not be up the same spec as Samsung & HTC but it just works. I don't have to reboot it every so often (in fact I rarely do), I can always get the application I need (including my track day timer) and despite what people say battery life is OK as long as you think what you need (I easily get a day out of it).
As stated before functionally it works so well with my other devices, I never find myself without that document, photo, message I need - the joys of the Cloud
Must admit, not a fan of the 5 and am waiting for the 6. I have had the current 4 for ages now, and its been bullet proof. I like the weight and solidness of the build over that of the 5 but I don't like the iOS 7 as the 4 cant run it fast enough and it becomes very frustrating.
The 5, although extremely fast, just feels flimsy and lacks its own identity.....its just a big iPhone 4, aesthetically.
I am hoping the iPhone 6 will be a new direction and a new cool. I have heard curved displays on both Samsung and Apple are on their way but I feel its just a gimmick. The iPhone 6 needs to have its own USP.
When I look at Samsung now, they are some years behind Apple, now I dont mean that in a technology way, its more in a brand way.
Take Apple for example, the first iPhone came out in 2007, some 6-7 years ago and there have been 8 variants (I think: 2g, 3g, 3gs, 4, 4s, 5, 5c, 5s...did I miss any?) so the effort to make anything truly different becomes ever more difficult.
Samsung are now just entering the negative, need for innovation stage now, that Apple have been getting bashed with since the 5.
For me, and "end to end" experience (the phone is designed, built, controlled and runs OS all from one company) is what makes the Apple so reliable. If I were forced to change from iOS though, I would, believe it or not, go Windows because they have shown their own direction of innovation, creating something truly different and I respect them for that....even if its not quite there yet.