There are generally positive comments from analysts on the new iPhone (News - Alert) 5 introduced by Apple yesterday.

It has many desirable features and looks to be a solid competitor against options from Samsung and Nokia.

“Apple has delivered a new iPhone that offers few surprises but promises a significantly better user experience as a result of its faster LTE (News - Alert) connectivity, processor speeds and better Retina display,” says David McQueen, a handset and mobile device analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media (News - Alert).

The iPhone 5 screen was enlarged to four inches from the old iPhone. It is longer, too, with a near-16:9  aspect ratio. “This not only allows old apps to work (using black bars top and bottom) but also fits with the scalability of the new software upgrade iOS 6,” McQueen said.

Also, the iPhone 5 features an A6 chip. Apple (News - Alert) says that the CPU will work twice as fast for speed and graphics than the previous A5 chip.

Overall, the new device is lighter and thinner than the iPhone4S. In-cell technology was used to make the screen lighter, as well. Also, the iPhone 5 has LTE and an antenna which can switch among networks.

The connector for the iPhone 5 is smaller. It is an 8-pin “Lightning” connector, which is thinner than the prior version and double-sided, so it is easier to use.

But The New York Times has warned that the new connector on the base could be annoying to users. The Lightning port makes millions of charging cords, docks and clock radios unusable. It could lead to more sales of new accessories for iPhones and iPads. “Apple is testing the patience of its fans,” Tero Kuittinen, an analyst, told The Times.

Adding, “A lot of Apple fans have a lot of different accessories and use the old systems, so this is going to be a fairly expensive shift for a lot of them.” There will be Lightning cables and $30 adapters that can connect new phones to some older accessories.

In another matter, McQueen noted that Bose, B&W, JBL and Bang & Olufsen will be offering new accessories and speaker docks for the iPhone 5.

McQueen noted, too, the headphone jack for the iPhone 5 was moved to the bottom of the device next to the connector.

“The iPhone 5 release has provided a much needed physical update of the device, despite the screen not being the largest in the smartphone market and it still lacks NFC and wireless charging,” McQueen adds.

However, the iPhone 5 is expected to be sought after. Analysts predict there will be over one million pre-orders in the first 24 hours of the announcement. Analysts also predict there will be 10 million to 12 million iPhone 5s sold in September. In addition, about 75 percent of current iPhone owners plan on getting an upgrade in the next year.

The new iPhone is available for pre-order starting on Friday. On Sept. 21, the iPhone will be offered in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The following week, on Sept. 28, another 20 countries will receive the new iPhone.

Prices for the iPhone 5 are the same as for the 4S, with a contract. They are: $199 for 16GB; $299 for 32GB; and $399 for 64GB.

And watch for heavy sales of the new iPhone during the winter holiday shopping season. “The new iPhone model promises great potential sales for the 4Q holiday shopping season, even in the face of new LTE-capable devices from Samsung, HTC, Nokia and Motorola also being launched in 4Q,” McQueen said.

As an added plus, the iPhone 4 and 4S are expected to be sold at lower prices with the new model coming out.

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