Every year since 2007, Apple has released a new iPhone. This year, however, there are two, and 9 million have already been sold just during the launch weekend of its iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s.
With the new models, Apple seeks to appeal to two groups: the high-end smartphone buyer as well as the customer who wants something funkier, brighter and cheaper.
The iphone5c might be cheaper but it’s still a more powerful phone than last year’s iPhone 5, with a longer-lasting battery and improved front-facing camera.
The plastic case is smooth and shiny with exceptional build quality making it look appealing, feel comfy and reassure you that pocket-scratches are a thing of the past.
It comes in five colours – all of them gorgeous, adding that touch of individual style for the user. Starting at £469, the 5c is no mid-range or budget smartphone, but a premium piece of kit repackaged in a colourful plastic casing.
Together with the radically overhauled operating system, Apple continue to re-launch themselves so they stay ahead of the market. Some owners will feel the new software upgrade iOS7 – available to download for free for all handsets from the iPhone 4 onwards – offers enough innovation to make buying a new phone a low priority.
But it’s the iPhone 5s which is the main event. Superficially similar to last year’s iPhone 5, it crams a lot more into the same chassis. First, there’s a new, super-fast A7 processor. Everything moves quicker and smoother. There’s a motion co-processor which helps out by doing some of the heavy lifting, measuring movement in clever ways to save on power usage. If it senses no movement for a long time it figures you’re not using it, and saves power by checking with the network less often
The processor also powers the new camera. It’s an 8MP model like on the iPhone 5 but with a bigger sensor and larger, more effective pixels. Only one phone, the HTC One, has bigger pixels. The processor means there’s not a whisker of shutter lag. There are impressive features like burst mode (shooting 10 pin-sharp images in a second) and slow-motion HD video. In practice, the camera on the iPhone 5s is among the most advanced available. And the results are tremendous.
The other stand-out innovation is just wonderful: the fingerprint sensor that sits invisibly inside the home button. Many email systems require a phone to use a passcode lock but touch the Touch ID sensor and it recognises you and unlocks the phone. It’s less fiddly than typing codes and feels deeply intimate.
Both these phones are impressive, capable and significant upgrades over last year’s model. The 5c is fun and stylish, but the 5s is the best smartphone Apple, or anyone, has yet made.
So, the 5c is for the colourful while the 5s is for the forward thinkers. Which are you?
For more information, check out the official website.
