Consumer Reports gives iPhone 5 a thumbs-up

Consumer Reports is an 80+ year-old American magazine that publishes reviews and opinions on new consumer products and services. It’s physical publication has more than 7 million monthly subscribers and is highly regarded among shoppers.

The magazine has quite a history with Apple, once giving the iPhone 4 a “cannot recommend status,” back in 2010, and then sensationalizing the iPad 3’s overheating issue earlier this year. But as it turns out, it actually really likes the iPhone 5

From Consumer Reports’ iPhone 5 review:

“The iPhone 5 fulfills its promise as a notable improvement over its fine predecessor, the iPhone 4S, and belongs in the first rank of smart phones…

… By boosting screen size, thinning its profile, and adding 4G LTE access, among other features, his newest iPhone shows every sign of being the most compelling yet.”

But the review wasn’t completely glowing. It pointed out — what else — the new Maps application in iOS 6 as a caveat. CR’s Car team, which reviews all kinds of navigation devices, said the app lacked functionality and suffered from gaps in maps data.

Of course, we already knew that the new Maps app paled in comparison to other GPS applications. Apple’s only been working on it for a few years, at best, and even CR was quick to point out that the service was beta-like, and “likely to improve over time.”

And it doesn’t appear to be bothering consumers at all. Earlier today, Apple announced that it had sold 5 million iPhone 5’s during its opening weekend — a new record for the company.