The brand new iPhones have been unveiled, and those of us who are ready (and needing) to upgrade are anxiously awaiting their official arrival in stores and online. As the rumors speculated, we have two new models of iPhones: the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s. Let’s highlight some features of each.
[highlight]iPhone 5c[/highlight]
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Price: $99 (16GB) with contract // $199 (32GB) with contract
Unlocked (contract-free) price: $549 (16GB) // $649 (32GB)
Available for pre-order on Friday, September 13.
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Apple calls the iPhone 5c the “most colorful iPhone yet.” It struts an all-new, redesigned body that is available in five colors: blue, green, pink, yellow and white. Many of the 5c features are carried over from the iPhone 5, such as …
- … the four-inch retina display
- … the A6 chip (processor)
- …the 8 megapixel iSight camera
But there are several new features to the 5c that separate it from the iPhone 5. First, the obvious: the colors. Apple “unapologetically” fashioned the 5c out of plastic, which, they say, lends itself to an all-new feeling when you hold it in your hand. It has a smooth outer shell that is reinforced with a steel frame.
Also in the external category, Apple is really pushing their new cases for the 5c. Apple has designed six cases to fit the 5c in a variety of colors: black, white, pink, yellow, blue and green. The cases feature the Apple logo in its usual spot on the back of the iPhone. There are also little holes on the back (under the Apple logo) that show your iPhone 5c’s color through. They sell for $29 each.
Internally speaking, the 5c claims 10 hours of LTE browsing time, 10 hours of talk time, and 10 hours of video playback time on the battery. It also has up to 13 LTE bands, which Apple claims will increase download and upload speeds from the device. While the rear-facing camera on the 5c is the same as the one of the iPhone 5, Apple has included an HD front-facing camera on the 5c for Facetime calls.
The iPhone 5c ships with the new iOS 7, which is a total overhaul of all things iOS.
[highlight]iPhone 5s[/highlight]
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Price: $199 (16GB) with contract // $299 (32GB) with contract // $399 (64GB) with contract
Unlocked (contract-free) price: $649 (16GB) // $749 (32GB) // $849 (64GB)
Available on Friday, September 20 online and in stores.
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The iPhone 5s is the same physical size as the iPhone 5 (part of being in the “tock” cycle of the iPhone release this year). As of this model, it is available in three “expressions:” silver, space gray (previously known as black), and gold.
Here are the other features in a nutshell:
TouchID is fingerprint recognition software that allows you to use your fingerprint as your password on your iPhone 5s. You simply touch the home button (which is now equipped with censors) and your phone unlocks. Additionally, TouchID can be used when you’re downloading apps, books, videos, or music from Apple’s stores, which means you no longer have to enter your iTunes password every time! I’m super excited about this feature, provided it is reliable enough to count on. As a side note, Apple promises that your fingerprint information is never backed up to iCloud or sent to Apple’s servers. It remains safely on your iPhone and nowhere else.
The iPhone 5s touts the A7 chip. Apple claims that the A7 is up to two times faster than the A6 (which is the chip that’s still in the 5c). The A7 makes the iPhone 5s the first-ever 64 bit smartphone. The brand new iOS 7 is optimized for 64 bit processors, which should help the 5s to feel fast and smooth in rendering graphics. Apple introduced the new M7 coprocessor, which deals with things like the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. With the M7 handling these smaller tasks instead of the main processor, we should see improved battery life.
Apple improved the iSight camera (the rear-facing camera) in the 5s. It has a 15 percent larger sensor, a wider aperture (f2.2), a special flash that Apple calls the True Tone flash to better match skin tones in low light, burst mode (which snaps 10 photos per second), and even slo-mo video!
The 5s also has the 13 LTE bands (see above, under the 5c features) and ships with iOS 7.
Apple has also designed cases especially for the 5s. There are six (made of leather): brown, beige, black, yellow, blue and (PRODUCT) RED. They are $39.00 each.
A little one-more-thing added bonus for the iPhone 5s is that it ships with iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for free!
QUESTION: What do you think of the iPhone 5c and 5s? Are you getting one? Do you think Apple’s announcements are as exciting as they used to be? Why or why not?