iphone 5c – The colorful Apple

The iPhone 5c is something new in the iPhone line-up. It’s a lower-cost alternative to the iPhone 5S – normally Apple simply trots out old models for those who can’t afford the new top dog. To save a few pennies, the iPhone 5C uses a shell of plastic rather than metal, but starting at $549 this is no cheap phone.

The iPhone 5c is essentially a repackaged iPhone 5 with a new plastic enclosure. The new device is available in five different colors -- green, yellow, blue, white, and pink. A little wider and 30g heavier than the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c feels a little heftier than its brother.

The iPhone 5C uses a 4-inch 1,136 x 640 pixel screen, just like that of the iPhone 5. The resulting 326ppi pixel density is the same pixel pitch that saw the introduction of the term ‘Retina’ display – meaning so sharp you can’t see the pixels. It’s a top-quality IPS panel that offers superb color reproduction, excellent contrast and startling peak brightness. 

The phone comes in 16 GB and 32 GB variations, for $99 and $199 on contract, respectively, or contract-free for $549 and $649 in the US.

The 5C not only looks more like an iPod Touch, it even comes packaged in an iPod Touch-like jewel box with clear plastic. Inside you get the phone, a Lightning cable (with AC adapter), and pair of EarPod in-ear headphones with a built-in mic.

The phone feels as immaculately well-made as you’d expect from Apple – there are no gaps or inconsistencies in the border between the plastic back and glass front, no flexing of the body. But glossy plastic was never going to feel as impressive as the aluminium rear of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.

The same iSight rear-facing 8-megapixel camera that was in the iPhone 5 is in the 5C. iOS 7 adds a few more extras, such as digital zoom when recording video. Both 1080p video recording, photos and panoramic pictures all look great, but the iPhone 5S camera is even more refined, and adds slow-motion recording and multiburst.

In the iPhone 5C you'll find the same A6 processor, 8MP rear camera, 1.9 MP front camera, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, just like the iPhone 5, along with Bluetooth 4.0.

The iPhone 5C misses out on what’s probably the biggest hardware innovation of the iPhone 5S – the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. This lets you secure your phone against the fingers of any more mischievous friends without using a passcode. Here you’ll either have to use the passcode or go without that extra layer of protection.

The colorful design, terrific construction and wonderful synthesis of hardware/software makes the iPhone 5c a great mid-range device. And if you prefer Apple’s ecosystem, the 5c is a very solid option. It offers many different colors to match a person’s bright and bubbly personality, sturdy construction and one of the best examples of hardware/software synthesis out there.